This article explains the difference between a “branded short domain” and a “subdomain.”

What is a PicSee subdomain?

Links shortened directly on PicSee use one of PicSee’s official domains, which may be pse.is, psee.io, or psce.pw depending on your region.

You can also set up a custom “subdomain” for free, based on PicSee’s domain. For example, if your brand is Amazon and you set “amazon” as your subdomain, your shortened links will look like amazon.pse.is/xxxxxx, which still keeps PicSee’s “pse.is” in the link. A link that has a custom name but is still based on PicSee’s domain is a “subdomain.”

Benefits of a subdomain

The subdomain feature is free for every registered member to set up. The benefits are as follows:

1. Boost brand recognition: Audiences can tell the link comes from your brand just by looking at it, which builds trust and makes them more willing to click.
   
2. Use PicSee’s edit preview feature: For security reasons, editing the thumbnail and title on PicSee requires a subdomain; this feature is unavailable when using PicSee’s default domain.
   
3. Open links in the YouTube app: For security reasons, when you share a YouTube video on PicSee it uses the subdomain by default, so viewers on mobile open it in the YouTube app, which helps grow your YouTube subscribers.
   
4. Complete Facebook domain verification: Once your domain is verified, you can collect the Facebook Pixel through your PicSee short links and achieve better algorithmic performance.
   
5. Reduce the risk of being flagged as malicious: Even though PicSee enforces link-security controls, there can be a time lag that lets malicious links slip through, affecting the reach of PicSee’s default domains. A subdomain, however, is exclusive to your brand, so it keeps an independent security score.
   

What is a “branded short domain”?

Continuing the example above, if your company is Amazon, you can buy a domain dedicated to your company to use as your own short-link domain, such as “amazon.link.” Your shortened links would then look like amazon.link/xxxxxx, with absolutely “no trace of PicSee (pse.is).” That is a branded short domain.

PicSee lets you purchase a domain through PicSee (some plans include redeemable coupons), or point a domain you already own to PicSee’s servers for free to use as a branded short domain.

Benefits of a branded short domain

The benefits of setting one up are as follows:

1. Eligible for NCC review to send SMS: To combat fraud, Taiwan’s NCC requires that any URL sent via SMS must pass a review. A branded short domain with a properly configured default redirect can pass this review, allowing you to send SMS. Note that the review requires a phone number so that the SMS provider can submit it separately to the three major telecom carriers; therefore PicSee cannot submit the review on your behalf.
   
2. Won’t be flagged as malicious: A branded short domain uses a completely independent domain, so as long as you use it normally, it can’t be flagged as malicious.
   
3. Not subject to PicSee’s safety-check restrictions: PicSee doesn’t allow users to re-shorten an existing short link, and some domains are blacklisted and can’t be shortened. With a branded short domain enabled, however, you can freely shorten any link (you remain responsible for any legal disputes).
   
4. All the benefits of a subdomain: Boost brand recognition, use the edit preview feature, and complete Facebook domain verification.
   

Frequently asked questions about branded short domains

• Can a branded short domain only be used for my own website? No! You can use a branded short domain to shorten any link (including LINE, Instagram pages, Facebook pages, and more). In fact, to send a YouTube video via SMS, NCC rules require it to be published through a branded short domain (unless you’ve applied for a dedicated phone number).
  
• Can one account have multiple branded short domains? Conditionally, yes. A free account using a free self-owned domain is limited to one; but with a subscription plan, or branded short domains purchased through PicSee, there’s no limit on the number.
  
• Can I migrate a branded short domain from another provider to PicSee? You’re welcome to! Note that importing data incurs a handling fee, links can’t be imported if their slugs (the random code at the end) conflict, and you won’t see previous click counts. However, PicSee offers a fallback redirect feature: set the fallback redirect to your company’s homepage so clicks on old short links go to your homepage, keeping your brand image intact.