The easiest solution to keep your goo.gl short links active after Google's shutdown on August 25, 2025. Just add an extra 'g' to your existing links (goo.gl/* → ggoo.gl/*)— no need to create new links!
Hey Product Hunters! 👋 We're excited to introduce ggoo.gl ! 🔗
🪦 Background—why we created it?
⚠️Google URL Shortener is going to shut down on August 25th, 2025. Any users using links built with the Google URL Shortener in the form goo.gl will be impacted, and these URLs will no longer return a response after August 25th, 2025. Starting August 23, 2024, goo.gl links will start displaying a warning to your users.
As the founder of a URL shortener, PicSee, I noticed something interesting. Some social media posts, news articles, and official replies are still littered with goo.gl short links. Well, users had already created these links, and frankly, it's a hassle to go to another alternative URL shortener and start from scratch.
That's when it hit me - we already had the tech, so why not use it to solve this problem easily for everyone? So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on a tool that could seamlessly handle those goo.gl links.
👉 How it works? Just Follow these simple steps to quickly get them working again!
1️⃣ Take your goo.gl link (e.g., goo.gl/abcde)
2️⃣ Add 'g' at the start (e.g., ggoo.gl/abcde)
3️⃣ Your link now works indefinitely!
✨ Additional Features:
1️⃣ Analytics and QR code
You can add a (+) after the ggoo.gl slug to view analytics and QR Code.
Everything from basic click data to detailed information about who's clicking are available.
2️⃣ Bulk Converter
More than one goo.gl link? No problem! Just paste it on the Google URL Shortener Converter, then you get all the converted ggoo.gl links without doing it manually.
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We'd like to develop a WordPress plugin that automatically converts all goo.gl links on a site into ggoo.gl links, or a Chrome extension that automatically converts all goo.gl links while browsing.
Just some additional ideas—we’d love to hear more suggestions from everyone! Feel free to discuss with us in the comments below!
p.s. Thanks @kevin for hunting for us♡
@kevin@function ggo.gl's approach to revive defunct goo.gl links by simply adding a prefix is creative and user-friendly. It offers a convenient solution for users facing broken links after Google's URL shortener shutdown.
Here are some questions for further exploration:
- What is the strategy for ggoo.gl's long-term sustainability and user trust?
- Are there any limitations or caveats to using ggoo.gl links compared to other URL shorteners (e.g., redirect behavior)?
- Will there be an API for developers to integrate ggoo.gl functionality into their applications?
As a developer, I'm interested in supporting ggoo.gl's growth. Here are some potential areas for collaboration:
- Helping develop the mentioned WordPress plugin and Chrome extension for automatic goo.gl link migration.
- Contributing to further security measures for handling shortened links and user data.
- Exploring integrations with popular analytics platforms to provide more detailed insights for ggoo.gl users.
I'd love to learn more about ggoo.gl's technical architecture and explore opportunities to contribute to its development.
The additional features, especially analytics and bulk conversion, are valuable additions!
@max_savonin1 Thank you for your thoughtful discussion and willingness to assist with ggoo.gl's development!
To address your points:
1. ggoo.gl is designed specifically for users who already have existing goo.gl short links. At this time, users can't create new ggoo.gl links directly, as we need to avoid any conflicts with existing goo.gl slugs.
2. Additionally, not all goo.gl links can be converted. As you may know, some goo.gl links may direct to malicious content, so we have security mechanisms in place to block such links. We also filter out URLs that are shortened links, potentially risky, or have become unreachable.
3. One simple method we’re considering for a potential expansion is using regex to replace goo.gl links on a webpage, something like this might work:
var converted = originalText.replace(/(\s|^|https?:\/\/)goo\.gl(\/[a-zA-Z0-9-]+)?(?!\/)(?=\s|$)/g, function(match, prefix, path) {
if (prefix === 'https://' || prefix === 'http://') {
return prefix + 'ggoo.gl' + (path || '');
} else {
return (prefix || '') + 'ggoo.gl' + (path || '');
}
});
4. We currently offer an API through PicSee that allows users to create branded short links with analytics, and it's free to use: https://picsee.io/developers
I’d love to keep this conversation going and explore how we can collaborate further. Your expertise could be a great asset to the project!
@function Thank you for your answer to the questions! Would it be convenient for you to communicate in LinkedIn? Can you send a link to your profile so that I can send you an invitation to my network?
Hey @function thats super helpful. If the service is already there, is it possible to create new shortened urls as well? And are you planning to add any kind of pricing?
Congrats on the launch 🚀
@crebuh Thanks a lot! This service is built on top of our existing service, PicSee URL shortener, with additional advanced features and plans. The ggoo.gl tool is just a free product we wanted to offer for everyone to use.
Congratulations @function on this clever workaround! It’s great to see such innovative solutions for keeping our links active even after the goo.gl shutdown. This will definitely help many of us avoid the hassle of creating new links and ensure continued accessibility. It's always amazing to see how the community can pivot around challenges and find simple, effective answers. Upvote for this practical tip!
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