Bit.ly, the popular URL shortener, gives you the power to see click-through data on any bit.ly shortened link… not just ones that are associated with your API key.

While arguably not as accurate as the Pro version of Budurl.com (but at least as accurate as the free version), Bit.ly is the shortener of choice for many due to it’s easy integration into a variety of applications, plugins and tools.

Want to see the stats on that bit.ly URL you just saw scroll by in the twitter stream?

Easy peasy!

Simply copy the URL… for example: http://bit.ly/OpjqIQ

And paste it into your URL bar…

Add a + sign to the end of it… and hit enter!

http://bit.ly/OpjqIQ+

Use the drop-down box to select a time range. (Total is pictured above.)

This is in addition to links that you can easily access the stats on that are part of your account (either you created them on the bit.ly site or you created them with a tool that uses your bit.ly API key).

So, while I use BudURL Pro when I am paying for click traffic from solo ads, and while I use Pretty Link Pro for on-site link tracking, my preferred tracker for external links is Bit.ly!

Bit.ly also has a free tool that lets you use it as a custom, personalized, link shortener with your branding at the same time.

Do you use bit.ly?

PS: Where did I recently need this ability? When I forgot to insert my Bit.ly key into RSS Graffiti at first and had some posts shared to a FB Page that I did not have automatic access to the stats on. This let me easily get those stats.