Minik.Link is a simple and fast link shortening service similar to Bitly, although at first glance, you might think it's a Linktree-like service. But it's not! So why “Minik”? How was this idea born? Let me tell the story from the beginning.
I have a YouTube channel where I produce content on web software. With education-oriented videos, I was teaching both software and entrepreneurship to people and contributing to the society in a sense. In this process, I had prepared a video called “UçUç” in which I explained step by step how to make a link shortening site with a ladybug mascot. This experience engraved the idea of link shortening in my mind.
After developing various projects and earning income at Komunite.com.tr, one day, while wandering around the Web Archive, I came up with the idea of a simple product that works by itself and requires no maintenance, but it wasn't Minik.Link. It was SuperLink. Despite writing all the code, I couldn't find a good domain name, so I shelved the project. I didn't feel qualified to sell it, and when I sent a message to the founder of BannerBear, his advice was very impressive: “Don't focus on the price, focus on the value, make it $99 if you want, but the value is important”. Even though I thought of a high-priced model for SuperLink, the project was not sustainable due to the overload of features and the marketing burden.
Over time, the idea of producing a “really simple MVP” appeared in my mind again. This time, I aimed for a lean structure. I coded the basic features in 3-4 hours, but before that, choosing the name was important.
I searched for Turkish words similar to the word “kısa (short)” in the Link abbreviation. Such as the first word that came to my mind was “Ufak (small)”. Although “Ufak.Link” was short, its English pronunciation was not appropriate (You Fuck). “Küçük” had a problem with Turkish characters. Finally, “Minik” sounded both sympathetic and phonetically correct. I bought Minik.Link as a domain name and launched it within a day.
In the early stages of the project, I shared on platforms such as R10.net. Users became interested. However, I made the mistake of adding too many features at an early stage. With the suggestion of Belen, the founder of Marsi Digital, I added a unique click counter. This small touch, combined with the unoptimized structure of the system, caused serious load problems on the hosting side.
During this period, the site exceeded half a million hits thanks to one user. This success surprised me, and I turned the project into a micro SaaS model, but the audience in Turkey was not ready for this structure yet.
The site design was inspired by a similar service abroad, ****.me. I reached out to the founder through IndieHackers, and the response made me realize that I had crossed ethical boundaries. I took this feedback seriously and reworked the design.
On the branding side, we planned to work with my friend Robin Doğan, who was the art director at the time. I chose a light peach tone as the design color. However, we could not move forward together due to our busy schedules. Note: There were no problems between us during this process; we are still friends.
The site became inactive over time. Errors such as errors, overload, and bad ad placement led to a loss of users. It affected me deeply, especially when a user was warned by Google because of the ad I placed. This loss for the sake of ₺5 income taught me a lot.
I didn't take care of the site for a long time. When I got the domain renewal email, I thought, “Has a year gone by so quickly?” I stopped procrastinating, and within a week, I revamped the design, fixed the bugs, bought new hosting, and migrated the system. I also placed a few easter eggs like I do with all my products. :)
I reshaped the vision of Minik.Link: A link shortening tool that does not compromise on aesthetics and simplicity, and respects art and artists. My target audience is people who value creativity and pay attention to details. As an alternative to the ugly designs of other link shortening services, I want to offer a cultural touch by featuring the works of living Turkish painters on the landing page. This idea was born during my first meetings with Robin.
But the first email I sent in pursuit of this goal backfired. The painter I spoke to didn't want to publish his works on the website. Whereas I thought he would publish it. I wanted it to be kind of like WeTransfer. But when my assured approach backfired, I ended this vision before it started.
Before I got to this point, I was sued twice, for really ridiculous things. For example, one of them was for pasting the YouTube embed code on my website. According to them, it was copyright. But they were wrong. Sounds ridiculous to you, doesn't it? Eventually, I won the case, but it took a lot out of me psychologically and financially. There were days when I thought I was going to jail.
All these experiences have shown me that redundant systems are tiring, distracting, and cause errors. What the user needs is actually very simple: reliable, fast, and simple—nothing less, nothing more. I need a concentrated focus. To put it in one word, concentrated. But I also called being more focused “super-concentrated.”
I'm not going to do anything out of purpose. It has to be “as simple as that”. It's part of nature. No creature can do many things at the same time. You cannot expect a cat to have wings or eight arms at the same time. It's just a cat, and it's trying to be the best it can be. I think products should be like that. It should be the best it can be. Not everything at the same time. Super concentrated simplicity!