What can move, and what cannot
When you switch URL shortener, destinations, back-halves and campaign tags can be recreated on CTAurl. Links on another provider's own domain cannot move: that domain belongs to the provider, so those links keep being answered there, or stop when that provider stops them. Plan for both cases.
The old provider decides how long its links last. Google retired its free URL shortener, and after 25 August 2025 links with no recent activity stopped returning a response, while active links were kept (Google Developers Blog, July 2024, updated August 2025). Inactive links in old printed material and documents could stop working with them.
| Item | Moves to CTAurl? |
|---|---|
| Destinations | Yes, recreate the link |
| Back-halves | Yes, if it is free on the CTAurl domain you pick |
| UTM tags | Yes, they live in the destination |
| Links on the other provider's domain | No, they stay with that provider |
| Printed QR codes from the other provider | No, they encode that provider's address |
| Past analytics | No, export it before you leave the old provider |
How to switch in five steps
Switching to CTAurl takes five steps, and the last one protects anything already printed. Do them in this order so no link that people can still reach stops working while you move.
- Export your link list from your current provider, with the destinations.
- Choose a CTA domain or ctaurl.me for each link, and a back-half. A domain such as buy-it.now tells people what the link does before they tap.
- Recreate the links in CTAurl. Import them from a CSV file, up to 100 per file, if your plan includes import, or create them one at a time.
- Replace links where you control them: bios, emails, your website.
- Keep the old account running while printed codes from it are still in circulation.
What happens to printed QR codes when you switch?
A printed QR code encodes its provider's redirect address, so switching to CTAurl does not change what is printed or where it is answered. Keep the old account until those prints are gone, or reprint with CTAurl codes. New print runs can use CTAurl codes from day one, and printed CTAurl codes keep working even after you cancel. The exceptions are abuse of the service, a legal requirement, or CTAurl ceasing to operate, in which case we give advance notice and an export.
Larger migrations
For a larger migration of hundreds of links, write to support@ctaurl.com with the count and your deadline before you start. A person reads every message. CSV import takes up to 100 links per file, so a long list goes in as several files.
Questions people ask
Will my existing short links stop working if I switch to CTAurl?
Not because of CTAurl. Links on your current provider's domain are answered by that provider, so they keep working for as long as that provider keeps them, and switching cannot change that. Read the old provider's terms on cancellation and inactivity before you close the old account.
Can I import my links into CTAurl from a CSV file?
Yes, depending on your plan: up to 100 links per file, each row with a destination and, if you like, a domain, back-half, tags, UTM tags and a QR code. Imported links count towards your monthly allowance of new links, and their QR codes towards the QR allowance. Without import, create links one at a time. For several hundred links, write to support@ctaurl.com before you start.