Remember those handy little links that looked like a jumble of letters and numbers, like “goo.gl/abc123“? Yeah, the ones that saved us from sharing URLs longer than a CVS receipt. Well, brace yourselves—Google has announced that all goo.gl links will officially stop working on August 25th, 2025. That means if you’ve got any of these shortened URLs saved, shared, or sprinkled across the web, they’re about to turn into digital dead ends, returning a dreaded 404 error message.

What was goo.gl, anyway?

For those who might not remember (or were too young to care), goo.gl was Google’s URL shortening service, launched back in 2009. It was a nifty tool that let you take those absurdly long web addresses and shrink them into something short, sweet, and shareable. Think of it like a digital shortcut—perfect for social media posts, especially back when Twitter (now X) had a strict 140-character limit and every letter counted.

URL shorteners like goo.gl were all the rage in the early days of social media. They made sharing links easier, cleaner, and less likely to look like a cat had walked across your keyboard. But as the internet evolved, so did the way we share and find content. Fast forward to today, and Google has decided it’s time to pull the plug on goo.gl for good.

Why is Google shutting down goo.gl links?

Google first started winding down goo.gl back in 2018, when it announced that new users could no longer create shortened links. By 2019, even existing users were locked out from making new ones. But the old links kept working—until now.

So, why the final shutdown? According to Google, it’s all about “changes we’ve seen in how people find content on the internet.” Translation: the internet has moved on. With social media platforms like Twitter expanding their character limits and new ways to share content emerging, the need for URL shorteners has shrunk faster than a wool sweater in hot water.

Plus, Google revealed that more than 99% of goo.gl links hadn’t been clicked in the last month. That’s right—most of these links were just sitting there, gathering digital dust. It’s like having a closet full of clothes you haven’t worn since 2010. At some point, you’ve got to Marie Kondo that mess and let it go.

In a blog post from July 2024, Google made it clear: “In fact, more than 99% of them had no activity in the last month.” Ouch. If that’s not a sign that it’s time to move on, I don’t know what is.

What happens on August 25th, 2025?

Mark your calendars: August 25th, 2025, is D-Day for goo.gl links. After that date, any goo.gl link you try to click will lead to a 404 error page—basically, the internet’s way of saying, “Nope, nothing here.”

But Google’s not leaving you totally in the dark. Since last year, they’ve been showing a warning page whenever someone clicks on a goo.gl link, letting users know that “this link will no longer work in the near future.” Consider it a digital heads-up, like when your favorite streaming service tells you a show is about to be removed.

Still, if you’ve got goo.gl links buried in old blog posts, tweets, or marketing emails, now’s the time to take action. Waiting until the last minute could leave you with a bunch of broken links and some very confused (and probably annoyed) users.

Why should you care?

If you’re thinking, “Eh, I haven’t used goo.gl in years,” you might still be affected. Here’s why:

• Old social media posts: That viral tweet from 2015 with a goo.gl link? It’s about to break.
• Marketing campaigns: If you’ve got email newsletters or ads with goo.gl links, they’ll stop working.
• Website content: Blog posts, articles, or resources that use goo.gl links will need updating.

Broken links aren’t just annoying—they can hurt your credibility, frustrate your audience, and even impact your SEO if you’ve got a lot of them on your site. So, even if you haven’t thought about goo.gl in ages, it’s worth checking if you’ve got any lingering links that need attention.

Alternatives to goo.gl: where to go next

The good news? There are plenty of other URL shortening services out there, and they’re still going strong. If you need to replace your goo.gl links, here are a few popular options:

1. Bitly: The big name in URL shortening, Bitly offers a free plan with basic features and paid options for more advanced analytics and customization. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of link shorteners—reliable and packed with features.
2. TinyURL: If you want something simple and no-frills, TinyURL has been around since 2002 and doesn’t even require an account. It’s the “set it and forget it” option.
3. Ow.ly: From the folks at Hootsuite, Ow.ly is great for social media sharing and comes with built-in analytics. Perfect if you’re already using Hootsuite for your social media management.

When choosing a new service, think about what you need. If you’re just looking to shorten a few links for personal use, TinyURL might be all you need. But if you’re a marketer who wants to track clicks and engagement, Bitly or Ow.ly could be a better fit.

How to transition your links (without losing your mind)

Updating your links might sound like a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a simple game plan:

1. Find your goo.gl links: Check your website, social media archives, and any old emails or documents where you might have used them.
2. Choose a new shortener: Pick one of the alternatives mentioned above (or another service you prefer).
3. Create new shortened links: Use your new service to create fresh, shortened versions of the original URLs.
4. Update your content: Replace the old goo.gl links with the new ones wherever they appear.

If you’ve got a lot of links to update, it might take some time, but it’s better than dealing with a flood of broken links later. Plus, many URL shorteners offer bulk shortening tools, which can speed up the process.

Are URL shorteners still relevant?

You might be wondering: with all the changes in how we share content, do we even need URL shorteners anymore? It’s a fair question. Social media platforms have relaxed their character limits, and many now automatically shorten links for you. Plus, with the rise of link-in-bio tools and QR codes, the humble URL shortener might seem a bit… 2010.

But don’t write them off just yet. URL shorteners still have their perks:

• Analytics: Services like Bitly let you track how many people click your links, where they’re coming from, and more.
• Branding: Some shorteners allow you to customize your links with your own domain, which can boost brand recognition.
• Convenience: Let’s face it—short links are still easier to share in print, on podcasts, or anywhere a long URL would be a pain.

So, while they might not be as essential as they once were, URL shorteners still have a place in the digital toolbox—especially for marketers, content creators, and anyone who loves data.

Don’t wait—update your links now

The shutdown of goo.gl links is a reminder that the internet is always changing, and the tools we rely on today might not be around tomorrow. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right? It keeps us on our toes.

If you’ve got goo.gl links floating around, don’t panic—just take a little time to update them. Choose a new URL shortening service that fits your needs, swap out those old links, and you’ll be good to go. And who knows? Maybe in a few years, we’ll be reminiscing about URL shorteners the way we do about flip phones and dial-up internet. But for now, let’s keep those links working and those clicks coming.