One of my clients asked me how to make a QR code for their offline collateral – including business cards, brochures, flyers and posters – that customers can use to go to my client’s website via their smart phones.

Here’s how you can set this up in less than 30 minutes (and for free). This assume you have Google Analytics installed for tracking purposes. Ready?

1 – Copy the Link to Your Landing Page

First things first. Go to the page that you want people to go to. Ideally, it should be mobile-ready (easily readable on a mobile phone). Copy this link directly from your browser so you get it right!

2 – Build Your Custom URL

Go to the custom URL builder in Google Analytics. Plug your URL in and include details about campaign source, medium and campaign name (the rest is optional). These forms are free-form, so put details that will help you identify the source of this campaign (e.g. “business card QA code”).

Google Custom URL Builder

3 – Create Your QR Code

There are many free QR Code creators available. Here is the one I use for this tutorial: QR Code Builder

4 – Download Your Code and Test

Once you generate the code, download it as a picture file and test it using a QR code reader on your phone.

5 – Check Your Analytics

Go to Google Analytics. On the left navigation bar, go to “Sources > Search > Campaigns” and then find your campaign (it may take a few minutes to show up – make sure you refresh your browser). Are you seeing the results of your test?

6 – Place Your QR Code Into Your Collateral

Take this image and place it (or have your designer place it) in your business cards or other marketing materials. I use cards from Moo.com – I can past custom images into my business cards.

Ready?

QR codes are a great way to get tech-savvy people to access your site using their smart phones. Are you ready to give it a shot?

Let me know how you’ll use this in the comments below.