what is qr code

We all know that one of the keys to great SEO is making sure you keep your website updated, new and fresh. Whether you do this with a blog, or you change your homepage with new offers, coupons or new products, it serves to show Google that your site is “alive.” For many small businesses in particular, this is a real challenge.

What Are QR codes?

They come to us from Japan where they are very common. QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone). They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone. You may soon see QR Codes in a magazine advert, on a billboard, a web page or even on someone’s t-shirt. Once it is in your cell phone, it may give you details about that business (allowing users to search for nearby locations), or details about the person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet.

The reason why they are more useful than a standard barcode is that they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including url links, geo coordinates, and text. The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, many modern cell phones can scan them.

In this process, known as mobile tagging, the smartphone’s owner points the phone at a QR code and opens a barcode reader app which works in conjunction with the phone’s camera. The reader interprets the code, which typically contains a call to action such as an invitation to download a mobile application, a link to view a video or an SMS message inviting the viewer to respond to a poll. The phone’s owner can choose to act upon the call to action or click cancel and ignore the invitation.

Static QR codes, the most common type, are used to disseminate information to the general public. They are often displayed in advertising materials in the environment (such as billboards and posters), on television and in newspapers and magazines. The code’s creator can track information about the number of times a code was scanned and its associated action taken, along with the times of scans and the operating system of the devices that scanned it.

Dynamic QR codes (sometimes referred to as unique QR codes) offer more functionality. The owner can edit the code at any time and can target a specific individual for personalized marketing. Such codes can track more specific information, including the scanners names and email address, how many times they scanned the code and, in conjunction with tracking codes on a website, conversion rates.

The technology for QR codes was developed by Densa-Wave, a Toyota subsidiary. The codes were originally used for tracking inventory.

Here are a few examples of QR codes in current use:

•  QR codes on business cards link to the individual's full resume or website.

•   A Starbucks promotion featured a QR code-enabled scavenger hunt involving hints accessed through QR codes in the stores.

•  Quiring Monuments in Seattle puts QR code on gravestones to connects people to an online obituary or a website about the deceased.

•   In Florida, the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge puts QR codes on signs to connect people to informational videos about wildlife along the trails.