A click is one recorded visit
Each time a browser opens a short link, one row is written with the time, short code, variation, device, browser, operating system, referrer and country. Every metric is derived from those rows.
Click tracking explained
Click tracking: what a click records and how to read it
Click tracking turns each open of a link into a row of data. This page explains what Letlink stores on that row, how it counts people and bots, where the numbers can mislead, and what it deliberately leaves out.
Short answer
Click tracking is recording each time someone opens a link, along with context about the visit. Letlink stores the time, country, device type, brand and model, browser, operating system, referrer and split-test variation, counts unique visitors by a hash of IP and user agent, and never counts bots. It sets no cookies on the redirect and builds no profiles. The free plan records 1,000 clicks a month.
At a glance
- Per click
- Time, country, device, OS, browser, referrer, variation
- Unique visitor
- A hash of IP and user agent
- Bots
- Never counted
- Cookies on redirect
- None
- Free plan
- 1,000 tracked clicks a month
Features
How Letlink counts a click
Unique visitors are devices
A unique visitor is a distinct device, keyed on a hash of IP address and user agent. Colleagues behind one office IP on the same browser count once; one person on a phone and a laptop counts twice.
Returning visitors
Devices that come back for a second or later click are counted as returning, with a return rate and clicks per visitor, so repeated opens are easy to spot.
Bots left out
Crawlers, scrapers, link-preview fetchers and requests with no user agent are never counted. With Block bots on — the default — they are refused with HTTP 403 as well.
Referrers grouped into channels
Referrers are bucketed into Direct, Search, Social, Email & messaging and Referral sites. A click with no referrer — typed, pasted or opened from a native app — counts as Direct.
Location from IP
Country come from an IP lookup made after the redirect, so they never slow it down. VPNs and mobile carriers show their exit point, not the person.
What clicked, not who
No cookies are set on the redirect, visitor data is not sold or used for advertising profiles, and Letlink does not try to name the person behind a click.
Use cases
Reading click data honestly
Treat unique visitors as directional
Shared IPs push the number down and people switching networks push it up. It is reliable for comparing two links or two weeks, not as a head count.
Expect a lot of Direct traffic
Many apps and in-app browsers send no referrer. Add UTM tags per channel when the source matters, rather than relying on the referrer alone.
A click is not a conversion
Letlink sees the click, not what happened on the page after it. To count sales and sign-ups, report them back with the click ID — conversion tracking, from Solo — or compare outcomes in GA4 or your analytics tool.
Mind the monthly cap
Past your plan’s tracked-click allowance the link still redirects but clicks are not recorded, so a flat line late in the month can mean the cap, not a drop in interest.
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Open the link in a private window
Click your own short link from a normal browser. Block bots is on by default, so a crawler would be refused — a browser goes through.
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Find it on the dashboard
The Live activity card shows the most recent recorded clicks with browser, operating system, country and how long ago each arrived.
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Open the link’s stats page
See total clicks, unique and returning visitors, traffic channels, top sources, devices and the When people click card.
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Export the rows
Download a CSV with clicked_at, short_code, variation, device, browser, OS, referrer and country for every click in your plan’s window.
Pricing
Letlink plans and limits
Start free with no card. Paying yearly takes 20% off every paid plan.
| Plan | Free | Solo | Growth Most popular | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $0 | $3.90 | $8.90 | $39.90 |
| Active links | 1,000 | 3,000 | 8,000 | 15,000 |
| Tracked clicks a month | 1,000 | 10,000 | 100,000 | Unlimited |
| Custom domains | — | 1 | 3 | 50 |
| Team members | 1 | 1 | 5 | 50 |
| Click history | 7 days | 30 days | 365 days | Unlimited |
Mobile app
Your links, in your pocket.
Create short links, watch clicks arrive live and design QR codes from your phone. Free on iPhone, iPad and Android.
- Live click analytics
- Smart links and QR codes
- In sync with your dashboard
What is click tracking?
Click tracking is recording each time someone opens a link, with context about the visit. Letlink stores the time, country, device, browser, operating system, referrer and split-test variation of every click, on every plan including Free.
What is the difference between clicks and unique visitors?
Clicks count every recorded visit; unique visitors count distinct devices, identified by a hash of IP address and user agent. One person opening a link five times is five clicks and one unique visitor. Because it is device-based, the unique count is an estimate, not a census of people.
Does click tracking use cookies?
Not on Letlink’s redirect. Unique visitors come from a hash of IP and user agent, and per-device visit limits use a device fingerprint stored on the click. Visitor data is not sold, combined with other sources or used for advertising profiles.
Are bot clicks filtered out?
Yes. Bots, crawlers, preview fetchers and requests without a user agent are never counted as clicks. Block bots, on by default on every plan, also refuses them with HTTP 403; turning it off lets chat apps show link previews, but those fetches still are not counted.
Can click tracking tell me who clicked?
No. Letlink reports what clicked — location, device, browser, referrer, campaign — not who. It does not collect names or email addresses and does not try to identify individual visitors.
How accurate is click location?
Location comes from the visitor’s IP address and is usually right at country level. VPNs, mobile carriers and corporate networks show where their traffic exits, not where the person is. Letlink does not use GPS or Wi-Fi positioning.
Get started
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The free plan needs no credit card and has no trial clock. Upgrade when you need your own domain, more links or your team.