QR Code Performance Tracking

You see QR codes pop up around you in window fronts, magazines, posters and more. Have you ever thought to create your own QR codes? Here are a few tips on getting the most out of these fancy bar codes.  A couple things to keep in mind- QR codes can have a dedicated function, such as a URL or a phone number; and secondly, the smaller the amount of information "stored" in the QR code, the simpler the resulting graphic will be. I will be focusing on URL QR codes. You can use these to create links to web pages.

Step 1. Create your URL

You probably think you already have your URL, but pay attention. You are linking to your website where you should have Google Analytics running and tracking everything. You should create a link that will help create better data in your Google Analytics. Enter the Google Analytics URL Builder (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033867?hl=en). Use this tool to create your unique link with information such as where you plan to have the QR codes appear. Are you printing them on your business cards? Are you printing them on posters? You should make separate links for these kinds of things so you can track the performance of each QR code.

Step 2. Shorten your URL

That Google Analytics URL is quite lengthy and will create a more detailed QR code image. Now you should shorten it to simplify it. I recommend Google's own shortening service goo.gl, which is quick, reliable and tracks clicks (in this case, scans), but you can of course choose your own URL shortener here. Check out the difference in the resulting QR codes with a shortened URL.

Step 3. Create your QR code graphic

There are plenty of QR code generators on the Internet. Just pick one. Two examples are the-qrcode-generator.com and qrcode.kaywa.com. That first one even has the URL shortening built in, but I still recommend using your own URL shortener to keep track of the stats by yourself- there's no need to further depend on the QR generator service after creating your QR code image. Remember to pick URL as your QR code type, and don't bother with the "Dynamic" setting. Pick a size, larger is better because you can always downscale later, and save your image. I recommend naming your image with details of your links and campaigns so you don't have to keep scanning it yourself and ruin your statistics.

That's it. Just remember these easy steps and your QR marketing campaign will have the necessary stats to measure the performance. Do you have any additional tips? Please share them in the comments.