QR Codes: A Micro Friendly Guide
QR codes have an interesting past. I’d say that it’s actually quite lucky that they’ve managed to make the come back that they have. QR codes were actually invented in 1994! The interesting thing is that in the early 2010s we saw a big boom of people using QR codes, but they were somewhat clunky for the end-user because they required downloading 3rd party apps to scan them. Often these apps were full of ads and on android some of the apps were borderline malware. As IOS and Android updates have added QR scanning as a convenient built-in feature we’ve seen big surges in the use of QR codes! According to Bluebite, there was a 96% growth in QR Code Reach reported from 2018 to 2020.
So, QR codes are clearly gaining more and more traction. If you’ve been out to eat recently you’ve probably seen codes on restaurant tables as a way to access their menu. If you want to use them in your business what’s the best way to do so?
Free is Micro, Micro is Free
When considering our recommendations regarding which websites we’d recommend, the top priorities for us were free (free trials not considered), very fast process, and easy to setup. The reason we didn’t consider free trials as valid options is that we wanted to recommend a website that you can go back to over and over again and get the same result. We’re not recommending that a micro business pay for QR codes, make a new trial account every time they need one, or waste time signing up for a trial to immediately cancel it afterward.
When you google “QR Code” generator there are tons of different ones battling for your clicks! It’s crazy! If you’re overwhelmed you’re not alone! During my research, I even found 2 generators that are the exact same just rebranded to try and get more traction! Lots of these services provide things that 90% of micro businesses don’t need, but it can be difficult to know before you spend time making the QR code as they often don’t mention that they expect you to pay until you’re trying to download it!
The main thing you should know is whether you need a static or dynamic QR code. Paid plans often include some types of analytics, but for most micros, their use of QR codes probably isn’t heavy enough to justify paying for these.
Static vs Dynamic
Static QR Codes: Static codes are most often free, some generators still ask you to sign up though . If you just want the QR code to go to a specific place and don’t anticipate needing to change the URL these are the best option.
Dynamic QR Codes: Dynamic QR codes involve a redirect where the scanner is first sent to the generator’s website then to the URL that you’ve specified. These codes are good when you’re putting a code somewhere that it will stay for a long period of time, or where you might not have easy access to change the code to a new one.
If you have a web host who is responsive they should be able to help you set up your own dynamic QR codes to avoid paying a monthly fee for QR codes… This looks like creating the QR codes for a URL that you own like www.yourbusiness.com/xyz-QRcode and setting that URL to redirect to the location you need it to. That way if the final location’s URL ever changes you just have to update the redirect with the new URL and you’re off to the races. Not only does this option save you from the monthly fee it also makes sure that if there’s ever a problem with the redirect they still land on your website instead of some generic QR code generators website.
Reccomendation
The best all-round choice for micros is:
QR Code Monkey is my choice because, as their website states, they’re “THE 100% FREE QR CODE GENERATOR”. They were bought out by a paid QR code generator, and because they’re a free service they don’t have paid ads running, so they’re a little bit less likely to be seen. When I searched for a QR code generator there are always 4 paid listings before the first regular listing which can make it easy to miss QR Code Monkey.
For free you can:
Create static QR Codes from a huge number of types (URL, Text, Email, Phone, VCard, Location, Facebook, etc.)
Select your own custom colors easily
Add your logo to the code if desired
Choose from a wide selection of styling options
Choose how large or small you’d like the file to be
And select from PNG, SVG, PDF, and EPS file types!
QR Code Monkey is a great option for micro businesses because it’s free, simple, and doesn’t require an account to create a code.
A couple of notes when using it though. The main one is that when you make changes to the design you have to click the “Create QR Code” button underneath the preview to see the changes reflected. The other thing is that when you click download it will make a pop-up ad for the paid QR code generator who bought them. I don’t like the add because it can be confusing and might make you think you need to pay, but your QR code will have downloaded in the background. Other than the ad they’re a great generator to use!