The phrase “link in bio” is as common in post captions as hashtags are.

That precious link in your Instagram bio is like a magic portal: you can use it to drive traffic to your website and product landing pages or to help your followers find out more about your services.

Brands and celebrities, from Lululemon to Lizzo, use that little Instagram bio link to sell millions of dollars in products, raise money for important causes, and grow multi-billion-dollar industries.

There’s just one problem if you’re a social media marketer: until recently, that one link was the only link that bridged the gap between the posts in your feed and your company website.

The Instagram Marketer’s Conundrum

Although Instagram is making it easier for people to shop in the platform, you’re still competing with other brands for attention, and some features, like checkout, are available only through the mobile app.

Even if you do have in-app shopping set up, a huge part of marketing is testing and experimentation: Instagram’s shopping platform doesn’t offer important marketing insights about who is looking at your products, where they’re coming from, and what actions they’re taking next.

To overcome the link in bio roadblock, you may have resorted to manually changing the URL in your bio every time you post to Instagram. But that means you risk sending viewers of older posts to new (and incorrect) destinations.

As internet sensation Sweet Brown would say, ain’t nobody got time for that!

Luckily, some enterprising folks have designed marketing tools to solve this frustration and take your Instagram feed even further.

Whether you’re a solopreneur or a social media manager at a major brand, there’s a link in bio tool for you. Rather than overwhelm you with another exhaustive list of tools that may or may not be a good fit for your needs, we’ve narrowed down the search to our favorite link in bio tools for marketers working for small, mid-sized, and large companies.

But first . . .

What’s a Link in Bio Tool?

A link in bio tool is typically a dedicated URL that allows users to navigate from your Instagram profile to a stand-alone landing page with multiple links to content on your website.

Some link in bio tools are more feature-rich than others, depending on who they’re designed for. We’ll discuss that in a moment.

How Does a Link in Bio Tool Help Me as a Social Media Marketer?

A link in bio tool has one major purpose: driving traffic from Instagram to the product or page you’re promoting. But there are other big-time benefits to using a link in bio tool:

• Link to other social media profiles from your Instagram bio: You can grow your community of followers across social media channels by sharing links to your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts.
• Update links from Instagram posts to products: Instagram’s constantly changing algorithm doesn’t always deliver your latest posts in your followers’ feeds or hashtags. A link in bio tool ensures that users can easily find a relevant link to learn more about a product or event mentioned in a post, no matter how long ago it was published.
• Improve the quality and engagement of your traffic: Your link in bio landing page is an easy way for your visitors to self-segment; rather than blasting traffic from your Instagram directly to your home page and adding more friction to the experience, you are sending visitors exactly where they want to go. Bonus: They’re more likely to stick around longer if they’re seeing the content they’re looking for.
• Streamline your publishing process: A link in bio tool removes the headache of having to switch out URLs every time you post to Instagram. It also means fewer hassles from followers complaining about outdated links.

If you’re an individual blogger who just wants to get traffic to your latest posts, you probably only need a straightforward, affordable tool that doesn’t have a bunch of marketing bells and whistles.

If you’re a social media strategist for a major brand, chances are you’ll need a link in bio tool that offers data-rich channel attribution and ID tracking.

Which Link in Bio Tool Is Right for My Business?

We’ve done some digging into which link in bio tools are the best for your social media marketing needs, whether you are a one-person show or are heading up a corporate marketing team. Let’s take a look at what we found.

1. Linktree — Best for Individuals and Small Businesses

Linktree makes updating Instagram bio links as simple as possible while driving traffic to important content. Using the platform is straightforward, and its uncluttered user interface is easy on your followers’ eyes.

Individuals and small businesses who have reviewed Linktree praise the simplicity of the link in bio tool. One G2 reviewer said, “Linktree is flawless in their approach to make updating Instagram bio links easy and effective.

The platform is very straightforward and easy to use. I love that the basic version still has all the tools we need as a small business to make our Instagram bio link as effective as possible WITHOUT having to pay anything (ie- their free version is great!).”

What you get for free with Linktree:
The free version is great for people or businesses that are trying out Instagram as a social media channel but aren’t ready to go all-in yet.

• Unlimited links: Add as many links as your heart desires. With the free version, you add links manually and one at a time.
• Total traffic views: See how much traffic your Linktree page is getting in its lifetime.
• Total link click views: See how many people have clicked each link in its lifetime.
• Predesigned themes: Control the look of your Linktree page by selecting one of eight predesigned themes (note: the free version requires that you use Linktree branding).
• Dedicated support team: Get help any time you need via email or the Linktree help content.
• Sensitive content warnings: Ensure the privacy, security, and compliance of your content with Sensitive Content and Age-Sensitive Warnings.

What you get with the paid version of Linktree:
If you want to customize the aesthetics of your Linktree page, collect leads, and get more detailed reporting, the Pro version costs only $6 per month. You’ll get the free version features, plus:

• Priority link: Make the link to your most important content pop, wobble, or buzz to stand out from the rest.
• Leap link: Send your visitors directly to one link for a scheduled period rather than to your Linktree profile when you’re running a time-sensitive event. It will still count the visitor in your Linktree analytics and Facebook audience integrations.
• Scheduled links: Schedule your links to enable and disable at set times, in different time zones, to coincide with scheduled posts on Instagram.
• Embedded videos: Embed YouTube and Twitch videos so your visitors can watch them directly from your Linktree.
• Thumbnail images: Add images to your link buttons for visual references. Upload your own images, or use images from your Instagram page.
• Newsletter sign-up form: Add an email form field to your Linktree to grow your list of newsletter subscribers. This is a Mailchimp or Google Sheets integration.
• Social icons: Add your social profiles to be displayed as icons beneath your links.
• SMS sign-up link: Collect SMS subscribers with a simple sign-up field on your Linktree page.
• Weekly and monthly analytics: See the lifetime performance of each individual link, along with clicks, views, and click-through rates for the last 7 days or the last 28 days.
• Referral and location data: Include UTM parameters so that Google Analytics better understands where traffic is coming from. You can also add your Facebook Custom Audience Pixel to your Linktree to track visitors, segment them, build lookalikes and re-market to them on Facebook and Instagram.
• Customizable theme and branding: Remove the Linktree logo, add custom fonts, and upload your own images to your Linktree page background.

2. ContactInBio — Best for Small and Midsized (SMB) Businesses and Agencies

The ContactInBio link in bio tool helps you build a feature-rich micro landing page that allows your Instagram visitors to have more meaningful interactions with your brand.

The drag-and-drop interface on the page builder includes a large collection of content blocks that will support image galleries, media players, storefront features, and messaging—and that’s just the start.

SMB and agency reviewers love that ContactInBio offers a range of tools to make your micro landing page look professional while engaging visitors. It is almost a full-blown page builder for your Instagram bio needs. This link in bio tool is relatively new, so be prepared for more updates as the company behind ContactInBio learns about customer needs and grows.

If you’re in it for the long haul, definitely give it a go, the app will mature, more features are coming, and you definitely will get more than your money’s worth.” – AppSumo reviewer

What you get with the free version of ContactInBio:
ContactInBio’s free version is packed with customization and analytics features that are typically locked behind paywalls.

• Custom profile/bio URL: Choose from four domains for your bio link so your brand’s name remains the focus.
• Custom links: Change the look and style of your links using thumbnail images, buttons, or interactive elements
• Social media and payment buttons: Add 43+ types of payment links; 105+ social media links, including services like Shopify, Discord, and Patreon; and 10+ music services links.
• Messaging button: Connect messaging apps so your visitors can easily contact you from your micro landing page. ContactInBio supports smart links for WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Viber.
• Contact form: Make it a cinch for visitors to reach you via email with a simple contact form.
• Predesigned themes: Control the look of your ContactInBio page by selecting one of 12 predesigned themes (note: the free version requires that you use the ContactInBio logo).
• Link clicks tracking: See a day-by-day breakdown of your link clicks.

What you get with the Business and Agency versions of ContactInBio:
A more robust plan is available for businesses for $7 per month, and with the agency version, you can manage up to five different accounts for $28 per month. Upgrading to Business unlocks more advanced features to optimize your micro landing page and analyze its performance. The Agency version lets you manage five accounts simultaneously. Plus, you get everything that the free version offers.

• Enjoy the benefits of the free version.
• Manage multiple accounts: Connect and manage an unlimited number of separate ContactInBio accounts to your main account (all accounts must be upgraded to the Business version).
• Facebook Pixel integration: Add your Facebook Custom Audience Pixel to your ContactInBio to track visitors, segment them, build lookalikes, and remarket to them on Facebook and Instagram.
• Email sign-up and collection: Grow your email list with a simple email sign-up form.
• Mailchimp integration: Connect your Mailchimp account to store contact info and send automated email campaigns to followers.
• Instagram shoppable feed: Monetize your Instagram, and link your Instagram photos to your online store, website, or any other content. You can also link the image to a PayPal payment page, making it easy to sell right in your ContactInBio page.
• Link thumbnails: Show the icon of the link, and capture the attention of your page viewers.
• Customized page design and colors: Upload your own background images or background gradient color or a video background.
• Remove ContactInBio branding: Make your micro landing page your own by removing the ContactInBio logo.
• Video uploads: Embed YouTube or Vimeo videos on your ContactInBio page using the video URLs, or upload your own video.
• Image uploads: Upload any image to your micro landing page.
• Image carousel: Showcase your offerings with a slideshow of images that also link to product pages.

3. Like2Buy by Curalate — Best Link in Bio Tool for Large Brands and Ecommerce

Enterprise digital commerce platform Curalate was one of the first companies to solve the problem of how to make Instagram shoppable. In 2016, they launched Like2Buy, an autogenerated URL that takes followers to a gallery to shop for products, read stories, and more.

A “My Likes” tab contains all posts the user has previously liked so they can return and buy them later.

Social media managers with major retail brands like Forever 21, Sephora, and IKEA love that Like2Buy takes seconds to integrate. You can turn your existing Instagram photo feed into a shoppable gallery without any involvement from your eCommerce team.

“With the influence that social media has on purchase intent, Like2Buy has helped us directly connect to our customers and serve them exactly the product that they want.” — Mario Moreno, Forever 21 Social Media Manager in 2016

What you get with Like2Buy:

Like2Buy is a link in bio tool within the Curalate social media eCommerce platform. Contact the Curalate team for more information about what’s included. Here are some of the features, according to the Curalate blog:

• Email capture: Collect Instagram fans’ email addresses to grow your distribution list and provide another marketing touch point.
• Internationalization: Identify the country that Like2Buy visitors are coming from, based on their IP address. If it’s not the same as your brand’s default eCommerce site, the user will be directed to the home page of your brand’s regional website upon tapping an image.
• My Likes tab: Display a curated collection of images that your Like2Buy visitors have “liked.”
• Shoppable feed: Give your visitors a seamless brand experience by sending them from your Instagram profile to a replicated, shoppable version of your feed.

Turn Instagram Followers into Customers with Link in Bio Tools

While Instagram is a leading mobile destination and a massive driver of brand engagement, marketers from businesses large and small struggle to connect that engagement to business objectives and ROI. Link in bio tools are a clever way to bridge the gap between your Instagram content and your business growth.

What do you think? Are these your favorite link in bio tools, or are there others you would recommend? Let us know in the comments below.