URL Split is a new service that allows web developers to create a single short URL that forwards to more than one destination — seven destinations, actually. For example, http://www.urlsplit.com/UbbWn4Uh forwards to any one of the Read/WriteWeb network blogs. Why would anywone want to forward to multiple sites from a single URL?
As developer Dan Grossman explains on his blog, the service grew out of a frequent request from customers of his popunder traffic resale business. “Every few weeks one of my advertising customers asks if they can split the hits from their ad campaign among multiple URLs without buying multiple campaigns,” Grossman said.
This site is smart for Grossman for two reasons: 1. listening to your customers is always a good idea, and 2. whenever you sign up for an account with URL Split, you’re asked to opt-in to a mailing list to receive offers about his other web applications and services. Further, URL Split also provides users with statistics, broken down by URL, of how many visits each link has received, and displays the stats in a way that emulates the look and feel of his web stats service, W3Counter. That could help get people used to the “W3Counter way of doing things.”
In general URL Split has a very limited audience and application, but it fulfills a specific need that Grossman’s customers had. With a small amount of effort (the site took a few hours to make using the Symfony PHP framework, according to Grossman), he was able to add value for his customers and create a lead generation opportunity for his other products. There’s a lesson to be learned there.
Disclosure: Dan Grossman and I both serve on the volunteer forum staff at SitePoint.com.
