How LinkHarbor counts

The numbers in your statistics come straight from the servers that deliver your page, without pixels and without scripts from other providers. This article explains what is counted, what is not and why other tools arrive at different results. Where to find the numbers is covered in Dashboard key figures and Page statistics.

#What is counted

View

Every time your published page is delivered to a browser, including a reload.

Click

Every click on a link on your page that is redirected to its destination.

Unique

Views and clicks where each visitor counts only once. LinkHarbor recognises returning visitors by a cookie with a random visitor ID that lasts one year.

Source

Country, device, referrer and UTM parameters of the view. The IP address is not stored, only an encrypted hash.

#What is not counted

• Bots, crawlers and search engines such as Googlebot or Bingbot
• Link previews from WhatsApp, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Slack, Telegram, Discord and other services
• AI crawlers, SEO tools, monitoring services and programming libraries
• More than 120 views per minute from the same IP address; the page is still shown
• The preview in the Page Builder and “Preview ↗”, because they show the draft
• A second view when a visitor switches from the Instagram or TikTok browser with “Open in browser”

The last point prevents double counting: the view was already counted in the app. LinkHarbor still credits clicks after that to the app as the source.

#What is counted although you might not expect it

Your own visits

LinkHarbor does not tell you apart from other visitors. If you open your page often, the views go up. In the unique views your browser counts only once.

QR code scans

A scan opens your page and counts like any other view. If you want to analyse scans per printed code, use a short link.

Visitors with several devices

Someone who opens your page on their phone and on their laptop counts as two unique visitors, because every device and every browser has its own cookie. The same applies when someone deletes cookies or uses a private window.

#Why other tools show other numbers

Differences from Instagram, TikTok, Google Analytics or your shop are normal. The most common reasons:

• Platforms such as Instagram or TikTok count the click on your bio link in their app; not every click leads to a complete view of your page, for example when someone goes straight back
• Every tool filters bots differently
• Tools with a pixel or script only count when the script runs in the browser; ad blockers often prevent that, while LinkHarbor counts on the server
• A click on your page counts at LinkHarbor; whether the destination page then loads completely is only counted by the destination page
• Different time zones: page statistics count days in UTC

#Time ranges and plan

How far back your statistics go depends on the plan: Creator Free shows 30 days, Creator Pro and Creator Agency 365 days. If you choose a longer range than your plan covers, the dashboard shortens it without telling you. Details in Page statistics.

New views and clicks do not appear in the statistics in the same second. If you have just tested, reload the statistics after a short while.

#Privacy

The statistics work without scripts from other providers. The visitor ID is a random number with no link to a name or e-mail address, and the IP address is only processed as a hash. Which cookies are involved is explained in Cookies and storage on your page.