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What it is

Every link in linkutm gets a short URL: {domain}/{shortCode}. Visiting it triggers a server-side 302 redirect to the destination URL with all UTMs appended. Click is recorded with geo, device, browser, OS, referrer.

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When to use it

Always - there’s no “long-URL only” mode. Pick which short domain to use per link.

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Domain options

Every workspace gets a default short domain on creation. No setup needed. Useful for ads where the slug isn’t visible to humans (Google Ads, Meta Ads).

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How the redirect works

1

Visitor clicks the short link

Their browser opens go.acme.com/q2-launch.
2

linkutm validates the link

Checks whether the link is active. Expired or archived links show an error page instead of redirecting.
3

Click is recorded

Country, city, device type, browser, OS, and referrer are captured. This is what populates your analytics.
4

UTMs are appended to the destination URL

The visitor’s browser is sent to your destination URL with all UTM parameters attached.
5

Pixels fire (if configured)

If you’ve added pixels (Facebook, TikTok, GTM, etc.) to the link or workspace, they fire before the final redirect. Adds ~300ms but does not affect ad quality scores.

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Real-world example

A podcast sponsor read:
“Visit go.acme.com/podcast for 20% off.”
What happens:
  • Listener types go.acme.com/podcast.
  • linkutm logs the click (country = listener’s, device = mobile/desktop, referrer = direct).
  • Redirects to https://acme.com/offer?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=q2_launch.
  • The acme.com landing page sees the UTMs and reports them to GA.

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Common mistakes

Defeats tracking - no centralized click count, no per-channel attribution, no easy edit. Always share the short URL.
Browsers block mixed-content; some platforms (LinkedIn, Slack) refuse HTTP previews. Always HTTPS - automated certs are issued for verified custom domains.
If go.acme.com is already serving a real site, the CNAME swap will break that site. Use a fresh subdomain.

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Edge cases

Pixel interstitial adds ~300ms. This only applies if you’ve enabled pixels (Facebook, TikTok, GTM, etc.) on the link or workspace. With no pixels configured, the redirect is a direct 302 with no added latency. The delay happens before the destination page loads and does not affect Google Ads Quality Score or paid social delivery.
Bare domain. Visiting https://go.acme.com/ with no slug after it shows a not-found page. Always share the full short URL including the slug.
Clicks on archived or expired links don’t count. The link stops working and the click is not recorded.
Device, geo, click-limit, and password fields. These are stored on a link’s record but the public redirect does not currently route or block based on them - visitors get the main destination URL with UTMs appended. Use the destination page to handle device or country routing if you need it today.