Vanity URL: a link with words instead of a code

A vanity URL is a short link whose path you choose rather than one a generator produced: gc.mw/launch instead of gc.mw/a4Kp. The mechanics are identical; the difference is entirely in what a person reads before they click.

The rules on gc.mw

Custom aliases are a Pro feature. Four to sixty-four characters, letters, digits, hyphens and underscores, first and last character alphanumeric. Uniqueness is enforced on a lowercased copy of the code, so claiming Sale also claims sale — there is no way to end up with two links that differ only in capitalisation and send people to different places.

Two lists sit in front of the check. Reserved codes cover every path the app itself uses, so no alias can shadow /pricing, /docs or /login. The brand-protection list covers names that exist mainly to be abused: payment providers, banks, government services, large platforms.

What makes one work

Short enough to say out loud, specific enough to survive next quarter. gc.mw/menu is a good alias for a restaurant because the destination can change every week while the QR code on the table stays valid. gc.mw/sale2026 is a bad one — it is dead in January, and you will either reprint it or redirect it to something that no longer matches the words.

Aliases with dates, campaign codes or internal jargon give away more than they earn. If the words in the link would need explaining to a customer, use a random code and put the explanation in the UTM parameters, where it belongs.

Example

For an event we run one alias per surface: gc.mw/gc-badge on the printed badge, gc.mw/gc-deck in the follow-up email. Two links, two sets of numbers in analytics, and no way to confuse a badge scan with an email click even though both end at the same page.

Build one with the URL shortener and check availability as you type.