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So we're doing some tracking and I've setup some links to be tracked via bit.ly. I've also created some QR codes.

So, we scanned the codes using QR Reader, the #1 QR scanning app on the app store, and none of the hits were coming in through bitly. So we decided maybe it had to do with the fact that I made bit.ly links and then made QR codes from those, rather than using bit.ly's built in QR code creator (which we just found). Tried with the new codes, still nothing on bit.ly's site.

I downloaded a different scanner (QR Scanner) and it records everything as normal.

Does anyone have insight into this, done this before, know of a work around? I can't force my users to not use a particular QR scanner.

I mean, unless I'm crazy, when I hit a bit.ly link, their server goes and looks up what the URL is based on the code and redirects me. How the F! can that process happen without bit.ly recording the event?

Leeish
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  • You never said how to you made the QR codes that "don't work". I'd imagine that could play a major role. I'm guessing that software did the redirection and is using the final URL. – Hogan Dec 23 '13 at 16:12
  • The QR codes worked fine, just like the ones I made in bit.ly's website. Neither recorded the numbers until I switched apps. Worked fine = took me to the correct page. – Leeish Dec 23 '13 at 16:13
  • Still haven't said how you made them. – Hogan Dec 23 '13 at 16:14
  • I did this first: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ and then this: http://support.bitly.com/knowledgebase/articles/77777-how-do-i-make-a-qr-code-. However like I said, they all worked fine. Neither recorded in bit.ly until I changed apps. – Leeish Dec 23 '13 at 16:16
  • oh I see. I'll write up an answer. – Hogan Dec 23 '13 at 16:16

4 Answers4

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bit.ly is not a reliable way to get usage statistics for a URL.

For best results, you should use the facilities provided by the web server itself.

Since you don't control bit.ly you can't control how they count hits.

I believe the QR Scanner program is performing a HEAD request instead of a GET request to validate the URL scanned. Since a HEAD will return re-direct information and is not (and should not be) counted in "hit" statistics you wouldn't see the hit on the bit.ly statistics.

While frustrating for your goals, this is one of the features that make QR Scanner better than other programs, you don't want to do a full GET when a HEAD will work.

Hogan
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  • Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Do you know of a way I could get tracking info for youTube. We want to know roughly the usage of QR for some videos. – Leeish Dec 23 '13 at 16:24
  • I can't think of a guarantee besides building your own website and embedding or building your own redirection url and counting everything. I think the embedded is a better way to go personally. – Hogan Dec 23 '13 at 16:53
  • We've done that in the past for several printed URLs. I was hoping with QR/bit.ly I could get around that, but apparently I cannot. Thanks for your input. If YouTube Analytics would just use URL params like Google Analytics. – Leeish Dec 23 '13 at 17:06
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Merely scanning a QR code containing a URL does not necessarily do anything to the URL. A simple app would do nothing at all. It would show the bit.ly URL to the user and wait for the user to confirm that he/she wants to access the URL. Then of course the browser would access the URL.

Some apps like Barcode Scanner on Android will access known URL redirectors to show the user what's behind the redirect before proceeding. It will issue a HEAD request after just scanning the QR code.

I would not expect any app to issue a GET just on scanning. It's unnecessary to read the redirect. And if the app is sending the user straight to the URL after scanning, that's a bit of a security risk.

Sean Owen
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  • I know, but it's odd to me that QR Reader App shows me the bit.ly link, even when visiting the link, the in-app browser shows the bit.ly link and then the resulting page, but neither result in a recorded bit.ly visit. I'm guessing because, as explained, it only does a HEAD request and seeing the 301 just turns the corner without doing a full GET request. – Leeish Dec 23 '13 at 18:21
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A couple of things to check would be GET/HEAD and the User-Agent. If the QR reader is sending a strange, or no, user-agent header, it might get accidentally considered a bot click.

James Socol
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If you generate a bitly link - http://bitly.com/test - and then turn it into a QR code using a 3rd party service, you won't see any stats about whether scans have come from a QR code.

If you use the bitly QR generator - http://bitly.com/test.qr - you will get a QR code with a different url in it.

In this case

http://bitly.com/test?r=qr

It is that r=qr part which is recording whether the click came from the QR code.

So, to clarify, you share the link "http://bitly.com/test" on Twitter / Facebook / etc. You share "http://bitly.com/test?r=qr" via QR code. That way you can track where hits are coming from.

Terence Eden
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  • Scan the code using "QR Reader" and you will see no statistics are generated regardless of what you use to generate the code. It's because of the accepted answer. – Leeish Jan 06 '14 at 22:48
  • Which QR Scanner? The ones I've used work fine. If yours does not, it may be a bug in the app. – Terence Eden Jan 07 '14 at 05:40
  • The iOS app named QR Reader. I believe it only sends a HEAD request, thus not logging anything on bit.ly's end. – Leeish Jan 08 '14 at 06:47