The ShortFreeURL blog
Guides, comparisons and practical tactics for branded links, QR codes and campaign tracking.
Building a reliable CSV workflow for link creation
Spreadsheets are how most teams actually create links in bulk. A few conventions make the process safe.
Managing links from Notion or AirtableFIELD NOTES / 086 Tools · 2 min readManaging links from Notion or Airtable
A base of campaigns can create and update short links automatically, if you decide where the source of truth lives.
QR codes on slides, screens and videoFIELD NOTES / 085 QR Codes · 2 min readQR codes on slides, screens and video
On a screen the code competes with time. It must be big, on long enough, and pointing somewhere worth the interruption.
Reading QR analytics: scans, sessions and what happens nextFIELD NOTES / 084 QR Codes · 2 min readReading QR analytics: scans, sessions and what happens next
A scan count on its own is nearly meaningless. Here is the small set of numbers that makes it useful.
QR codes in restaurants, done properlyFIELD NOTES / 083 QR Codes · 2 min readQR codes in restaurants, done properly
The menu code is the most-scanned code in the world and the most poorly executed. The fixes are cheap.
A pre-print testing checklist for QR codesFIELD NOTES / 082 QR Codes · 2 min readA pre-print testing checklist for QR codes
Fifteen minutes of structured testing before the file goes to press prevents the most expensive kind of mistake.
Designing a branded QR code that still scansFIELD NOTES / 081 QR Codes · 2 min readDesigning a branded QR code that still scans
Colour, logos and rounded modules are all possible. Each one spends part of your margin for error.
QR codes on vehicles, windows and large signageFIELD NOTES / 080 QR Codes · 2 min readQR codes on vehicles, windows and large signage
Distance, motion and glass are the three things that break outdoor codes. Two of them are fixable.
QR error correction levels, and why the default is usually rightFIELD NOTES / 079 QR Codes · 2 min readQR error correction levels, and why the default is usually right
Higher correction means a denser code, not a better one. Here is how to choose between L, M, Q and H.
Signed short links: when a URL needs to prove it was issued by youFIELD NOTES / 078 Developers · 2 min readSigned short links: when a URL needs to prove it was issued by you
Signing lets a link carry parameters that a recipient cannot alter. Here is the mechanism and the mistakes.
Importing thousands of links without breaking anythingFIELD NOTES / 077 Developers · 2 min readImporting thousands of links without breaking anything
A large import is a data-quality exercise wearing an engineering costume. Validate first, then move slowly.
Observability for a redirect pathFIELD NOTES / 076 Developers · 2 min readObservability for a redirect path
The metrics that tell you a link service is healthy, and the alerts that are worth waking someone for.
Caching redirects at the edge without losing your analyticsFIELD NOTES / 075 Developers · 2 min readCaching redirects at the edge without losing your analytics
Caching a redirect makes it fast and makes it invisible. Here is how to get the speed while still counting the click.
What a redirect service looks like if you build it yourselfFIELD NOTES / 074 Developers · 2 min readWhat a redirect service looks like if you build it yourself
The redirect is easy. The operational surface around it is what you are actually signing up for.
Creating links idempotently in automated systemsFIELD NOTES / 073 Developers · 2 min readCreating links idempotently in automated systems
Automations retry. Without an idempotency strategy, every retry mints another link and your analytics fragment.
Working with a link API: pagination, rate limits and retriesFIELD NOTES / 072 Developers · 2 min readWorking with a link API: pagination, rate limits and retries
The three things that break every first integration, and the patterns that make the second one boring.
Measuring offline campaigns with links and codesFIELD NOTES / 071 Marketing · 2 min readMeasuring offline campaigns with links and codes
Billboards, packaging, direct mail and radio can all be measured, imperfectly, if you plan the identifiers first.
Getting more out of the single link in your bioFIELD NOTES / 070 Marketing · 2 min readGetting more out of the single link in your bio
One slot, many things you want to promote. The trade-off is between choice and conversion, and it is measurable.
Templating seasonal campaigns so you stop rebuilding themFIELD NOTES / 069 Marketing · 2 min readTemplating seasonal campaigns so you stop rebuilding them
The same campaign runs every year. Turning it into a template makes it faster to launch and possible to compare.
The link plan for a product launchFIELD NOTES / 068 Marketing · 2 min readThe link plan for a product launch
Set up the links a week early, freeze them at launch, and change destinations rather than URLs when things move.
Links and codes for events, before during and afterFIELD NOTES / 067 Marketing · 2 min readLinks and codes for events, before during and after
An event is three campaigns with different audiences. The link plan should reflect that instead of using one URL for everything.
Tracking influencer and partner campaigns fairlyFIELD NOTES / 066 Marketing · 2 min readTracking influencer and partner campaigns fairly
One link per partner, one link per placement, and an honest conversation about what the numbers can and cannot prove.
Managing affiliate links without losing attributionFIELD NOTES / 065 Marketing · 2 min readManaging affiliate links without losing attribution
Affiliate URLs are long, ugly, and change often. Short links fix the presentation, but only if the parameters survive.
Link strategy for newsletters that you can actually measureFIELD NOTES / 064 Marketing · 2 min readLink strategy for newsletters that you can actually measure
Email platforms already wrap your links. Here is how to add short links without double-counting or breaking anything.
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Frequently asked questions
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Branded short links, QR codes, UTM and campaign tracking, click analytics, link-in-bio pages, and honest comparisons between link platforms.
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