How to Make a QR Code for a Link

What you need before you start

All you need is the full address of the page, starting with https://. The easiest way to get it right is to open the page in your browser, copy the address from the address bar and paste it. Typing a long address by hand is the most common source of broken codes.

Check that the page works on a phone. Open the link on your own phone before you make the code. If it asks for a login, shows a desktop-only layout or only works inside your company network, the people who scan it will have the same problem.

If you plan to print the code, also decide where it will go and roughly how large it can be. That affects the design choices further down.

How to make a QR code for a link

1. Open the generator and choose Website URL. It works for any link: a web page, a Google Form, a YouTube video, an online shop or a booking page.
2. Paste your link into the field. Copy it from the browser rather than typing it.
3. Give the code a name you will recognize later, such as "Autumn flyer, shop window". Your draft is saved as you type.
4. Choose colors, a frame with a short call to action such as "Scan to order", and your logo if you want one. Keep the pattern dark on a light background.
5. Sign in with Google or your email. Creating the code is free and needs no credit card.
6. Download the code as PNG, JPG or SVG. Before the download starts, we read the finished image back to check that the design still scans and opens your link.

Pick the right page to link to

The best link is the page that answers why someone scanned. If the poster is about a concert, link to the concert page with the date and the ticket button, not to your home page. Every extra tap between the scan and what people came for loses some of them.

Prefer links that will last. A page on your own website is better than a temporary file share or a link with a session code in it. If you are not sure whether the page will stay where it is, that is fine with a dynamic code, because you can point the code somewhere else later.

• Event: the event page with date, place and tickets.
• Product: the product page, not the shop's front page.
• Survey or sign-up: the form itself, already open.
• Video: the video, not the channel.

Static or dynamic: which kind of code you get

A QR code can hold your link directly, or it can hold a short link that sends people on to your page. The first kind is static: it can never change and nobody can count its scans. The second kind is dynamic: you can change where it leads after printing, and every scan is counted.

The Website URL code here is dynamic. The printed pattern contains a short link, and your real address is stored in your account. If the page moves, you replace the link in My QR Codes and every printed copy opens the new page. A short link also keeps the pattern simple, which helps when the code is printed small.

For the full comparison, including the cases where static is the better choice, read Dynamic vs static QR codes.

When one link is not enough

A Website URL code opens one address. If you need something slightly different, there are types made for it:

• List of Links: a mobile page with a button for each of several links.
• Smart Redirect: one code that sends people to different links by device, language, country or time of day.
• App Store: iPhone users go to the App Store and Android users go to Google Play.
• PDF: upload the file itself instead of linking to it, and replace it later.

Test the code before anyone else sees it

After the download, the confirmation screen keeps a live scan counter open. Point your phone camera at the code on your screen: the counter goes up within a few seconds and the page opens on your phone. That tells you the code, the short link and your page all work together.

Then test it the way your audience will meet it:

• Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone. Most recent phones read QR codes with the built-in camera app.
• Print one proof at the real size and scan it from the distance people will stand at.
• Scan it in the real lighting: a dim bar, a sunny window or a shop with bright ceiling lights.
• Check that the page that opens is the right one and loads quickly on mobile data, not only on Wi-Fi.

Printing the code

Most scanning problems come from printing, not from the code. A few rules cover nearly every case:

• Size: at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide for anything held in the hand. For posters and signs, make the code about one tenth of the scanning distance, so around 30 cm for a code read from 3 meters.
• Quiet zone: keep empty space around the code. Our downloads already include it, so do not crop it away or let text and frames touch the pattern.
• Contrast: a dark pattern on a light background scans best. The generator warns you when the contrast is low or the colors are inverted.
• File: use SVG for large prints and for designers, PNG for documents and web pages, and JPG when a tool accepts nothing else.
• More detail on sizes, resolution and materials is in the guide to QR code size for printing.

Formats and sizes at a glance

All three formats come from the same design, so you can download the code again in another format at any time. For a large print, choose SVG and let the printer scale it.

Add a reason to scan

A bare code on a poster gets fewer scans than one with a short line next to it. Tell people what they get: "Scan for the full menu", "Scan to book a table", "Scan for 10% off your first order". The frames in the generator have room for exactly this kind of text.

Put the code where people have a moment to stop: at eye level, near a counter, on a table or by a door. A code on a moving vehicle or high above a shop window is hard to scan, however well it is designed.

Change the link later

Because the code is dynamic, you can open My QR Codes at any time and change the link. The printed code stays the same and opens the new address from the next scan. This is useful when a campaign ends, a product page moves or you spot a typo after the flyers have been printed.

You can also pause a code if the page should not be reachable for a while, and start it again later.

See who is scanning

Every code has its own statistics: scans and unique visitors by day, devices, operating systems, browsers and countries. When a code is scanned for the first time, you get an email, so you know your flyers or posters are working. Visits from link previews and search engines are left out.

If the link points to your own website, you can add UTM tags such as ?utm_source=qr&utm_medium=print to it, and see in your site analytics what visitors did after they arrived. Read more in how to track QR code scans.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Linking to a page that needs a login or only works on a computer.
• Using a temporary link, such as a file share that expires after a week. With a dynamic code you can fix it, but people who scanned in between were turned away.
• Printing the code too small, or on a glossy surface that reflects light.
• Placing the code on a dark photo or a busy pattern without a light background behind it.
• Skipping the test print. One proof costs much less than a reprint.

Questions