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What is a ‘Link in Bio’?
You’ve heard it before, but here’s a quick breakdown. A “link in bio” typically refers to a clickable hyperlink or URL that is placed in a user’s social media profile, often in the “bio” or biography section. This link allows followers or visitors to easily access external websites, content, or resources that the user wants to promote or share.
The concept of a link in bio is especially popular on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, where there are limitations on the number of hyperlinks you can include in individual posts or tweets. By placing a link in their bio, users can direct their followers to a single, centralized location where they can find various links to different websites, products, blog posts, videos, or other content.
For example, an Instagram user might have a link in their bio that leads to their personal website, an online store, a YouTube channel, a portfolio, or even a specific product or promotion they want to highlight. This approach helps users share multiple resources with their audience without the constraints of individual post or tweet character limits.
To access the content associated with a link in bio, users simply click on the link provided in the profile description or bio, and they are redirected to the designated web page or destination. This method is commonly used by individuals, businesses, influencers, and content creators to drive traffic to their online content and engage with their audience more effectively.
How can I create one for my social media account?
There are a number of tools available for you to create your own link-in-bio landing page. Below are the top performing and most-used options:
Linktree
Linktree allows its users to create a mobile-friendly ‘tree’ of links. It is used by 40 million+ users around the world, and is by far the most popular option. Features include brandable landing pages, interactive elements, analytics and more.
Lnk.Bio
Second on the list is the aptly named Lnk.Bio, a Black Women-owned platform. With around 700,000 creators using this platform, it offers brandable, mobile friendly pages, interactive elements and custom domains.
Later
Later is one of the leading social media platforms, used by agencies and businesses around the world to manage their social media channels with powerful scheduling and strategy tools for a variety of social media channels. Later also provides to its users an equally powerful link-in-bio tool with features such as brandable pages, ‘featured banners’ for highlighting content and products, and integration with popular email marketing tool Mailchimp.
Bitly
Bitly is a link-shortening tool that has been around for a long time, and now, adding to its suite of features, offers link-in-bio pages that work seamlessly with their existing features. Users can create custom links and design branded pages with optional custom domains in addition to other features like URL tracking, UTM parameters and QR codes.
What’s best for your business?
Using one of the above options is a great way to quickly create a link-in-bio if you’re just getting started. While each offers a range of benefits, there are a couple of downsides to using these platforms.
Loss of Traffic = Poor SEO
One thing we see from a website and SEO perspective is that these platforms hog traffic that could be leading to your own website. When users click on your link in bio, they are directed to a landing page hosted on one of the platform’s servers. This means that they receive the all-powerful traffic that could be boosting your website rankings on search engines and website credibility.
Limited Customisation Options
The issue we’ve encountered with these and various ‘drag and drop’ platforms is the limited functionality and customisation options available. Users are often forced to work around rigid structures and designs, forcing them to either pay for upgraded packages or be stuck with limited features.
Design wise, brands are constrained to the limitations of these platforms, which can result in poorly represented brands on landing pages that are viewed and interacted with by large numbers of followers and potential customers.
Our Recommendation
If you have an existing website, or even a domain, it is easy to build one yourself or with the help of a developer. Here are a couple of advantages:
Cost
You already have your own domain and website, so there’s no need to spend more on a product that doesn’t fully meet what is actually required to build your brand and increase your website’s online credibility and ranking.
Branding
The design of your link-in-bio page is completely up to you, so you are able to follow your own brand guidelines to help ensure your brand is recognisable across your media and communication outlets.
Boost your Ranking
The great thing is that you get to direct traffic back to the website you’ve spent so much time developing. This, in turn, increases your site visitors and your website’s credibility on search engines, pushing your site up through the search results pages.
How do I do it?
Create a new page on your website, with the same links you would have in a traditional link-in-bio. Links such as ‘Our latest Post’ could lead to your blog page, ‘About Us’ to more information about your business, ‘Shop Now’ to your online store page and so on. Other great additions include your social media links, an opt-in form to grow your email marketing database and any other relevant links that could help grow your brand and business.
Summing Up
A link-in-bio is a powerful tool used on social media platforms to showcase your business offering and content through one link. They’re often used on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, where bios are limited and there isn’t much room for a fully-fledged brochure, blog or online store.
While there are a number of platforms available that offer users simple link-in-bio tools with customisation options, unlimited links and more, we have found that the best way to build your brand recognition and credibility, as well as increase your website’s search engine ranking is to use a page on your own website to serve the same purpose.
Curious?
Get in touch with us or book a free branding or web consultation to find out how we can help you build your brand and online presence.
