I think you've missed one possibility that might appeal to you... [a href="http://the.real.url/with/all/path/info.html"]page on the.real.url[/a] - or some other shortened form of the real URL as the link text . Advantages: Gives people some clue of where they're going, without dumping a six line URL onto a small screen. For maximum w00t, you could only do the trim on the link text if it exceeds a specified length - say 30 chars or something? Loses the shortlink stat gathering. Disadvantages: Need to make it clear that the link doesn't go to the site's root page. People would learn, I guess? Loses the shortlink stat gathering.