Use Grow → Links → Tracked links to create a short address for a page, campaign, or offer. You can share it online or turn it into a QR code for a poster, package, or event sign.
A tracked link holds the destination. Its short-link versions, called variants, give you separate addresses for different placements. For example, a newsletter link and a poster QR code can lead to the same event page while appearing separately in the results.
Create your first tracked link
You need Links write access to create or change links. Your site also needs a working public domain so that shared addresses and QR codes can open it. If necessary, start with Connecting a domain you already own or check feature access.
- Open Grow → Links, select Tracked links, then New link.
- Leave What this link does set to Redirect.
- Enter the Destination URL. Use a complete address such as
https://example.com/event, or a same-site path such as/event. - Enter a recognizable Name, then review the suggested Short link. You can change its ending before saving; use lowercase letters, numbers, and internal hyphens, up to 80 characters.
- Select Create link, then check the resulting Destination and Share cards.
Creation makes the link active and creates its first short URL. There is no separate publish step for this redirect. If you set a future start or an end time under Advanced, the link works only within that schedule.
The short address uses your site domain and /l/, followed by the chosen ending. Share the address shown in Share, rather than constructing it yourself. Use Copy, or open the row's Short link actions → Open in a new tab, to test where it goes.
If the destination saves but the short address cannot be created, stay on that link's page. The Share card shows the problem and lets you add an available short address. You do not need to create the destination again.
Add versions for different placements
Create a separate short-link version for each placement you want to compare, such as an email, a social post, or a printed poster. Reusing one address everywhere combines those opens under the same version.
In Share, select Add a short link or QR code. Give the version a descriptive Name and a unique Short link ending. Set Channel to Direct, Social, Email, QR, or Partner, and choose Touchpoint → Short link for a normal clickable address.
If Short-link domain is available, choose the connected site domain you intend to share. Selecting a domain here does not connect or configure it; test that domain before distributing the address.
Select Add short link, then copy and test the new row in Share. Each version uses the parent link's destination. If two placements need different destinations, create separate tracked links.
Use names that describe the placement, such as “October newsletter” or “Front desk poster.” These are easier to recognize in the results than several versions all named “Default.”
Set campaign tagging and availability
Use Advanced during creation, or Tracking & schedule → Edit afterward, to set Source, Medium, and Campaign. These add UTM parameters to the destination address so that compatible analytics tools can identify the campaign.
For a newsletter, you might use newsletter as Source, email as Medium, and autumn-event as Campaign. If Campaign is blank when you first create the link, Cedros fills it from the link's name. Review the saved Campaign tagging and Opens land on summaries.
A version's UTM overrides can replace the parent link's tagging values for that version. Leave fields blank to use the parent values. Channel labels and UTM parameters are separate: selecting Email as Channel does not fill in Source or Medium for you.
If the destination URL already contains a parameter, that existing value is kept. For example, utm_source=partner in the destination will not become utm_source=newsletter because you entered newsletter in the form. Remove or correct conflicting parameters in the destination if you want the saved campaign tagging to apply.
Set Starts and Ends when the address should work only during a campaign. The end must be later than the start. These fields use your device's local time; check the saved Runs summary before sharing. Leave both blank for ongoing availability, and select Save after editing.
The schedule belongs to the parent link and applies to all its versions, including printed QR codes. An active label alone does not make a link available before its start or after its end.
Create and download a QR code
- Open the tracked link and select Share → Add a short link or QR code.
- Enter a Name and Short link ending for the printed placement.
- Choose a suitable Channel, then set Touchpoint → QR code. Choosing QR as the channel alone does not generate a code.
- Review QR foreground and QR background. Keep a dark foreground on a light background with strong contrast.
- Select Add short link and wait for the QR preview to appear in Share.
- Open that row's Short link actions and select Download PNG or Download SVG.
The code contains that version's short address. Changing the parent destination later can send the same printed code somewhere new, provided its domain and short-link ending remain available.
Scan the downloaded code with a phone before placing it in your design. Then test the finished design at its intended size and viewing distance. Confirm the full journey: the scanner opens the expected domain, the redirect reaches the correct page, and the page works on a phone. Keep the clear border around the code and avoid stretching or covering it.
If the preview or download is unavailable, check that Touchpoint is QR code and that the site has a configured public domain. A generated image is not proof that its destination is reachable.
Change a destination or stop a link
To redirect an existing link somewhere new, open Destination → Change, enter the new URL, and select Save destination. This changes where all of that link's versions lead, including its QR codes. Test the saved short addresses after changing it.
Previous destinations lets you review earlier destinations. Select Restore and confirm the destination when you need to return to one of them. Restoration changes the shared destination for every version; it does not just change the row you last tested.
Keep a printed code's domain and short-link ending stable. Editing either changes the address you are asking people to use; already printed codes still contain the old address. Prefer changing the destination when the printed code should continue working.
To stop the whole link temporarily, use Link actions → Pause. Use Set active when you are ready to make it available again, then check its schedule and versions. Archive stops its short addresses from resolving while preserving their analytics.
To retire only one version, use that row's Short link actions → Archive and confirm. Other active versions can keep working. A version can be restored from Archived short links if its address is still available; check the result before sharing it again.
Check results and troubleshoot
Open the link's Performance card and choose the Reporting window. Use By short link to compare versions. Human opens, unique visitors, QR scans, and conversions describe different events; an open does not establish that someone completed a purchase or another goal.
QR reporting counts opens of a version marked as a QR-code touchpoint. If someone copies and clicks that same address, it can also appear in QR totals. Use a separate normal short link for online sharing when you want clearer placement comparisons.
Visitor and audience breakdowns depend on the analytics data available, including consent. Your own test opens may affect the totals, and a successfully opened link does not guarantee an immediate visitor or conversion entry. Check the reporting window before drawing conclusions from an empty report.
The address is taken. Choose another short-link ending. If the destination was already saved, add the new version on that existing link.
The address does not open. Check the exact domain and ending, parent status, version status, and start/end times. Then open the destination directly. Fix the underlying domain or destination problem before reprinting or replacing anything.
A save fails or its result is unclear. Reopen the link and inspect its destination and Share rows before repeating creation. Save errors can occur after part of the work succeeded.
When using a managed link with planned content, confirm the exact version and destination before scheduling the output. Scheduling and distributing approved content explains how to connect tracked destinations to that workflow.