Shortlinks, UTM tracking and QR sharing

Shortlinks provide compact URLs for distribution. UTM fields describe how you intended to distribute the link; a referrer describes what the browser actually supplied.

Before you start

Decide the destination and use a consistent tagging convention. Do not put email addresses, API keys or other personal data into URLs.

Step by step

Open Shortlinks and select Create Shortlink.
Enter the intended destination and the campaign fields offered by the form.
Use a source such as newsletter, a medium such as email, and a campaign such as autumn_launch.
Save and copy the generated short URL. Use Visit to verify its destination.
Share that exact URL in the intended channel. If using a QR sharing control, scan the exported QR with another device and verify that it opens the same URL.
Open Analytics for the link and compare the click activity with the campaign period.
For Smart Link sharing, use the optional tracking fields in the Links share dialog. Keep naming consistent across both tools.

Understand the fields

Source: where the campaign was distributed, such as a newsletter or directory.
Medium: the kind of channel, such as email, social or referral.
Campaign: the particular launch or promotion.
Referrer: a referring page/domain supplied by the browser. It can be missing or stripped.
Direct/unknown: insufficient attribution is not proof of a specific source.

Confirm it worked

The destination is correct and the campaign data appears in the relevant link/report. A QR scan is a link visit, not proof of an install or purchase.

Troubleshooting

Preview scanners and bots can generate visits. Check whether redirects remove query parameters and whether the shared URL was tagged. Missing historical tags cannot reliably be reconstructed afterward.

Related: Analytics.