Answers
Custom URL shortener: aliases, subdomains and your own domain
Three ways to make a short link say something: a custom alias, a claimed subdomain, or your own domain on a CNAME. What each one costs in characters and in money.
By Wasim Idrishi · Updated · 2 min read
Custom means one of three different things, and the difference decides whether your link gets shorter or longer.
| What changes | Example shape | Length effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom alias | The part after the slash | gc.mw/launch | Usually longer than a random code |
| Claimed subdomain | The host, on our domain | name.gc.mw/code | Longer host, no DNS to run |
| Custom domain | The host, on yours | links.yourbrand.com/code | Depends entirely on your domain |
Custom aliases
An alias replaces the random code with words a person can read, remember and say out loud. That is worth more than brevity in most places a link is printed or spoken.
The rules are 4 to 64 characters, letters and digits with hyphens and underscores, starting and ending with a letter or digit. Uniqueness is case-insensitive on purpose: two links differing only in capitalisation is a trap for anyone reading the link off paper.
An alias is almost always longer than the 4-character random code it replaces. Choose it when recognition matters more than characters, which is on posters, in presentations and anywhere someone reads the link aloud.
Claimed subdomains
A name claimed on GC.MW gives you a bio page and, on Pro, a namespace at name.gc.mw. Nothing to configure and no DNS to wait for. The host is longer than five characters, so this is a branding choice rather than a length one.
Your own domain
Two DNS records: a CNAME from your subdomain to cname.gc.mw, and a TXT record for verification. Certificates are issued and renewed automatically once both resolve. Everything a gc.mw link does works on your domain, and analytics are kept per link and per domain.
The honest warning is arithmetic. links.yourbrand.com is 22 characters before the slash. If your goal is a short link, a custom domain makes it longer unless the domain itself is short. Use a custom domain for recognition and trust, and use the plain host when characters are the constraint.
What gets refused
Two lists sit in front of alias creation. Reserved words are the app paths and short generic words that would collide with routes; they can never be issued. Brand protection refuses aliases that contain a protected brand as a whole token, a prefix or a suffix, so nobody registers a bank or a payment provider name on our domain. Both lists live in configuration rather than in code, so they change without a deploy.
Which one to use
Printing something and want it read aloud, use an alias. Building a brand presence and already own a short domain, use a custom domain. Sending SMS at volume and counting characters, use the plain 10-character link and stop optimising.
Related: branded link shortener, custom domain links, and the glossary entry on vanity URLs.
Questions people ask
What is a custom URL shortener?
One that lets you choose the part after the slash, and sometimes the part before it. Choosing the words after the slash is a custom alias. Changing the host is a custom domain. They solve different problems and cost different amounts.
How long can a custom alias be?
From 4 to 64 characters, using letters, digits, hyphens and underscores, starting and ending with a letter or digit. Uniqueness is enforced case-insensitively, so Sale and sale can never point to two different places.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes. Point a subdomain at cname.gc.mw with a CNAME, add one TXT record to verify it, and your links run on links.yourbrand.com with certificates handled for you. Business and Team include three domains.
Are some words blocked?
Yes. Reserved words that collide with app routes are refused, and aliases that impersonate a known brand are refused as a whole token, prefix or suffix. That protection exists because a shortener that lets anyone register a bank name is a phishing tool.