What Is Vanity URL?

Why It Matters

Long URLs are impossible to share verbally, look unprofessional on marketing materials, and are easy to mistype. Vanity URLs solve this by creating a short, branded link that redirects to the actual destination.

Instead of:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7f2kDlP3aR.../viewform

You share:

yourbrand.com/apply

How It Works

A vanity URL is a domain forward or path forward rule that maps a branded URL to a longer destination. It’s similar to URL shortening but uses your own branded domain instead of a third-party service:

1. Register a memorable domain or use a subdomain of your existing domain
2. Set up a redirect from the vanity URL to the destination
3. Share the vanity URL on business cards, social media, print materials

The redirect happens via a 301 or 302 — visitors are seamlessly taken to the real page.

Common Vanity URL Patterns

Vanity URL	Redirects To	Use Case
company.com/careers	Greenhouse/Lever job board	Job postings
join.company.com	Discord/Slack invite link	Community
company.com/podcast	Spotify/Apple Podcasts page	Creators
donate.charity.org	PayPal/Stripe donation form	Non-profits
company.com/deck	Google Slides presentation	Sales team
john.dev	LinkedIn profile	Personal branding

How Domain Forward Handles This

Domain Forward is ideal for vanity URLs. Set up your domain with HTTPS (automatic), configure path-based rules or whole-domain redirects, and track performance with redirect analytics. Changes are instant — update the destination anytime without touching DNS.

See our vanity URL use-case guide for setup examples.