How to Track Clicks on a Shortened Link

Every short link you create on URLNIX automatically tracks click data. You don't need to install any tracking code or configure anything — analytics are on by default the moment you shorten a URL.

What URLNIX Tracks

For every click on your short links, URLNIX records:

  • Click timestamp — the exact time of the click (UTC)
  • Device type — mobile, tablet, or desktop
  • Operating system — iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and others
  • Country and city — derived from IP geolocation (IP is not stored)
  • Referrer — the website or app that sent the visitor

None of this data is personally identifiable. Raw IP addresses are discarded immediately after geolocation lookup. No cookies are set on the visitor's device.

How to View Your Analytics

To access analytics for a specific link:

  1. Go to your Dashboard and find the link in your links table
  2. Click the link row to open the detail panel
  3. Select the Analytics tab

The analytics view shows:

  • A click trend chart over your selected time range
  • Total clicks and a breakdown by device, OS, browser, country, city, and referrer
  • A date range selector: Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 90 Days, All Time

Exporting Click Data

Pro users can export all click data as a CSV file. The CSV includes one row per click with all recorded fields: timestamp, device, OS, browser, country, city, and referrer. Use this to analyze in Google Sheets, Excel, or any BI tool like Looker Studio or Tableau.

To export: open the link's Analytics tab → click Export CSV in the top-right corner.

QR Code Scan Tracking

QR code scans are tracked separately from direct link clicks in the same analytics panel. When someone scans your QR code (on a phone camera or QR reader app), their device sends a request through the short link, which is logged with the same detail as a direct click. The device type will typically show as "mobile."

Understanding Referrer Data

The referrer tells you where clicks are coming from:

  • Direct — the link was opened directly (typed, bookmarked, or from an app that strips the referrer header)
  • Social — platforms like twitter.com, instagram.com, linkedin.com
  • Email clients — some email apps pass a referrer; many strip it (shows as Direct)
  • Specific pages — if someone linked to your short link on a blog post or web page, the exact page URL appears as the referrer

Privacy and Data Handling

URLNIX is designed to give you useful analytics without compromising your visitors' privacy. Specifically:

  • No cookies are set on visitor devices
  • No raw IP addresses are stored — only derived metadata (country, city)
  • No visitor profiles are created
  • Data is not sold or shared with advertisers