Go links are short URLs, like go/onboarding, that redirect to a longer web address. For an introduction to what go links are and why teams use them, start with the quick guide.
This guide covers what comes next: creating links to any internal page or file, naming them, setting permissions, changing destinations without breaking the links your team already shares, and tracking how often each link is used, with step-by-step examples from HR, IT, and support teams.
How to Create a Go Link
Create go links in the GoLinks dashboard or with the browser extension. The extension builds a link from the page you’re on, so you don’t have to copy and paste the URL. Install it before you create your first link, unless your IT team has already set up go links for your network.
- Open the page you want to link to and copy its URL.
- In the dashboard, select Create Go Link, or open the browser extension.
- Paste the URL as the destination.
- Enter the short name, such as go/handbook.
- Add a description and tags so teammates can find the link in search, then select Create Go Link.
Once you save it, the link works for everyone in your workspace, unless you made it private. Share it in a Slack message, an email, or a slide, or say it out loud in a meeting.
A go link points to a page or file where it already lives, such as a Google Doc, a Confluence page, or a dashboard. Nothing is copied or moved, and the original app’s permissions still decide who can view the content. From the first click, GoLinks tracks each time the link is used, which feeds the usage analytics covered below.
How to Name Go Links So They’re Easy to Remember
A go link only saves time if people can easily recall it. Follow these rules, and see the full guide to go link naming conventions for team prefixes, geo-links, and common mistakes:
- Use the word people already say. go/benefits is easier to remember than go/hr-benefits-portal.
- Leave dates and versions out of the name. Use go/roadmap, not go/roadmap-2026, and update the destination each year.
- Use hyphens for multiword names. go/sales-deck reads more clearly than go/salesdeck, and both open the same link.
- Add a team prefix only when names collide. go/it-help and go/hr-help can coexist.
- Use variable links for patterns. A single variable link, go/ticket, opens go/ticket/140 or any other ticket number.
- Add aliases for common alternate names, so go/pto and go/vacation open the same page (Pro plan).
Set Go Link Permissions and Visibility
Choose a visibility setting for each go link to control who can find it in search and who can open it.
| Setting | Who can find it in search | Who can open it |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Everyone in your workspace | Everyone in your workspace |
| Unlisted | No one; hidden from search and the dashboard | Anyone in your workspace who knows the name |
| Private (go/my/) | Only the creator | Only the creator |
| Public | Your workspace | Anyone, including people outside your company |
Private links use the go/my/ prefix, so two teammates can each create go/my/review for their own documents. Unlisted and private links are available on the Pro plan.
Admins can also control who edits links. A workspace setting limits edits and deletions to admins and moderators, which protects widely used links from accidental changes. Role-based access control is available on Basic and above.
How to Change a Go Link’s Destination
When a resource moves, update the go link’s destination and keep its name. Your team types the same go link and reaches the new page.
- Find the link on your dashboard.
- Select the ellipsis (…) next to it, then Edit.
- Paste the new destination URL and save.
Every copy of the link in old emails, slides, and docs now opens the new page. If you edit a link a teammate owns, GoLinks emails them about the change, and the link’s edit history records it (Pro plan).
How to Track Go Link Usage
GoLinks tracks every use of a go link, so you can see which resources your team relies on and which links nobody opens.
- Link-level usage (Pro plan): See how often a specific link is used. If go/benefits spikes during open enrollment, HR knows the portal is getting traffic.
- Workspace analytics (Enterprise plan): See trending and newly created links and usage by team across the whole workspace.
- App usage (Enterprise plan): See which apps your team opens most through go links, which helps IT spot tools that go unused.
Use these numbers to retire links nobody uses, keep high-traffic pages current, and find where a new link would help. GoLinks analytics measure go link usage only. They don’t show what people searched for inside your knowledge base or which searches came up empty.
Go Link Examples by Team
HR: Open Enrollment
Your HR team wants every employee to find the benefits portal during open enrollment.
- Create: HR creates go/benefits, points it to this year’s enrollment portal, tags it “hr,” and adds a description: “Open enrollment portal and plan comparison.”
- Share: HR puts go/benefits in the enrollment email, the all-hands slide, the Slack announcement, and the onboarding checklist.
- Update: The company switches benefits providers the next year. HR edits the destination to the new portal. The email template, onboarding checklist, and old Slack messages all still work.
HR uses the same pattern for go/handbook, go/pto, and go/401k.
IT: Help Desk Migration
Your IT team wants employees to file tickets in one place, even when the tool behind it changes.
- Create: IT creates go/it-help for the help desk portal and a variable link, go/ticket, that opens any ticket by number.
- Share: IT adds go/it-help to the laptop setup guide, the Slack workspace’s channel topic, and the out-of-office auto-reply.
- Update: IT migrates to a new help desk tool. An admin updates both destinations, including the new ticket URL pattern for go/ticket. Employees keep typing the same links.
- Protect: IT turns on the setting that limits edits to admins and moderators, so no one repoints go/it-help by mistake.
Support: Existing Confluence Pages and Files
Your support team keeps its knowledge base in Confluence. Reps need to open and share key articles during a call without searching.
- Create: A support lead creates go/refunds for the refund policy page, go/escalate for the escalation process, and go/macros for a Google Doc of saved replies. Each link points to the page or file where it already lives, so nothing moves out of Confluence or Google Drive.
- Share: Reps type go/refunds mid-call or paste it into an internal Slack thread. Confluence still controls who can view each page.
- Track: The lead checks link usage (Pro plan) to see which articles reps open most, then reviews those pages first when policies change.
- Update: When the refund policy moves to a new Confluence page, the lead updates go/refunds. Reps keep using the same link.
More Go Links by Team
| Team | Go link | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | go/oncall | On-call schedule |
| Engineering | go/runbook | Incident runbooks |
| Engineering | go/deploy | Deployment dashboard |
| Sales | go/sales-deck | Current pitch deck |
| Sales | go/pipeline | CRM pipeline view |
| Sales | go/pricing | Pricing sheet |
| Marketing | go/brand | Brand guidelines and logo files |
| Marketing | go/content-calendar | Content calendar |
| Product | go/roadmap | Product roadmap |
| Product | go/timeline | Launch timeline |
| Company-wide | go/all-hands | All-hands slides and recordings |
| Company-wide | go/weekly | Weekly team meeting link |
Where Go Links Fit Alongside a Knowledge Base
GoLinks isn’t a knowledge base. Your content stays in Confluence, Notion, Google Drive, SharePoint, or any other tool with a URL. Go links sit on top as the access layer: one short, shared name for each important page or file, managed in one place.
| Tool | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge base | Stores and organizes content | A Confluence space of support articles |
| Go links | Give key pages short names people can type, share, and track | go/refunds opens the refund policy page |
| Enterprise search | Finds content across apps when no one knows where it lives | Searching “refund policy” across Confluence, Drive, and Slack |
Some knowledge bases offer built-in short links, but those links usually cover only that tool’s pages. Go links work with any URL, so one format covers Confluence pages, Google Docs, dashboards, and tickets.
When no one knows a document’s name or where it lives, GoSearch covers the search layer. It connects to 100+ work apps, so employees can search all of them from one search bar and get AI-generated answers grounded in your company’s content.
Go Links vs. URL Shorteners
Public URL shorteners like Bitly and TinyURL also shorten links, and many let you customize the back-half. The difference is what each is built for.
| Feature | Go links | Public URL shorteners |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Internal access to company resources | Sharing links externally and tracking campaigns |
| Changing destinations | Link owners and admins update the destination; the short name stays the same | Varies by service and plan |
| Link management | A shared team library with owners, tags, edit history, and usage analytics | Links managed by individual or marketing accounts |
| Sharing controls | Workspace-only by default; unlisted, private, and public settings | Open to anyone with the link |
Use go links for resources your team opens again and again. Use a public shortener for links you share with customers or track in campaigns.
Weighing other options? Compare URL shortener tools side by side.
The History of Go Links
Go links started as an internal tool at Google in the mid-2000s and spread as engineers brought the idea to other tech companies. In 2016, GoLinks launched so any team could use go links without building and maintaining its own system. For the full timeline, read the history of go links.
Are Go Links Free?
For small teams, yes. Most organizations need a paid plan. The GoLinks Free plan costs $0 for teams of up to 20 users. It includes unlimited links, the browser extension, 15+ integrations, variable links, and iOS and Android apps. Teams with more than 20 users need a paid plan: Basic ($2 per user per month) adds unlimited users and role-based access control, and Pro ($4 per user per month) adds private and unlisted links, tags, edit history, and analytics. Enterprise plans are priced on request and add SSO with SCIM and an audit log.
Start Creating Go Links
Many large tech companies built go links in-house. GoLinks gives any team the same system, plus search, integrations, and admin controls, without the engineering work. Weighing an in-house build? Compare the trade-offs of building vs. buying go links. Go links work best as one layer of enterprise knowledge management, alongside your knowledge base and search.
Set up your team’s first go links today. Start free for up to 20 users, or book a demo to plan a company-wide rollout.
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Go Links Frequently Asked Questions
How Secure Are Go Links?
GoLinks is SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliant and supports single sign-on, role-based access control, and admin limits on who can edit links. Enterprise plans add SSO with SCIM and an audit log.
Can I See How Often a Go Link Is Used?
Yes. GoLinks Pro plans show how often each link is used, and Enterprise plans add workspace analytics, such as trending links, usage by team, and the apps your team opens most.
Can I Share a Go Link Outside My Company?
Go links are internal by default. Use the public go link setting for links that need to work for people outside your company.
Do Go Links Work on My Phone?
Yes. The GoLinks iOS and Android apps let you search, open, and share go links from your phone.
Do I Need the Browser Extension?
Yes, unless your IT team has set up go links for your network. The GoLinks browser extension makes go links open when you type them in your browser’s address bar.
How Many Go Links Can I Create?
As many as you need. Every GoLinks plan, including Free, includes unlimited links.
Do I Have to Move My Content Into GoLinks?
No. Go links point to content where it already lives, such as a Confluence page, a Google Doc, or a SharePoint file. Your existing tools and permissions stay the same.
