Linktree: making smart use of your link in bio

Linktree is a link-in-bio tool: a single page with a list of clickable links that you place behind the one link social platforms allow in your bio, for example on Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn. Instead of constantly swapping your bio link between "shop now", "watch our latest video" and "sign up for our newsletter", you set up one link-in-bio page with all your destinations at once. This article covers what Linktree does and doesn't solve, how to set it up smartly, what you get free versus paid, and when a landing page on your own site is the better alternative.

What a link-in-bio tool solves

Social platforms usually give you only one clickable link: the bio link on Instagram and TikTok, and a limited number of links on LinkedIn and X. That becomes a problem once you want to highlight several things at once: your latest product, a current promotion, your newsletter, your latest YouTube video and your contact page. A link-in-bio tool like Linktree, Beacons or Later Link in Bio solves this by replacing that one link with a mini page full of buttons.

You'll recognize the pattern: someone posts "link in bio" under an Instagram post, and the visitor lands on a page with a stack of buttons instead of going straight to the destination. For content creators, influencers, small business owners and anyone who wants to send social traffic to multiple places, that's practical. For a webshop with one clear main goal (getting people to the shop), it's sometimes an unnecessary extra step, more on that below.

Who Linktree works for, and who it doesn't

Linktree works well for:

• Content creators and influencers who point to multiple destinations: their own shop, affiliate links, podcast, YouTube channel, collaborations.
• Small business owners and freelancers who attract clients via Instagram or TikTok and want to show their services, portfolio, booking link and contact details in one overview.
• Events and campaigns with a temporary need for multiple links (ticket sales, program, sponsors) where building a dedicated page isn't worth the effort.
• Artists and musicians who need to link to multiple streaming services at once (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube).

Linktree works less well for:

• Webshops with one main goal. If you mainly want people to click through to your shop, Linktree adds an unnecessary extra step. A direct link to a product page or collection often converts better than a detour through a list of links.
• Brands that care a lot about control over look and data. The free and entry-level tiers of link tools are limited in design, and you share platform data with a third party instead of keeping everything in your own Google Analytics or CRM.
• Businesses that already have a fast, well-built website. In that case a landing page of your own is often just as quick to build and gives you more measurement options, see the alternative further down.

The components of a link-in-bio page

A typical link-in-bio page consists of these building blocks:

• Profile section: profile photo or logo, name and a short bio text.
• Link blocks: buttons with a title and optionally a thumbnail image, linking out to external URLs.
• Social icons: buttons to your social profiles (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn) separate from the link blocks.
• Embedded content: paid tiers sometimes let you embed video, a Spotify player or a contact form directly on the page instead of only linking out.
• Theme and design: colors, font and background, with a limited number of themes in the free version and more freedom in the paid tiers.
• Analytics: an overview of visits and clicks per link, basic in the free version and more detailed in paid tiers.

Setting up Linktree step by step

1. Create an account at linktree.com (or a similar tool) with your email address or a social account.
2. Fill in your profile: upload a profile photo or logo that's recognizable from social, and write a short, clear bio text.
3. Add links in order of priority: put your most important destination (for example the current promotion or your latest content) at the top, since the top position gets the most clicks.
4. Sharpen thumbnails and titles. A clear title ("View the new collection" instead of "Shop") and a recognizable thumbnail increase click-through.
5. Add UTM parameters to every link (more on this below), so you can see in Google Analytics or your ad platform which link-in-bio click led to what.
6. Set a theme that matches your brand: colors and fonts that recognizably match your social profiles and website.
7. Place the link in your bio on every platform where you're active (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube channel description).
8. Keep links current. Remove expired promotions, move new content to the top and check monthly that all links still work.

Free vs paid

Linktree and similar tools run on a freemium model: a free basic version and paid tiers with more features. Roughly, the breakdown looks like this:

Linktree regularly changes what's included in which tier and adds features (such as AI-driven link optimization), so check the current structure and pricing at linktr.ee before you choose. The same goes for alternatives like Beacons, Later Link in Bio, Campsite or Milkshake: similar basic principle, with a slightly different focus (Beacons, for example, leans more toward creators selling products).

The alternative: a landing page on your own site

For many businesses, a landing page on your own domain is a better alternative than an external link-in-bio tool, for a few reasons:

• Full control over design. No limited theme, but a page that exactly matches your brand.
• All data in your own Google Analytics or CRM, instead of spread across a separate dashboard at a third party.
• Better SEO value. A page on your own domain contributes to your site's authority; a link page on an external tool doesn't do that for your domain.
• No dependency on a third party that can change its terms, prices or features.
• More flexible setup. You can place a Meta or LinkedIn pixel or tag directly on your own page for retargeting, something that's often not possible on an external link-in-bio page.

The practical setup: build a simple page on your own site, for example at a path like yoursite.com/start or yoursite.com/link-in-bio, with the same structure as a link-in-bio page (profile, a few clear buttons to your most important destinations). Put that link in your bio instead of an external tool. It takes a bit more setup than creating a Linktree account, but you gain control, measurement options and a bit of your own domain value.

The trade-off isn't black and white: a creator who wants to start quickly and doesn't have a website yet is faster with Linktree. A business with an existing, well-functioning website gains more from a page of its own.

Measuring: UTM parameters and what they show you

Whether you use Linktree or a page of your own, measurement is often where things go wrong. Without measurement you don't know whether that "link in bio" is actually delivering results.

UTM parameters are bits of text you add to the end of a URL so Google Analytics (or another analytics tool) recognizes where a visitor came from. The standard parameters are:

• utm_source: where the traffic comes from, for example instagram or tiktok.
• utm_medium: the type of channel, for example social or bio-link.
• utm_campaign: the name of the promotion or post, for example summersale2024 or new-collection.

An example: instead of just yoursite.com/shop, you use yoursite.com/shop?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=bio-link&utm_campaign=summersale2024 behind the button on your link-in-bio page. That way you can see in Google Analytics exactly how many visitors, and ideally how many conversions, came from that specific bio link, separate from other Instagram traffic.

Practical tips for UTMs:

• Use consistent, lowercase naming, otherwise Analytics will split Instagram and instagram into two separate rows.
• Give each button on your link-in-bio page its own utm_campaign or utm_content, so you can see what works per link, not just per platform.
• Build UTM links with a free Campaign URL Builder (from Google) instead of typing them by hand, that prevents typos.
• Check in Google Analytics under traffic sources that your UTM parameters come through correctly, before launching a bigger campaign.

Linktree's own analytics (free: basic clicks and visits, paid: more detail) show you how often a link was clicked, but not what happened afterward: did someone buy something, sign up, fill in a form? For that you need UTM tracking to your own Analytics, combined with goals or conversions you set up there. Read more about setting up that measurement in Google Tag Manager and making results easy to report in Looker Studio.

Real-world examples

Webshop running an Instagram promotion. A webshop launches a summer sale and posts "link in bio" under an Instagram post. Instead of just linking to the homepage, the shop sets up a link-in-bio page with buttons to the promo page, the newest collection and the newsletter sign-up, each with its own UTM campaign. After the promotion, they see in Google Analytics which button drove the most revenue, and use that insight for the next campaign.

B2B service provider on LinkedIn. A B2B company sharing content on LinkedIn uses a link-in-bio page with buttons to a whitepaper, a booking link for an introductory call, and the latest blog post. Since LinkedIn allows slightly more link space than Instagram, they also consider a simple page of their own instead of an external tool, to get leads directly into their CRM via a form on that page.

Local business (for example a salon or restaurant). A local business sets up a link-in-bio page with buttons to the menu or price list, a booking link and the Google Maps location. That's exactly the kind of simple, directly useful application Linktree is strong at: quick to set up, no technical knowledge needed, and for a small local business often enough without a page of its own being worth the effort.

Common mistakes

• Too many links without priority. A page with twelve equally weighted buttons loses visitors. Put your most important destination at the top and keep it uncluttered.
• Leaving outdated links up. A promotion that ended three months ago is still at the top. Check and clean up monthly.
• No UTM tracking. Without UTM parameters you never know which button actually drove results, only that clicks happened.
• Using Linktree when a direct link would work better. If you only have one clear goal (for example always pointing to the same product page), a link page is an unnecessary extra step that can cost conversions.
• Design that doesn't match your brand. A standard theme that doesn't resemble your social profile or website looks disjointed and reduces trust.
• No connection to your advertising. If you also advertise on Meta or LinkedIn, consider whether a link-in-bio page is the right destination, or whether a dedicated landing page with a pixel converts better for paid traffic.

Checklist for a good link-in-bio page

• Most important destination at the top
• Every link has a clear title, no vague button names
• UTM parameters on every link, with consistent naming
• Theme and colors match your brand and social profiles
• Expired links are removed or replaced
• Analytics are checked periodically, not just at setup
• You've considered whether a page of your own makes more sense than an external tool

Linktree and other tools

A link-in-bio page rarely works on its own. In practice you combine it with:

• Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for measuring visits and conversions from your UTM links, see Google Tag Manager.
• Looker Studio to report results clearly, see Looker Studio.
• Social media planning tools such as your content calendar, where you already decide which link should be in your bio for which post. Read more about broader social strategy in social media marketing.
• Advertising platforms like Meta Ads Manager or LinkedIn Campaign Manager: for paid traffic you usually prefer sending people to a dedicated landing page with a pixel rather than a general link-in-bio page.
• Canva to keep the thumbnails and visuals for your links consistent with your brand, see Canva.

Frequently asked questions about Linktree

Is Linktree free?

Yes, there's a full free version with unlimited links and basic analytics. Paid tiers offer more design freedom, more detailed analytics and extra features like scheduled links. Check current pricing and features at linktr.ee, since these change regularly.

What's the difference between Linktree and a landing page of my own?

Linktree is faster to set up and requires no technical knowledge, but you share data with a third party and are limited in design. A landing page on your own site gives you more control, better measurement options through your own Analytics, and contributes to your domain's value, but takes a bit more setup.

Do I need Linktree if I run a webshop?

Not necessarily. If you mainly want to send people to one destination (for example your shop), a direct link often works better than a link-in-bio page with multiple buttons. Linktree is mainly useful if you consistently point to multiple destinations.

How do I measure whether my link-in-bio is actually bringing in customers?

Add UTM parameters to every link (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign) and review the results in Google Analytics, including any conversions you set up there. The click counts in Linktree itself only show how often something was clicked, not what happened afterward.

Can I sell directly through Linktree?

On paid tiers of Linktree and similar tools like Beacons, you can sometimes showcase products and connect a payment provider, but it stays more limited than a real webshop. For serious selling, linking to your own webshop is usually the better route.

What are good alternatives to Linktree?

Beacons, Later Link in Bio, Campsite and Milkshake work on the same basic principle, with a slightly different focus: Beacons, for example, leans more toward creators selling products or services. Compare features and design options before choosing, and also consider a landing page of your own as an alternative.

Should I use Linktree alongside my own website?

That depends on your situation. If you don't have a website or want to set something up quickly for a temporary promotion, Linktree is practical. If you already have a well-functioning website, a page of your own is often just as quick to build and delivers more in terms of control and measurability.

Does a link-in-bio page also work well on LinkedIn?

Yes, though the use case is slightly different: on LinkedIn you more often link to a whitepaper, booking link or blog post than a webshop. Since LinkedIn allows slightly more link space than Instagram, it's sometimes also practical there to link directly to a page of your own with a form instead of an external link tool.

Further reading

Want to know how to properly measure and convert traffic coming in from social? Read vanity metrics, Google Tag Manager and social media marketing. Not sure if your measurement setup is right? Book a free strategy call.