Retargeting pixels. Fire pixels on the redirect. Retarget everywhere.
Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn pixels via a brief HTML splash. Only the links you opt in show the splash; everything else stays a fast 302.
- Server-side pixel firing on every redirect
- Meta CAPI, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn — all supported
- Per-link toggle — only fire where needed
- GDPR consent-gate built in
Redirecting you…
You will arrive at the destination shortly.
Your pixels fire. The user barely notices.
How it works
Pixels fire before the user reaches the destination
The redirect serves a minimal HTML splash page. Your pixel tags are rendered server-side, fire in parallel on page load, and a JavaScript timer forwards the user to the destination — all within ~1.5 seconds. The user barely notices.
- 1Step 1
User clicks
elido.me/promoAny channel — email, QR, social, affiliate.
- 2Step 2
Splash loads
~40 msEdge serves minimal HTML with pixel tags rendered server-side.
- 3Step 3
Pixels fire (parallel)
~50–200 msAll four platforms fire simultaneously on page load — no sequencing.
MMetaGGoogleTTikTokinLinkedIn - 4Step 4
302 redirect
1.5 s timerJavaScript forwards user to destination. Click event queued to Redpanda.
Per-link assignment
Different campaigns, different pixel audiences
Most tools fire all pixels on every link. Elido assigns pixels per link — your mid-funnel nurture email and your cold-prospect social post build separate retargeting audiences, even on the same custom domain.
- Toggle per linkEnable only the pixels that make sense for each campaign
- Pixel IDs are workspace secretsLink creators toggle by name; pixel IDs never surface to guests
- Bulk assignment via APIPATCH /v1/links/:id with pixel_ids, or bulk via CSV import
- Campaign-level defaultsSet a pixel list on a campaign; all links inherit unless overridden
- elido.me/launchProduct launchQ2 Campaign
- elido.me/promoNewsletter promoEmail blast
- elido.me/aff123Affiliate — TechCrunchAffiliates
- elido.me/docsDev docs shortcutInternal
<script> tags after the user clicks Accept — not on page load. No external CMP dependency.Privacy compliance
Consent-gated pixel firing for GDPR
Enable consent-gate mode and pixel scripts are not injected until the user clicks “Accept”. Users who dismiss are forwarded to the destination with no pixel firing. The mechanism is a small inline JS snippet — no external CMP dependency required.
- Prior explicit consent before pixel injection
- Dismiss = redirect with zero pixels fired
- No external CMP required
- Workspace-wide setting — applies to all opted-in links
- Satisfies EU ePrivacy Directive requirements
What you can do
- Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn supported
- 1.5-second JS redirect timer
- Per-link show_splash toggle
- Branded splash with your logo (Business)
How server-side retargeting pixels work on the redirect
Client-side pixels on destination pages miss all external, affiliate, and third-party landing pages you don't own. Elido fires pixels during the redirect before the user reaches the destination.
HTML splash page fires pixels server-rendered, then JS-redirects after 1.5 seconds
When a short link has the show_splash flag set, the edge-redirect service serves a minimal HTML page instead of a bare 302. The page contains the configured pixel tags (Meta Pixel, Google Ads remarketing, TikTok Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag), a branded header if configured, and a JavaScript meta-refresh that redirects to the destination after 1.5 seconds (configurable: 1–5 seconds). Pixels fire on page load — before the user reaches the destination. The splash is only shown for links where you've explicitly opted in; all other links remain 302 redirects with no HTML overhead. The 1.5-second timer is a practical minimum to let pixel network calls return before the page navigates away; shortening it below 1 second may result in incomplete pixel fires on slow connections.
Meta CAPI, Google Ads remarketing, TikTok Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag — all four simultaneously
You can attach any combination of the four supported platforms to a single link. Each pixel is configured workspace-wide (your pixel IDs and access tokens entered once in workspace settings), then toggled per link or per campaign. Meta Pixel fires the PageView event and, if a conversion is configured, the CompleteRegistration or Purchase event depending on what fires downstream. Google Ads fires the remarketing snippet (global site tag + send_to parameter) for audience inclusion. TikTok Pixel fires the PageView standard event. LinkedIn Insight Tag fires the global script — LinkedIn doesn't support custom event types in the redirect context. All four fire simultaneously on page load; there's no sequencing dependency. Pixel IDs are workspace-level secrets — individual link creators can enable pixels per link but can't view or change the pixel IDs.
Consent-gated firing: pixel only fires after the user accepts the splash-page prompt
If your legal basis requires explicit consent before retargeting (EU GDPR, UK GDPR, PECR), the splash page can be configured in consent-gate mode: the pixel scripts are not injected until the user clicks 'Accept and continue'. Users who dismiss the prompt are redirected to the destination with no pixel fire. This is implemented via a small inline JavaScript snippet that conditionally appends pixel script tags after button click rather than on page load. Consent-gate mode is a workspace-wide setting; you can't configure it per link. The consent interaction is not logged on Elido's side — the prompt state lives in the browser only. For audit purposes, you should log consent decisions in your own CMP if required by your legal basis.
Business plan: replace the generic Elido splash with your own logo and brand colors
On the Business plan, the splash page displays your workspace's logo and primary brand color rather than the generic Elido loading screen. This matters for brand consistency when retargeting pixels are used on links shared directly with end users (email newsletters, social posts, PR campaigns). The branded splash is configured in workspace settings: upload a logo (SVG or PNG, recommended 200×60px), pick a hex background color, and optionally override the redirect-timer copy. The splash still shows the destination URL so users know where they're going — this transparency is required for trust and in some jurisdictions for compliance. The HTML template for the splash is not fully customizable; the structure is fixed and the branding layer is the logo and color. Full custom splash HTML is not supported.
Different campaigns, different pixel audiences — pixel assignment at the link level, not domain level
Most retargeting implementations fire all pixels on all visitors to a domain, which conflates audiences from different campaigns and funnel stages. Elido assigns pixels per link, so your 'Mid-funnel nurture' email campaign fires a different pixel audience than your 'Cold prospecting' social post — even if both use the same custom domain. Link-level assignment means your retargeting audiences remain clean and campaign-specific. Bulk-assign pixels to multiple links via CSV import or the API (PATCH /v1/links/:id with the pixel_ids array). Campaign-level default pixels are also supported: set a pixel list on the campaign, and all links created in that campaign inherit it unless overridden at the link level.
Marketing teams using Elido retargeting pixels
Names are placeholders — real customer case studies land here as they are published.
“We were losing Meta Pixel fires on every affiliate link and third-party checkout URL we shared. Elido's splash-page pixel fires all four platforms before the user hits the destination — we rebuilt our retargeting audiences in two weeks.”
“LinkedIn Insight Tag fires from redirect lets us build retargeting lists from every outbound link in our newsletter — not just visits to our own domain. The link-level assignment keeps our mid-funnel and bottom-funnel audiences separate.”
“The consent-gate mode was the deal-breaker for us. We needed GDPR-compliant pixel firing, not just a checkbox in the settings. The optional accept-prompt is straightforward and our legal team signed off within a day.”
Elido retargeting pixels vs Bitly vs Rebrandly
Neither Bitly nor Rebrandly offer redirect-level pixel firing. This comparison is frank about what they do instead.
| Feature | Elido | Bitly | Rebrandly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel firing on redirect | Yes — HTML splash fires pixels before destination | Not available | Not available |
| Supported platforms | Meta, Google Ads, TikTok, LinkedIn (all four simultaneously) | Not available | Not available |
| Per-link pixel assignment | Yes — each link gets its own pixel combination | Not available | Not available |
| Consent-gate mode (GDPR) | Yes — opt-in prompt before pixel fires | Not available | Not available |
| Branded splash page | Business: your logo + brand color | Not available | Not available |
| Redirect speed (no splash) | 302 — no HTML overhead on non-pixel links | 302 — fast redirect | 302 — fast redirect |
| Splash timer control | 1–5 seconds, configurable per workspace | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Retargeting pixel questions
Will the splash page hurt SEO for my short links?
No. Google Bot and other known crawlers are excluded from the splash — they receive a standard 302 redirect to the canonical destination. The AASA / assetlinks.json files and all structured data follow the fallback destination. The splash only fires for human user agents on links where show_splash is explicitly enabled.
What is the pixel fire success rate on a 1.5-second splash?
At 1.5 seconds on a standard 4G mobile connection, the Meta Pixel, Google Ads, and TikTok Pixel typically fire successfully in under 500ms. LinkedIn Insight Tag can occasionally take 800–900ms on congested connections. If you are operating in regions with slow mobile internet, increase the splash timer to 2.5–3 seconds for better LinkedIn fire rates. The splash page itself loads from Elido's edge POP under 50ms — the timer is the bottleneck, not page load.
Can I fire a pixel on a link that redirects to a domain I don't own?
Yes — that is exactly the primary use case. The pixel fires from the Elido splash page before the user reaches the third-party destination. You don't need any access to the destination domain. This covers affiliate links, partner landing pages, App Store links, and any other external URL you share via Elido short links.
Does consent-gate mode cover GDPR requirements completely?
The consent-gate prompt is a mechanism to collect consent before firing tracking pixels — it satisfies the 'prior explicit consent' requirement for ePrivacy Directive purposes. However, your full GDPR compliance posture depends on your privacy policy, your DPA agreements with Meta, Google, TikTok, and LinkedIn, and how you manage consent records. Elido does not log consent decisions. If your supervisory authority requires a consent audit trail, you must implement that separately in your own CMP. Use Elido's consent-gate as the UI mechanism, not as a complete compliance solution.
How do I bulk-assign pixels to 500 links in an existing campaign?
Use the API: PATCH /v1/workspaces/{ws}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/links with a body containing pixel_ids and a filter (e.g., all links without pixels assigned). Alternatively, export links to CSV, add a pixel_ids column with comma-separated pixel IDs, and re-import — the CSV importer supports pixel_ids as an optional column. The dashboard has a 'bulk assign pixel' action in the campaign links table that covers up to 100 links per action.
Are pixel IDs exposed to users who can create links?
No. Pixel IDs and access tokens are workspace-level secrets, visible only to workspace admins. Link creators see the pixel names ('Meta Pixel', 'LinkedIn Insight Tag') and can toggle them per link, but cannot view or modify the underlying pixel IDs. This prevents accidental leakage of ad account identifiers to contractor or guest accounts.
Can I use retargeting pixels on the free plan?
No. Retargeting pixels are a Pro and Business feature. On Free, all redirects are bare 302s with no pixel support. You can see the pixel configuration UI in the dashboard on Free, but the show_splash toggle has no effect until you upgrade.
What happens if a pixel platform is down when the splash fires?
The pixel script tag is injected into the page — if the ad platform's CDN is unreachable, the script simply fails to load. This does not block the redirect timer; the user is forwarded to the destination after the configured timer regardless of whether all pixel scripts returned successfully. Pixel fire failures are not logged by Elido — monitor audience size in your ad platform's audience manager to detect systematic pixel fires failures.
Keep reading
Server-side revenue attribution via Stripe and Shopify webhooks — the conversion side of retargeting.
Campaign-level pixel defaults and A/B traffic splits — manage pixels at scale.
ClickHouse click analytics alongside pixel firing — see who clicked and which pixels fired.
Geo and device routing that runs alongside retargeting — route mobile to the app, desktop to the web, and fire the right pixel.