Google URL Shortener
{{Short description|Discontinued URL shortening service}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Google URL Shortener
| logo = Google_URL_Shortener_Logo.png
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| logo_alt = The Google URL Shortener full wordmark logo
| logo_caption = The Google URL Shortener full wordmark logo
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| url = {{URL|goo.gl/#home|goo.gl}}
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| type = URL shortening
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| successor = Firebase Dynamic Links
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| owner = Google LLC
| author =
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| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2009|12|14}}{{Cite web
| title = Making URLs shorter for Google Toolbar and FeedBurner
| first1 = Muthu
| last1 = Muthusrinivasan
| first2 = Ben
| last2 = D'Angelo
| first3 = Devin
| last3 = Mullins
| work = Official Google Blog
| publisher = Google
| date = December 14, 2010
| access-date = 15 January 2019
| url = https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/making-urls-shorter-for-google-toolbar.html
| quote =
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190116100212/https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/making-urls-shorter-for-google-toolbar.html
| archive-date = 16 January 2019
| url-status = live
}}
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| current_status = Discontinued as of {{end date|2019|03|30}}. Existing links will stop working on {{end date|2025|08|25}}.
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Google URL Shortener, also known as goo.gl, is a URL shortening service owned by Google. It was launched in December 2009, initially used for Google Toolbar and Feedburner.{{Cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/12/14/goo-gl-gets-into-the-short-url-game/ |title=Bit.ly Just Got Fu.kd: Facebook And Google Get Into The Short URL Game |last=Rao |first=Leena |date=December 14, 2009 |website=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421000150/https://techcrunch.com/2009/12/14/goo-gl-gets-into-the-short-url-game/ |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |url-status=live }} The company launched a separate website, goo.gl, in September 2010.{{Cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/30/googlegoo-gl-is-a-go-the-stablest-most-secure-and-fastest-url-shortener-on-the-web/ |title=Goo.gl Is A Go. The "Stablest, Most Secure, And Fastest URL Shortener On The Web" |last=Rao |first=Leena |date=September 30, 2010 |website=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420235944/https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/30/googlegoo-gl-is-a-go-the-stablest-most-secure-and-fastest-url-shortener-on-the-web/ |archive-date=April 20, 2017 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=http://lifehacker.com/5447068/use-googl-url-shortener-without-google-toolbar |title=Use Goo.gl URL Shortener Without Google Toolbar |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Jason |date=December 13, 2010 |website=Lifehacker |publisher=Gizmodo Media Group |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421091227/http://lifehacker.com/5447068/use-googl-url-shortener-without-google-toolbar |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/03/03/google-url-shortener-now-available-as-free-android-app/ |title=Google URL Shortener Now Available as Free Android App |date=March 3, 2014 |website=Techno Buffalo |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421003545/https://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/03/03/google-url-shortener-now-available-as-free-android-app/ |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |url-status=live }}
Google has replaced the service internally with Firebase Dynamic Links which is now used to shorten links for Google Maps and Google Workspace products.{{Cite web |url=https://clickable.me/p/google-url-shortener/#content |title=Google URL Shortener: What happened to the short goo.gl links?|work=Clickable |date=June 19, 2023 |access-date=June 19, 2023 }}
The user could access a list of URLs that had been shortened in the past after logging in to their Google Account. Real-time analytics data, including traffic over time, top referrers, and visitor profiles was recorded. For security, Google added automatic spam system detection based on the same type of filtering technology used in Gmail.
The service has not been accepting new users since April 13, 2018 and Google discontinued the service for existing users on March 30, 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://9to5google.com/2018/03/30/google-url-shortener-shut-down/|title=Google shutting down goo.gl URL shortener next year, existing links will keep working|last=Li|first=Abner|date=March 30, 2018|work=9to5Google|access-date=March 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331040249/https://9to5google.com/2018/03/30/google-url-shortener-shut-down/|archive-date=March 31, 2018|url-status=live}} Existing links will no longer redirect to the intended destination, with the goo.gl links generated via Google apps.{{Cite web |last=Hermanto |first=Michael |date=30 March 2018 |title=developers.googleblog.com |url=https://developers.googleblog.com/2018/03/transitioning-google-url-shortener.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630214043/https://developers.googleblog.com/2018/03/transitioning-google-url-shortener.html |archive-date=30 June 2018 |access-date=1 April 2018 |website=Transitioning Google URL Shortener to Firebase Dynamic Links |publisher=Google Developers Blog}} It was succeeded by Firebase Dynamic Links, but existing links did not become Dynamic Links automatically.{{Cite news|url=https://developers.googleblog.com/2018/03/transitioning-google-url-shortener.html|title=Transitioning Google URL Shortener to Firebase Dynamic Links|work=Google Developers Blog|access-date=2018-06-30|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630214043/https://developers.googleblog.com/2018/03/transitioning-google-url-shortener.html|archive-date=2018-06-30|url-status=live}}
On July 18, 2024, Google announced that existing Google URL shortener URLs will stop working as of August 25, 2025 with the exception of goo.gl links generated via Google apps. Google added an interstitial page to warn users about this on August 23, 2024.{{cite web |title=Google URL Shortener links will no longer be available |url=https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/ |website=developers.googleblog.com |publisher=Google |access-date=18 July 2024 |language=en}}