There are several reasons to use URL shortening:

Currently, web developers tend to pass descriptive attributes in the URL to represent data hierarchies, command structures, transaction paths and session information. This often results in a URL that is aesthetically unpleasant and impossible to remember. Copying a URL that is hundreds of characters long can make the URL garbled. Then a short URL is useful to copy on an e-mail message or a forum post.

Use the smallest space possible

On Twitter or instant message status even a 60 character long URL can be too long. URL minifier can make short URLs such as http://urlminifier.com/gf65tg. In Twitter http:// can be replaced by www. and 3 fewer characters can be used.

Manipulating visitors

URL shortening is a special kind of URL redirection, which is sometimes used in pranks, phishing, or affiliate hiding. For example urlminifier.com/gf65tg could redirect to google.com in a prank.

Techniques that we use

Every long URL is associated with an ID. For example http://urlminifier.com/gf65tg has an ID of gf65tg.

Users can propose their own ids. For example, http://www.google.com/search?q=url+minifier+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a can be shortened to http://urlminifier.com/my_name.

Redirects

A 301 redirect says that the URL requested (the short URL) has permanently moved to the long address. Since it's a permanent redirect, search engines finding links to the short URLs will credit all those links to the long URL (see the SEO: Redirects & Moving Sites section of the Search Engine Land members library for more about redirection).

Terms of use

This service is completly free. Using it for illegal purposes such as spamming (including e-mail and forum spam) is forbidden and will result in URL being disabled. This service is provided without warranty of any kind. If you have received any igniteURL link leading to virus, executable file or any similiar - please let us know.