Where to Find It
- On the URL Shortener page — Go to Tools → Link Shortener in the sidebar (
/shorten-url). Scroll below your links to the Audience & Sources card. - In the Marketing report — On the URL Shortener page, click the View Insights button in the top-right, or go to Reports → Marketing (
/insights/marketing). The Marketing report includes a Top Links table and a Top Campaigns table.
On the URL Shortener Page
Your Links
The Your Links table lists every short link you've created with its Short URL, Original URL, Campaign tag, Notes, and creation date. From the Actions menu you can copy the link, generate a QR code, edit, or delete it. (QR scans are tracked separately from direct clicks via a QR tracking parameter.)
Audience & Sources *(Pro feature)*
Below your links, the Audience & Sources card aggregates click data across all your links (all-time). Free and Weekend Host plans see an upgrade prompt here; on Pro you get:
Four summary tiles:
| Tile | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Total clicks | Every click across all your links |
| Unique visitors | Deduplicated visitor count |
| New | First-time visitors |
| Returning | Visitors who have clicked your links before |
Four breakdown panels: Devices, Browsers, Top referrers, and Countries — each ranking the top sources by click volume. These populate as your links accumulate clicks.
In the Marketing Report
Open Reports → Marketing (or the View Insights button on the URL Shortener). Alongside the rest of your marketing analytics you'll find:
- Top Links — Your best-performing short links by clicks
- Top Campaigns — Performance grouped by the campaign tag you assigned to each link
Unique vs. Total Visitors
Hostmatic distinguishes total clicks from unique visitors:
- Total clicks — Every single click, including repeat visitors
- Unique visitors — Each distinct visitor counted once
- New visitors — First-time clickers
- Returning visitors — People who have clicked your links before
Tip: A high ratio of returning to total clicks suggests strong engagement — people are coming back to your listing repeatedly.
How Fingerprinting Works
Hostmatic identifies unique visitors without cookies using server-side fingerprinting. A SHA-256 hash is generated from the visitor's IP address, user agent, and browser language. This approach:
- Works across browsers and devices
- Doesn't require cookie consent
- Is privacy-friendly (no personal data is stored — only the hash)
Note: Visitors on the same network with identical browser configurations may be counted as one unique visitor. This is a known trade-off for cookie-free tracking.