What are some best practices for designing a user-friendly and easy-to-use link tracking script in PHP?

When designing a user-friendly and easy-to-use link tracking script in PHP, it is important to create a clean and organized interface for users to input their links and track their performance. Utilizing a user-friendly form with clear instructions and error handling will enhance the overall user experience. Additionally, implementing a secure and efficient database structure to store and retrieve link tracking data will ensure smooth functionality.

<?php
// Sample code for creating a user-friendly link tracking script in PHP

// Connect to database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "link_tracking";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Create form for users to input links
echo "<form method='post' action='track.php'>";
echo "Enter your link: <input type='text' name='link'><br>";
echo "<input type='submit' value='Track Link'>";
echo "</form>";

// Handle form submission
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
    $link = $_POST['link'];

    // Insert link into database
    $sql = "INSERT INTO links (url) VALUES ('$link')";
    if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
        echo "Link tracked successfully!";
    } else {
        echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $conn->error;
    }
}

$conn->close();
?>