Let’s take a wild guess about where you’re at in your journey: You’ve probably heard about and/or seen Instagram link(s) in bios and are wondering how to leverage those for your own business.
After all, those links are known for acting like some type of (social) signal, driving all the traffic back to your websites and ecommerce stores.
If that’s the case, then welcome to this article. Here, we’re discussing all the need-to-know details about Instagram links in bios (including what they are, their benefits, how to add and optimize them, and tips to make the most out of them).
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What’s an Instagram Link in Bio?
The Instagram link in bio is basically a link most creators and businesses add to their Instagram page that leads back to their official site. For example, here’s what the “link in bio” looks like for FrameStores, a company that deals with picture frame materials.
You don’t really need your Instagram bio to lead to one page (e.g., your website). Rather, it can be a landing page filled with CTAs (calls to action) about the places you want users to visit from there on.
For example, here’s what the landing page of the same company (FrameStores) looks like:
This social media management tool becomes their digital gateway, directing Instagram traffic and followers to explore their website or visit their brick-and-mortar stores.
5 Benefits of using an Instagram link in bio
There is quite a lot involved in good social listening. Let’s check out what it’s all about, starting with effective methods.
Now that you have some idea about what an Instagram link in bio looks like, let’s uncover its benefits:
- It avoids confusion (if you’re a small business, your followers won’t have to directly message (DM) you to ask about your prices, product features, etc.).
- It can help boost sales (e.g., many creators link to their merch websites in their Instagram bio links).
- It assists in promoting your work (e.g., you can link to a new project you worked on as a creator).
- It helps customers with resources/links to your brand to make them more aware of your offerings.
- It helps drive traffic to your website.
Side Note: If you don’t wish to create a landing page for these links but still have multiple resource pages you’d like your audience to visit, you’ll be happy to know that Instagram users get the option of adding a maximum of five links in their bios.
So, you can choose to use multiple links to drive traffic to different projects and websites.
Setting up your Instagram link in bio
Now that we have all the need-to-know information about Instagram bio links, let’s dive in and explore how to set these up.
Step 1: Create a profile for your business or brand
First up, before creating a bio, you’ll need to set up your Instagram profile.
If you’re already done with this step, then no stress, but we’d recommend creating a separate business/creator profile or changing your current personal profile into a business/creator one to leverage more of Instagram’s features.
If you wish to create a verified profile to boost trust and credibility, your account needs at least one post on your page and a profile image displaying you/your brand correctly.
From there, use the “Edit Profile” button on your Instagram. This button is available next to your bio, where you can add links. Ideally, choose to use a mobile device instead of a desktop to complete the task.
Step 2: Add links to your profile
Once you’re on “Edit Profile,” go to the links option mentioned and copy-paste the URL you want to add.
Some devices also require you to decide if it’s an external or an internal link, so feel free to use whichever option suits you.
On that note, please know that your links can only be a maximum of 150 characters — if you have a link that exceeds this limit, you can use URL shorteners. After this, if everything looks tip-top, click “Done.”
Step 3: Update your profile with a clickable link
Check your profile to see if the link fits in well or if it’s too cluttered/ends up ruining your aesthetics.
For instance, Pumpkin, a pet insurance company, makes good use of its link in bio without making its profile appear too crowded. Sometimes, less is more.
How do they do it? They carry the use of emojis throughout their bio to make it look clean and consistent. Plus, they place them strategically to draw attention to the link (where visitors can learn more about pet health and insurance information).
Once you place your link, you must decide the kind of content you want to create on your Instagram pages to drive traffic to those links and make them more clickable. Get your creative juices flowing.
Optimizing your Instagram link in bio
Have you added those links? Well, it’s time to optimize them, and here’s how to do that.
1. Utilize short but descriptive links
Instagram experts suggest using short and descriptive links (such as “Shop Now,” “Subscribe,” or “Learn More”) as they help drive more traffic to your Instagram pages because they completely communicate the intention of the link from the get-go.
If you choose to use a random link like “https://www.yourwebsite.com/search?q=keyword+keyword&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBgg” it’s not going to be too appealing to look at. More importantly, it’s not going to clearly communicate the value of clicking on that link.
Short and descriptive links are necessary if you wish to enhance the user experience and increase click-through rates.
2. Consider multiple links and URLs
Some experts believe your link in bios shouldn’t satisfy just one use case. Instead, it should link to multiple use cases that call for CTAs (e.g., about us information, shipping page, sustainability report, job description, resources, etc.).
Looking back at Pumpkin as an example, their link in bio offers two CTAs.
- The first navigates to their quote page at pumpkin.care
- The one below takes you to their careers page, where they list available positions
You can link to multiple pages by leveraging Instragm’s allowance of five links in bio, or creating a landing page for your link in bio, whichever option suits you the best.
To make the process of linking to different resources easier, you can:
- Leverage a marketing platform to keep track of all your links
- Analyze the ideal links you need to push and at what time
- Create a link page on your existing website
- Use a social scheduler
Doing so helps you plan a variety of content around your links but will also help you capture leads.
3. Incorporate creative visuals and call-to-actions (CTAs)
Instagram is a great place for brands to connect with their audience and drive more traffic to their websites.
But what makes Instagram so useful for driving traffic? It’s simple: the platform has been built from the ground up with visual engagement in mind.
That also gives us more insight into what people want to see from our link in bio landing pages (hint: it’s engaging visuals and improved CTAs).
Tailor Brands’ Instagram page is a perfect example of effectively using an Instagram link in bio. They draw in the user’s attention using Instagram Story Highlights.
But that’s not all. They also incorporate a short snippet of what they do and a link that directs potential customers to their homepage. From there, they first see an engaging visual and a CTA to start their LLCs.
The branding elements are consistent and provide a seamless customer journey. The result? Higher conversion rates (and lower bounce rates).
3 Tips for getting the most out of your Instagram link in bio
Next up on the list are the expert-backed tips and tricks on links in bios. Learn what to do and what not to do with these links.
1. Place attention-grabbing links at the top of your page
When you create content on your Instagram page to drive traffic to your links, try to ensure it leverages the right keywords and contains plenty of HD-quality images with vibrant colors.
Also, try to end every piece of content with a CTA and remind the reader that there’s a link in the bio at the top of your Instagram page that they should click on to learn more about the content you’ve been working on.
2. Include relevant and timely content on your page
Let’s be honest with ourselves: Not many people are going to read about NFTs these days, but back in the day, content on a topic like this would get all the clicks.
So, if you want to drive traffic to the links in your bio, you’ll need to create relevant and timely content to engage with your audience and keep them updated about the latest happenings of the world.
For example, you can link to new episodes of a podcast or blog post.
Last but not least, try to engage your audiences with interactive content like quizzes, polls, content that requires discussion, contests, memes, etc.
Aside from just improving engagement, doing so will even help improve the user experience and make people want to follow you.
You can also consider leveraging hashtags to make your Instagram page and content more findable.
Wrap up
If you hope to optimize and drive traffic to your Instagram link in bios even further, you need to invest time and money into understanding your Instagram analytics to see what type of content works well and what doesn’t.
And that’s where Keyhole steps in.
Our solution provides you with all the social media analytics you need. From conversations about your brand, how users interact with your content, and how metrics are performing, we’ll even show you insights on competitors and trends.
To get a complete understanding of Keyhole’s offering, sign up for a free trial.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should I put in my Instagram link in bio?
Most businesses leverage those links to drive traffic to their website or ecommerce stores. Some magazines use them to drive traffic to their news stories.
2. How do you get people to click the link in your bio?
Use short, descriptive links that clearly communicate the benefit of clicking on them.
Go to your profile and click on the “Share Profile” button next to “Edit Profile.” You can share your profile with a link, send it to your contacts, or leverage a QR code.