Tracking Search Traffic to the PDF Add a URL parameter to every link pointing to each PDF document on your site. They wanted to track users and collect transaction data so they could calculate the effectiveness of their marketing activity. If you're comfortable with Web hosting and setting up simple PHP and mySQL applications, there are several free scripts you can use to set up a URL shortener on your own server, giving you much more control. If you use an affiliate plugin to format your affiliate links into something like this then you will have to enable tracking of internal links as outbound links.
Many people use URL shorteners when they share links to private content, and in fact many web services like Google Maps have offered automatic generation of shortened links for driving directions that reveal personal information like home addresses and sensitive destinations like "clinics for specific diseases (including cancer and mental diseases), addiction treatment centers, abortion providers, correctional and juvenile detention facilities, payday and car-title lenders, gentlemen’s clubs, etc."[34][35] Additional layer of complexity[edit] Short URLs, although making it easier to access what might otherwise be a very long URL or user-space on an ISP server, add an additional layer of complexity to the process of retrieving web pages. The process must be fast, not handle clicks which have been deactivated by other processes and ensure links work even if the Analytics event fails. This can be added to existing JavaScript files or in a script block as long as it’s loaded somewhere within the HTML body (ideally, just before the closing tag). jQuery (or your alternative) must be loaded first although the Google Analytics tracking code can appear anywhere on the page. /* Track outbound links in Google Analytics */ (function($) { "use strict"; // current page host var baseURI = window.location.host; // click event on body $("body").on("click", function(e) { // abandon if link already aborted or analytics is not available if (e.isDefaultPrevented() || typeof ga !== "function") return; // abandon if no active link or link within domain var link = $(e.target).closest("a"); if (link.length != 1 || baseURI == link[0].host) return; // cancel event and record outbound link e.preventDefault(); var href = link[0].href; ga('send', { 'hitType': 'event', 'eventCategory': 'outbound', 'eventAction': 'link', 'eventLabel': href, 'hitCallback': loadPage }); // redirect after one second if recording takes too long setTimeout(loadPage, 1000); // redirect to outbound page function loadPage() { document.location = href; } }); })(jQuery); // pass another library here if required The event is recorded with the category name ‘outbound’, action name ‘link’ and the value set to the URL of the outbound page. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better.
If you go to that website, there is an edit box near the top of the page where you can paste in a longer URL for a web page, such as , and then click on the Shorten button. Redirecting focused just on keeping the essential usefulness solid.
One of the most popular link shorteners is Bit.ly, and their use of the .ly domain has been a problem for some. If you notice a difference in how links perform against each other, you may decide to change how your emails are laid out, or you may start to pay more attention to which pictures or phrases you use. Here are some guidelines: Campaign Name This field should contain some of the most specific information about what kind of email this is.
Answer that, and your online profits will explode. The links are permanent, they will work as long as WordPress.com is around. Not all protocols are capable of being shortened as of 2011, although protocols such as http, https, ftp, ftps, mailto, mms, rtmp, rtmpt, ed2k, pop, imap, nntp, news, ldap, gopher, dict and dns are being addressed by such services as URL Shortener. Nesbitt, Scott (7 February 2010). "Shorter Is Sweeter: A Look at URL Shorteners".Welcome to TinyURL!™ Are you sick of posting URLs in emails only to have it break when sent causing the recipient to have to cut and paste it back together? Your analysis works best with enough users to run statistical analysis. It was launched in December 2009, initially used for Google Toolbar and Feedburner.[1] Later Google launched a separate website goo.gl and opened up to public in September 2010.[2][3][4] The user can access a list of URLs that has been shortened in the past after logged in to their Google Account. The comparison continues here: Goo.gl Vs Bitly Best Way To Shorten Urls.Originally Google's URL shortener was used to pass links internally to other Google sites, but the service was expanded to include external links and opened to public use. What Is a URL Shortener?