What is a link in bio page, and what should go on it?

"Link in bio" started as a workaround for Instagram, where links in captions don't work, and it is now common on most social apps. This guide explains what the page is for, what to put on it and how to tell whether it is working.

What is a link in bio page?

It is a small landing page that collects your links in one place. You put its address in your profile, and every post can say "link in bio" instead of trying to include a URL.

A typical page has your name and photo, a one-line description, a column of large buttons and sometimes icons for your other social profiles. Because almost all visitors arrive from a phone app, the page should load fast and work with one thumb.

Why do social platforms limit links?

Social apps want people to keep scrolling inside the app, so most of them make outbound links harder to use. Instagram is the clearest example: links typed into captions and comments aren't clickable, and the profile is the main place for one.

Instagram now allows several links on a profile (up to five at the time of writing), and other apps have their own rules about who gets a bio link and where links are clickable. These rules change often, so check each app's help center. A bio page gives you one stable address that works the same everywhere.

What should you put on a link in bio page?

Put the few destinations your followers actually ask for, starting with the one that matters most to you right now. Think about why someone taps your profile link, and answer that.

• Your main goal: the shop, booking page, menu, donation page or signup form.
• What you just posted about: the product, article or video from your latest post. People often come straight from a post, looking for it.
• A way to stay in touch: a newsletter, WhatsApp or a contact page.
• Your other profiles: as small icons, not full buttons.
• A short description: one line saying who you are and what you offer, so a new visitor knows they're in the right place.

Give each button a clear label that says what happens next, such as "Book a table" or "Shop the autumn range", rather than "Click here" or a bare URL.

How should you order the links?

Put the most important link first and keep it there. Buttons at the top are the ones people see without scrolling on a small screen, so the order is your priority list.

1. The link for the post you are promoting this week.
2. Your evergreen main goal (shop, bookings, signup).
3. Secondary content: recent videos, articles, FAQs.
4. Social icons and contact details.

When a campaign ends, move or remove its link the same day. A follower who taps "link in bio" after an old post and lands on something else is a lost visit.

How do you track clicks from your bio link?

Add UTM parameters to the links on your page, and use short tracked links if you want click counts without opening your web analytics.

UTM parameters

UTM tags are labels added to the end of a URL that analytics tools such as Google Analytics read to show where a visit came from. A link from your bio page might end with:

?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=link_in_bio

Use the same spelling every time (all lower case is easiest), and change utm_source for each platform where you share the page, so you can compare them.

Short tracked links

A tracked short link counts every tap and then forwards the visitor to the real address. In Join Postly, the Links page turns any URL into a joinpostly.com/l/ link and counts its clicks (50 tracked links on the Free plan, 2,000 on Pro). Put those links on your bio page and you can see which buttons get used, even for sites where you have no analytics.

Which mistakes make a bio page less useful?

• Too many links. Twenty equal buttons make every choice harder. Keep the list short and remove what nobody taps.
• Vague labels. "Website" or "Link" doesn't tell anyone what they'll get.
• Stale links. Expired offers and sold-out products send people to dead ends.
• Slow or broken destinations. Open every link on your phone after you change something.
• No match with your posts. If a post says "link in bio", the matching link should be at the top.

How does the Join Postly link in bio page work?

Every Join Postly account, including Free, can publish a link in bio page at joinpostly.com/@username. You add links in the app, and the public page updates after you save (allow a few minutes for the change to show everywhere).

• Up to 50 links, each with a title of up to 60 characters. Turn a link off to hide it without deleting it.
• Your name (up to 50 characters), a bio of up to 160 characters and a profile photo.
• Links to your social profiles also show as platform icons near the top.
• A light or dark theme with an accent colour of your choice, such as your brand colour from the Brand Kit.
• Paid plans get a verified tick next to the name and can turn off the "Made with Join Postly" footer, which always shows on the Free plan.
• A private preview that only your team can see until you mark the page as public.

You can learn more on the link in bio product page, or compare what Free and Pro include on the pricing page.