The best Ow.ly alternative for YouTube creators
Ow.ly is handy if you already live inside Hootsuite. GoloLink is a standalone tool built specifically around tracking links per YouTube video, whether or not you use a scheduler.
Built-in shortener inside Hootsuite
Ow.ly is the link shortener built into Hootsuite's social media scheduling platform, most valuable to creators who are already scheduling their posts through Hootsuite.
GoloLink vs. Ow.ly, at a glance
The full breakdown is further down the page.
| Feature | Ow.ly | GoloLink |
|---|---|---|
| Per-video click attribution | ||
| Integrated with a social scheduling platform | ||
| Basic click tracking | ||
| Custom short domain |
What Ow.ly does well
Ow.ly's strengths
- Tightly integrated with Hootsuite's scheduling and publishing workflow
- Convenient if you're already managing social posts in Hootsuite
- Basic click tracking included as part of the platform
- One less tool to manage if Hootsuite is your main hub
Where GoloLink goes further
- No per-video attribution - clicks aren't tied to which YouTube upload sent them
- Its value is mostly tied to being inside Hootsuite, so it's not built as a standalone link analytics tool for creators
GoloLink vs Ow.ly
| Feature | Ow.ly | GoloLink |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated with a social scheduling platform | ||
| Basic click tracking | ||
| Custom short domain | ||
| Per-video click attribution | ||
| Standalone click analytics (country/device/browser) | ||
| Dead-link monitoring | ||
| Built for YouTube description links |
Who Ow.ly is still a good fit for
If you mainly need tightly integrated with hootsuite's scheduling and publishing workflow, Ow.ly may be the better fit. If you want to know exactly which video is driving clicks, GoloLink is purpose-built for that.
Who should choose GoloLink?
YouTubers
See which upload actually drives clicks, not just which one got the most views.
Affiliate marketers
Know which specific video sends affiliate clicks instead of one blended total.
Review channels
Compare click performance across every product review you've published.
Tech creators
Track gear and software links across dozens of videos without losing which one converts.
Finance creators
Attribute every tool or offer link back to the exact video that sent the click.
Course creators
See which lesson or promo video actually drives enrollments, not just watch time.
Agencies
Report per-video performance to clients instead of a single link's total click count.
Switching from Ow.ly
Most creators are fully moved over in under an hour.
Export your Ow.ly links
Pull your existing link list (and click totals, if you want a baseline) from Ow.ly's dashboard or API.
Recreate them in GoloLink
Add each link and tag it to the specific video it appears under.
Swap the URLs in your descriptions
Update live and upcoming videos to point at your new GoloLink URLs.
Run both side by side for 2 weeks
Compare per-video click data before fully retiring Ow.ly.
Frequently asked questions
No - Ow.ly's tracking is oriented around the social posts you schedule through Hootsuite, not around individual YouTube videos. It doesn't split clicks out by which upload sent them. GoloLink tags every link to its source video directly.
Feature details reviewed manually and kept current as best we can - check Ow.ly's own site for their current pricing.
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