We’ll kick this article off by saying that we LOVE Instagram! It’s such a fabulous tool for marketing your business and connecting with others all over the world.
That said, one of the biggest drawbacks for entrepreneurs and businesses is that Instagram only allows you to put one link on your profile. Unless of course, you have over 10,000 followers, then you have the ability to add the “swipe up” feature to your stories.
While you can insert a link into your feed posts, it’s not clickable, nor can the user copy and paste it. This means that most of us are left to put our one link in our profile section. Because of this, the link in your bio is critical for driving traffic to your website, so you have to be intentional about how you use it so you can maximize the benefits!
While you can change the link in your bio every time you post in your feed or stories, that can get exhausting and annoying quickly.
Linktree came along a few years ago and changed the way we all use the link to our bio. Linktree lets you easily allow followers to see multiple links at once, choosing the one they’re interested in.
But is Linktree the best way to get users to your website? Not so much…
The problem with Linktree is that you’re not sending your Instagram users directly to your website. Instead, they’re going to a third-party software first and then you’re hoping that they continue through by clicking on your link and going to your website. Basically, you’re using a middleman.
Another downfall to Linktree is that if you want it to have a branded look that matches your website, you have to pay for it, which is a bummer especially since you’re likely losing traffic by using this software anyway.
Wouldn’t it be better to send your audience directly to your site and capture as much traffic as possible? Of courseit would, and you can!
We’re going to show you how to create your own Linktree for Instagram that sends people directly to your site, allowing you to capitalize on all the traffic while letting your users dive right into all the goodness that you’re sharing with them.
If you want to see way more traffic to your website or blog, ditch that Linktree and follow these instructions to create your own!
Step 1: Create a new page on your site
The first thing you’re going to do is create a new page on your site or blog. You can title the new page “Linktree” or “Link page” or “Instagram Links,” whatever you like.
Step 2: Create your buttons
If you’re familiar with Linktree then you know that there are eye-catching buttons that call your users to click on the one they’re interested in learning more about. You can replicate them easily using a program like Canva. You can create similar buttons by customize your size preferences and branding by using the “layouts” feature in Canva. When you have your buttons how you want them, go ahead and save them to your computer.
If you want to save time and aren’t interested in creating images that you need to upload, you can simply use the button feature provided by your website host. These buttons are typically what you would use as call to actions such as “contact” or “learn more”
Step 3: Add your links
In this next step, you’re going to insert your buttons into that Linktree page that you created on your site in step 1. You can add them in and position them however you want them. The easiest way is to format them to mimic the look of Linktree, going vertical down the page.
Depending on what platform you use for your website, there are a couple of ways to add your links to your buttons. You can insert your links related to your button when you’re adding the photo to the page by using the “link-to box” and choosing "custom URL". Be sure to always check the box that says “open link in new tab.” This will help keep people on your site.
Step 4: Add Your Custom Linktree to Instagram
Now that you’ve created and published your page on your website. Head over to Instagram and change the link in your bio to the new page you created. Pro tip: you don’t need to add this page to your site’s navigation since this is specially designed for your Insta profile.
That’s it! You now have a custom Linktree that takes your visitors directly to your website. And you can go in and change the buttons any time you want. Go ahead and give this a try on your website and keep track of how much more traffic you get by doing it this way!
Want to take a peak at what our DIY linktree looks like? Check it out here.
Want more tips on how to get your website to rank higher? Check out our previous blog here.