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How do I see visits from my printed QR code in Google Analytics?

A static code records no scans by itself. The right way is to add UTM parameters to the link before making the code, such as utm_source=flyer and utm_medium=qr, so visits from it appear under that source and medium in your acquisition reports. Scans that never end in the page loading are not counted anywhere.

Published · 2 min read

Why code visits do not show up on their own

When a customer scans a code holding a plain link, the phone opens the page as if they had typed the address. No previous site referred them, so the visit usually lands under direct traffic, mixed in with everyone who typed your address or opened it from a bookmark. That is why the code seems to 'bring nothing' when it is in fact working. The parameters are what label the visit: I came from the printed flyer.

Setting it up, step by step

  1. Build the link in the UTM campaign link builder: source flyer, medium qr, and a campaign name such as eid. The result: https://example.com/menu?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=qr&utm_campaign=eid.
  2. Paste it into the QR code generator as 'Text or URL'. It takes 72 bytes of the 2,331 available at level M and gives a symbol 37 modules wide.
  3. Scan the code yourself, then open the realtime report in Analytics and check that your visit shows up with the source flyer.
  4. Use a separate code for each place you print: flyer, table sticker, bag. Change the source or content in each, such as utm_source=table, so you can compare them.

Reading the results honestly

  • What you see is visits, not scans. Someone who scanned and closed the page before it loaded, or declined cookies, may not be counted.
  • Someone who photographs the link and shares it with a friend brings that friend in under the same source, because the parameters travel with the link.
  • Do not compare the code with paid ads figure for figure without counting the print cost and the number of copies handed out.

Note that parameters lengthen the link and make the code denser: the same link without them, https://example.com/menu, gives a symbol only 25 modules wide. On very small stickers, keep parameter values as short as you can.

Common questions

Does the tool itself give me a scan count?

No. The tool builds static codes and tracks nothing, and scans pass through no server of ours. Measurement happens only in your own site analytics.

Do the parameters work on links I do not own, like a page on another platform?

Parameters are read by the site owner's analytics. If the page is not yours you will not see them in your reports, unless that platform gives you analytics that read these parameters.