# Story Link Click Tracking

Source: https://support.exposure.co/en/articles/13360153-story-link-click-tracking/

_Understand which links drive engagement in your stories._

* * *

## Overview

Story Link Click Tracking shows you exactly which links your readers click within your published stories. This helps you understand what content resonates with your audience and optimize your storytelling for better engagement.

This feature is available exclusively to **Business plan** users.

* * *

## Privacy-First Design

We built Link Click Tracking with privacy as a core principle. Here’s how we protect your readers:

### What We Track

-   ✅ **Link URL** – Which links are clicked
    
-   ✅ **Link text** – The anchor text of the link
    
-   ✅ **Click count** – How many times each link is clicked
    
-   ✅ **Device type** – Desktop, mobile, or tablet (aggregated)
    
-   ✅ **Click-through rate** – Percentage of story views that result in link clicks
    

### What We Don’t Track

-   ❌ **Personal information** – No names, emails, or identifiable data
    
-   ❌ **IP addresses** – We hash IPs immediately; raw addresses are never stored
    
-   ❌ **Cookies** – No tracking cookies are used
    
-   ❌ **Cross-site tracking** – We only track clicks within your stories
    
-   ❌ **Individual reader behavior** – All data is aggregated and anonymized
    

### How We Protect Privacy

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Protection</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Description</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Anonymous by default</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Click events contain no personally identifiable information</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>IP hashing</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">IP addresses are one-way hashed before storage</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>No cookies</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Works without setting any tracking cookies</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Author-only access</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Only you can see your link click data</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Opt-in tracking</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">You must explicitly enable tracking for each story</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

* * *

## How It Works

1.  **Enable tracking** for a story in Story Options or the Pre-Publish modal
    
2.  **Publish your story** with links in the content
    
3.  **Readers click links** while viewing your story
    
4.  **View stats** in the Story Stats Panel or your Stats dashboard
    

When a reader clicks a link:

-   The click is recorded anonymously
    
-   The reader continues to the link destination with no delay
    
-   The click count for that link is updated in real-time
    

* * *

## Enabling Link Click Tracking

You can enable or disable link tracking for each story individually.

### From Story Options

1.  Open your story in the editor
    
2.  Click **Story Options** in the toolbar
    
3.  Find **Track Link Clicks**
    
4.  Toggle **on** to enable tracking
    

### From the Pre-Publish Modal

1.  Click **Publish** on your story
    
2.  Look for the Link Tracking section
    
3.  Toggle **on** or **off** before publishing
    

When enabled, you’ll see a green indicator: “Link clicks in this story **will be tracked**”

When disabled, you’ll see: “Link clicks in this story **will not be tracked**”

* * *

## Viewing Link Click Stats

### Story Stats Panel

The fastest way to see link clicks for a specific story:

1.  Open a published story in the editor
    
2.  Click **Story Stats** in the toolbar
    
3.  View the **Story Link Clicks** section
    

You’ll see:

-   **Total click count** across all links
    
-   **Click-through rate (CTR)** – percentage of views resulting in clicks
    
-   **Top clicked links** – ranked list showing link text, URL, and click count
    

### Stats Dashboard

For an account-wide view:

1.  Go to **Stats** from your dashboard
    
2.  Link click data is included in your story performance metrics
    

* * *

## What Links Are Tracked?

Link Click Tracking automatically monitors:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Link Type</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Example</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Tracked?</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Content links</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Links in your story text</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅ Yes</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>CTA buttons</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Call-to-action buttons you add</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅ Yes</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Footnote links</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Links in footnotes or captions</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅ Yes</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>PDF downloads</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Download buttons on attached PDFs</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅ Yes</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Social share buttons</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Share to Twitter, Facebook, etc.</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌ No</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Internal anchors</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Links starting with #</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌ No</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Navigation links</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Site header/footer links</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌ No</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

* * *

## Understanding Your Link Stats

### Click Count

The total number of times a specific link has been clicked. Each click from a unique session is counted.

### Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The percentage of story views that resulted in at least one link click:

```
CTR = (Total Link Clicks / Total Story Views) × 100
```

A higher CTR indicates your links are relevant and well-placed within your content.

### Top Links

Links are ranked by total clicks. Use this to understand:

-   Which topics interest your readers most
    
-   Which calls-to-action are most effective
    
-   Whether link placement affects engagement
    

* * *

## Tips for Using Link Tracking

### Optimize Your Content

-   **Test different link text** – “Learn more” vs. “See the full gallery” may perform differently
    
-   **Consider placement** – Links earlier in stories often get more clicks
    
-   **Use descriptive text** – Clear, specific anchor text helps readers decide to click
    

### Build Better Stories

-   **Track product links** – See which products resonate with your audience
    
-   **Monitor resource links** – Understand what supplementary content readers want
    
-   **Analyze CTA performance** – Optimize your calls-to-action based on data
    

* * *

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does link tracking slow down my story?** A: No. Tracking uses a non-blocking request that doesn’t delay the reader’s navigation to the link destination.

**Q: Can I see who clicked my links?** A: No. All click data is anonymous. You see aggregate counts, not individual reader information.

**Q: Does this work on mobile?** A: Yes. Link tracking works on all devices and browsers.

**Q: What if I disable tracking after publishing?** A: Existing click data is preserved. New clicks simply won’t be recorded until you re-enable tracking.

**Q: Are affiliate links tracked?** A: Yes. Any link in your story content is tracked, including affiliate links.

**Q: Is there a limit to how many links can be tracked?** A: No. All links in your story are tracked automatically when the feature is enabled.

**Q: Can I export my link click data?** A: Link click data is currently available in the Story Stats Panel. Full CSV export is coming soon.

* * *

## Plan Availability

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Plan</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Link Click Tracking</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Free</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌ Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌ Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro Plus</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌ Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Business</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅ <b>Full access</b></p></td></tr></tbody></table>

Upgrade to Business to unlock Story Link Click Tracking and see exactly how readers engage with your content.

* * *

## Need Help?

If you have questions about Link Click Tracking, we’re here to help:

-   **Email:** [hello@exposure.co](<mailto:hello@exposure.co>)

* * *

_Last updated: January 2026_

* * *

## Need help?

Use the [Exposure contact form](<https://exposure.co/contact>).