Utilizing Google Analytics to track QR codes can offer valuable information on the success of your advertising efforts. In this guide, I will walk you through the steps of implementing QR code tracking with Google Analytics using the URL builder tool from Moz. From my own experience, this approach has proven to be a useful method for monitoring the impact of QR codes in generating website visits and conversions.
Understanding QR Codes
QR codes, short for Quick Response codes, are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned using a smartphone camera or a QR code reader app. They are widely used in marketing materials to provide a quick and convenient way for users to access digital content or information.
By tracking QR codes, you can gather data on how many people are scanning your codes, which devices they are using, and even their location. This information can help you measure the success of your QR code campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing efforts.
Setting Up Google Analytics
Before you can start tracking QR codes, you need to have Google Analytics set up for your website. If you haven’t done this already, visit the Google Analytics website and create an account for your website.
Once your Google Analytics account is set up, you need to create a new tracking ID for your QR code campaign. This will allow you to separate the data from your QR code campaign from your overall website data.
Generating QR Codes with Moz URL Builder
To track QR codes with Google Analytics, we’ll be using Moz’s URL builder tool. Moz’s URL builder adds specific tracking parameters to the URLs associated with your QR codes, allowing Google Analytics to capture detailed data about each scan.
Here’s how you can generate QR codes with Moz URL builder:
- Go to Moz’s URL Builder tool (https://moz.com/blog/generate-url-google-analytics-qr-codes) and enter the necessary information in the form. This includes the website URL, campaign source, campaign medium, and campaign name.
- Click on the “Generate URL” button to generate a unique URL for your QR code.
- Copy the generated URL and use it to create your QR code. There are many online QR code generators available that allow you to input the URL and generate a QR code image.
By using Moz’s URL builder, you ensure that each scan of your QR code is associated with the correct campaign source, medium, and name in Google Analytics.
Tracking QR Code Scans in Google Analytics
Once your QR codes are generated and in use, it’s time to track the scans in Google Analytics.
Here are the steps to track QR code scans:
- Login to your Google Analytics account and navigate to the reporting dashboard.
- Go to the “Acquisition” section and click on “Campaigns”.
- You will see a list of campaigns. Look for the campaign name you specified when generating the QR code URL.
- Click on the campaign name to view detailed reports on the performance of your QR code campaign. You can track metrics such as the number of sessions, bounce rate, conversion rate, and more.
By analyzing the data provided by Google Analytics, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your QR code campaign. You can identify which QR codes are driving the most traffic, which devices users are using to scan the codes, and even the geographic location of your audience.
Conclusion
Tracking QR codes with Google Analytics using Moz’s URL builder can provide you with valuable insights into your marketing efforts. By setting up Google Analytics and generating QR codes with the proper tracking parameters, you can track scans, understand user behavior, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns.
Remember to regularly review the data provided by Google Analytics and make adjustments to your QR code campaigns as needed. With this information at your fingertips, you can improve the performance of your marketing campaigns and achieve better results. So start tracking your QR codes today and unlock the potential of this powerful marketing tool!