Until the 2020 pandemic, many ordinary users did not pay attention to QR codes, associating them with entertainment or another marketing trick. However, the situation has changed significantly with the development and spread of contactless technologies, actively used for obtaining an electronic pass or ticket, a COVID-19 test verification, paying bills, etc. QR codes have gradually become an integral part of our lives, offering many valuable features and benefits that can dramatically simplify the modern person’s life and increase the productivity of businesses and commercial organizations. That is why we decided to study QR technologies in more detail and tell our readers how to create QR code for a website to get more traffic, views, and sales.
What are QR Codes – Concept, Types, Features
A Quick Response code is an optical mark containing information about the object to which it is linked. Today it is one of the most reliable ways of storing information since it will be accessible, even if some part of the QR image has been damaged.
The Quick Response Code consists of a white frame, four squares in the corners, and horizontal and vertical components. QR image allows us to place 2953 bytes of information in a tiny picture, greatly expanding the possibilities of using this technology.
There are two types of QR images:
- Static without performance tracking and post-editing capabilities. Such QR codes are ideal for encrypting personal data – business cards, geolocation tags, etc.
- Dynamic ones allow owners to change or supplement encrypted information, creating a suitable basis for fast payments and ordering.
You can also provide each option with a custom UTM tag with which developers and marketers can use to track the effectiveness of the generated QR codes. Modern QR code generators open up tremendous possibilities for personalizing and styling QR images, allowing everyone to recreate the unique design of your business website or use a brand identity.
QR Technologies – Emergence, Development and Prospects
The history of the emergence & development of QR technology began in 1994 in Japan, where Toyota’s Denso Wave subsidiary developed it for the automotive industry’s needs. Over time, the ability to accommodate a large amount of information, compared to traditional barcodes, has made QR codes more popular. Thus, the technology entered the commercial niche and the media.
Since the 2000s, the QR codes’ leaders have been China, South Korea, and many other Southeast countries. Alipay launched payments through this technology in 2013 and WeChat in early 2014. Now, almost a billion Chinese people follow links and pay for purchases using QR codes every day. The popularity of this is due to the high level of development of mobile ecosystems in the country, good mobile Internet coverage, and an abundance of inexpensive smartphones.
Why QR Technology Was Less Prevalent in Europe and USA
The answer is simple – we use alphabetic writing instead of hieroglyphs, so QR codes for residents of Europe and America were at first one of the marketing tricks but not a necessity. Besides, reading encrypted images required installing and developing new applications, which posed particular technological and psychological barriers to users.
The advent of smartphones with decoders integrated into the camera eliminated this problem. However, people still need to be motivated to use them, forcing businesses to think about motivation tools more than how to create QR code for a website.
QR Codes Today
The COVID pandemic has changed the world dramatically. Alas, many countries will need some time to restore their previous productivity and stabilize the current state. However, many experts note that the pandemic also gave impetus to the active development and implementation of innovative technologies, including contactless.
- More and more restaurants and cafes have started using QR codes instead of regular menus.
- More and more cities are switching to electronic methods of paying for travel, checking tickets, renting electric vehicles, etc.
- More and more information can be obtained through QR images on banners, leaflets, and business cards.
The proliferation of high-tech personal devices and mobile Internet development are the main boosters for using QR codes. Plus, the simplicity of scanning with a camera, the activity of a young audience, and the convenience of obtaining information will further contribute to this. According to Juniper Research forecasts, QR code payment users to reach 2.2 billion by 2025 globally, covering 29% of all smartphone users. These are huge numbers compared to statistics in 2020, and the researchers are confident that the numbers will continue to grow.
QR Codes for Business Development
Having studied many examples of QR codes, we were shocked by the variety of forms and uses. It turns out that all QR images that we previously encountered in everyday life are only a tiny part of the possibilities for this. Did you know that QR technologies are suitable for transmitting information about:
- links not only to the site or application but images, musical compositions, videos, documents, or personal accounts in social networks;
- texts – articles, posts, interviews, product descriptions, resumes;
- an email with a template of the letter and the address to which you need to send it;
- contact data – phone number, first and last name, email, and others that the client can immediately enter into the address book or redirect to transfer data to the specified contacts;
- SMS – template with a phone number;
- geolocation with the subsequent opening of the application with maps, where the place, coordinates, or address will be indicated;
- data for access to Wi-Fi;
- events that you can save in your calendar – recording for a webinar or creating a reminder of an upcoming event;
- promotions and personal offers;
- recommendations and instructions for use;
- chat invitations;
- buying goods and paying bills;
- ticket data;
- companies with the preservation of the brand identity for souvenirs, promotions for events.
Thus, a QR code can be not only an interactive element for information products but also a powerful advertising tool for promoting your services, brand, or personality. It is a discreet advertisement that users and customers want to receive and study independently, which favorably distinguishes QR technologies from interfering banners and pop-up notifications, making visitors want to leave the site immediately.
How to Create QR Code for a Website by Yourself
Despite the apparent complexity of the encryption, creating a QR code takes little time and effort. In just a few minutes, you can make a unique picture with a link to your web resource. Dynamic QR codes and tagged ciphers to track performance will take a little longer. However, its efficiency and practicality fully pay for the time you spend acquiring and applying new experiences. Well, let’s start.
Select Suitable QR Code Creator
There are a wide variety of applications that allow you to create a QR code, among which you can easily choose the most convenient one. It’s great if the generator enables you to tag the image with UTM for usage statistics. Some creators also allow the logo and other brand identities to be displayed, showing some information in advance. In any case, we recommend that you use reliable and proven QR code generators, like:
- Shopify QR code generator;
- QRcode Monkey;
- QR Code Generator;
- and QR code generators based on Google App Engine.
Most of these generators are available for free online, and some applications are available for download on personal devices for offline use.
Choose Appropriate Content
You can use a link to your web resource, PDF document, image, create a business card, and much more. Take care of the availability of all relevant data and user comfort in advance. Today we will try to make a QR code with a link to the best Ecommerce templates powered on MotoCMS using the QRcode Monkey.
We go to the generator site to choose one of the many data types that need to be encrypted. I select the URL and paste the template catalog link into the appropriate field.
Here you can also enable statistics and editability to receive regular reports on the number of uses of the future QR code and configure dynamic parameters. The Monkey requires a free registration for this, which takes a few minutes.
Customization
If you need a regular QR code without any fancy, choose Single Color, Image Size, and download it immediately. I want to make my QR code more recognizable, so I use a gradient with blue and orange colors. The generator already recommends adjusting the colors to make my image contrast.
Next, I’ll add the MotoCMS logo by uploading the appropriate file.
Monkey offers excellent custom design options, allowing users to set up the image parameters according to their personal needs and wishes. I’ll pick a few ones, hoping our designers and developers won’t see this.
We click on the Create QR Code button and get the result, which can be edited and saved in any convenient format. I got this one:
Some experts recommend creating several versions initially, among which you can choose the ideal one – for example, a classic image and a custom QR code. In any case, you should check every option that you can share with users. My QR is working fine, so I can print one and place it on personal business cards marked “Scan me to get more ideas for your eCommerce website.”
Performance Tracking
I hope my first experience helped you figure out how to create QR code for a website. However, this will not be enough to realize all the possibilities of QR images as a marketing tool. Having a UTM tag is a must-have if your marketers want accurate and timely answers to questions about:
- How many people are using your QR codes?
- How much traffic are you getting from one specific link?
- What do users do after they go to the landing page?
With this information, you can track the effectiveness of introducing QR technologies into your business and find the best places to place your QR codes, suitable content, and much more. It will help improve your QR image design skills and provide comprehensive information about your advertising campaigns to professional marketers and SEO specialists.
Tips for Using QR Codes for Your Website Correctly
There is no definite answer where you have to place a QR code since it depends on the specifics of your business, the way you interact with clients and site users, and your imagination, respectively.
- Do you want to use the QR code to go online offline? QR images can be placed on any printed matter that carries information about your business – business cards, souvenirs, packaging, instructions, various inserts, art objects, outdoor advertising, etc.
- When placing a QR code on the pages of your web resource, email messages, in the application, and other online tools, focus on the availability of QR images and users’ motivation. Reassure customers that there are benefits to using inline code.
However, there are a few general rules and guidelines for web designers and QR code creators to make the experience of using encrypted images convenient and rewarding:
- Do not place the QR code on moving objects – otherwise, users will not have time to scan it.
- Use contrasting colors to create and style QR codes – they should be visible and readable, always and from any device.
- Choose the right size – users are unlikely to notice a QR code that is too small, and too large can distract from other important information.
- Make the codes accessible by placing them in a location that makes the information easy to read – for example, at the level of the client’s eyes.
- Provide inline links with UTM tags to track conversions and targeted actions.
- Test your QR codes regularly yourself – the information should always be available and up-to-date.
Motivating Customers
It is especially true for new web resources and business owners who have recently learned how to create QR code for a website and have decided to use ones as a tool for interacting with customers. We are confident that in the future, there will be even more users who trust QR technologies. Still, now they need third-party motivation and information about the benefits of using innovations.
Modern web technologies allow everyone to create a website for your service business that easily captures and retains visitors’ attention. Thus, the purpose of placing QR codes is to motivate people to go to this attractive web resource. How do you achieve this?
- Offer quick access to the information that your customers need – a menu, a product catalog, a page with a detailed description of a service, etc.
- Offer a bonus or discount when using a QR code for payment – for example, some banks allow clients to use ATMs and terminals without commission by using QR codes in official applications.
- Make it possible to get a specific service using a code – skip-the-line booking, online application, etc.
- Get creative with your ad design by making the QR code an integral interactive part of it.
Versatility is the main advantage and feature of QR codes, making it ideal for most niches and FMCG businesses in general – from small coffee shops to large event agencies. If you do not know how to apply QR technology in your business area, study the activities of competitors or articles with examples of creative use. Feel free to use & try it anytime, anywhere, test and experiment.
In Conclusion
QR codes are perhaps the most accessible and understandable for the average user among the many marketing tools. It’s more than a traditional business card and more practical than a promotional brochure or flyer. Technical features allow everyone to encrypt a lot of information in a QR image presented in various data types. Custom design settings will enable you to personalize the QR code according to individual preferences and features of the business identity. The versatility and variety of placement methods also allow creators to be creative to motivate users better.
We hope that our research will help you find answers to how to create QR code for a website. Today I tried to develop a personal QR image for the first time, and I can confidently say it is really simple. QR technologies are a super powerful tool of the future, which is worth trying today before competitors start using one in large quantities.
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