Document Tracking
See who opened a PDF or HTML page, how long they spent and how far they got. Ask for an email, limit access to a list, get open alerts and watermark PDF pages.
What document tracking does
Document tracking is a paid feature for PDF and HTML links. Your link's Analytics page gains a Viewers section showing who opened the document, when, and how many times, and a list of recent visits with approximate country and device. What else it records depends on the kind of document.
PDFs. Visitors read the PDF in Linkyhost's viewer, which records how long each page was on their screen. The Viewers section shows total reading time per reader and how many pages they read, plus the average time spent on each page and the share of visits that reached it. A page counts as read once it has been the main page on screen for at least a second.
HTML pages. The page opens exactly as you uploaded it, scripts, drop-downs and animations included. Linkyhost records how long it was open and in use, how far down it was scrolled, and how many times the visitor clicked on it. It never records what they clicked on or typed. The Viewers section shows each viewer's total time, the furthest point they scrolled and their clicks.
Time only counts while the tab is visible and someone has scrolled, moved, tapped or typed in the last minute, so a tab left open overnight does not inflate the numbers.
Turn it on
- Open the dashboard and choose Manage on a PDF or HTML link.
- Under Track who reads this PDF (or Track who views this page), choose Set up.
- Pick the options you want and choose Turn on tracking.
Tracking settings can be changed or turned off at any time from the same panel. Turning tracking off keeps the history you already collected.
Options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Require an email to view | Visitors enter their email address before the document opens, so each reader is named in the Viewers section. |
| Only allow these people | Limit the document to listed addresses or whole domains such as @yourcompany.com. People on the list confirm their address with a six-digit code we email them. |
| Email me when someone opens it | Sends you an email when a reading session starts: at most one per reader every six hours, one per hour for anonymous visitors, and 50 a day in total. |
| Watermark pages | PDFs only. Draws the reader's email address and the time across every page as it is shown, and turns off download and print. Requires an email. |
Without an email requirement, visits are recorded anonymously with the same detail.
Password protection and document tracking work together: visitors enter the password first, then their email. Both work on your own custom domain.
What viewers see
Before entering an email, visitors are told that you will see their address, when they opened the document and what is recorded about their visit: time on each page for a PDF, or time, scrolling and clicks for an HTML page. Readers stay signed in to the document on that browser for up to seven days. Removing someone from the allow-list takes effect on their next visit.
Limits and honesty
- Reading time is measured in the reader's browser. It is a strong signal, not proof that someone read every word.
- Scrolling is measured on the page itself. A page that scrolls inside a panel rather than the whole window, as some app-style layouts do, reads as seen in full.
- Multi-file websites (ZIP uploads) can't be tracked yet.
- Visits from your own browser, when you open the link from the dashboard, are not counted.
- Link previews in chat apps and other automated visits are not counted as readers.
- Watermarks and blocked downloads discourage leaks. They are not DRM: a determined reader with developer tools could still extract the original file.
- Reading sessions are kept for one year, and reader emails for one year after their last visit. Deleting the link or your account, or the link expiring, deletes them straight away.
See Analytics for the view counts, referrers and countries that every link has.