How to Access
Click Link Shortener in the sidebar. The page title is "URL Shortener."
Step-by-Step: Create a Short Link
The Create a Short Link card contains the link creation form.
1. Enter the Destination URL
In the Destination URL field (placeholder: "https://example.com/my-long-url"), paste the full URL you want to shorten — your Airbnb listing, direct booking page, or any web page.
2. Set a Custom Alias (Optional)
In the Custom Alias (optional) field, type a memorable slug. The prefix "hmatic.io /" is shown to the left of the field. For example, typing "beach-house" creates hmatic.io/beach-house.
Rules: letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores only. Max 20 characters. You'll see an error if the alias is taken.
3. Add a Campaign Tag (Optional)
In the Campaign (optional) field (placeholder: "e.g., Summer Promo, Social Posts"), type a campaign name to group this link with others. Autocomplete suggestions appear based on your existing campaigns.
4. Campaign Builder — UTM Parameters (Optional, Paid Plans)
Click the Campaign Builder (UTM Parameters) collapsible section to expand advanced UTM fields:
- Campaign Source — e.g., google, newsletter
- Campaign Medium — e.g., email, cpc, social
- Campaign Name — e.g., summer_sale
- Campaign Term — e.g., vacation+rental (for paid search)
- Campaign Content — e.g., header_link, footer_cta
An info box explains: "Campaign attribution data will only be tracked if you own the Google Analytics tracking tag on the destination landing page."
5. Add Notes (Optional)
In the Notes (optional) text area (placeholder: "What is this link for?"), add internal notes about the link's purpose. Max 200 characters.
6. Create the Link
Click Shorten URL. Your shortened URL appears in a highlighted card with a Copy button. Click Copy to copy it to your clipboard — a "Copied to clipboard!" toast notification confirms it.
Your Links Table
Below the creation form, the Your Links card shows all your shortened URLs in a table with:
- Short URL (click to copy)
- Destination URL
- Click count
- Campaign tag
- Creation date
- Notes — hover any row to reveal the note you added when creating the link
QR Codes With Your Logo
Every link automatically gets a QR code. The center of the QR code carries the inline Hostmatic logo by default — and the QR generator now uses a vectored inline SVG so the logo stays sharp at any print size. White-label QR codes (Pro plan) replace the logo with your own brand mark.
View Analytics
Click the View Insights button (with a chart icon) in the top-right of the page header. This takes you to the Link Performance page under Insights where you can see detailed click analytics.
What Gets Tracked
For every click, Hostmatic records:
- Total clicks and unique visitors (deduplicated via server-side fingerprinting)
- New vs. returning visitors
- Device type, browser, country/city
- Referrer and QR vs. direct split
Link Limits
The number of links you can create depends on your plan. Check your current usage at the top of the page.