Google to Permanently Shut Down goo.gl Shortened Links on August 25, 2025

In a significant shift that marks the final chapter of one of Google’s earlier tools, the tech giant has announced that all goo.gl shortened URLs will officially stop working on August 25, 2025. This means that any link beginning with https://goo.gl/* will return a 404 error, effectively becoming obsolete.

If your website, social media accounts, or digital marketing materials still contain goo.gl links, now is the time to replace or update them, or risk breaking user navigation and losing valuable traffic.

🔍 What Is goo.gl?

Goo.gl was Google’s proprietary URL shortening service launched in December 2009. Designed to provide users with a quick and simple way to shorten long web addresses, goo.gl allowed easier sharing of URLs—especially on character-limited platforms like Twitter. Each shortened link also provided detailed analytics, including click tracking and geographic data.

📖 A Brief History of goo.gl

Initially introduced as part of Google Toolbar and later integrated into FeedBurner, goo.gl gained rapid adoption among both casual users and marketers. It became known for its speed, reliability, and security features—especially compared to third-party services.

However, by March 2018, Google announced it would begin winding down the service. New users were locked out from creating new links starting in April 2018, and the full deprecation process began. Google justified the decision by citing changes in how people share content online—pointing to social apps, QR codes, and more advanced link-sharing platforms.

⚠️ Final Shutdown: What’s Happening Now?

Although goo.gl has been discontinued since 2019, links created before then remained active—until now. As of August 25, 2025, all goo.gl URLs will permanently stop working and redirect users to a 404 error page.

According to Google’s July 2024 blog post, over 99% of goo.gl links saw no activity in the previous month, which strongly influenced the decision to shut them down entirely. Google also introduced warning pages on goo.gl links, informing users of their impending expiration.

If you haven’t already updated your links, consider doing so immediately to avoid broken navigation, SEO penalties, and loss of trust from users who click on dead links.

🤔 Why Did People Use goo.gl?

Before link shortening was built into platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or WhatsApp, services like goo.gl offered several advantages:

• Clean and compact URLs for social media or SMS
• Tracking and analytics on clicks, locations, and devices
• Built-in protection against malicious sites
• Trustworthiness thanks to the Google brand

✅ Advantages of goo.gl

• Speed & Uptime: Being a Google product, goo.gl links were fast and highly reliable.
• Data Analytics: Provided valuable insights for marketers and businesses.
• Security: Included phishing and malware detection for shared links.
• Simplicity: No login was needed to shorten a link for casual users.

❌ Disadvantages of goo.gl

• No customization: Users couldn’t create branded or meaningful URLs.
• Service discontinued: New users were restricted after 2018.
• Locked to Google ecosystem: Limited exportability to other tools.
• Now deprecated: Links will stop working entirely by August 2025.

🔄 What Are the Best Alternatives to goo.gl?

With goo.gl disappearing for good, consider migrating to one of these popular alternatives:

• Bitly – Offers branded URLs and detailed analytics.
• TinyURL – A simple, free solution with basic customization.
• Rebrandly – Ideal for businesses looking for custom domain shorteners.
• T2M – Features unlimited redirects and link expiration settings.

Be sure to audit all your current content—blogs, emails, PDFs, and social media—and replace outdated goo.gl links with active alternatives.

🧭 Final Thoughts:

The end of goo.gl marks the conclusion of a tool once central to digital sharing. While it served users reliably for over a decade, the evolution of how we navigate and share information online has made such legacy tools obsolete.

If your digital footprint still contains goo.gl URLs, act before August 25, 2025 to prevent user experience issues and SEO damage. Consider switching to modern, secure, and customizable URL shorteners to future-proof your online presence.