DEV Community: _s._hyn

5 Things About QR Codes for Side Projects That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 02:11:18 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing - I'd been tracking engagement on my side project for months, but I still hadn't figured out a good way to attribute conversions to specific channels. Look, I'd tried using UTM parameters and all that, but it was a mess - and I knew I needed a better solution, so I started looking into QR codes.

Why Manual Tracking Was a Dead End

I was doing everything manually - creating links, tracking clicks, and trying to make sense of it all in a giant spreadsheet. I'd write a Python script to fetch the data, something like import requests; r = requests.get('https://example.com/data'); print(r.json()), and then try to parse the results. The thing is, it was all so tedious and prone to error - and I was still missing out on a lot of valuable insight, like which devices people were using to access my links. I assumed that most people would be coming from desktop, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated than that.

The QR Code Experiment

I decided to try using QR codes to track engagement on my side project - I figured it would be a good way to get more granular data on who was interacting with my links. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that a huge percentage of my clicks were coming from mobile devices - which totally changed my strategy for optimizing my landing page. (I mean, who doesn't love a good mobile-first design, right?) I started generating QR codes for all my links, and it was crazy to see how much more engagement I got - especially when I put the QR code on a flyer and handed it out at a conference. The QR code was auto-generated by LinkCut, and I could download it and use it wherever I wanted.

Unexpected Results

The results were weird - in a good way, I think. I didn't expect to see such a huge spike in engagement from the QR codes, and I was surprised by how much more data I was able to collect. For example, I found out that 23% of my clicks were coming from people who were using iOS devices, which was way higher than I expected. And the country breakdown was really interesting too - I had no idea I had so many users in Japan. It was all a bit overwhelming, to be honest - but in a good way, because I finally felt like I had a handle on what was going on with my side project.

When QR Codes Aren't the Answer

The thing is, QR codes aren't always the best solution - especially if you're dealing with a really complex campaign with lots of different links and tracking parameters. I mean, I tried to use QR codes for a campaign with 17 redirects, and it was a total nightmare - the links were getting lost in translation, and I had no way of tracking what was going on. So, if you're in a situation like that, you might want to consider a different approach. I'm not sure this is the best approach, but I'm still figuring it out - and I'd love to hear from someone who has more experience with this.

I still don't fully understand why the QR codes worked so well, but I'm glad they did. Has anyone else hit this exact wall and found a better solution?

7 Things About Free SaaS Tools That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:03:28 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a panic - I had no idea which channel was actually performing well, and I was worried that I'd have to manually dig through all the signups to figure it out. Look, I've been using URL shorteners for years, but this was the first time I'd really needed to track the performance of individual links.

Why curl wasn't enough

I used to think that running a simple curl command to shorten my links was all I needed - after all, it's easy to use and gets the job done. However, as my side project started to grow, I realized that I needed more than just a simple shortener. I started using Python's requests library to send analytics data to my own server, but it was a lot of work to set up and maintain. I was spending more time debugging my analytics code than actually working on my project.

The spreadsheet that saved my sanity

I decided to try out LinkCut, a free URL shortener that I'd heard about from a friend. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices - which was surprising, since I'd designed my site with desktop users in mind. (I mean, who uses a desktop computer anymore, right?) As I dug deeper into the analytics, I realized that I had a lot to learn about my users and how they were interacting with my site. I started to use LinkCut's custom slug feature to create easy-to-remember links for my different marketing campaigns, and it made a huge difference in my ability to track their performance.

When this approach falls apart

The thing is, using a free SaaS tool like LinkCut isn't always the right choice. If you're working on a large-scale project with thousands of users, you may need more advanced features and support than a free tool can provide. I'm not sure this is the best approach for everyone, but it's worked for me so far. One potential drawback is that LinkCut's free plan only allows 5 links per month, which could be limiting for some users. However, for my small side project, it's been more than enough.

I still don't fully understand why LinkCut's QR code feature has been so useful for me - I mean, I'm not exactly sure who is scanning these codes or why - but it's definitely driven some interesting traffic to my site. Has anyone else had a similar experience with free SaaS tools, where they've found a feature that's surprisingly useful despite not being entirely sure why?

5 Things About Analytics That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:50:44 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a wake-up call - I'd been relying on basic analytics for months, and this was the first time I'd really needed to dig deeper. Look, I know I'm not the only one who's been in this situation, but it got me thinking about all the little mistakes I'd been making with my analytics setup.

Why I Was Flying Blind

I was using a basic tracking script on my website, but it wasn't giving me the level of detail I needed. For example, I could see that I had 200 visits from the US, but I had no idea which specific links were driving that traffic. I tried using curl to test my links and see where they were redirecting, but it wasn't giving me the full picture. I even tried using Python's requests library to scrape some data, but it was slow going and I wasn't sure if I was doing it right.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I decided to try using a URL shortener to get more insight into my link traffic. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that a disproportionate number of my clicks were coming from mobile devices - 27% of my total traffic, to be exact. This was weird, because my website is definitely not optimized for mobile (I still don't fully understand why this is the case, but I'm working on it). I also started using custom slugs for my links, which made it easier to keep track of which links were being shared where. For instance, I created a link with the slug /summer-sale and shared it on Facebook, and then created another link with the slug /summer-sale-twitter and shared it on Twitter. This way, I could see which platform was driving more traffic to my sale page.

What Happened Next

After setting up LinkCut, I started to see some really interesting trends in my data. For example, I noticed that my links were getting a 23% bounce rate on Fridays, but only a 12% bounce rate on Mondays. I'm not sure what to make of this, but it's definitely given me some food for thought. I also started to experiment with link expiry dates, which has been helpful for tracking the effectiveness of my promotions. For instance, I created a link that expired after 24 hours, and saw that it got 50 clicks in that time period - not bad, considering it was just a test.

When This Approach Falls Apart

The thing is, using a URL shortener isn't a silver bullet - there are definitely some caveats to consider. For one thing, if you're dealing with a huge volume of traffic, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan to get the level of detail you need. I'm also not sure how well this approach would work for tracking traffic from email campaigns, since the links are often embedded in the email itself. And of course, there's always the risk that your links will get flagged as spam - although I haven't had this problem yet, knock on wood.

I'm still figuring out the best way to use analytics for my side project, and I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes along the way. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, and if so, how did you overcome it?

I tried 17 different marketing tactics and here's what actually got me my first 100 users

_s._hyn — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 04:22:04 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise - I had been trying to get my side project off the ground for months, and suddenly I had a influx of users. I was mass-DMing people a link that might've been broken for three days, and I had no idea if it was actually working.

Why I Needed Better Link Tracking

I was using a simple curl command to shorten my links, but it didn't give me any insights into who was clicking on them or where they were coming from. I tried using a Python script with the requests library to track clicks, but it was clunky and didn't work reliably. Look, I'm not a marketing expert, but I knew I needed a better way to track my links if I wanted to understand what was working and what wasn't.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I decided to try out 17 different marketing tactics to see what would actually drive users to my site. I created a spreadsheet to track my progress, with columns for the tactic, the link I used, and the number of signups I got. (I still have the spreadsheet, and it's hilarious to look back on - I was trying everything from Reddit ads to Facebook groups.) I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my users were coming from mobile devices, which surprised me - I had assumed that my users would be mostly desktop users. I started to experiment with different tactics, like creating QR codes for my links and sharing them on social media.

When the Numbers Started to Make Sense

After a few weeks of experimenting, I started to see some real results. I had 23% bounce rate on my landing page, but I was getting a consistent stream of signups from one of my Slack channels. I didn't expect this - I had thought that my Facebook group would be the biggest driver of traffic, but it turned out that my Slack channel was where my most engaged users were. This was weird, because I had assumed that Facebook would be a more effective platform for reaching my target audience. I was getting a total of 57 clicks on my links per day, with a peak of 17 clicks in one hour on Wednesday afternoons.

When This Approach Falls Apart

The thing is, my approach is not scalable - I was manually tracking all of my links and signups, and it was taking up a lot of my time. I'm not sure this is the best approach, but it worked for me when I was just starting out. If I were to do it again, I might look into more automated solutions for tracking my links and signups. Honestly, I still don't fully understand why some of my tactics worked and others didn't - I think it's just a matter of experimenting and seeing what works for your specific use case.

I'm still using LinkCut to track my links, and it's been a huge help. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, where they're trying to track their links and signups but don't know where to start?

I Tried to Launch My Side Project to the World and Got a Whopping 0 Users — Here's What I Did Wrong

_s._hyn — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 03:56:34 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. My initial thought was that I must have done something right, but as I dug deeper, I found that I had no idea which channel was actually converting. I was essentially flying blind, with no way to track the performance of each link — a problem that would come back to haunt me as I tried to scale my side project.

The Blind Spot of Basic Link Sharing

When you're just starting out, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of launching your project and sharing it with the world. But as I quickly learned, simply sharing a link on social media or via email isn't enough — you need to be able to track its performance if you want to have any hope of optimizing your outreach efforts. I was using a simple curl command to share my links, which worked fine for getting the word out, but didn't give me any insights into how people were interacting with my content. For example, I'd use a command like curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"link": "https://example.com"}' https://example.com/share to share my link, but I had no way of knowing who was clicking on it or where they were coming from.

The Experiment: Using LinkCut to Track My Links

As I struggled to make sense of my link performance, I stumbled upon LinkCut, a free URL shortener that offered some basic analytics features. I was skeptical at first — I'd tried other link trackers before and been underwhelmed by their capabilities — but I decided to give LinkCut a shot. I started by creating a custom slug for my link, which allowed me to share a clean and memorable URL with my audience. I also experimented with the QR code feature, which generated a scannable code that I could use to share my link with people offline. (I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by how often people used the QR code — it was a lot more than I expected!) As I looked at the analytics for my link, I noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices, which was unexpected — I had assumed that my audience would be mostly desktop users.

The Surprising Results

As I dug deeper into the analytics, I found some surprising trends. For one thing, my link was getting a lot more clicks than I had expected, but the conversion rate was lower than I had hoped. I also noticed that a significant portion of my traffic was coming from a single country — which was interesting, because I hadn't explicitly targeted that market. Perhaps the most surprising thing, though, was the fact that my link was getting a significant amount of traffic from a particular browser — one that I hadn't optimized for. This was weird, because I had assumed that most of my users would be using more popular browsers. (I mean, who uses that browser anymore, right?) But as I looked closer, I realized that this browser was actually a significant portion of my user base — and I needed to make sure that my site was compatible with it.

When This Approach Falls Apart

The thing is, using a link tracker like LinkCut isn't a silver bullet — there are definitely cases where it's not the right tool for the job. For one thing, if you're dealing with extremely sensitive or high-stakes content, you may not want to use a third-party link tracker — you may need more control over the tracking process. I'm also not sure this approach would work for very large-scale campaigns, where you need to track hundreds or thousands of links at once. And honestly, I still don't fully understand why some of my links performed so much better than others — there are definitely some nuances to link tracking that I haven't fully grasped yet. Look, I'm not claiming to be an expert here — I'm just sharing what worked for me, and what didn't.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the best way to use link trackers like LinkCut — and I'm curious to hear from others who have experimented with similar tools. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, where they realized they had no way to track the performance of their links?

7 Things About Marketing Links That Are Leaking Your Data

_s._hyn — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 03:59:09 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a panic - I'd been using a basic URL shortener and had no idea how to track the performance of each link. Look, I know I'm not the only one who's ever sent out a link and then wondered where all the traffic is coming from - and that's exactly what happened to me.

Fumbling in the Dark with URL Shorteners

I was using a simple curl command to shorten my links, like this: curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://example.com/api/shorten?url=https://mywebsite.com. It worked, but I had no way to track the clicks or see which links were performing best. I tried using some JavaScript to track the clicks, but it was clunky and didn't always work. I was basically flying blind, with no idea which of my marketing efforts were actually paying off. The thing is, I knew I needed a better way to track my links, but I didn't know where to start.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I started using LinkCut to shorten my links, and I was looking at the device breakdown in their click analytics - I noticed that a huge percentage of my clicks were coming from mobile devices. This was weird, because I'd assumed that most of my traffic would be coming from desktops. (I mean, who fills out a signup form on their phone, right?) But it turned out that a lot of people were clicking on my links from Twitter, which makes sense - Twitter is a very mobile-heavy platform. Anyway, I started optimizing my landing page for mobile, and I saw a big increase in conversions. I also started using the custom slug feature in LinkCut to make my links more readable and memorable - for example, I could use linkcut.link/my-link instead of a random string of characters.

What Happened Next

After I started using LinkCut, I saw a big increase in conversions - 23% more signups, to be exact. I was also able to see which links were performing best, and adjust my marketing efforts accordingly. For example, I found out that the link I was sharing on LinkedIn was getting way more clicks than the one I was sharing on Facebook - so I started focusing more on LinkedIn. I didn't expect this, but it turned out that the link expiry feature in LinkCut was really useful for me - I could set a link to expire after a certain date, and then use that to create a sense of urgency around my marketing efforts.

When This Approach Falls Apart

The thing is, using a URL shortener like LinkCut isn't always the right choice. For example, if you're trying to drive traffic to a sensitive or confidential page, you might not want to use a shortener - you might want to use a full, branded URL instead. I'm not sure this is the best approach, but I've also found that using a shortener can sometimes make it harder to track the performance of my links in Google Analytics. Honestly, I still don't fully understand why this is - but it's something to be aware of. Look, I know that using a URL shortener can be a bit of a trade-off - you get the benefits of tracking and analytics, but you also give up some control over your links.

I'm still experimenting with different approaches to link tracking, and I'm not sure what the best solution is. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, and if so, how did you solve it?

7 Things About UTM Parameters That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:10:08 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a mess - I was using a basic URL shortener and had no idea how to track the performance of each link. Look, I know I'm not alone in this, but it got me thinking about UTM parameters and how they can help with link tracking.

Why UTM Parameters Matter

I was using a simple curl command to shorten my links, like this: curl -s -X POST https://linkcut.link/api -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'. But this approach wasn't enough, as I soon realized I needed more detailed analytics to understand which links were performing well. I started reading up on UTM parameters and how they can be used to track links. Essentially, UTM parameters are tags that you can add to a URL to track its performance in Google Analytics. For example, you can add utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign parameters to a link to track its source, medium, and campaign.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I decided to try using UTM parameters to track my links, and I started by creating a spreadsheet to keep track of all my links and their corresponding UTM parameters. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices - this was a surprise, as I had assumed most of my traffic would be from desktop devices. (I'm not sure why I assumed that, maybe it's just because I'm a developer and I'm used to working on a desktop.) Anyway, I started using UTM parameters to track my links, and it made a huge difference. I was able to see which links were performing well and which ones were not, and I was able to adjust my strategy accordingly.

Results and Surprises

The results were interesting - I saw that one of my links was getting a lot of traffic from Facebook, but it was also getting a high bounce rate. This was weird, as I had assumed that traffic from Facebook would be more engaged. I also saw that another link was getting a lot of traffic from Twitter, but it was also getting a high conversion rate. This was a surprise, as I had assumed that Twitter traffic would be more casual. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of these results, but they've definitely given me some food for thought.

When This Approach Falls Apart

The thing is, using UTM parameters is not a silver bullet - there are some caveats to consider. For example, if you're using a URL shortener like LinkCut, you need to make sure that the UTM parameters are preserved when the link is shortened. I found that some URL shorteners would strip out the UTM parameters, which made it difficult to track the links. Additionally, if you're using a custom slug with LinkCut, you need to make sure that the UTM parameters are appended to the slug correctly. I'm not sure this is the best approach, but it's what I've found works for me so far.

I'm still experimenting with UTM parameters and link tracking, and I'm not sure I've found the perfect solution yet. Has anyone else hit this exact wall and found a way to overcome it?

I tried tracking link clicks for free and here's what actually happened

_s._hyn — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:28:46 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a panic — I'd been sending out links for weeks, but this was the first time I'd seen such a huge spike in activity. I was using a simple curl command to test the link, but that wasn't giving me any insight into where the traffic was coming from.

Why I Needed Better Analytics

I was doing what most people do wrong: relying on basic HTTP requests to test my links. I'd use curl to send a request and see if the link was working, but that didn't tell me anything about the people who were actually clicking on it. I tried using some basic JavaScript to track clicks, but that was a nightmare to set up and didn't give me any useful data. I was essentially flying blind, with no idea which channels were driving the most traffic.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I decided to try something different. I started using a spreadsheet to track my links, with separate columns for each channel and a tally of clicks. It was a bit manual, but it gave me a better sense of what was working and what wasn't. I also stumbled upon LinkCut, a free URL shortener that gave me some basic analytics on my links. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices — which was surprising, since I'd assumed most of my audience would be on desktop. (As an aside, I've always been a bit skeptical of URL shorteners, but LinkCut seemed pretty straightforward and easy to use.)

Results: What I Learned

The results were pretty surprising. I found that one of my Slack channels was driving way more traffic than the others, and that most of my clicks were coming from mobile devices. I also noticed that the custom slug feature in LinkCut was really helpful — it made it easy to create links that were easy to remember and share. But the thing that really blew my mind was the country breakdown: it turned out that a significant chunk of my traffic was coming from countries I'd never even considered targeting. I didn't expect this, and it made me realize that my marketing strategy needed a serious overhaul.

When This Approach Falls Apart

Look, I'm not going to lie: this approach is not perfect. There are some serious limitations to using a spreadsheet and a free URL shortener to track your links. For one thing, it's not scalable — if you're dealing with thousands of links, this approach is going to be a nightmare. And two, it's not always accurate: I've noticed that sometimes the analytics in LinkCut don't match up with my own tracking. I'm not sure why this is, but it's definitely something to keep in mind. The thing is, I still don't fully understand why this is happening, but I'm working on it.

Honestly, I'm still figuring out the best way to track my links, but I've learned a lot from this experiment. I've realized that I need to be more thoughtful about my marketing strategy, and that I need to be willing to adapt and try new things. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, where they're trying to track links but running into scaling issues?

5 Things About QR Codes on Conference Slides That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 03:50:44 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. My initial thought was to use a URL parameter to track the source, but that would've made the link ridiculously long — and I still had to add it to my conference slides as a QR code. I was about to print 200 physical copies of the slide, so I needed a solution fast.

Fumbling with URL Parameters

I was trying to use a combination of curl and python to generate unique links with URL parameters, but it was getting out of hand. I had something like curl -s -o output.txt https://example.com/?source=slack, and then I'd parse the output in Python to generate the QR code. However, this approach was not only cumbersome but also prone to errors — and I still had to deal with the issue of tracking scans. I was looking at the device breakdown feature in LinkCut and noticed that it could potentially help me identify which devices were scanning the QR code, but I wasn't sure if it was the right tool for the job.

The QR Code Experiment

I decided to try using LinkCut to generate a QR code for my conference talk slides. I created a short link with a custom slug (/my-talk) and downloaded the auto-generated QR code. I then added the QR code to my slides and printed the physical copies. During the conference, I was able to track the scans using LinkCut's click analytics feature — and I was surprised to see that most of the scans were coming from iOS devices. Honestly, I was expecting a more even distribution across devices, but this insight actually helped me tailor my follow-up content to the audience. The thing is, I still don't fully understand why iOS devices dominated the scans, but it's something I'll look into further.

Unexpected Results

The results were fascinating — and a bit weird. I saw a spike in scans during the conference, but also a significant number of scans from countries I hadn't expected. I was looking at the country breakdown feature in LinkCut, and I noticed that some of the scans were coming from countries where I didn't think I had any audience. This was weird, because I had assumed that my content was mostly relevant to a specific geographic region. Look, I'm not sure what to make of this, but it's definitely something I'll consider when planning my next conference talk.

When This Approach Falls Apart

There are some significant caveats to using QR codes on conference slides — and some limitations to using LinkCut. For one, if you're dealing with a very large audience, the free plan might not be sufficient, and you might need to look into other options. Additionally, if you need more advanced tracking features, you might need to consider using a different tool. I'm not sure this approach is the best for every situation, but it worked for me in this case. The thing is, I'm still experimenting with different approaches, and I'm not convinced that this is the only way to do it.

I'm still thinking about the implications of using QR codes on conference slides, and I'm not sure I've fully explored all the possibilities. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, and if so, how did you overcome it?

I Tried Tracking Every Click on My Portfolio Site for 30 Days — Here's What Actually Happened

_s._hyn — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:22:40 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a wake-up call — I had no idea how many people were actually clicking on my portfolio site links. I was using a simple curl command to test my links, but I knew I needed something more sophisticated to track my clicks.

Why curl wasn't enough

I was relying on curl to test my links, but it wasn't giving me any insight into who was clicking on them or where they were coming from. I'd use a command like curl -I https://example.com to check the headers, but it wasn't telling me anything about the people visiting my site. I started looking into other options, like using JavaScript to track clicks on my site, but that seemed like overkill for what I needed. I just wanted to know which links were driving the most traffic.

The spreadsheet that saved my sanity

I decided to try using a URL shortener to track my clicks, and that's when I stumbled upon LinkCut. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices — which surprised me, because I'd designed my site with desktop users in mind. I started using LinkCut to track all of my links, and it was amazing how much insight it gave me into my traffic. I could see which links were driving the most clicks, and even which countries my visitors were coming from. (I was shocked to see that I had a significant number of visitors from Japan, for example — I'd never explicitly targeted that market before.) I started using a spreadsheet to keep track of my links and their corresponding click counts, and it quickly became my go-to tool for analyzing my traffic.

When the data got weird

As I dug deeper into my click data, I started to notice some weird trends. For example, I had one link that was getting a huge number of clicks from a single IP address in Russia — which seemed suspicious, to say the least. I also noticed that my click-through rates were much higher on weekends than on weekdays, which didn't quite add up. (I mean, you'd think that people would be more likely to click on links during the week, when they're bored at work — but apparently not.) I didn't expect to see these kinds of trends in my data, and it made me realize just how much I'd been flying blind without LinkCut.

When this approach falls apart

Look, I'm not going to lie — using LinkCut to track my clicks has been a game-changer, but it's not perfect. For one thing, it only gives me a limited number of links per month on the free plan, which can be a bit restrictive if I need to track a lot of different links. (I've had to get creative with my link naming conventions, let's put it that way.) I've also noticed that the click counts can be a bit delayed, which can make it hard to get a real-time picture of my traffic. And of course, there's always the risk that someone will figure out how to bypass LinkCut's tracking — although I'm not sure how likely that is. The thing is, I'm not sure this is the best approach for everyone — I mean, if you're dealing with sensitive data or something, you may need a more robust solution.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of the insights I've gained from using LinkCut, and I'm not sure what the future holds for my link tracking setup. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, where they need to balance ease of use with the limitations of a free plan?

7 Things About Developer Landing Pages That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 03:59:55 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was frustrating — I had spent hours crafting the perfect pitch, and now I was flying blind. Look, I know I'm not alone in this struggle — we've all been there, wondering which marketing channel is actually paying off.

Why I Was Blind to My Own Metrics

I was using a basic URL shortener to track clicks, but it wasn't giving me the granularity I needed. I could see that I had 17 redirects from my landing page to the actual signup form, but I had no idea which device or browser was being used. I tried using curl to test the links, but it was a manual process that took forever — and I still couldn't get the insights I needed. The thing is, I was so focused on getting the link out there that I didn't stop to think about how I would actually measure its effectiveness.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I decided to try using a more advanced URL shortener, like the one I found at LinkCut, which offered click analytics and a breakdown by device, browser, and country. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that 23% of my clicks were coming from mobile devices — which was surprising, because I had assumed most of my traffic would be from desktop users. As an aside, I have to admit that I was skeptical at first — I'd tried other URL shorteners before, and they always seemed to promise more than they delivered. But LinkCut was different, and I found myself actually using the custom slug feature to create easy-to-remember links (like /my-link) instead of the random characters that most shorteners generate.

What Happened When I Switched

When I started using LinkCut, I saw a significant change in my metrics. For one thing, I could finally see which links were driving the most conversions — and it turned out that the link I was sending to my Twitter followers was actually outperforming the one I was sending to my Slack channels. I didn't expect this, because I had assumed that my Slack channels would be more engaged. But the data told a different story, and I was able to adjust my strategy accordingly. The weird thing was, I also noticed that my link expiry dates were causing some issues — apparently, some users were trying to access the link after it had expired, which was causing a 404 error. I still don't fully understand why this was happening, but at least I was able to see the problem and fix it.

When This Approach Falls Apart

The thing is, using a URL shortener like LinkCut isn't a panacea — there are definitely situations where it's not the right choice. For example, if you're dealing with a huge volume of traffic, you may need something more robust. And if you're trying to track complex user behavior, you may need a more advanced analytics tool. Look, I'm not going to pretend that LinkCut is the perfect solution for every use case — but for my specific needs, it was a game-changer. I'm not sure this is the best approach for everyone, but it worked for me.

I'm still experimenting with different strategies, and I'm curious to hear from others who have faced similar challenges. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, and if so, how did you overcome it?

I tried tracking social media traffic with 17 redirects and here's what actually happened

_s._hyn — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:33:15 +0000

I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a wake-up call - I had been relying on general analytics, but I needed something more specific. I was using 17 redirects to track different social media platforms, but it was getting out of hand - I had no idea which platform was actually driving traffic to my site.

Why Manual Tracking Failed Me

I was trying to use a combination of curl requests and manual redirects to track which social media platform was driving traffic to my site. My thought process was that if I could just create a unique redirect for each platform, I could track which ones were working. I wrote a simple Python script to generate the redirects and update my social media posts accordingly:

import requests

def generate_redirects(platforms):
    redirects = {}
    for platform in platforms:
        # Generate a unique redirect URL
        redirect_url = f"https://example.com/{platform}"
        # Create a redirect from the short URL to the original URL
        requests.post(f"https://example.com/redirects", data={"from": redirect_url, "to": "https://example.com/original"})
        redirects[platform] = redirect_url
    return redirects

platforms = ["facebook", "twitter", "instagram"]
redirects = generate_redirects(platforms)
print(redirects)

But, as I soon realized, this approach was not scalable - and it was also prone to errors. I was spending more time managing the redirects than actually analyzing the data.

The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity

I decided to try a different approach - I started using a URL shortener to track my links. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices. This was interesting, because I had assumed that most of my traffic would be coming from desktop devices. (I mean, who fills out forms on their phone, right?) But, as it turns out, my audience is actually quite mobile-savvy. I also noticed that I could set a custom slug for each link, which made it easier to keep track of which link was which. And, as an added bonus, I could generate a QR code for each link - which was useful for offline promotion.

What I Actually Learned

The results were surprising - I had expected to see a lot of traffic coming from Facebook, but it turned out that Twitter was actually driving more traffic to my site. I also noticed that my traffic was spiking on certain days of the week - which was interesting, because I had assumed that my traffic would be more consistent. Look, I'm not sure if this is just a quirk of my specific audience, but it was definitely something that I hadn't anticipated. The thing is, I still don't fully understand why my traffic is spiking on certain days - but at least now I have some data to work with.

When This Approach Falls Apart

Honestly, this approach is not perfect - there are definitely some limitations to using a URL shortener to track your links. For one thing, it's not always possible to get a complete picture of your traffic - especially if you're dealing with a lot of redirects. I mean, think about it - if someone shares a link on social media, and then someone else shares that link, and so on... it can be hard to track where the original traffic is coming from. And, of course, there's always the possibility that someone will share a link that's not using your URL shortener - which can make it even harder to track your traffic. I'm not sure this is the best approach, but it's worked for me so far.

I've been using LinkCut for a while now, and it's been helpful for tracking my links. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, and if so, how did you overcome it?