“Link in bio” should be the new tagline of Instagram.
Every time we beg for links in the captions of our photos, the staff behind good ol’ Eye Jee seems to hear “Make it more like TikTok!” every time. Which leaves users reeling. And Reeling.
But more to the point: to solve this, a myriad of services have popped up to help small business owners and content creators neatly link appropriate destinations in their bio. Some will create mirrors of the Instagram grid, and allow you to click on a linked photo. Others have a list of buttons with the most popular URLs.
I could list those services for you. Sure. It’s my mission as your friendly neighborhood social media superhero to save you from the perils of the Internet.
Or, I could give you a better idea:
Use your website instead.
Just a few months ago, Squarespace added a feature for you to create your own link in bio page. Even before that, regardless of whichever website builder you had, it was simple to design a new page with “links” added to the end of the URL.
Squarespace made this move because they know that your website is the hub of your content. It’s where your story, your products, and your services all live. All of your other links and pages are joining the party there, too. By redirecting your users from one page on there to another, you’re keeping it consistent and clean. Wouldn’t you want to keep it on your website?
Otherwise, you’re missing out on analytics.
“Numbers do not lie. Politics and poetry, promises. These are lies.”
— Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, Pacific Rim
If your website is hooked up to Google Analytics, it’s already reporting on your traffic. It’s telling you whether your users are coming from Instagram, perhaps because you posted a lot in relevant hashtags. Or that they’re coming from your email list because you promised a discount there from an exclusive coupon. You even have the ability to see which buttons on your links page are getting the most clicks.
Finally… you’re avoiding having to sign up for one more thing.
You’re already paying for a place where your community is *already* heading. Why add on the costs of another service? And on top of that, why sign up for another site that you need to maintain? When your link in bio page is already integrated into your website, you don’t have to keep switching back and forth between maintaining the two editors.
On top of managing your orders and bookings, social media scheduling, social media content, and your life, you want things easier. But easier doesn’t always mean better, for you or your brand.
Regardless, I pray that Allah ﷻ makes your online and real-life endeavors easy.
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This social media advice is “free sabil illah.” Please share with business owners, nonprofit board members, and your local masjid uncle. Leave a comment to let me know what you’d like to learn about social media.