Short URL
The brief address a dynamic QR code encodes, which redirects onward.
A short URL is a compact address that redirects to a longer one — the mechanism underneath every dynamic QR code. Its length matters directly: shorter means fewer characters to encode, a lower version, larger modules, and a more robust printed code.
The slug. The part after the domain identifies one code. Good slugs avoid easily confused characters (I/l/1, O/0) so that a code read aloud or typed by hand is less likely to be mistyped.
Reuse is the hazard. When a code is deleted, its slug must be retired permanently rather than returned to the pool. Reissuing it would mean someone else's printed material starts directing scans to an unrelated destination — which is worse than a dead link, because it is silent.
Custom domains. Most platforms allow a dynamic code's short URL to use your own domain, so a scan shows your brand rather than theirs. The cost of this varies enormously: some include it on mid tiers, and Uniqode lists it as an add-on at $2,000 per domain per year (checked 2026-10-04).
In practice
scanmeplz.com/s/k3n9xq2 is 29 characters and encodes to a version 3 code,
29×29 modules. The destination it points at might be 300 characters long with
campaign parameters, and the printed pattern does not care.
Note the slug alphabet. Ours excludes i, l, o and
u, so a code read aloud over the phone or typed from a poster is less likely to
be mistyped — and u is excluded partly so that randomly generated slugs cannot
accidentally spell something unfortunate on a customer's signage.
Questions
Can I choose my own slug?
Many platforms allow custom slugs on paid plans, which makes a printed URL readable as well as scannable — useful when a poster shows both.
What happens if two codes get the same slug?
They cannot. Slugs are unique and checked at creation. More importantly, a deleted code's slug should never be reissued, or someone's printed material would start sending scans to a stranger.