Server-side, not a tag
The event is sent from Letlink’s servers through the Measurement Protocol. No gtag.js loads on the redirect, so the click still arrives when the visitor blocks scripts, scans a QR code or opens the link in an in-app browser.
Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics link tracking for every short-link click
Letlink sends each click on your short links to Google Analytics 4 from its own servers, so link traffic sits in the same property as the rest of your site — including clicks that never load your tag.
Short answer
Google Analytics link tracking records clicks on a link as events in GA4, so link traffic can be reported next to the rest of a site. Letlink sends every recorded short-link click to GA4 server-side through the Measurement Protocol as a link_click event with short_code, link_type, variation, device_type and browser, from the Solo plan at $3.90 a month. Setup takes a Measurement ID and an API secret, and UTM tags on the link still attribute the visitor’s session on your site.
At a glance
- Event
- link_click, one per recorded click
- Method
- Measurement Protocol, server-side
- Setup
- Measurement ID + Measurement Protocol API secret
- Plan
- Solo, Growth and Ultimate, from $3.90 a month
- Clicks sent
- 10,000 a month Solo, 100,000 Growth, unlimited Ultimate
Features
What reaches Google Analytics 4
The link_click event
Each recorded click arrives as event link_click with parameters short_code, link_type, variation, device_type, browser and session_id. Values longer than 100 characters are cut to GA4’s limit.
Variation and QR in GA4
variation carries the split-test destination name, or qr for scans, so print traffic and creative tests can be broken out in GA4 explorations once you register it as a custom dimension.
Location included
When known, the visitor’s country is sent in user_location, so GA4 geography reports cover short-link clicks too.
Client and session IDs
client_id is the device fingerprint Letlink uses for unique visitors, or click-<visit id> when there is none, and session_id is the visit ID, so each click counts as its own session.
UTM tags still attribute the visit
A Link with UTM adds its source, medium and campaign to the destination on redirect, so the GA4 tag on your own site attributes the resulting session to the campaign as usual — separately from the link_click event.
Only real, recorded clicks
Bots are never sent. Visits turned away by a country rule or a per-device visit limit are not recorded, and past the monthly click cap events pause until the next calendar month.
What it does not do
It does not join the click to the visitor’s later session on your site: the client ID is Letlink’s fingerprint, not your _ga cookie. Use link_click for click counts and your site’s own sessions for what happened after.
Use cases
Why send short-link clicks to GA4
One property for every click
Social, email, print and partner links appear in the same GA4 property as your website traffic, so a report does not need a second tool.
Clicks the tag never sees
Visitors who block scripts, leave before the page loads or arrive through an in-app browser are still counted, because the event never depended on the browser.
QR and offline campaigns
Scans of a printed code show up in GA4 tagged qr, next to the online clicks of the same campaign.
Split tests in explorations
Break link_click down by variation, then compare it with on-site behaviour of each destination’s UTM campaign.
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Copy the Measurement ID
In Google Analytics, open Admin → Data streams → your web stream and copy the Measurement ID, which starts with G-.
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Create an API secret
On the same stream, open Measurement Protocol API secrets, create a secret and copy it straight away — GA4 does not show it again.
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Paste both into Letlink
Open Integrations → Google Analytics 4 (owners and admins only), paste the Measurement ID and the API secret, and save. You need the Solo plan or above.
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Check it in GA4
Click one of your short links, then look in Admin → DebugView or Realtime. Standard reports can take up to 24 hours. Register short_code and variation as custom dimensions to use them in explorations.
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
How do I track link clicks in Google Analytics?
Shorten the link with Letlink and connect Google Analytics 4 under Integrations with your Measurement ID and a Measurement Protocol API secret. Every recorded click on your short links is then sent to GA4 as a link_click event, server-side. It is available from the Solo plan at $3.90 a month.
Why send clicks server-side instead of with the GA4 tag?
A browser tag only counts visitors whose browser loads and runs it. Ad blockers, script blockers, in-app browsers and people who leave before the page loads all go missing. Letlink sends the event from its own servers on the redirect itself, so none of that stops the click being counted.
Will Google Analytics count the click twice?
They are two different things. link_click is Letlink’s record of the click on the short link; the session and page views come from the GA4 tag on your destination page, if it has one. The two are not joined, because the link_click client ID is Letlink’s device fingerprint, not your site’s _ga cookie. Report clicks from link_click and on-site behaviour from your sessions.
Do I still need UTM parameters?
Yes, if you want GA4 to attribute the visit on your site to a campaign. A Link with UTM adds its source, medium and campaign to the destination URL on redirect, which the GA4 tag on your site picks up. The link_click event works with or without UTM tags.
Why can’t I see the events in GA4?
Standard GA4 reports can take up to 24 hours, so check Admin → DebugView or Realtime first. Then confirm the Measurement ID and API secret belong to the same web stream, and that the click was recorded: bots, visits blocked by a country rule or a visit limit, and clicks past the monthly tracked-click cap are never sent.
Which Letlink plans include Google Analytics 4?
Solo at $3.90 a month, Growth at $8.90 and Ultimate at $39.90. Solo sends up to 10,000 clicks a month, Growth 100,000 and Ultimate has no monthly cap. The free plan does not include GA4 but shows the same click analytics in the Letlink dashboard.
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