How to Track QR Code Scans: Four Methods Compared
There are four ways to track QR code scans: a dynamic QR code with built-in counts, UTM parameters added to the link, your website's own analytics, and a unique landing page per placement. Dynamic codes are the easiest and work for any destination; UTM parameters add campaign detail in your own analytics; the other methods fill gaps. Combine two of them for the best picture, and remember that a scan count measures interest, not sales.
What a scan count can and cannot tell you
A scan is one phone reading the code and opening the link. You can usually learn when it happened, the country or region, the phone type and the browser. You cannot learn who the person was, and a good provider does not try to. A scan also does not tell you whether the person bought anything. For that you need a way to connect the scan to an outcome at your own checkout or form.
Method 1: a dynamic QR code with built-in analytics
The code holds a short link on the provider's server, which counts each visit and forwards the person to your destination. (Dynamic vs Static QR Codes explains the difference.)
- Good for: any destination, including pages you do not control. Setup takes a minute.
- Gives you: scan counts over time, countries, device types and browsers, usually per code.
- Limits: you only see the scan, not what happened on your site afterwards. Counts include only what the provider can detect; bots and link previews should be filtered out.
Make a separate dynamic code for each placement (window, receipt, flyer batch) and the counts become a comparison. If you would rather keep one code for several placements, QR Maker also reads a placement tag on the short link, such as ?s=window, and reports scans per tag without changing where the visitor lands.
Method 2: UTM parameters
UTM parameters are labels added to the end of a link, such as utm_source=flyer and utm_campaign=spring. Your website analytics reads them and files the visit under that campaign.
- Good for: seeing what scanners do on your site: pages visited, goals completed.
- Gives you: campaign, source and medium in your own analytics, alongside every other traffic source.
- Limits: you need web analytics on the destination, and the link becomes longer. A long link makes a denser QR pattern, so use it behind a dynamic code if the pattern gets crowded.
Method 3: your own analytics on a dedicated landing page
Create a page that exists only for the QR code, for example /spring-offer, and look at its visits in your analytics.
- Good for: sites with analytics already set up, where a page per campaign is natural.
- Gives you: page views, time on page and conversions from that page.
- Limits: every extra page is something to maintain, and you cannot tell two placements apart unless each has its own page.
Method 4: unique offer codes
Print a promo code beside the QR code, or have the destination show one that only scanners see, and count redemptions at your till or checkout.
- Good for: connecting scans to real sales.
- Gives you: redemption counts per placement or campaign.
- Limits: not everyone redeems, and you need staff or systems that record the code.
Which method to choose
| Goal | Best method |
|---|---|
| See how many people scan each placement | Dynamic code, one per placement |
| See what scanners do on your site | UTM parameters plus web analytics |
| Connect scans to sales | Unique promo code or dedicated landing page |
| Compare two versions of a destination | Dynamic code with a split between two links |
For most small businesses, a dynamic code per placement plus a promo code on the destination page answers the questions that matter.
Privacy and what to say to customers
Scan analytics should be aggregate. Prefer providers that do not store IP addresses and that filter bots. If you add your own analytics on the destination, tell visitors in your privacy policy, as you would for any web traffic.
FAQ
Can I track a static QR code?
Not by itself, because nothing sits between the phone and the destination. You can still use UTM parameters or a dedicated page on the destination, and read the results in your own analytics.
Why do my scan counts differ from my website visits?
Not every scanner completes the page load, and web analytics may block or miss some visits. Bots and link-preview services can also be counted by one tool and filtered by the other. Expect the numbers to be close, not identical.
Is it legal to track QR code scans?
Counting scans in aggregate is common and generally low-risk. What matters is what you collect and how you describe it. Avoid storing personal data you do not need, and follow the privacy rules of the places where your customers live.