LinkPilot product guide
Short links, dynamic QR codes and conversion tracking explained.
LinkPilot is a URL shortener with editable destinations, dynamic QR codes, UTM campaigns, country and device routing, click analytics, and conversion tracking.
Create and measure your first short link
- Sign in, select New link and enter a public destination URL.
- Choose a title and optional slug or campaign parameters, then create the link.
- Confirm its active status and test the short URL in a separate browser window.
- Download a QR code when you need an offline entry point, and check click analytics after visits arrive.
- To measure outcomes, create a tracking key and integrate the pixel or server conversion endpoint. Keep server keys private.
Short-link analytics are eventually consistent. Check the final destination and attribution integration before launching a campaign.
What does a URL shortener do?
A URL shortener gives a longer destination URL a compact, shareable address. LinkPilot resolves a saved short link and sends the visitor to its destination with an HTTP 302 redirect. The destination is checked before publication; suspicious links can enter review instead of redirecting.
Can I change a short link after sharing it?
Yes. Edit the destination in LinkPilot to keep the same short URL and point future visitors to the new page. Avoid changing the slug when you want to preserve printed or shared links. Changes propagate through edge caches, so visitors in different locations may briefly see the previous destination.
How do dynamic QR codes work?
A LinkPilot QR code contains the short URL rather than the final destination. Download it as SVG or PNG and scan it to visit the current destination. Keeping the slug unchanged lets you update the destination without reprinting the QR code. Scan visits carry a QR signal and can appear in scan analytics.
What is the difference between clicks and conversions?
A click is a visit through a short link. A conversion is a separately reported outcome, such as a signup or purchase. To measure conversions, install the browser pixel or send an authenticated server event with a tracking key. LinkPilot does not infer sales from clicks alone.
How does last-click attribution work?
Redirect visits can carry a signed attribution token to the destination. Report that token with a conversion to associate the event with the latest eligible click within seven days. Repeated external event IDs are deduplicated per account. Missing attribution can be recorded as direct; an invalid signed token is rejected.
How do UTM campaigns help measure channels?
UTM parameters label campaign traffic using source, medium, campaign, term and content. LinkPilot can save campaign values and attach them to redirects. Use consistent naming, for example utm_source=newsletter and utm_medium=email, to compare channels without splitting the same source across different spellings.
What does smart routing support?
LinkPilot supports country and device rules. Active rules are evaluated in ascending priority order and the first matching rule selects the destination. Visitors who match no rule receive the default destination. Routing and analytics are separate, so recording a click does not delay the redirect.
Are unique visitors exact counts of people?
No. Unique visitors are estimates based on a daily privacy-preserving hash derived from network and browser information. They can change at UTC day boundaries, and shared networks or different devices affect the estimate. Raw visitor IP addresses and full user-agent strings are not retained as click data.
Can I start without a credit card?
The Free plan can be used without a credit card and permits up to 100 links per month. Paid checkout and customer custom-domain activation depend on configured external providers. The current release offers free use; do not assume a displayed paid plan or custom-domain entitlement means the provider has already been enabled.
What happens when a short link is archived or unsafe?
Archived or expired links stop redirecting and return HTTP 410. Links under review or blocked for safety return HTTP 451. Unknown links return HTTP 404. Use the report-abuse page to report phishing, malware or deceptive destinations.