How to Track Link Clicks Analytics for Free: Step-by-Step Guide

Tracking how people click your links can reveal a lot about your audience. Imagine knowing exactly which blog post button gets the most attention or which social share drove the most visitors. You can discover what works, test ideas, and improve your results—all without spending money.

Many believe you need expensive tools for this, but that’s simply not true. With a few free solutions and a bit of setup, you can track link clicks and understand your audience much better.

This guide will show you how to track link clicks analytics for free. You’ll learn about the best free tools, how to set them up, and how to read the data. Whether you run a blog, a business website, or just want to know if your email links get clicked, you’ll find practical steps here.

We’ll also cover some advanced tricks and common mistakes people make. By the end, you’ll have everything you need to start tracking your link clicks—at zero cost.

Why Tracking Link Clicks Matters

Every click tells a story. When you track which links get clicked, you learn what your readers like, what they ignore, and how they move through your site. This data is not just for big companies. Even small websites, blogs, and newsletters can benefit.

Key benefits of tracking link clicks:

• Measure campaign success. Know which emails, ads, or social posts drive traffic.
• Find top content. See which articles or buttons get the most attention.
• Improve conversion rates. Fix or change links that don’t get clicks.
• Understand user behavior. Learn how people interact with your site.

For example, if you run a blog and notice that no one clicks your “Read More” buttons, you might change the wording or design. Or, if you run a small shop and see that 80% of product page clicks come from a single Facebook post, you can focus more on similar content.

Many beginners only check page views and miss out on this deeper insight. Tracking link clicks is like having a map of how people actually use your site.

Common Free Tools For Tracking Link Clicks

You don’t need to pay for expensive analytics software. Several free tools can help you track link clicks. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Here are the most popular options:

• Google Analytics (with Google Tag Manager)
• Bitly (free tier)
• UTM Parameters with Google Analytics
• Simple JavaScript/jQuery Scripts
• Matomo (Self-Hosted Free Version)
• WordPress Plugins (free plugins for tracking)
• Email Service Provider Analytics (for newsletters)
• Clicky Free Plan
• Microsoft Clarity
• Open Web Analytics

Let’s look at how each one works, where it fits best, and what you should watch out for.

Google Analytics With Tag Manager

Google Analytics is one of the most popular analytics platforms. It’s free and powerful, but on its own, it doesn’t track link clicks out of the box. You need to add a small setup using Google Tag Manager (GTM), which is also free.

Best for: Websites of any size, especially if you already use Google Analytics.

What you get: Detailed reports, ability to segment by page, device, campaign, and more.

Downsides: Initial setup can be confusing for beginners.

Bitly (free Tier)

Bitly offers free link shortening and basic click tracking. You create short links, share them, and see how many times they were clicked.

Best for: Social media, campaigns, or when you share links outside your own website.

What you get: Click counts, referrer data, basic location info.

Downsides: Limited to Bitly links, some features require a paid plan.

Utm Parameters With Google Analytics

By adding UTM parameters to your URLs, you can track where your clicks come from inside Google Analytics. This is especially useful for tracking campaigns from emails, ads, or social posts.

Best for: Email newsletters, ads, or when sharing links on other sites.

What you get: Source, medium, campaign data for each click.

Downsides: You need to remember to add UTMs to each link.

Simple Javascript/jquery Scripts

You can add a small JavaScript or jQuery snippet to your site to count clicks on certain links. Some scripts send the data to Google Analytics, others just log it.

Best for: Developers or those comfortable with code.

What you get: Flexible tracking for any link.

Downsides: Requires coding knowledge, not beginner-friendly.

Matomo (self-hosted Free Version)

Matomo is an open-source analytics platform. You install it on your own server and get control over your data, with built-in click tracking.

Best for: Privacy-focused sites, anyone who wants full data control.

What you get: Click reports, full data ownership.

Downsides: Needs web hosting and technical setup.

WordPress Plugins

If you use WordPress, there are plugins like Pretty Links or WP Statistics that can track clicks for free.

Best for: WordPress site owners.

What you get: Easy setup, reports inside your WordPress dashboard.

Downsides: Some features may be limited in free versions.

Email Service Provider Analytics

Many email services (like Mailchimp or MailerLite) provide basic link click tracking for free.

Best for: Newsletters and email marketing.

What you get: Who clicked, when, and which links.

Downsides: Only works for emails sent from their system.

Clicky Free Plan

Clicky is a web analytics tool with a free plan for small sites. It offers click tracking and easy-to-read reports.

Best for: Small websites that want simple analytics.

What you get: Real-time click data, heatmaps.

Downsides: Limited features on the free plan.

Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is a free analytics tool from Microsoft that tracks clicks, heatmaps, and session recordings.

Best for: Anyone wanting to see real user behavior.

What you get: Click maps, session replays.

Downsides: Does not provide as much detail as Google Analytics.

Open Web Analytics

Open Web Analytics is a free, open-source alternative to Google Analytics, with built-in click tracking.

Best for: Privacy-focused users, developers.

What you get: Click tracking, heatmaps, full data control.

Downsides: Requires installation and setup.

Credit: gettrack.link

How To Track Link Clicks With Google Analytics (ga4) And Tag Manager

Google Analytics is powerful, but it requires a little extra work to track link clicks. Below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to set up click tracking using Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Step 1: Create Google Analytics And Tag Manager Accounts

If you don’t have them yet:

• Sign up for Google Analytics at analytics.google.com.
• Sign up for Google Tag Manager at tagmanager.google.com.

Add the tracking codes to your website as instructed.

Step 2: Link Tag Manager To Google Analytics

• In Google Tag Manager, click “Add a new tag.”
• Choose “Google Analytics: GA4 Event.”
• Set up the tag to send events to your GA4 property.

Step 3: Set Up A Trigger For Link Clicks

• Go to “Triggers” and create a new trigger.
• Choose “Just Links” as the trigger type.
• Set trigger to fire on “All Link Clicks” or specific links (by URL, ID, or class).

Step 4: Configure The Event

• Name the event (e.g., “link_click”).
• Add parameters like URL, link text, or page location.
• Connect the trigger to your tag.

Step 5: Test And Publish

• Use GTM’s Preview mode to test clicks.
• Check in GA4 under “Events” for your new click events.
• If working, publish the changes.

Non-obvious tip: Many people forget to track only important links. You can filter by URL or class to avoid collecting too much useless data.

Step 6: Analyze Click Data In Ga4

• Go to “Events” in GA4.
• Filter by the event name you set (e.g., “link_click”).
• See which links are clicked most, on which pages, and from which devices.

Example: If your “Buy Now” button gets 200 clicks but leads to few sales, you may need to improve your checkout page.

Using Utm Parameters For Easy Link Tracking

UTM parameters are special tags added to URLs. They help you see where your clicks are coming from in Google Analytics, even if the link is outside your site.

Example of a UTM link:

https://yoursite.com/page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

When someone clicks this link, Google Analytics records the source, medium, and campaign.

How To Create Utm Links

• Use Google’s free Campaign URL Builder (Google Campaign URL Builder).
• Fill in:
• Website URL
• Source (e.g., facebook)
• Medium (e.g., social)
• Campaign (e.g., summer_sale)
• Copy and share the generated link.

Pro tip: Keep your UTM names consistent for easy tracking. For example, always use “email” for newsletters, not “newsletter” sometimes and “email” other times.

Where To Use Utm Links

• In emails
• On social media posts
• In ads
• In guest blog posts

Viewing Utm Data In Google Analytics

• Go to “Acquisition” > “Traffic Acquisition.”
• Filter by Source, Medium, or Campaign to see click counts.

Common mistake: Some users forget to add UTM parameters to all shared links, leading to missing or incomplete data.

Tracking Link Clicks With Bitly

Bitly makes it easy to track clicks on any link you share, especially outside your website.

How To Use Bitly For Click Tracking

• Sign up for a free Bitly account.
• Paste your long URL and create a short Bitly link.
• Share the Bitly link anywhere—social, email, etc.
• In your Bitly dashboard, see how many clicks each link gets, plus basic referrer and country data.

Example: You share a Bitly link on Twitter and get 120 clicks, but the same link on Facebook gets only 30. Now you know where your audience is most active.

Limitations Of Bitly Free Tier

• Limited analytics (detailed reports require paid plan).
• You can only track links made through Bitly.

Non-obvious insight: Bitly links can be branded with your own domain for better trust, but this requires a paid plan.

WordPress Plugins For Tracking Link Clicks

If you use WordPress, tracking link clicks is even easier with plugins. Here’s a comparison of popular free plugins:

Plugin	Main Features	Free Version Limits
Pretty Links	Link shortening, click tracking, simple reports	Basic stats, no advanced reports
WP Statistics	Click tracking, real-time stats, privacy controls	No export to Google Analytics
MonsterInsights Lite	Connects GA, click tracking, dashboard reports	Limited to basic reports

How to set up Pretty Links:

• Install Pretty Links from the WordPress plugins directory.
• Create a new “Pretty Link” and set the target URL.
• Share the Pretty Link. See click stats in your dashboard.

Practical tip: Use plugins for affiliate links or important buttons. For general site links, GA4 with Tag Manager is more powerful.

Credit: linklyhq.com

Free Email Link Click Tracking

If you send newsletters or marketing emails, your email provider may already track link clicks for free.

Examples:

• Mailchimp Free Plan: Shows total clicks per link, who clicked, and when.
• MailerLite Free: Similar data, plus click maps.
• Sendinblue Free: Click rates for each link.

How it works: The provider adds tracking code to your email links. You see results in your dashboard.

Non-obvious insight: Click rates in emails are often lower than open rates. If your links get few clicks, test different subject lines or call-to-action buttons.

Common mistake: Some users copy links with UTM codes from Google Analytics and then use email provider tracking. This can lead to double-counting or messy reports. Keep your tracking simple.

Using Microsoft Clarity And Other Free Analytics

Microsoft Clarity is a free tool that shows you exactly where users click on your site with click heatmaps and session recordings.

Key Features Of Microsoft Clarity

• Heatmaps: See where users click most on each page.
• Session recordings: Watch real people use your site.
• Click data: Track how many times a button or link is clicked.

How to set up:

• Sign up at clarity.microsoft.com.
• Add your website.
• Paste the Clarity tracking code into your site’s header.

What makes Clarity special: It’s 100% free, offers visual data, and works well alongside Google Analytics.

Downside: Clarity shows where people click, but not always which exact link (if you have several similar links on one page).

Comparing Free Analytics Tools

Here’s a quick comparison:

Tool	Best For	Main Limitation
Google Analytics + Tag Manager	Detailed link tracking, segmentation	Complex setup for beginners
Bitly	External links, social sharing	Limited to Bitly links
Microsoft Clarity	Visual click data, heatmaps	Less detailed than GA
WordPress Plugins	WP users, affiliate links	Plugin bloat risk, limited features

Credit: independentwp.com

Advanced Free Tracking: Self-hosted And Code Solutions

If you’re comfortable with a bit of coding or want full control, these options might be for you.

Matomo (self-hosted)

Matomo is a free, open-source analytics platform you install on your server. It offers click tracking, heatmaps (with a plugin), and strong privacy.

Best for: Sites with privacy concerns, or those who want full data ownership.

How to set up:

• Download Matomo from matomo.org.
• Install on your server (requires PHP and MySQL).
• Add tracking code to your site.

Insight: Self-hosted tools mean you own your data, but you’re responsible for updates and security.

Open Web Analytics

Another open-source solution, Open Web Analytics (OWA) provides free click tracking and more.

Setup: Similar to Matomo—download, install, add tracking code.

Best feature: Simple click tracking and heatmaps, no monthly fees.

Simple Javascript Tracking

If you don’t want to use big platforms, you can add a small JavaScript snippet to log clicks. For example:

document.querySelectorAll('a').forEach(link => {
link.addEventListener('click', function() {
console.log('Clicked:', link.href);
// Send data to your server or Google Analytics
});
});

When to use: For small projects or to track only very specific links.

Common mistake: Forgetting to exclude links that reload the page, which can cause data loss.

Best Practices For Free Link Click Tracking

To get useful data, keep these best practices in mind:

• Track only important links. Don’t track every single link—focus on buttons, calls to action, and key outgoing links.
• Use clear naming. Name events or campaigns in a way that makes sense when you view reports later.
• Test your setup. Before relying on data, click your own links and make sure tracking works.
• Check reports regularly. Don’t “set and forget.” Review your data to find new insights.
• Combine tools if needed. It’s OK to use Google Analytics plus Bitly, for example.
• Respect privacy laws. If you’re in the EU or California, follow GDPR/CCPA rules.

Non-obvious insight: Over-tracking can make your reports confusing and slow down your site. Simplicity is better than complexity.

Reading And Interpreting Link Click Data

Tracking is not just about numbers—it’s about learning. Here’s how to use your data:

• High clicks, low conversions: If a link gets clicked a lot but doesn’t result in sales or signups, your next page may need work.
• Low clicks, high conversions: If only a few people click, but many buy, you might just need more traffic to that page.
• Top clicked links: Focus your promotion on these areas.
• Ignored links: Test new button text, colors, or placement.

Example: You notice that your “Contact Us” button is rarely clicked. You move it to the top of your page, and clicks go up 300%. Small changes can have a big impact.

Common Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

Many people start tracking link clicks but fall into these traps:

• Tracking too many links and getting lost in data.
• Forgetting to test if tracking actually works.
• Mixing up UTM parameters (like using “Email” and “email” for the same campaign).
• Relying on just one tool—sometimes combining two tools gives a better picture.

Practical tip: Set aside time once a month to check your reports, clean up old campaigns, and adjust your tracking setup if needed.

Real-world Examples: Tracking Link Clicks For Different Needs

Example 1: Small Business Website

A small business tracks clicks on their “Book a Free Call” button. Using Google Tag Manager and Analytics, they see most clicks come from mobile devices. They decide to make the button bigger on mobile, leading to a 20% increase in calls.

Example 2: Blogger Growing An Email List

A blogger uses Bitly for all links in guest posts. They discover that posts on one site drive 80% of their new subscribers. They focus more on guest blogging for that site.

Example 3: Nonprofit Sharing Resources

A nonprofit shares resource links in a newsletter. They use Mailchimp’s click tracking and notice that links placed near the top of the email get 3x more clicks than those at the bottom. They now put their most important link first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Accurate Are Free Link Click Tracking Tools?

Free tools like Google Analytics, Bitly, and Microsoft Clarity are accurate enough for most uses. However, users with ad blockers or privacy settings may not be tracked. Combining two tools can help you spot any major gaps.

Can I Track Outbound (external) Link Clicks For Free?

Yes. Google Tag Manager can track outbound clicks by setting triggers for links that go to other domains. WordPress plugins like Pretty Links also track outgoing links automatically.

Is It Legal To Track Link Clicks On My Website?

In most places, yes, but you must follow privacy laws like GDPR in Europe or CCPA in California. Always inform users if you track their data and offer opt-out choices when required.

How Do I Track Link Clicks In Emails?

Most email providers (Mailchimp, MailerLite, etc. ) Add tracking automatically. You can also add UTM parameters to links for more detail in Google Analytics, but don’t use both at once to avoid confusing data.

What’s The Best Free Tool For A Beginner?

For websites, Google Analytics with Tag Manager is the most powerful, but has a learning curve. For WordPress users, a plugin like Pretty Links is easiest. For social or external links, Bitly is simple and quick.

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Tracking link clicks doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. With a few free tools and some smart setup, you can measure what works, improve what doesn’t, and grow your site or business. Whether you use Google Analytics, Bitly, Microsoft Clarity, or a WordPress plugin, start simple. Focus on your most important links, test your tracking, and review your data regularly. Over time, you’ll get better insights and results—without spending a dime. For more ideas on website analytics, explore resources like Google Analytics Help Center.