How geo-targeting works
A geo-targeted link has a normal default destination plus a list of country rules. When someone clicks, urlf.ly looks up the country of the visitor’s connection. If a rule lists that country, the visitor goes to the rule’s URL. If no rule matches, or the country cannot be determined, they go to the default destination.
Rules use two-letter ISO country codes such as US, GB, DE, or BR. One line can list several countries that share a URL:
US,CA https://example.com/us
GB,IE https://example.co.uk/
DE,AT,CH https://example.de/A link can have up to 25 rule lines. If the same country appears twice, the later line wins. When a link also uses other routing, such as mobile targeting or an A/B split, a matching country rule takes priority.
How to set up a geo-targeted link
- Sign in and open the dashboard.
- Enter the default destination in Destination URL. This is where visitors from all other countries go.
- Open Advanced options and find Country rules.
- Add one rule per line: country codes separated by commas, a space, then the URL.
- Press Create link. You can change the rules any time from the link’s Edit page.
After the link is live, the Countries table on its stats page shows where clicks are coming from, which helps you decide which countries deserve their own rule.
Example: one link for three markets
Say you sell in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and you print one short link on your packaging. Set the destination to your international page, then add three rules: US https://example.com/us, GB https://example.co.uk/, and DE,AT,CH https://example.de/. A shopper in Manchester lands on the UK store, one in Vienna on the German-language store, and a visitor from Japan, who matches no rule, sees the international page.
Because it is one link, the printed code never has to change. If you open a new market later, add a rule on the link’s Edit page and the same packaging starts sending those visitors to the new store.
Ways to use country redirects
- Regional stores. Send shoppers to the store that ships to them and shows their currency.
- Language versions. Point Spanish-speaking countries at your Spanish page from the same printed link.
- Local offers and events. Run different promotions per market without making a separate link for each.
- App and service availability. Send visitors from countries you do not serve yet to a waitlist page.
Limits
Targeting is by country only; regions, states, and cities are not supported. Country detection is based on the visitor’s IP address at the time of the click, so people using a VPN or proxy are matched to the country of that service.
Geo-targeting is part of the paid plan. You can upgrade from your dashboard. If your account later moves to a plan without geo-targeting, the link keeps working and sends everyone to the default destination.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to visitors from countries without a rule?
They go to the link’s default destination, the URL you entered in Destination URL.
How many country rules can one link have?
Up to 25 rule lines. Each line can list several countries that share one URL.
Which country codes should I use?
Two-letter ISO 3166 codes, for example US for the United States, GB for the United Kingdom, and DE for Germany.
Can I target cities or states?
No. Geo-targeting works at the country level only.