How to use Airtable as a URL Shortener with Short Menu

Create short URLs in bulk, customize links, and get detailed analytics with Short Menu as your Airtable URL Shortener.

Learn how to use Short Menu as URL Shortener for Airtable

Setting Up Airtable for URL Shortening

To get started, you'll need both an Airtable account and a Short Menu account. Follow these simple steps to set up our Airtable extension for URL shortening:

Generate an API Key

Head to the Short Menu dashboard.
Create an API key
Use this API key to sign in to Short Menu within the Airtable extension.

Create a New Base

Create a new base in Airtable or select an existing one for managing your URLs.
Add a table dedicated to URLs, including fields for the original URL and the shortened URL. You can also use a single field by making your "Output Field" the same as your input field, which will overwrite the original URLs.

In this guide, we’ll create a list of leads in Airtable, generate short links for each lead’s "Destination URL," and use these links to track engagement.

Step 1: Add Leads and Destination URLs

Create a table with a list of leads.
Ensure you have a "Destination URL" column for the URLs you want to shorten.

Table with leads and the URL you send to them

Open the Short Menu extension within Airtable.
Select the "Destination URL" column to identify which URLs will be shortened.

Output Domain: Choose your custom domain if you have one set up in the Short Menu dashboard.
Tags: Set tags to "Manual" and enter "lead" for all URLs. Tags help in organizing and tracking your links based on specific criteria.
Output Field: Select the "Short Link" field where the shortened URLs will be written.

Bulk Shortening Configuration in the Short Menu Airtable extension

Step 4: Generate Short Links

After configuring the Short Menu extension, initiate the URL shortening process.
Short Menu will generate short links for each "Destination URL" and populate the "Short Link" field in your Airtable table.

Table populated with short links

Managing and Tracking Short Links

Airtable helps you organize and automate the URL shortening process, while Short Menu provides detailed tracking and analytics. Access the Short Menu dashboard to view and manage your short links' performance, including click statistics and geographic data. For more details on link performance and analytics, check out Link Analysis: Understanding your Link Performance.

Conclusion

Integrating Airtable with Short Menu for URL shortening streamlines your sales and lead management workflows. This setup saves time and ensures your links are clean, branded, and trackable. Start experimenting with your Airtable URL shortener workflows to experience the benefits firsthand.

For more tips on utilizing URL shorteners and other marketing tools, explore our other articles on the Short Menu blog, like how to create personalized links to boost your brand’s credibility.