Link Tracking: How to See Who Clicks Your Links

Link tracking tells you what happens after you share a link: how many people clicked, when, from which city, on which device and from which app or website. Instead of guessing which post, ad or poster worked, you can see it. This guide explains how link tracking works, which numbers matter, and how to start tracking your links for free.

How link tracking works

When you shorten a link with a tracking shortener, every click passes through the short link before it reaches your page. In that split second, the shortener records the click and some basic, non-personal details about it, then sends the visitor on. You don't need to add any code to your website, which is why link tracking works even for pages you don't own, such as a Daraz listing, a YouTube video or a Google Form.

What you can see for each link

On Lnky, every short link has its own stats page with:

• Total and unique clicks, and how they change day by day.
• Countries and cities, so you know if your Lahore post reached Lahore.
• Referrers: the site or app the click came from, such as Facebook, Instagram or a website.
• Browsers and operating systems, for example Chrome on Android or Safari on iPhone.
• Languages set on the visitor's device.

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp usually don't pass a referrer, so those clicks show as direct. That's normal; the next section shows how to tell them apart anyway.

How to track where your clicks come from

The simplest method is one link per channel. If you share the same offer in three places, make three short links that point to the same page:

lnky.pk/eid-fb      → shared on Facebook
lnky.pk/eid-insta   → Instagram bio
lnky.pk/eid-wa      → WhatsApp status and groups

Each link counts its own clicks, so you can compare the channels directly. With a custom URL shortener name, the links stay readable too. The same works offline: one QR code for the shop window, another for flyers.

Link tracking and Google Analytics

If you own the website, add UTM tags to the long link before you shorten it. Google Analytics then shows the campaign, source and medium in its reports, and your short link keeps the URL tidy:

https://yourshop.pk/sale?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=eid

Google explains the tags in its help article on collecting campaign data with custom URLs. Short-link stats and Google Analytics work well together: the short link counts every click, and Analytics shows what people did after they arrived.

Which numbers actually matter

• Clicks per channel. Put your effort where the clicks come from.
• Clicks over time. A spike after a story or a boosted post shows what worked; a quiet week shows when to post again.
• Top cities. Useful for delivery areas, events and local ads.
• Unique vs total clicks. Many repeat clicks from few people often means they came back to check price or stock, which is a good sign.

Clicks are only part of the story. Compare them with what you care about: orders on WhatsApp, form sign-ups or sales.

How to start link tracking for free

1. Create a free account on Lnky.
2. Shorten your link and give it a clear name.
3. Share it, then open the link's stats from your dashboard.
4. Check once a week and note which channel did best.

The free plan keeps 30 days of click history; paid plans keep more. Sharing a WhatsApp chat link? Make it with the WhatsApp link generator first, then shorten it to track the taps.

Is link tracking private?

Link tracking counts clicks; it doesn't identify people. Lnky shows totals by city, device and source, not who each visitor is. If you add your own analytics or ad pixels, follow the privacy rules that apply to your audience.

Frequently asked questions

Is link tracking free?

Yes. Every Lnky link includes click stats. The free plan keeps 30 days of history.

Can I track clicks on a link to a site I don't own?

Yes. Because the count happens on the short link, you can track links to Daraz, YouTube, Google Drive or any other page.

Why do some clicks show no source?

Apps such as WhatsApp and some email apps don't send a referrer. Use a separate short link for each channel to see where those clicks came from.

Does link tracking slow down the link?

Counting the click takes a fraction of a second. Lnky may show a short "you are being redirected" page first, which you can skip with a click.