The Instagram platform was designed to keep things simple and easy to navigate for its users. The downside to this minimalistic design is that it can be limiting for creators and businesses. One specific limitation is only being able to add a single website link in the profile bio.

This post will review some helpful tools to optimize your bio link and why choosing the right link is essential.

Why you should optimize your Instagram bio link:

As we discussed, Instagram will only allow you to use one link in your bio. Another limitation the platform is it doesn’t allow you to place active links in posts. This can be problematic for creators and businesses who may want to promote a blog, product, and anything that would require their audience to go off-app, i.e. website or other application.

Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, Instagram does not allow you to provide a hyperlink as part of a post. Instead, Instagram's users must mention in each post to follow the ‘link in bio’ to view more content. Since there is only one link, for this to work, the link must be changed for each post depending on your promotion. This is a lot of work.

Fortunately, there are tools available to minimize this ongoing stress by allowing you to have a single link-in-bio which will take the user to a landing page with multiple links.

The first four tools are some of the more popular ways of creating a unique bio link, but keep reading as we’ll describe some best practices, which includes driving more traffic to your website.

Linktree

Linktree is one of the most popular multi-link options for Instagram. This tool offers a free version with the choice of nine different colour themes and an unlimited number of links. It will also give you insights on how many times someone clicked each link.

The downside of the free version is that you will have to display Linktree’s logo or upgrade to the paid version for $6USD/month.

Key features:

Unlimited links
Schedule you links
Link tracking
Email integration
Enriched analytics (daily and weekly link clicks, device and location data, etc)
Embedded videos
SMS link
Custom link thumbnails
Integration with Facebook, Mailchimp, Google Sheets, Twitch, Amazon Influencer Program, etc.
Team Access
Customizable fonts, header, background and button styles

To access your Linktree account, you will have to use a desktop or web browser. This tool is easy to use, but the biggest downfall of this technique is that the link displayed on your profile will always be promoted as a Linktree link - https://linktr.ee/your-username, rather than your website.

Price: FREE with limitation or $6 USD/month

Milkshake

Milkshake is one of the most customizable tools and is especially beneficial to those who do not yet have a website. This is essentially an easy website builder tool for those who are looking for easy customizations and no coding skill needed.

This app offers multiple different card styles to choose from that you can customize with your logo, colours and available font options. Add multiple cards to create a series of pages with your text, images, GIF’s, videos, blogs, podcast episodes, promotion links, and more.

Milkshake is best used for those wanting to showcase their bio or portfolio, or for those who do not yet have a published website. This is an excellent tool for influencers who want to present their top picks, must-haves, blog/video promotions and favourite resources.

Key features:

Easy to use
Mobile App
Free analytics for card views and link clicks
Create multiple accounts

Keep in mind that edits can only be made through the mobile app. Just like all the other multi- link tools, the link displayed on your profile will be marketed and branded as a Milkshake link - http://mska.ke/your-username

Price: FREE

Link.Bio

Link.Bio is similar to Linktree, offering a simple design. It is one of the more expensive multi- link tool options and compared to the other tools, many of their features are available only in their highest-priced package. But, Link.Bio does offer monthly packages and also a one-time package, per account (no monthly rate).

Key features:

Unlimited links
Link tracking analytics
Cross-link social media profiles Custom URL
Custom colours and background image
Scheduled links

Link.Bio can only be updated via a web browser, but it very easy to operate and customize. Just like all the other multi-link tools, like this one, is that the link displayed on your profile will be marketed and branded as a Link.Bio link - http://lnk.bio/your-username.

Price: FREE with limitations. The premium plan is USD .99/month or a one-time cost of USD 9.99. There is also a white-label option for a one-time purchase of USD 24.99

Linkin.bio

Linkin.bio is a multi-link platform designed by Later. This tool is a more advanced platform that allows you to recreate your Instagram grid that will enable you to add multiple links to an individual post.

Linkin.bio is a platform popular with sellers or influencers who want to showcase a product. It gives your audience an easier way to shop online by browsing through your feed for items instead of being redirected to a website.

Key features:

Shopify integration
Analytics - clicks, page views, and click-through stats Attach links directly to an Instagram post
Google Analytics tracking
Add up to 5 links per post
Scheduled links
Integrated with Later’s planning software

Linkin.bio essentially mirrors your Instagram feed and converts it to a mockup website. Therefore, you cannot customize your link outside of what you have already created in your Instagram grid.

The difference between this platform and Instagram shop tags is that Linkin.bio allows you to connect any URL, whether it’s a product or not. If you are already using Instagram shop tags, you can still use Linkin.bio

Cons to using Linkin.bio are that all links must be attached to a post. Just like all the other multi-link tools, the link displayed on your profile will be marketed and branded as a Linkin.bio link - http://linkin.bio/your-username/

Price: FREE with limitations. Paid plans start at $19 USD/month or $192 USD/year

Are there any other options for creating a link-in-bio for Instagram that does not include a third- party tool?
The short answer is yes.

The biggest downfall of using some of the tools listed above:

You are very limited with your customization.
URL is not completely customizable. It will always be branded toward that specific platform.
Not all have white-label options - meaning that the company’s logo will be branded on your link page
First link click is trafficked to your link-page and not your website. The rule of thumb is that you always want your audience to experience the least amount of clicks. The more time it takes them to get them to the required destination, the more opportunity it gives them to leave.

What do we do at Acornstudio.marketing?

Create an Instagram link landing page within your website.

The benefits of this:

No additional charges
URL is completely customizable
No unwanted logo’s or branding - brand it however you want it to be
Links are completely customizable
Add images, videos, audio, etc.
Direct traffic to your website
Enhanced website analytics

The website builder that we use at Acorn Studio Marketing is Squarespace. This is not a free website hosting platform, but it does allow us to create an unlimited number of pages. This technique has eliminated the extra cost to create a multi-link webpage for our Instagram profile link-in-bio.

Here are some tips:

Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly
Keep is simple and easy to navigate
Stick to your branding (colours, fonts, logo, etc.)
Short and simple titles
Clear call-to-actions

Now that being said, depending on the website platform you are using for your business, this might not be an easily accessible option. For example, if your website was created by a developer, you may not have access to creating new pages. If you can calculate how often you want to update your links, it may be something to discuss with the professional managing your website.

How to choose the right bio link tool?

Although each of these platforms provides many of the same features, it’s important to choose the tool that best aligns with your Instagram strategy goals. What outcome are you looking to get by using a multi-link tool? What campaigns do you plan on running? What kind of engagement are you hoping to get from your audience?

This is the time for you to do some research on your own. Find what tool best suits your needs and provides the most benefit to your social media marketing strategy.

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