Category
Link Tracking
Link tracking records each click server-side with its source, device, country and outcome, without raw IPs. Guides on UTM naming, redirect audits and analytics.
Every guide in the Link Tracking category is written for marketers, founders, and engineers who want practical, field-tested tactics — not generic advice. Each post pairs a working example with a checklist you can apply the same day, so you spend less time researching and more time shipping campaigns that actually report cleanly.
Browse the articles below for deep dives into link tracking, then explore the LinkPilot platform to put the ideas into production with branded short links, real-time analytics, expiring secret links, dynamic QR codes, and rule-based routing. Most patterns can be implemented in minutes with the free tier — no credit card, no agency setup fee.
New posts in this category are added regularly as the LinkPilot team ships new features and learns from teams running real campaigns across paid, organic, lifecycle, and partner channels. If you'd like a topic covered, get in touch from the support page.
Link Analytics With Geographic Click Data: What Location Tells You and What It Doesn't
How link analytics estimates the country, region and city of a click, how accurate that is, how to read the reports sensibly, and the privacy rules to follow.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Use Short Link Performance Reports by Campaign
Set up short links that report by campaign: one link per channel, tags that group them, matching UTM tags, and a monthly routine turning clicks into decisions.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Use Custom Short Links for SaaS Product Onboarding
Put a branded short link at each onboarding milestone, in emails, in-app messages and docs, to see which step users click and repoint links when pages move.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Use Custom Branded Short Links for Client Campaigns
A campaign routine for agencies: the client's domain, one link per channel and creative, an approval step, a client-friendly report, and the links' afterlife.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Track Clicks on Links Shared With Customers
Track clicks on links shared with customers: a short link per touchpoint, UTM tags for web analytics, bot filtering, and no personal data in the URL.
Oct 26, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Track Clicks on Branded Short URLs (and Read the Engagement Report)
What a branded short URL records on each click, how to set tracking up on your domain, which engagement metrics matter, and why they differ from web analytics.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Manage Branded URLs Across Multiple Client Accounts
An agency setup for branded URLs across clients: one workspace and domain per client, roles that keep agency and client apart, and an offboarding checklist.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Manage and Organize Campaign Links in One Dashboard
A structure for campaign links that lasts: naming rules, tags and collections, owners, editable destinations, and a view that replaces the spreadsheet.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Choose Short Links With UTM Parameter Support for Reliable Campaign Tracking
What UTM support in a link shortener means, four checks that show whether a shortener keeps your tags, and a build-and-test routine for campaign links.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Choose and Use a Link Tracking Platform With Webhook Integrations
What webhooks from a link tracking platform can and cannot tell you, which events to look for, how to verify and retry safely, and when to use the API instead.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Choose a Branded URL Platform for Startup Teams
What a startup needs from a branded URL platform now and later: custom domain, click analytics, team roles, API, and a free tier that does not punish growth.
Oct 26, 2026 · 5 min read
Developer Integration for Creating Trackable Branded Links: A Practical Guide
How to build link creation into your own product or workflow: API keys, the create call, idempotency, UTM handling, redirect edge cases, webhooks and testing.
Oct 26, 2026 · 7 min read
Custom Link Tracking for Customer Success Teams: A Practical Implementation Guide
Where customer success links live, how to track them per account with no personal data in the URL, how to read clicks beside adoption, and the privacy rules.
Oct 26, 2026 · 6 min read
Custom Domain Link Shortener With Click Reports: How to Choose and Set It Up
What to look for in a custom domain link shortener with click reports, how to connect the domain with a CNAME, and how to read analytics for custom domain links.
Oct 26, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Integrate a Branded Link Shortener With Slack
Set up a branded domain, install a Slack app that shortens links and turns pasted passwords into one-time links, fix previews and read the clicks.
Oct 25, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Turn Off Link Previews in Slack, Discord, iMessage and Outlook
How to remove or disable link previews in Slack, Discord, iMessage and Outlook, and why a preview fetch matters when you send a one-time link.
Oct 19, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Shorten a URL (Free, With a Custom Slug or Your Own Domain)
How to shorten a URL in seconds: pick the slug, track the clicks, add a password or expiry, and move to your own domain when the link carries your brand.
Oct 19, 2026 · 5 min read
Google URL Shortener Alternatives: What to Use Now That goo.gl Is Winding Down
goo.gl stopped new links in 2019 and switched off inactive ones in August 2025. How to check an old link, plus five replacements compared on free tiers.
Oct 19, 2026 · 5 min read
URL Shortener API Comparison: Bitly, Dub, Short.io, TinyURL
Dub has the best developer experience, Bitly the most proven API, Short.io the cheapest volume, and LinkPilot the only shortener API with secret links.
Jul 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Bitly Pricing Explained: Free Limits and Paid Tiers (2026)
Bitly's free plan is widely reported at 10 links a month; paid plans start in the mid-$30s for Growth. What each tier gates and how the math compares.
Jul 9, 2026 · 5 min read
Bitly Alternatives: Free Plans and Custom Domains (2026)
The best Bitly alternative gives you a custom domain and real analytics at your price: LinkPilot, Dub, Short.io or Rebrandly. Six compared on free plans.
Jul 9, 2026 · 6 min read
The 30-Second Redirect Audit Every Marketer Should Run Monthly
Redirect chains cost you speed, conversions, and attribution data. What 301, 302, 307 and 308 mean, why chains hurt, and a copy-paste monthly audit checklist.
May 25, 2026 · 9 min read
Link Trust Scoring: How to Audit Outbound Links Before You Share Them
Your brand's reputation travels with every outbound link. The six trust signals that matter and how to build an audit habit for newsletters and affiliates.
May 25, 2026 · 11 min read
Why Your Links Look Broken on LinkedIn (and How to Fix Open Graph Tags)
LinkedIn, Facebook and Slack link previews break for 8 common reasons: missing OG tags, wrong image size, caching, redirects. How to diagnose and fix each one.
May 25, 2026 · 12 min read
The Modern Guide to Link Tracking in 2026
Modern link tracking records five things per click: a salted hash instead of an IP, the source, device and bot status, the country, and the conversion.
May 1, 2026 · 5 min read
How LinkPilot supports link tracking
Branded short links with click analytics, UTM-aware redirects, and dynamic QR codes make it easy to instrument every channel without wrestling with spreadsheets or losing attribution to copy-paste errors. Rule Studio lets you route the same short URL by geography, device, language, or referrer — perfect for testing the techniques from these guides without rebuilding your campaigns from scratch.
Privacy-first analytics (daily-rotated IP hashes, no recipient cookies, bot filtering on by default) keep your reporting honest and compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and most enterprise privacy reviews. Combined with public share pages and weekly AI summaries, your stakeholders get the numbers they need without you exporting another CSV.