What Is a Link Alias (Slug / Back-Half)?
Link alias (slug / back-half) A link alias, also called a slug or back-half, is the part of a short link that comes after the domain, for example the spring-sale in go.yourbrand.com/spring-sale. Instead of a random code, a custom alias makes the link readable, memorable, and easier to trust and share.
At a glance
- The editable text after the slash in a short link.
- A custom alias replaces a random string with a readable word or phrase.
- Good aliases are short, lowercase, hyphen-separated, and descriptive of the destination.
- Must be unique on its domain, and once shared it should not be changed or reused.
How it works
Auto-generated vs custom
By default a shortener assigns a random back-half like a short string of letters and numbers, which guarantees uniqueness. Choosing a custom alias replaces that with words of your own, turning an opaque link into one that tells a reader where it goes before they click.
What makes a good alias
Keep it short and lowercase, separate words with hyphens, and describe the destination or campaign: spring-sale, q3-report, join-us. Avoid dates or numbers that will go stale, avoid anything that could look like spam, and keep it easy to say out loud for print and audio.
Example: Random back-half vs custom alias
- Auto: yourbrand.link/a9Xk2p
- Custom alias: yourbrand.link/spring-sale
- Both reach the same page; only one tells the reader what it is
Why it matters
The alias is the part of a short link a human actually reads. A clear, branded alias raises trust and click-through, is easy to print on a flyer or say in a podcast, and reinforces the campaign at the moment of the click. A random string does none of that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a slug, an alias, and a back-half?
They are three names for the same thing: the custom text after the domain in a short link. Slug is the common SEO and developer term, back-half is the shortener term, and alias is used interchangeably.
Can I change a link alias after sharing it?
You should not. The alias is part of the URL people already have, so changing it breaks every copy already shared or printed. If you need a different destination, keep the alias and repoint the link instead.
What makes a bad alias?
Long strings, uppercase letters, underscores, hard-to-spell words, and anything that looks like spam. Baked-in dates or numbers also age badly. Keep it short, lowercase, hyphenated, and descriptive.
Related terms
On Flyn
Pick your own link alias
Create short links with clean, custom, readable back-halves on your own branded domain.