Using your own domain for QR codes on menus and marketing

Choose the address before generating the code

Start with the job the link needs to do: show a menu, open a booking page or provide product instructions. Give it an address that can stay useful after the campaign or supplier changes. A short path under your existing business domain is often enough; you do not necessarily need to register another domain.

A QR image containing a fixed URL does not change after printing. You can change what happens at an address you control, but you cannot rewrite the address stored inside an already printed symbol. Keep a note of the encoded URL and where each batch of print will be used.

Use a web page or redirect for a changeable destination

For a restaurant, example.co.uk/menu could serve the current menu or redirect to its current location. When the menu provider changes, update the page or redirect while keeping the printed entry address stable. Configure the HTTPS certificate and test the complete route, including any final third-party destination.

A DNS record does not perform this web redirect. NameUK’s DNS controls can connect your domain to a suitable host, while the website or forwarding service handles paths and HTTP responses. If using a hosted QR-link service, check its subscription, export options and what happens when you cancel. Some services route scans through an address they control.

Make the print usable without scanning

Place a readable URL beside the QR code and briefly say what it opens. Someone may be unable to scan, may have no suitable device, or may prefer to type the address. Government accessibility guidance recommends a text alternative rather than a QR code on its own.

Use descriptive wording such as a menu or booking instruction instead of leaving people to guess the destination. Check that the linked content is also usable on a small screen. A code leading to a tiny image of a large printed menu can be harder to use than an accessible web page with readable text.

Sources: GOV.UK Notify: QR codes and accessible alternatives ↗ · Nottinghamshire County Council: accessible QR codes ↗

Test the printed symbol rather than only the design file

DENSO WAVE specifies a clear margin of four modules around a QR symbol. Preserve that quiet area and use a high-contrast, undistorted code. Do not crop the edges or cover functional parts with decorative graphics. Choose a physical size appropriate to the scan distance and the amount of information encoded.

Print a sample on the intended material. Test it in the lighting where customers will use it, at a realistic distance, with different phones. Check the previewed URL and the final loaded page. Glossy surfaces, folds, poor contrast or a code placed around a curved object can change the result from what you saw on screen.

Sources: DENSO WAVE: QR code margins and print area ↗

Keep public QR signs trustworthy

The NCSC warns that QR codes can be used to conceal malicious destinations, including in phishing messages. A familiar printed domain helps people inspect the intended address, but it is not a guarantee that every code is trustworthy. Avoid asking visitors to install a special scanning app just to reach a normal web page.

Inspect publicly accessible menus, posters and signs for replacement stickers or damage. Keep the destination page clear about the business and the action it asks visitors to take. If a printed code is altered, remove the affected material and investigate the actual destination rather than simply printing another copy over it.

Sources: NCSC: QR codes and their risks ↗

Budget for the years the print will remain in circulation

A leaflet can stay in a kitchen drawer long after a campaign ends. A product instruction label may last much longer. Keep the domain renewed and the entry URL maintained for the expected life of that material. Add a recurring check for important printed links to your website maintenance routine.

Separate the domain renewal from the website, redirect hosting and any QR-service subscription. A free code generator does not make the domain or the destination hosting permanent. NameUK’s affordable UK registration and renewal prices below help you plan the domain cost; choose the print and hosting arrangement around the whole period you need it.