Analysing traffic with bit.ly

Bit.ly is the default URL shortener for twitter. Most links get shortened automatically to save on the 140 characters that you use, and increase the likelyhood of your tweet being re-tweeted.

Although bit.ly plan to sell their analytics services, giving insight into the most popular links being passed around and so on, you can do it for yourself.

Here's a quick example, using this video of the Fox News presenter Glenn Beck being interviewed on CBS.

Take the bit.ly url, in this case bit.ly/2uCkOv and add a + to the end so you get bit.ly/2uCkOv+

Then you can see the pattern of traffic


The referring sites


& the geographic location of the people clicking on the link


(Link picked because it was the most popular one that I could find)

See also: an earlier post about Bit.ly