How to Safely Share Short URL Performance Without Sharing Your Account

Running marketing campaigns often requires proving link click performance to advertisers or collaboration partners. However, this always brings up a dilemma.

Sharing your entire account information is a security risk, while taking screenshots every time is time-consuming and cumbersome.

Fortunately, there is a smart solution to this problem: the 'Password Protected Statistics' feature. This allows you to selectively share performance data for specific links without exposing your account information.

The Data Sharing Dilemma Faced by Marketers

Let's look at a common scenario in the field. If you are a marketer at an advertising agency, you need to report campaign performance to clients regularly. If you work as a freelancer, you often need to prove link click-through rates to project partners.

Previously, there were three main options:

• Sharing Full Account Info: The simplest but most dangerous option. The other party gains access to other link data and settings.
• Sending Screenshots: Secure, but requires manual work every time, which is a hassle.
• Organizing into Excel: The most professional, but very time-consuming.

But now, you don't need to use these methods. There is a safer and more efficient way.

Password Protected Stats: The Core of Selective Data Sharing

The principle behind Password Protected Statistics is very simple. If you set a password for a specific short link, external users without an account can view the performance page for that link just by knowing the password.

The key point is that they can see only the data for that link. They have absolutely no access to other link statistics, account settings, or personal information. It's like a hotel key card that gives access only to a specific room (link).

Benefits of This Method

• Security: Your account information is fully protected, and you can selectively disclose only the desired data.
• Convenience: Set it once and just share the link; no need to write reports every time.
• Real-time: Partners can check the latest data directly, increasing transparency.
• Control: Deleting the password immediately revokes access, ensuring data protection after the project ends.

Secure Data Sharing in 3 Steps

Using this feature is surprisingly simple. It takes just 3 steps.

Step 1: Set a Password for the Short Link

First, go to the settings page of the short link you want to share. Find the 'Password Protected Statistics' option and enter your desired password.

Since you will share this password with a partner, it is recommended to use a combination that is difficult to guess.

Step 2: Generate the Statistics Page URL

Now it's time to create the address to share. The method is very easy. Just add /stats to the end of the original short URL.

For example, if the short link is vvd.bz/spring-sale, the statistics page address becomes vvd.bz/spring-sale/stats.

Step 3: Send the Link and Password

Send the generated statistics page URL and the password set in Step 1 to your partner. For security, we recommend sending the URL and password via different channels (e.g., email and messenger).

When the partner accesses the address, a password entry screen appears. Entering the correct password allows them to view the link's performance data.

Visible Data and Important Notes

What information can partners see through the password-protected statistics page?

Key Metrics Provided

• Total Monthly Clicks: You can check the total number of times the link was clicked.
• Unique Visitors: You can see the actual number of visitors excluding duplicates, allowing for more accurate performance measurement.

These two metrics alone are sufficient to understand the reach and engagement of a campaign. From an advertiser's perspective, they can intuitively check the return on investment.

Note for Free Plan Users

If you are using the free plan, there is one limitation. You can only view data for the recent 3 days. If you need to share long-term campaign performance, you might want to consider a paid plan.

However, for short-term projects or weekly reporting, the free plan is more than enough.

Stopping Data Sharing

What should you do when a project ends or you no longer want to share data? The solution is very simple.

Just delete the password you set. As soon as the password is deleted, the statistics page becomes non-existent, and no one can access it. It effectively enables complete blocking.

5 Real-World Scenarios

This feature is useful in various practical situations.

1. Monthly Reporting for Ad Agencies

If you are an agency reporting campaign performance to clients monthly, sharing the stats page link allows clients to check real-time data whenever they want. This significantly reduces the time spent creating separate report documents.

2. Sharing Influencer Collaboration Results

When conducting influencer marketing, providing a dedicated short link to influencers and allowing them to check their post performance builds a transparent collaborative relationship.

3. Affiliate Marketing Partner Management

When working with multiple affiliate partners, providing separate short links and passwords to each partner allows you to track individual performance independently while keeping account information secure.

4. Freelancer Project Proof

If you are a freelancer wanting to add performance results to your portfolio, you can show the statistics page to potential clients with the consent of your current client.

5. Real-time Monitoring for Event Campaigns

For time-sensitive event campaigns, allowing team members or stakeholders to monitor performance in real-time enables quick decision-making.

Tips for Security and Efficiency

Here are some tips to use the password-protected statistics feature more effectively.

Password Management Strategy

• Use different passwords for each project. Even if one password is compromised, data for other projects remains safe.
• It is recommended to use a combination of letters and numbers with at least 8 characters.
• Delete the password immediately after the project ends to prevent unnecessary data exposure.

Communication with Partners

• When sharing the link for the first time, briefly explain how to view the data.
• Instead of asking them to check data regularly, emphasize that they can check it themselves whenever they need to.
• When important milestones are reached, sending a separate notification can encourage partner engagement.

Maximizing Data Utilization

• Analyze the ratio between total monthly clicks and unique visitors to understand the link's revisit rate.
• Identify traffic patterns by time of day to optimize future campaign timing.
• Compare the performance of multiple partners to identify the most effective channels.

Before & After: Innovation in Data Sharing

Let's compare the changes before and after introducing this feature specifically.

As a result, you can reduce security risks to 0% while cutting down reporting time by more than 90%.

A New Standard for Marketing Transparency

In the digital marketing environment, transparency is no longer a choice but a necessity. Clients and partners want to know exactly what results their investments are producing.

The Password Protected Statistics feature is a balanced solution that meets these needs while protecting the marketer's account security. Beyond simply sharing data, it helps build a collaborative culture based on trust.

You no longer need to face the dilemma of whether to share account information or not. Start safe and efficient data sharing with the simple method of adding /stats after the URL.

The next time you need to report performance to a partner, try using this feature. It will be a smart choice that saves time and builds trust.