The link glossary

Links

Short link

A compact URL (like goto.now/sale) that redirects to a longer destination. Easier to share, type, print and remember - Make one free on the homepage.

Back-half

Everything after the slash in a short link. A custom back-half replaces random characters with words you choose - Free with a GoTo.now account.

Vanity URL / branded link

A short link whose back-half carries your brand or campaign name. Readable links earn roughly a third more clicks - See branded links.

Destination (long URL)

The page a short link points to. On GoTo.now the destination is editable after sharing - The superpower most tools charge for.

301 / 302 redirect

The HTTP mechanism behind every short link: the server answers "that content lives over here" and the browser follows. 301 means permanently, 302 temporarily.

Link rot

What happens when destinations die and old links lead nowhere. Editable short links are the cure: re-point instead of losing the traffic.

Link-in-bio

The single link social platforms allow in a profile. Using a short link there means you can rotate campaigns without touching the profile - The bio link pattern.

QR codes

QR code

A square barcode phones scan with the camera. On GoTo.now every code encodes a short link, which is what makes it trackable and fixable - Try the generator.

Dynamic QR code

A code whose destination can change after printing, because it encodes an editable link rather than a fixed URL. All GoTo.now codes are dynamic by default.

Static QR code

A code with the final URL baked in. Free to make anywhere, impossible to update - One typo and the print run is waste.

Quiet zone

The empty margin a scanner needs around a QR code. Crop it away and scans start failing - The troubleshooting guide covers this.

Error correction

Built-in redundancy that lets a QR code scan even when partially covered - It's why a center logo works.

SVG

A vector image format that stays sharp at any size. Always print QR codes from SVG, not an upscaled PNG.

Tracking & analytics

Click / engagement

One follow of your link - Tap, click or QR scan. GoTo.now counts them privately per link in your analytics.

CTR (click-through rate)

Clicks divided by views. Short readable links raise CTR because people can see where they're going.

Referrer

The page or app a click came from - How your stats split traffic by Instagram vs email vs direct.

UTM parameters

Tags (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign…) appended to a URL so analytics tools attribute the visit. Build them correctly with the UTM builder, then shorten.

Bot traffic

Automated visits from crawlers and link-preview fetchers. GoTo.now counts bots separately so your human numbers stay honest.

Conversion

The action you actually wanted - A purchase, signup or booking. Click data tells you which channel earned the chance.

Safety & infrastructure

Link checker

A tool that reveals a short link's destination without visiting it - GoTo.now's is free and public.

Phishing

Fake pages imitating real services to steal credentials. Check unknown links first; report bad ones via Report URLs.

Interstitial / preview page

A page shown before the redirect, displaying the destination (goto.now/p/<code>). The cautious way to open unknown links.

API

The programmatic interface: everything the site does, your code can do - Create, edit and track links over REST. Start at Developers.

Rate limit

A cap on how fast requests are accepted, protecting the service from abuse. Guests: 5 links/minute; clicks are never limited.