DEV Community: _s._hyn

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?

5 Things About Marketing Links That Are Leaking Your Data

_s._hyn — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:20:57 +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 a simple curl command to shorten my links, but that clearly wasn't enough. I was using a basic Bash script to track clicks, which looked something like curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://example.com/my-link, but it didn't give me any insight into where the traffic was coming from.

Relying on Guesswork

I was doing what most people do - sharing links on social media, email, and messaging platforms, without any real way to track their performance. I'd look at my website analytics, but they'd show a bunch of referrals from "direct" or "unknown", which wasn't very helpful. I tried using UTM parameters, but they made my links look ugly and didn't always work as expected. For example, I'd use a link like https://example.com/my-link?utm_source=slack&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=my-campaign, but sometimes the parameters would get stripped out or mangled.

Experimenting with LinkCut

I started looking for a better solution and stumbled upon LinkCut, which allowed me to create custom short links with features like click analytics and QR codes. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices - which made sense, since I was sharing the link on Slack and Twitter. I also set up a custom slug for my link, so it was easy to remember and share. As an aside, I was surprised by how many people were accessing my link from countries I hadn't expected - it made me realize that my content was being shared more widely than I thought.

Unexpected Results

After using LinkCut for a few days, I noticed that my click-through rates were higher than I expected - especially on mobile devices. I also saw that a significant number of people were accessing my link from countries where I didn't have a strong online presence, which was interesting. The thing is, I didn't expect to see such a big difference in click-through rates between different devices and browsers - it made me realize that I needed to optimize my content for mobile devices. I was also surprised by the number of people who were accessing my link via QR code - it was a significant percentage of my total traffic.

When This Approach Falls Apart

Look, I'm not going to pretend that using LinkCut is a silver bullet - it's not. If you're dealing with a huge volume of traffic, you may need a more robust solution. I'm also not sure this approach would work for everyone - for example, if you're in a highly regulated industry, you may need to use a more secure link shortening service. Honestly, I still don't fully understand why some of my links were getting more traffic than others - it's possible that there are other factors at play that I'm not aware of. The thing is, I'm not sure this approach would work for links that need to be highly customized or integrated with other systems - it's possible that a more bespoke solution would be needed.

I've been using LinkCut for a few weeks now, and it's been a useful tool for tracking my links. Has anyone else had experience with link shortening services - what worked for you, and what didn't?

5 Things About Bitly's Free Tier That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:00:34 +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. This was a problem because I had been using Bitly's free tier, which doesn't provide any meaningful analytics beyond the total number of clicks - and even that was only available for a limited time. I was basically flying blind, with no way to optimize my outreach efforts or even determine which channels were worth investing time in.

The Dark Side of Bitly's Free Tier

I was using Bitly's free tier because it seemed like the easiest option - I mean, who doesn't love a good URL shortener, right? But as I delved deeper into the world of link tracking, I started to realize that Bitly's free tier was actually holding me back. For one thing, the analytics were virtually nonexistent - I could see how many clicks I was getting, but not where they were coming from or what devices people were using to access my links. I tried using curl to fetch the analytics data, but it was a pain to parse and didn't give me the insights I needed. Honestly, I was starting to feel like I was stuck in the dark ages of link tracking.

My Experiment with LinkCut

I stumbled upon LinkCut while searching for Bitly alternatives, and I was immediately drawn to its click analytics feature - which, I have to say, was a total game-changer for me. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that a huge percentage of my clicks were coming from mobile devices, which made me realize that I needed to optimize my landing page for smaller screens. I also started using the custom slug feature to create more memorable links, which made it easier for people to share my content. (As an aside, I'm still not sure why Bitly doesn't offer this feature - it seems like a no-brainer to me.) Look, I'm not gonna lie - I was a bit skeptical about LinkCut at first, but once I started using it, I was hooked.

The Surprising Results

So, what happened when I started using LinkCut? Well, for one thing, I saw a significant increase in engagement - people were actually clicking on my links and staying on my landing page, rather than bouncing off immediately. I was also able to track which channels were driving the most traffic, which helped me refine my outreach efforts and focus on the channels that were actually working. The thing is, I didn't expect to see such a huge difference - I mean, I thought I was already doing a decent job of tracking my links, but it turned out that I was just scratching the surface. One weird thing I noticed was that my click-through rate was way higher on weekends than it was during the week - I'm still not sure what to make of that, but it's definitely something I'll be exploring further.

When This Approach Falls Apart

Now, I know what you're thinking - "LinkCut sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?" And honestly, there are some limitations to the free plan - for one thing, you're limited to 5 links per month, which can be a problem if you're trying to track a lot of different campaigns. I also found that the link expiry feature, while useful, can be a bit finicky - sometimes links would expire prematurely, which was frustrating. I'm not sure if this is a bug or just a quirk of the system, but it's definitely something to be aware of. The other thing to keep in mind is that LinkCut is still a relatively new service, so there may be some growing pains - but overall, I've been really impressed with the level of support and the frequency of updates.

I'm still experimenting with LinkCut and figuring out how to get the most out of it - and I have to say, I'm loving the level of detail I can get from the analytics. Has anyone else hit this exact wall with Bitly's free tier, and if so, what did you end up doing?

7 Things About Deploy Checklists That Nobody Warns You About

_s._hyn — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 05:08:35 +0000

I sent the same link to five different social media platforms and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 27 signups I saw that morning. This was after spending hours crafting the perfect post, complete with eye-catching graphics and a compelling call-to-action. I was left scratching my head, wondering how I could have missed such a crucial aspect of tracking my online presence.

The Deployment Dark Ages

I used to think that deployment checklists were overkill, that I could just wing it and hope for the best. But after a few too many late-night debugging sessions, I realized that this approach was not only stressful but also inefficient. I would often find myself scrambling to remember every little step, from updating the database to configuring the server. It was a miracle that anything worked at all. I would use curl commands to test my API endpoints, but even that had its limitations - I couldn't easily track clicks or identify which links were driving the most traffic.

The Custom Solution

I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a custom solution using Python and a spreadsheet. I would generate a unique link for each social media platform, and then use a script to track the clicks on each link. It was a bit of a hack, but it worked. (I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with this workaround.) 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 that most of my users would be on desktop. I also started using custom slugs for my links, which made them easier to remember and share. For example, I could use a slug like /summer-sale instead of a random string of characters.

The Unexpected Outcome

The results were nothing short of astonishing. By tracking the clicks on each link, I was able to identify which social media platforms were driving the most traffic and adjust my strategy accordingly. I also noticed that certain links were getting more clicks at certain times of the day - this was weird, as I had assumed that click-through rates would be relatively consistent. I didn't expect this level of granularity, but it was incredibly valuable. I was able to use this data to optimize my posts and increase engagement. For instance, I found that links with QR codes got more clicks than those without - this was a surprise, as I had thought that QR codes would be more of a novelty than a serious driver of traffic.

When This Approach Falls Apart

Of course, my custom solution was not without its limitations. For one thing, it required a lot of manual effort to set up and maintain. I had to constantly update my spreadsheet and script to reflect changes in my links and social media platforms. It was also difficult to scale - as my online presence grew, it became increasingly difficult to keep track of all the different links and clicks. I still don't fully understand why, but I found that using link expiry dates helped to reduce the clutter and make it easier to manage my links. Honestly, I'm not sure this approach is the best choice for everyone - it's a bit of a hack, and it requires a certain level of technical expertise. The thing is, it worked for me, but it may not work for others.

Look, I'm not going to pretend that my solution is perfect. It's a bit of a mess, and it requires a lot of manual effort to maintain. But it works, and it's helped me to gain a better understanding of my online presence. Has anyone else hit this exact wall, and if so, how did you overcome it?