How to Create a QR Code for a Website (Link QR Codes)

A website QR code — sometimes called a link QR code or URL QR code — does one thing: when someone scans it, your web page opens in their browser. No typing a long address, no searching, no hoping they remember to look you up later.

It's the most common QR code in the world, and the easiest to get wrong in small, avoidable ways. Here's how to do it right.

Step by step

1. Open the URL QR code generator
2. Paste your link. https://example.com/menu, a landing page, a product page — any web address works. If you type just example.com, the https:// is added automatically.
3. Watch the live preview update as you type
4. Download — PNG for everyday use, SVG if you're printing large or a designer asked for a vector

That's the whole process. The rest of this guide is about making the code better.

Use HTTPS, always

If your page is available on both http:// and https://, always encode the https version. Modern phones warn users before opening insecure HTTP pages — and a security warning is where scans go to die. If your site doesn't have HTTPS yet, that's the first thing to fix, before any QR code.

Shorter links scan better

Every character you remove from the URL makes the QR pattern simpler, with larger modules and better scannability at distance. In practice:

• A short link like https://yourdomain.com/menu produces a clean, airy code that scans from across a room
• A 150-character URL with five UTM parameters still works — it's just noticeably denser

If you control the URL, use a short, clean path. If you're stuck with a long one (a marketplace listing, a shared document), it will still work fine; just give the code a bit more print size.

What about link shorteners?

Shortener services (bit.ly, tinyurl, and similar) shrink the URL dramatically, but they add a dependency: the QR code now points at their server, not yours. If the shortener ever shuts down, changes policy, or your account lapses, every printed code dies with it. The same trade-off applies to QR services that wrap your link in their own redirect — our static vs dynamic guide covers this in detail.

Rule of thumb: shorten the path you control (yoursite.com/special-offer instead of yoursite.com/campaigns/2026/spring-full-details-page), and let third-party shorteners do the redirecting only if you accept the risk.

Tracking parameters (UTM tags) work — with a caveat

UTM parameters like ?utm_source=flyer&utm_campaign=spring are just part of the URL; they encode fine and your analytics will see them. Two things to know:

1. They lengthen the URL, making the code denser
2. The QR code itself doesn't track scans — the tracking happens when the page loads in the visitor's browser. If you need scan counts regardless of page analytics, that's what dynamic QR services sell (and what our static vs dynamic guide compares honestly)

Where link QR codes work best

• Restaurant menus — table tents, window decals, the menu itself
• Flyers and posters — anything where "learn more" needs a destination
• Business cards — to your portfolio, booking page or LinkedIn
• Product packaging — instructions, recipes, warranty registration
• Real estate signage — the listing page with full photos
• Email signatures — as a small image linking to your site

For anything printed, check the QR code size guide first — the distance people scan from determines how big the code must be.

Test like a visitor would

Before printing, scan the finished code with your own phone and check:

• The page opens (obviously), and it's the mobile version of your site
• The page loads reasonably fast — QR scans often happen on cellular
• Nothing critical breaks on a phone (some desktop-only sites are still out there)

Then print one copy and scan the paper. Ink spread and low-resolution printing can blur small modules; if the paper scan fails but the screen scan works, print the code larger or use the SVG file with your print shop.

Common questions

Can I change the website later? Not with a static code — the link is physically encoded in the pattern. If the destination changes, generate a new code. That's why it's worth finalizing your URLs before printing.

Can one QR code open an app instead of the browser? The code opens a URL; what happens next is up to the page. App-store links open the store, and smart links can route to installed apps — but that logic lives on the web page, not in the QR code.

Do link QR codes expire? Static ones never do — the URL is in the pattern itself. Codes pointing at redirect services can expire when the service does. More in do QR codes expire?

Make yours

Open the URL QR code generator — or use the all-in-one generator on the homepage, which also handles Wi-Fi, contacts and every other type.