QR Codes can embedded URL for taking the user who snaps it with their cell phone to a web page. I have seen many BAD examples of this. The user is viewing the web site on their mobile phone, make sure that the web site the QR Code points to is optimized for  a cell phone!

QR Codes do not have to be static and only point to a single webpage, they can be made to change the web page they point to without changing the QR Code! Adding a “Querystring” with additional data  to the Qr Code (?d=1) allows for tracking and/or redirection to other pages using the SAME QR Code in the future.

A URL with the data would be  http://www.somesite.com/?d=1. Anything after the ‘?’ in a URL is called the “Query string”, which allows web programmers to read the data contained in the query stirng. If the page is not programmed to read the data it is ignored;  in the future;  the page could be programmed to know that a QR Code scan with “d=1″ is from a particular piece of artwork and track the number of hits or redirect the page to another work or a page specified by the purchaser of the artwork.

The QR Code on the left will load a different Bible Verse each time it is scanned. The URL is http://qrcfun.com/wp/bible. Each time it is scanned the web page loads a different Bible Verse. The QR Code on the right will always load Bible Verse 10 from the list of 100 Bible verses. The URL is http://qrcfun.com/wp/bible/?d=10. I can  easily change the web page loaded by the QR Code on the right with a small amount of web programming without changing the URL! I have complete control of the QR Code now, where is points to now and in the future. If a 0 is passed as ‘d’, the instructions are shown. Try it here: http://qrcfun.com/wp/bible/?d=0

If your page is not programmed to use the Querystring, it will simply be ignored! Make sure to include a query string in all you URL QR Codes, just in case you wish to change the URL in the future! Use a question mark , a letter, equals sign and a value.

Check out the QR Code Girls page for an silly example of this technique. The site contains no nudity. The models are in lingerie and swimsuits. Each girl’s photo has a QR Code similar to this http://qrgirls.com/qr.php?girl_id=2. Notice it points to the qr.php page and with the querystring girl_id=2. The photo of the girl displayed now can easily be changed without changing the QR Code!

I would have made the URL much simpler, http://qrgirls.com/qr?girl_id=2 or even http://qrgirls.com/qr?g=2  so the QR Code would be simpler.