# Short-link clicks and event-page visits: reconciliation sheet

Copy this sheet for each short link and event edition. Use aggregate counts only; do not enter visitor identifiers. A click, a page session and a ticket order are different measures.

## 1. Route and owners

| Field | Fill in |
|---|---|
| Event and edition | |
| Published channel and post or QR placement | |
| Exact short URL | |
| Short-link account and report owner | |
| Configured long URL | |
| Final URL observed on phone | |
| Final URL observed on desktop | |
| Is the final page on the organizer-owned site, an external event page, or checkout? | |
| Analytics property and page owner, if this is an owned site | |
| Any other routes to the same page | |

If the short link lands directly on an external event or checkout page, stop comparing its clicks with sessions on a separate organizer website. Ask the destination owner which aggregate report, if any, is available.

## 2. Define and align the measures

| Check | Short-link report | Event-site analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Tool and exact report name | | |
| Metric label and definition | Bitly Link clicks, not total Engagements if QR/Page sources are mixed | Landing-page sessions for the owned destination, if GA4 is used |
| Exact URL/path filter | | |
| Date and time window | | |
| Report time zone | | |
| Additional filters or history limit | | |
| Report owner and export/screenshot date | | |
| Observed aggregate count | | |

Do not calculate a “lost attendee” or “lost sale” number from the difference.

## 3. Published-route check

| Test | Result / evidence | Owner and follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Click once from the published channel on a phone | | |
| Confirm the final event edition and path | | |
| Confirm campaign parameters survive, if used | | |
| Repeat on desktop | | |
| Verify the analytics tag on the organizer-owned destination | | |
| Check whether the short-link dashboard separates link, QR and page sources | | |
| Check whether another path also reaches this event page | | |

## 4. Explain only what the evidence supports

| Observation | Possible explanation to test | How to test without claiming certainty |
|---|---|---|
| Link expansions exceed tagged-page sessions | Automated expansion, page load failure, blocked or absent tag, or non-identical metric definitions | Check route, tool definitions, tag state and a controlled visit. Do not presume which explanation applies. |
| GA4 source appears as direct | Redirect may lose referral details; ad blocker may interfere with traffic-origin identification | Inspect final URL and campaign parameters on a controlled visit. |
| Event-page sessions exceed this link's clicks | Other links, search, direct navigation or active-session behavior | Record other channels and avoid assigning all sessions to the short link. |
| Counts change after a dashboard refresh | Filter, time zone, processing or history-window differences | Recheck both reports with recorded settings. |

**Report sentence:** “For [period and time zones], [short-link tool] recorded [count] [precise metric] for [URL]. [Analytics tool] recorded [count] [precise metric] on [destination page]. The measures observe different steps; [verified finding]. [Open uncertainty or next check].”

Primary references: [Bitly metric definitions and mismatch causes](https://support.bitly.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059892572-Why-doesn-t-the-number-of-clicks-in-Bitly-match-the-clicks-in-my-other-accounts), [GA4 sessions](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9191807), [GA4 Landing page report](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/12931766), [GA4 direct traffic](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/15258820).