A reliable link tracking tool could be that missing tool that you need to take your marketing strategy to the next level. While it’s pretty straightforward, when used right it’s a powerful tool that will tell you where your traffic comes from and, more importantly, which traffic source brings in the most paying customers.
If it’s all new to you, link trackers basically track the total number of clicks a link gets. Depending on the tool you pick, you can also gain access to a wealth of other information that will help you understand your audience better.
To put it more directly, without a link tracking tool, how will you know if your marketing efforts are paying off?
Here are 12 of the best link tracking tools that you can check out. And, if you haven’t budgeted for one this year, continue reading as some of them are also free.
What Are Link Tracking Tools?
Link tracking tools are sophisticated software solutions designed to monitor and analyze the performance of URLs used in marketing campaigns. For marketing professionals in the B2B space, these tools offer invaluable insights into how their digital assets are performing, helping optimize strategies and maximize ROI.
At their core, link tracking tools allow marketers to track key metrics such as:
- Click-Through Rates (CTR)
- Conversion Rates
- User Engagement
These metrics provide a detailed view of how audiences interact with specific links, whether they are embedded in emails, social media posts, ads, or any other digital content.
Key Benefits of Link Tracking Tools
Link tracking tools offer several benefits. Those include:
- Real-Time Analytics: Immediate access to data on link performance, enabling quick adjustments to campaigns.
- Customization: The ability to create branded, customized short URLs that enhance brand visibility and trust.
- Geotargeting and Device Tracking: Insights into where clicks are coming from and the devices being used, allowing for more targeted marketing efforts.
- A/B Testing Capabilities: Tools for testing different versions of links and landing pages to determine the most effective approaches.
- Comprehensive Reporting: Detailed reports that help in understanding user behavior and campaign effectiveness, guiding future marketing strategies.
Leveraging these features means not just tracking clicks, but gaining a deeper understanding of customer journeys and improving lead generation efforts. By utilizing link tracking tools, marketers can refine their strategies, enhance engagement, and ultimately drive better business outcomes.
Best Link Tracking Tools
1. Bitly
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Free plan available. Pricing starts at only $8 per month when billed annually. If you need to view the performance of your links for more than 30 days, you’ll need to sign up for its Premium plan which will set you back $199 per month.
Trusted by big brands like ESPN, The New York TImes, and Disney, Bitly is one of the top free marketing tools that you can use to shorten links via its domain. In addition to link shortening, you can also use it to track and optimize your digital initiatives.
It has a unified dashboard so that you can track the journeys of your customers on each channel conveniently. With the help of the real-time data it collects and shares, you can really get to know your customers much better which will help you to create more relevant content for future campaigns. What’s more, you can also track engagement metrics on organic shares (in other words, links that other Bit.ly users create that direct to your content).
If you want to use a custom domain name, you’ll need to sign up for one of its paid plans.
Key features:
- Branded links
- QR codes
- Analytics
2. Snapt.io
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Free
Snapt is a URL shortener that’s trusted by nearly 7,000+ users. With the help of the short links that it creates, you can collect loads of data about your audience and their behavior. This info can be very helpful for improving the performance of your digital marketing campaigns and boosting conversions. From the number of clicks to referrers’ country of origin, you can virtually track everything.
You can also, for instance, add a pixel so that you can use retargeting in your social media marketing campaigns. Another useful feature that deserves special mention is its overlay tool. You can use it to display a discreet notification on the target destination to promote a special offer or communicate another important message.
One downside, though, is that currently, they’re approving links manually. So, you’ll first need to wait for the link to be approved, before you can start to use it.
Key features:
- Integrates with Zapier and Slack
- Retargeting
- Privacy control
- Powerful dashboard with an easy-to-use profile builder
- Statistics
3. ClickMagick
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Free 14-day trial. Pricing starts at $79 per month. For access to its cross-device tracking feature, you’ll need to sign up for its Standard Plan which costs $169 per month.
Founded in 2014, ClickMagick is one of the best affiliate management software solutions and more than simply a tool for link tracking. You can also use it to track and optimize sales funnels. With the help of “first-party cookies” and industry-standard UTMs, you can measure your whole sales funnel without redirects or tracking links.
Thanks to its advanced attribution modeling, you’ll get a much better idea of which users actually convert. Also, its GEO and mobile targeting feature is useful if you want to send visitors to custom landing pages depending on their type of device or location. This will help you to boost your conversions immediately.
Another handy feature if you’re advertising on Facebook is its Audience Optimization™. In short, it sends the actual conversion data to Facebook so that they’ll have more accurate data in real-time.
4. Voluum
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Pricing starts with Start-up at $539/month billed annually. Plans go up to Corporate at $3,999/month.
Just like ClickMagick, Voluum can help you streamline your affiliate campaign management. With it, you can track, optimize, and automate your marketing campaigns.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer display ads over email marketing because Voluum lets you track all types of online ads. What’s more, you can keep track of more than 30 metrics about different visits and clicks in real-time.
It also recently introduced a new feature called Automizer. This feature enables you to connect Voluum with your traffic sources by means of API. What makes this feature valuable is that you use it to create auto-rules and pause/activate your campaigns. For example, if you find that a keyword didn’t get any conversions in the last 24 hours, you can create a rule to pause this particular keyword.
Alternatively, you can choose to pause an entire campaign if you find that the ROI is too low. You can also create alerts that will keep you informed about how your links are performing so that you don’t have to be stuck behind your computer.
One drawback, however, is that it’s more expensive than other link tracking tools.
Key features:
- Integration with 40+ traffic sources including Facebook and Google Ads
- An anti-fraud kit
- Organic traffic tracking
- Real-time reporting
5. TinyURL
Conversion Tracking: No
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start with Pro at $9.99/month and scale up to Bulk 100k at $99.00/month. Enterprise plan also available.
If you’re in search of a free basic tool, you can check out TinyURL. It offers free ad-supported shortening for individual users and basic monitoring and analytics to help you keep track of your link history.
As you’ll be able to monitor the clicks that links receive, you’ll grow to understand your target audience a lot better. Metrics that you can measure include who clicked on a custom link, from where they clicked and which type of device they used. All the aggregated metrics will be displayed in its dashboard.
Whether you’re a marketer, owner of a small business, or an influencer, TinyURL is a popular choice for many across the globe. One of the biggest benefits of opting for one of its paid plans is that your click history will then be kept for as long as two years.
Key features:
- QR codes
- Customized reports
- Branded links
6. Improvely
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: After a free 14-day trial, pricing starts at $29 per month.
Improvely is trusted and loved by well-known names like Twitch and UNICEF. You can use it to track, test, and optimize digital marketing campaigns as well as detect fraud.
One of its features that deserves special mention is its customer profiles. Its software will automatically create profiles for each website visitor that list all their past visits and conversions. This way you’ll find out more about when they converted, their lifetime value, and location helping you to identify your most valuable customers.
Improvely will also show you where your conversions came from which enables you to adjust your budget to target the channels that deliver the best results. If you would like to find out more about where you’re losing potential sales, you can check out the funnel reports that identify the paths users take.
Key features:
- A/B split testing
- Real-time reporting
- Email notifications of new conversions
- Funnel reports
7. LinkTrackr
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Pricing starts with the Basic plan at $7/month. Scales up to Extreme at $47/month. Prices are discounted and locked for life, should you choose to purchase one of the paid plans.
LinkTrackr boasts thousands of users and a proven track record of 10 years. It offers real-time conversion data for all your sales or your sales funnel. Its primary goal is to make it easier for its users to track their sales or leads back to the very first click. Whether it’s a banner ad, an individual email ad, or a link on your business website, it makes it straightforward to identify the source of the conversion.
One useful feature that deserves special mention is its ROI and profitability reports. If a conversion occurs, its reports will show you how much you paid to get that conversion and your return on investment.
Key features:
- A/B split testing
- Efficient bot filtering
- Pixel tracking
- PPC tracking
8. RedTrack
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Solo plan at $1,490/year for Affiliates. You also get 2 months free. For E-com & DTC, there is a free plan if you make less than $25,000/month.
Founded in 2017, RedTrack is one of the newer link tracking tools. While they might have only been around for a few years, they’ve already received a number of awards and recognition for their usability and support.
They specifically focus on media buyers. With the help of advanced technology and human help, they aim to simplify the process of consolidating and reporting data.
With regards to their link tracking feature specifically, it lets you track as many as three million clicks from only $149 per month. It offers insights into each step of the funnel. From simply finding out when the link was clicked to how much was the cost and profit, it offers loads of info that will help you to get to know and understand your audience better.
Just like ClickMagick, it’s a good choice if you rely a lot on Facebook. With its Facebook ad tracking feature, you can track and attribute conversions via Facebook. By means of its Conversion API, accurate data will be sent back to Facebook so that your campaigns can be refined further.
Key features:
- Built-in click fraud check
- Conversion tracking
- Affiliate tracking
9. Rebrandly
Conversion Tracking: No
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $13/month and go up to $365/month.
Rebrandly is one of the best tools for social media management and boasts a five-star rating on TrustPilot. With over half a million customers that include brands like Volvo, Heineken, and IBM, it tracks billions of clicks each month.
For individual users, it offers a Free plan. With this option, you can track up to 1,000 clicks each month (additional clicks will be billed separately). You can also use this plan to create branded links (up to 25).
However, for custom reports, the tool can quickly become very expensive and will set you back $625 per month. Also, somewhat disappointing is that its broken links management feature is only available in its Enterprise plan (a feature that many other tools include in its cheaper plans).
Key features:
- More than 100 integrations with tools and platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest
- UTM builder
- Links with emojis
- QR codes
10. Pretty Links
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Pricing starts at $99.60 per year.
If you’re searching for an affiliate marketing program to grow your affiliate revenue, you can check out Pretty Links. It’s an affiliate marketing plugin for WordPress that you can use to shorten your links (aka create pretty links that people would want to click on). While it’s mainly a link shortener, you can also use it to cloak and track your links.
Two useful features that deserve special mention are its brandable bar (aka PrettyBar) and the ability to use a link as tracking pixels to monitor conversions. With the unique PrettyBar feature, you can add a brandable bar at the top of a link to remind users of your brand’s name.
Key features:
- A keyword replacement feature
- Auto rotating links
- Split testing
- Detailed click reporting
- Robot filtering
- QR codes
11. ClixTrac
Conversion Tracking: Yes
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $4.95/month.
If you can look past its outdated website, ClixTrac is another possible link tracking tool that you can check out. That said, seeing that it’s free, unattractive web design is probably not the end of the world.
In short, it’s a banner and link tracking service. You can use it to monitor how many times your links and ads on your site or other sites have been viewed and clicked on. Whether it’s a text ad or an image ad, you can use it to get data about the number of impressions and clicks, click-through rate, and the referral page from where the click came from.
Key features:
- Link shortening
- Banner ad tracking
12. T2M
Conversion Tracking: No
Pricing: Paid plans start at $5/lifetime. This means, you pay $5 once and you get the tool for free. Other plans like Standard or Pro ($9.99 and $29.99/month) come with more extensive features.
T2M (short for Text to Marketing) is a link management platform developed by a Canadian software company, Zesle. It’s primarily created for businesses, survey agencies, and universities. While it’s pretty basic, one feature that deserves a special mention is that it includes advanced graphs for the top 10 browsers, platforms, referring sites, clicks by device, and clicks by country.
Key features include:
- Printable QR codes
- Branded custom domains
- Reporting
Key Features to Look for in Link Tracking Tools
Choosing the right link tracking tool can make or break your marketing campaigns. It’s essential to pick a tool that offers robust features tailored to your strategic needs. Here’s a closer look at the must-have features:
Advanced Analytics
Real-time data is gold. Imagine launching a campaign and being able to tweak it on the fly based on up-to-the-minute data. This agility can significantly enhance your campaign's effectiveness. Real-time adjustments allow you to quickly respond to what’s working and what’s not, while detailed insights go beyond surface-level metrics to help you understand user behavior and engagement.
Metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and user behavior insights are crucial. CTR measures how compelling your links are in driving traffic, while conversion rates determine the effectiveness of your links in turning clicks into actions, whether that's filling out a form or making a purchase. User behavior insights provide a deeper understanding of how users interact with your links, including time spent on page and navigation patterns.
For example, tools like Improvely provide advanced conversion tracking and attribution for every click, conversion, and revenue from your marketing efforts. It also provides detailed traffic reports and segment metrics based on channels, referrals, sources, and more.
Source: Improvely
Customization and Branding
Branded links aren’t just pretty URLs – they’re powerful marketing tools. By incorporating your brand into your links, you increase trust and recognition, which can lead to higher engagement. Users are more likely to click on a link that they recognize and trust, and consistent branding helps keep your company top-of-mind.
Instead of using generic shorteners like bit.ly/xyz123, use branded links like yourbrand.com/webinar to make your links look professional and trustworthy.
Custom domains allow you to personalize your links, making them more relevant and engaging to your audience. Customized links are more memorable and can improve click-through rates, while a custom domain reinforces your brand’s professionalism and commitment to detail. Regularly review your custom URLs to ensure they align with your branding and marketing goals.
Rebrandly, for example, is the ideal link customization tool. It allows you to create branded short URLs, QR codes, and custom domains. Moreover, the tool is free for 10 branded links and QR codes per month and one custom domain. Don't believe us? See the tool in action for yourself.
Source: Rebrandly
Smart Redirects and Rotators
Smart redirects automatically send users to the most relevant content based on specific criteria like location or device type. This personalization ensures a smoother user experience, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion. For example, a global campaign might use smart redirects to send users to region-specific landing pages, improving local relevance and engagement.
Link rotators distribute traffic across multiple links, which is invaluable for A/B testing and managing high-traffic campaigns. By rotating links, you can test different versions of a page or share the load during peak times. This approach allows you to compare different versions of a landing page to see which performs better and ensure your site can handle high volumes by distributing traffic evenly.
ClickMagic and PrettyLinks are two tools that allow you to set clear criteria for your rotations, such as equal distribution or performance-based adjustments. Moreover, with these tools, you can regularly review the performance of each link to optimize your rotation strategy.
Conclusion
Link tracking tools are essential for B2B marketers aiming to refine their marketing strategies and maximize ROI. By providing real-time analytics, customization options, geotargeting insights, and A/B testing capabilities, these tools offer a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and campaign performance. These tools not only help in tracking clicks but also enhance overall marketing effectiveness through detailed insights and actionable data.
With a variety of tools available, including free options, there’s no reason not to incorporate link tracking into your marketing toolkit and start optimizing your strategies today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is link tracking software?
Link tracking is a powerful tool that will tell you where your traffic comes from and, more importantly, which traffic source brings in the most paying customers. You can use a link tracking software, or you can use Google Analytics.
How do I track a link?
You can use a tracking link to track your link. This is a special kind of link that tracks the people who clicked it, when they clicked it and where they clicked it. Tracking links are essential to measure the performance of marketing activities.
Can you track who clicks on a link?
To track link clicks in Google Analytics, you need to track them as “events.” Events will help you capture different user actions on the website, from watching a video to clicking a link.
What is the best tracking tool?
12 powerful and best link tracking tools:
- Bitly
- Snapt.io
- ClickMagick
- Voluum
- TinyURL
- Improvely
- LinkTrackr
- RedTrack
- Rebrandly
- Pretty Links
- ClixTrac
- T2M
How to track sales from a link?
Link tracking tools, in addition to tracking clicks and conversion, can also track sales. Simply use one of these tools and add the link to your product page for the tool to do its job.
