Written by Gazali Ahmad
on 

Making SaaS Inconsequential

Almost everyone has used a URL shortener before.

Google Forms. Linktree. Contact forms. “Link in bio” tools. This is SaaS working exactly as advertised.

You sign up, you paste a link, and it solves a problem.

If you want analytics or customization, you pay. The company monetizes convenience.

On the surface, this is a fair exchange.

But there is a structural catch most people never think about.

Even when you pay, the link is never really yours.

It is always SaaSCompanyName.com/your-name.

You are not building an asset. You are borrowing one.

Identity Is the First Casualty of Convenience

Your links are your public interface.

They appear on name cards, email signatures, LinkedIn profiles, slides, talks, and QR codes. They are how people reach you.

When those links belong to someone else’s domain, you are anchoring your professional identity to a third party’s business model.

If pricing changes, features move behind a paywall, or the service shuts down, you are forced to react. You do not control the surface. You only occupy it.

That is not a technical problem. It is an ownership problem.

Why I Built gazali.one

I initially built gazali.one for a narrow reason.

Replace Linktree.

I wanted a single place where people could find me, without platform branding and without another subscription.

It worked. My name card now has two things: my name and a QR code. Scan it, you land on my domain.

At the time, I thought the problem was solved.

It wasn’t.

The Small Technical Detail That Changed Everything

Like most domains, I set up a basic redirect rule.

Anything typed with www redirects to the root domain. A standard 301 redirect.

That trivial configuration led to a larger realization.

I own the domain. Which means I own everything after it.

Not just the homepage. Every path.

If I can redirect www, I can redirect /anything.

That changes what a domain really is.

A Domain Is Not a Website. It Is an Interface.

Most people treat domains like static destinations. You go to a site. You leave.

Technically, a domain is an interface layer.

It decides where requests go. It abstracts what sits behind it.

Once you see that, SaaS tools stop being platforms and start being replaceable backends.

Turning Paths Into Stable Entry Points

The first redirects I created were for contact.

Instead of publishing phone numbers that can change, I now use:

Then business:

These are not websites. They are entry points.

The destination can change. The link does not.

At that point, the pattern becomes obvious.

Why stop at sites I own?

Redirecting to Anything, Without Commitment

Because I control the domain, I can redirect to any web asset.

An article hosted elsewhere:

A support or donation page:

A contact form:

The public-facing URL remains short, clean, and stable. The underlying service can change at any time.

That is the entire advantage.

Why Redirects Actually Matter

Redirects are not just conveniences. They are contracts.

When a browser, a crawler, or an automated system requests a URL, the HTTP status code tells it how seriously to take the instruction.

Different redirects make different promises.

Most people ignore this distinction. That is where things quietly break.

The Three Redirects I Care About

I impose a strict rule on myself, based on three HTTP status codes:

301, 303, and 307.

Each one signals intent. Each one should be used deliberately.

301: Permanent Means Permanent

A 301 redirect means permanent.

It tells crawlers:

Search engines treat a 301 as final. That makes it powerful, and dangerous if misused.

I only use 301 for assets I fully own and do not expect to change:

A 301 is a commitment. If I ever break it, that failure is on me.

303: This Is a Service, Not an Asset

A 303 redirect sends a different signal.

It says: “This resource exists, but the destination is a service and may change.”

I use 303 for anything backed by third-party platforms:

For example:

Today it might point to Google Forms. Tomorrow it could point somewhere else.

No announcement. No broken links.

307: Temporary, but Exact

A 307 redirect is temporary, but precise.

Unlike older temporary redirects, it preserves the request method exactly. That matters for forms, POST requests, and API-like behavior.

I use 307 when:

It communicates clearly:

“This is provisional. Do not assume stability.”

The Rule That Keeps This Sustainable

My rules are simple:

No exceptions.

That discipline is what prevents chaos.

The Professional Risk No One Talks About

“Link in bio” culture is framed as convenience.

In reality, it is deferred responsibility.

Every time you put a third-party URL at the center of your professional identity, you are making a bet.

A bet that the company will exist. A bet that pricing will stay reasonable. A bet that terms will not change in ways that hurt you.

Most people do not see this as risk because it does not fail loudly.

Links rot quietly. Platforms rebrand. Free tiers disappear.

And suddenly, the most visible entry point to your professional life is broken or diluted.

This is not a developer problem. It is a career hygiene problem.

Convenience Platforms Are Not Neutral

No-code tools and SaaS platforms are not neutral infrastructure.

They optimize for their own growth, not for the longevity of your identity.

When your public links live on someone else’s domain, you inherit their incentives and timelines.

That may be acceptable for tooling. It is reckless for identity.

Ownership Is an Exit Strategy

Owning your domain is not about control for its own sake.

It is about having an exit strategy.

When SaaS sits behind your domain, replacement is boring. When SaaS is your domain, replacement is disruptive.

That difference compounds over years.

You do not need to predict which platforms will fail. You just need to ensure their failure does not affect your surface.

The Rule

Any service that sits between your name and the world must be disposable without explanation.

If it cannot be replaced quietly, it has too much power.

Use SaaS. Do not build your identity on it.

Let platforms be tools, not anchors.

Let your domain be the stable layer everything else plugs into.

That is not a technical optimization. It is long-term professional risk management.