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How-to · 5 min read

How to Create a QR Code for a Link (URL Codes Done Properly)

August 3, 2026

URL codes are the most common QR code by a wide margin, and also the easiest to get subtly wrong. Three small choices decide whether yours is measurable and fixable later.

The one-minute version

  1. Paste the full URL with https:// into the generator.
  2. Switch the code to dynamic so the destination stays editable.
  3. Add UTM parameters so the visit shows up correctly in your analytics.
  4. Style and download as SVG, then scan-test on iOS and Android.
Create a URL code

Always include the protocol

qrlift.codes and https://qrlift.codes encode differently. Without the protocol some scanners treat the payload as plain text and show a string instead of opening a browser. Include https:// every time.

Add UTMs before you generate

A scan looks like direct traffic unless you tag it. Append something like ?utm_source=qr&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=summer-menu so each placement is separable in your analytics. With a dynamic code you can change or fix the UTMs after printing; with a static one you cannot.

Shorten the URL, or let dynamic do it

Long URLs produce dense patterns that need more physical space to scan reliably. A dynamic code sidesteps this entirely because the encoded string is a short link, so the pattern stays sparse no matter how long the real destination is.

Keep it editable

Destinations change: a landing page moves, a promo ends, a domain migrates. Dynamic codes let you repoint the same printed pattern in seconds from your dashboard.

Edit a destination Plans with dynamic codes

Test before you commit

  • Scan with both a recent iPhone and an Android device.
  • Test from the real distance and in the real lighting.
  • Print a proof at final size — screen previews hide contrast problems.

Try QR Lift free

Three dynamic codes, no watermark, no expiring links. Set up in under two minutes.

Create your first code

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