Most entrepreneurs would agree that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & TikTok are one of the biggest drivers of traffic to their website or online shop. Social media platforms are fantastic for growing brand awareness in terms of the traditional sales funnel, but when it's time to move leads or prospects towards consideration & conversion stages (i.e., making the sale), you will have to lead them to your website, shop, catalog, look-book, or menu. Or perhaps you might have to move them from one social platform to another. And what about blog posts, customer reviews, collaboration posts, podcasts, virtual workshops, etc.?
Your link in bio is the key to your kingdom on Instagram. It is the one place on Instagram that allows you to have a clickable link.
In this article, we discuss what does link in bio mean, what are the benefits of using it, how to put a link in an Instagram bio & what tips you can use for placing links in your bio effectively.
Table Of Content:
- Why Does Your Brand Need An Instagram Link In Bio?
- What Kinds Of Links Can You Add In Link In Bio?
- How To Put A Link In Instagram Bio?
- Can I Put More Than One Link In Bio?
- Link In Bio Tools
- Tips For Creating & Using The Instagram Link In Bio Feature
- Why Is The Instagram Link In Bio Not Working?
- But There's One Disadvantage Of Using Link in Bio
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What Does Link In Bio Mean?
Most social media platforms provide opportunities for users to inform about their business. For instance, you can provide information about your business or company in the "About" section on Facebook. Similar opportunities exist on LinkedIn & Twitter.
However, Instagram remained the only social platform without a direct link in bio for the longest time. The reason for this lies in the nature of the Instagram architecture, as it does not permit adding clickable links anywhere within its interface.
Image Source: Instagram
The situation changed fast enough & now a single hyperlink can be inserted in the Instagram bio. "The link in bio" indicates a clickable URL appearing in your Instagram profile description. This link can provide essential information about your business & your products.
Usually, people include the link to their corporate website or business page & contacts to get in touch with their company. People also add a link in bio that contains a collection of other links.
Why Does Your Brand Need An Instagram Link In Bio?
As a savvy entrepreneur, your online presence is diversified across a few social platforms.
You might have several things going on at the same time, like a seasonal sale, a fresh blog post, the arrival of an exciting new product, or a project you are working on. Stoking all these fires can be incredibly time-consuming. It's hard to harness the collective impact of all content across different profiles.
Image Source: Instagram
But with a Link in Bio, you don't have to worry about giving detailed instructions to your followers on how to find your content or adding different links on different social channels. You only need one link for all of your platforms; it's a universal link that will redirect any of your followers to exactly where they would like to go.
Here are some more benefits of using a link in bio:
- You can lead your audience to the bottom of the sales funnel
- You can drive traffic to your website
- You can easily redirect users to the right page
What Kinds Of Links Can You Add In Link In Bio?
Some of the most common types of links that appear in popular Instagram bio are:
- Merchandise/Self Promotion: These links are created by people who have created merchandise that they would like to promote, such as branded t-shirts or books.
- Company Website: This link is added in the link in bio when a brand or company wants to link directly to their website or online store.
Image Source: Instagram
- Other Social Media Links: Such types of links are intended to cross-promote one's other social media platforms, like their Twitter account or YouTube channel.
- Affiliate Links: These links allow users to get a commission from purchases made at online stores like Flipkart and Amazon.
- Sponsorships & Partnerships: Advertising links from sponsors that pay an amount for a spot in an account's bio.
- Bio Links: Contains a link that leads to a page with many other links. Adding such a link in bio has become an increasingly common practice. This is a good workaround for the lack of a way to place multiple links in the Instagram bio.
Image Source: Instagram
Some people even add the following:
- The newest blog post
- A new YouTube video
- An email list
- A lead intake form
- A link to schedule a discovery call
- An online portfolio
- A demo reel
You can use the link in bio to promote literally anything that fits inside Instagram's community guidelines. These are just a few examples. Some people even place their PayPal or Venmo accounts into their bios to make it easy for their audience to find their payment details.
How To Put A Link In Instagram Bio?
It's very easy to add or update the link in bio on Instagram. You can use Instagram's mobile app or its website on your desktop to do so.
How To Put A Link In Your Instagram Bio On The App?
Here's how to put a link in Instagram bio using the Instagram mobile app:
Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your mobile device. Login to your account if you are not logged in already.
Step 2: Tap your profile photo icon on the lower right-hand corner of your screen to go to your profile page. Tap on "Edit Profile."
Step 3: Add the link you wish to add to your Instagram bio in the "Website" field.
Step 4: Tap "Done" in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen to save your changes.
How To Put A Link In Instagram Bio On The Desktop?
Here's how to put a link in Instagram bio on desktop:
Step 1: Go to Instagram. Log in to your account if you are not logged in already.
Step 2: Click on your profile avatar on the upper-right-hand side of your home screen. From the menu that opens up, click on "Profile" to go to your profile page.
Step 3: Click the "Edit Profile" button right next to your username.
Step 4: Enter the link that you want to include in your Instagram bio in the "Website" box.
Step 5: To save your changes, click "Submit" at the bottom of the page.
And that's it – now, even you have a link in your Instagram bio!
Can I Put More Than One Link In Bio?
Even though Instagram allows you to add only one link in bio, several accounts add more links in their "bio." In the bio section, they type out the entire URL of the other link they want to add. However, doing so has its own share of issues. Such links are always unclickable, like the one in the below example:
Image Source: Instagram
Such unclickable links will ruin your social media goals.
Also, multiple links tightly packed in your Instagram bio will turn into useless text. Most of your followers won't even bother to copy & paste such URLs in their search bar. You won’t be able to add links with UTM parameters as it will only make the text of bio appear bulky. This is why you need to get creative.
But using multiple links in your bio allows you to promote different products or pieces of content at the same time. This cross-promotion technique can boost your website traffic, views, and readership without any additional marketing activities.
In such a scenario, it's best to have a link containing a collection of other links you wish to add to your bio. Sound's confusing? Several link in bio tools allows you to do the same. And you don't have to worry about which link to add and which not to add in your bio.
Link In Bio Tools
When you want to share links to multiple pages in your bio, it's better to use a link in bio tool. These tools allow you to create a custom landing page that houses all the links you want to share. You simply need to add the URL of this landing page in your Instagram bio for your followers to access all links you want. Here are 4 links in bio tools that you can use:
1. Linktree
Linktree is an excellent option for anyone who wants an affordable link in bio solution. Its free version comes with pretty robust features, allowing you to add unlimited links & customize them with images & icons. If you want to unlock even more customization features like removing the Linktree logo & replacing it with your own, you should opt for the Pro plan.
Image Source: Instagram
2. Lnk.Bio
Lnk.Bio is also a great option as it allows you to add unlimited links even with the free plan. Its paid plans let you create custom URLs that fit with your branding & even schedule link updates.
Image Source: Instagram
3. Feedlink
Feedlink is a powerful link in bio tool from EmbedSocial. It comes with mobile-optimized landing pages that look great on any device. It also allows you to keep an eye on your performance by tracking the click stats for every link. To get a 360-degree view of your performance, you should combine these stats with reports from Instagram Insights. Similar to Linktree, Feedlink also offers a free version that's suitable for small accounts. Additional features are available with its paid plans.
Image Source: EmbedSocial
4. Tap Bio
Tap Bio is a link in bio tool that allows you to create mini-websites for your Instagram bio. Its USP is its resemblance to Instagram Stories, which means you can create vertical slides with a similar design. You can promote a single CTA (call to action) here or attract attention to several products just like you do with Instagram Stories. Also, your Tap Bio address is customizable. The service has pre-made templates for different social platforms.
Image Source: Tap Bio
Tips For Creating & Using The Instagram Link In Bio Feature
- If you want to share more than one link, create a custom landing page: You can host multiple links in a central place using landing places to make your more content accessible to users. You can group together pages like sales, contact information, customer reviews, new products, or other social media pages.
Image Source: Linktree
- Test your link on both the mobile & desktop app: This will ensure that the link works on every version of the app & opens to the correct website.
- Periodically update the content present in the links: New content allows new & recurring followers to see all types of products or services you provide. Adding new content regularly to your link in bio will also increase engagement if your posts remind your followers of the content available in the link.
- Remind followers of the link in your bio regular through your posts: This will benefit people who promote their products in their Instagram posts as your followers can also learn that a highlighted product will be available for purchase through your link in bio.
Image Source: Instagram
- Use linkable profiles or hashtags in your bio: Instagram allows users to include tag Instagram profiles or Instagram hashtags in the text of their bios. This may be useful for brands having multiple Instagram accounts or having specialized hashtags tailored to their brand or a campaign.
Image Source: Instagram
- Consider shortening long links with a URL shortening tool: Many times, users mistake long links for spam. Shortening the links can clarify that your links are trustworthy & minimize the space the link occupies.
Image Source: Instagram
- Edit & update your link as often as you want: Instagram doesn't limit the number of times you add or remove links from your link in bio. Edit your link as often as you can & include as much fresh content as you can.
- Disable pop-ups on your landing page: Your link in bio is designed to get your followers to take a specific action. It might be signing up for your newsletter or taking another step in your sales funnel. You might have succeeded in that, but a pop-up will make you look unprofessional. Pop-ups provide a bad user experience & come across as annoying, especially on a mobile device where the screen real estate is limited.
Why Is The Instagram Link In Bio Not Working?
Even after adding a link in bio, if it's not working, then it's because you are not using it the right way. It might be due to the following reasons:
- You have not updated your Instagram app
- You are not adding the link in the right section
- The URL is invalid, that fails to load or might even land your users on error 404
- There's a typo in the URL
- An Instagram bug caused your link in bio to not work
- Instagram has blocked your link in bio
But There's One Disadvantage Of Using Link in Bio
Instagram's algorithms encourage marketers to post regularly. That means you can promote different products or services with your every post.
Let's say you publish a post today that invites users to check out your link in bio. And once you replace that link, it's no longer relevant for your older posts. In other words, you will be directing people to the wrong page. Many of them would get confused trying to find a non-existing link in bio mentioned in your previous post.
As a solution, you need to update older posts & delete the 'Link in Bio' mention.
Also, replacing the link in bio every time you put out a new post that directs people to the link in your bio would be a daunting task, to put it lightly.
TL;DR
Your Instagram link in bio is absolutely crucial for sharing links. Brands utilizing their link in bio correctly are able to drive traffic to their website, monetize their Instagram audience, & promote their latest merch or products.
Inserting your website or store URL in the Instagram link in bio is great. However, if you wish to get the most out of that one link, a link-sharing tool will help you do more such as sharing multiple links, showcasing videos, & cross-promoting different social media.
Get ready to transition your followers into customers using the Instagram link in bio.
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