QR codes had a rough decade. They were introduced, nobody used them, and then the pandemic made them everywhere overnight. Now they're genuinely useful again — on restaurant tables, event badges, product packaging, billboards, and business cards.
But most people creating QR codes are making the same mistake: they're creating static QR codes. And when you print a static QR code on anything, you've locked yourself into a URL that you can never change.
What's the difference between static and dynamic?
A static QR code directly encodes a URL into the QR pattern itself. The URL is baked into the image. If you scan it, you always go to that exact URL — forever, with no way to change it.
A dynamic QR code encodes a short redirect URL into the pattern. When someone scans it, they're sent to the redirect URL, which then forwards them to the actual destination. The QR code image never changes — but the destination it redirects to can be updated any time.
Why static QR codes are a mistake for printed materials
Imagine you print 10,000 menus with a QR code linking to your old restaurant website. Then you redesign your site. Your URL changes. Every one of those 10,000 menus now points to a broken page — and there's nothing you can do about it without reprinting everything.
Or: you put a QR code on your product packaging that links to a promotional campaign page. The campaign ends and the page gets taken down. Now every product on shelves has a QR code going to a 404 error.
With a dynamic QR code, you would just update the destination URL in your dashboard. The QR code printed on every package stays the same. Scans continue to work. No reprint. No wasted materials.
The tracking advantage of dynamic QR codes
Static QR codes track nothing. You have no idea how many times they've been scanned, what city scanners are in, or whether anyone is using them at all.
Dynamic QR codes — specifically ones powered by a tracked short link — log every scan as a click. In your dashboard you can see:
- Total scans over time
- Which countries the scans came from
- Which devices were used (iPhone vs. Android)
- Peak scanning times (useful for event or venue QR codes)
This data tells you whether your offline marketing is actually working. A QR code on a poster that's been scanned zero times after two weeks is a signal to change the creative or the call-to-action. A code on a conference badge that spikes with 300 scans in an afternoon tells you the event was a success.
How to create a dynamic tracked QR code with gometrify
Step 1. Go to gometrify and create a new tracked short link with your destination URL. Create your free account →
Give it a clean alias that describes what the QR code is for: links.yourbrand.com/menu-table-4 or links.yourbrand.com/conference-badge-2024.
Step 2. Copy the short link URL.
Step 3. Use gometrify's built-in QR code generator — on the link detail page, click "Generate QR Code" to download a high-resolution PNG or SVG ready for print.
Step 4. Use the QR code in your materials.
From this point on, if you ever need to change where the QR code goes, just update the destination URL for that short link in your dashboard. The printed QR code image doesn't change. Scans just start going to the new URL automatically.
Practical tips for QR codes that actually get scanned
Add a call-to-action. A QR code with no context gets ignored. "Scan for today's menu," "Scan to claim your discount," or "Scan to download the full report" tells people exactly why they should bother.
Make it big enough. The minimum scannable size in good lighting is roughly 2 × 2 cm (about an inch square). For anything viewed from more than arm's length — posters, signage, stage backdrops — scale it up dramatically. A QR code on a billboard needs to be enormous.
Test before printing. Scan the QR code from your actual phone (both the camera app and a dedicated QR scanner) before sending anything to print. Test it in average lighting conditions, not just under your bright desk lamp.
Add your logo in the center (optional). Most QR code generators let you embed a small image in the center of the code. A logo here makes the QR code look intentional and branded. It works because QR codes have built-in error correction — up to 30% of the pattern can be obscured and the code still scans correctly.
Use a high-contrast design. Dark pattern on light background. Don't use light gray on white, or put QR codes on busy photo backgrounds — contrast is what scanners rely on.