The #1 Linktree Alternative To Use on Your Instagram Link In Bio

Share this post or save it for later!

Back in 2016 when Linktree launched, it took Instagram marketers by storm because it solved a huge problem for many online business owners who wanted to monetize their following and drive traffic to their website. 

Instead of updating your single bio link every time you want to promote a new product, service, blog post or affiliate link, Linktree was one of the first companies to give influencers the opportunity to add multiple links on one page. 

While the concept of creating a single landing page to promote multiple links is brilliant, I actually don’t recommend Linktree. 

Keep reading if you want to learn:

• What is Linktree & why it’s the most popular link in bio tool
• The #1 reason I don’t recommend using Linktree or other third-party tools
• The Linktree alternative I recommend instead
• How to make a Linktree page for FREE on your WordPress website

What is Linktree & why it’s the most popular link in bio tool

Linktree is a free third-party “link in bio” tool that allows bloggers, content creators, influencers and small business owners to showcase multiple links on a single URL. 

For the last few years, it’s been the go-to tool many Instagram influencers because:

1. You can sign up with a FREE plan and connect your followers to contact forms, affiliate links, and more.  
2. It’s relatively easy to use; just add your photo, link text/URL,  pick a background color in your appearance settings and voila – you’ve got a page!
3. Within a few minutes, you can publish your page, grab your Linktree URL, add the link in your Instagram account and start converting followers into website visitors, subscribers and even customers.

Sounds dreamy, right? Not so fast.

There’s a huge giant problem with third-party tools like Linktree. Want to know what it is?

The #1 reason I don’t recommend using Linktree

Obviously, there’s more than one reason to find a Linktree alternative, for instance, unless you upgrade to the pro version of Linktree and pay an ongoing monthly fee, you can’t get rid of the Linktree logo or LinkTree domain link and due to limited design options, your Link In Bio landing page won’t match your brand.

But the most important reason to avoid Linktree or other third-party link-in-bio tools is because you’re sending your followers and potential dream clients to a website platform you don’t control.

Every follower who clicks your bio link equates to a new pageview even if they never click on one of your button links. 

If you’re using a tool like Linktree, Linktree gets that traffic, NOT YOU. 

That means you can’t retarget that traffic with Facebook or Instagram ads at a later date or rack up those coveted page views that can help you get into a premium ad network like Monumetric or Mediavine. 

It also means you’re completely dependent on a third-party tool to convert your followers into a pageview, subscriber, or customer. (Um, no thanks.)

Wouldn’t you rather use an alternative solution that allows you to be in complete control? A solution that’s reliable, lets you share unlimited links with your social network, matches your brand, connects with your followers, and gets more link clicks?

Of course, you would.

Here’s the Linktree alternative I recommend instead

Instead of using third-party Link in Bio tools, I recommend creating a landing page on your own WordPress website using the Elementor page builder WordPress plugin or the Kadence Blocks plugin if you prefer to use Gutenberg.

That way, when someone clicks on your bio link, you can: 

1. Drive traffic to your own website
2. Control your brand visuals and messaging
3. Easily track audience-specific stats via Google analytics
4. Retarget that traffic with ads (if you have the Facebook pixel installed on your site)
5. And more!

If you want a Linktree lookalike landing page, I’ll walk you through the steps to create one on your own next, or you can purchase my Instagram Link In Bio Elementor Template and launch your new page by the end of the day. 

This Link In Bio template goes beyond the basic Instagram profile picture, account handle, and button links and includes: 

• A gorgeous hero image section
• A button links section — add as many links as you want!
• A section that dynamically pulls your 3 latest blog posts (Meaning you don’t need to update your links section when you publish a new blog post!)
• A lead magnet section that’ll convert your followers into subscribers without leaving the page
• And an about section so you can formally introduce yourself and connect with your followers

Since the template is strategically designed and optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop views all you have to do is import the template, swap out your content, and hit publish. Plus, if you’re not tech-savvy, I’ll guide you through the entire installation and customization process in my easy-to-follow tutorials.      

Of course, you could keep reading this post and fumble through the steps to create a Link-in-Bio page from scratch on your own… or you can grab my Instagram Link-In-Bio Elementor Template and save yourself time and keep your sanity.  The choice is yours!

How to make a Basic Linktree page for FREE on your WordPress website

Before I show you how to create this super easy LinkTree landing page on your own WordPress site, let’s make sure you have everything you need to follow along. For this tutorial…

1.  You’ll need a self-hosted WordPress website. 
   • I recommend BigScoots Managed WordPress Hosting or Siteground WordPress Hosting (the GrowBig plan).  
2. You’ll need either the Elementor page builder plugin or the Kadence Blocks Plugin.
   • To create a Linktree lookalike page, you only need the free versions of either of these plugins. 
   • To create a page that adds in more advanced features like showcasing your blog posts or opt-in forms directly onto the page, you may need Elementor Pro or Kadence Blocks Pro.

Before we start the tutorial, it’s important that you start your design on the desktop view, then modify it for tablet and mobile devices.

I know most of your followers will view this Instagram landing page via their mobile device, however, Instagram does have a desktop view too so it’s important to make sure your page design looks good on all devices. 

I recommend adding in all of your widgets and designing them first on the desktop view as those design elements will cascade down into the mobile and tablet views.  

Ok…Without further adieu, let’s create a links page for your social media followers.

Step 1. Install Elementor Or Kadence

Hopefully, you’ve already installed the plugin of your choice, but if you haven’t you can follow these step-by-step tutorials to learn:

• How To Install Elementor On Your WordPress Website Quickly
• How to Install Kadence Blocks On Your WordPress Website (TUTORIAL COMING SOON!)

Step 2. Create a new page

• From your WordPress dashboard, go to pages > add new.
• Give your page a name. I recommend naming it Links, Link-In-Bio, Social Links, or something similar.
• Modify the URL slug if needed under the permalink section.
• Save the page as a draft.

Step 3. tURN YOUR PAGE INTO A LANDING PAGE WITHOUT THE HEADER & FOOTER

For Elementor users:

• Hit the blue Edit With Elementor button.
• Click on the gear icon in the bottom left corner to access the page settings.
• Under page layout, click the dropdown and choose Elementor canvas. This will remove the header and footer and turn the page into a landing page. If it doesn’t automatically remove the header and footer after selecting the Canvas option, save your changes, and reload the page.

For Kadence Blocks users:

• Click the Page Settings icon
• Under the Page Title Heading > Choose Disable
• At the very bottom, click the Disable Header and Disable Footer toggle button
• Adjust any additional page settings that you’d like at this time.
• Click Save Draft

Step 4. Add a photo, Title & Description

For Elementor Users:

Add a Photo:

• From the Elementor panel, drag an image widget onto the page
• Under the Content tab, click on the placeholder image > select a square-cropped photo from your media library or upload a new one > choose insert media. 
• Under the style tab > go to border radius > add 500 px to the top, right, bottom, and left to make the photo round. Note: this only works for square cropped photos! 
• Modify the image width to 50% (Note: the photo will look large, but we’ll customize the layout in the next step so just trust the process.)
• Feel free to customize the photo to your liking. You can add a border, drop shadow, and more to elevate the design.

Modify the section:

• On the desktop view, click the blue section tab
• Under the layout tab > the content width should be set to boxed > modify the width to 600 px 
• Set the height to fit screen
• Under the style tab > add a background color or gradient to match your branding

Add a heading:

• Click on the 9-square grid in the Elementor panel to return to the widget elements
• Drag and drop a heading widget beneath the photo
• Under the content tab > remove the title and add your account name or another title
• Set the alignment to centered
• Add your Instagram link to make the text clickable to your profile
• Feel free to customize the text to your liking by using the style tab. You can change the font style, color, and more.

For Kadence Blocks Users:

• On the new page, you should see gray text that says “Type / to choose a block”. Click on that text and type a backlash “/” plus the word “row”. Click the row layout block with a single-column layout.
• Click the plus sign inside of the row and type “info” into the search bar. Choose the “Info Box” block.
• Under the “InfoBox Quick Layout Presets”, click the 5th option where the image is coming out of the box.
• Go to media settings > change the Media Type to Image using the dropdown
• Select a square-cropped photo from your library. If you need upload one, choose the Upload Files tab > select file > choose the file > Open > Select.
• Next, edit the Media Settings & Container settings. I recommend increasing the image size and removing the image and container borders on both the normal and hover tabs. Feel free to customize it the way you want.
• Add your Title text and description and make any style adjustments in the settings.

Step 5. Add & style your first button

For Elementor Users:

• Click on the 9-square grid in the Elementor panel to return to the widget elements
• Drag and drop a button widget beneath the heading
• Under the content tab > Set the button alignment to justified > Update the text with a strong call-to-action > update the link URL
• Feel free to customize the button to your liking. You can change the text, button color, border radius, and much more.
• Once your button design is set, right-click the pencil icon on the button > choose duplicate to clone the button > change the button text and link
• Repeat this process until you’ve added as many links as you’d like.

For Kadence Blocks Users:

• Beneath the Info Box, click the black plus sign and choose the Advanced Button block.
• Add the Button text and hyperlink of your choice.
• Under “Button 1 Settings” > Make sure the style is set to Default > Change the button width to full > Adjust the font and color settings you desire.
• Be sure to add 5 pixels to the button margin on the bottom. That way, it will have a little space between the next button you add.
• Click on your 1st button > click the three stacked dots > choose duplicate > swap out the button text and hyperlink.
• Repeat this process until you have all of your buttons on the page.

Step 6. Add your logo to the bottom of the page

For Elementor Users:

• If you have Elementor Pro, you can drag and drop the site logo widget to automatically pull in your logo beneath your buttons. 
• If you are using Elementor’s free version, drag and drop an image widget and repeat the process outlined in step 4.  
• To link your logo to the home page, under link > select custom URL > click the dynamic tags icon > select site URL

For Kadence Users:

• Under the last button, click the black plus sign.
• Search “logo” and select the “Site Logo” block. This will inherit the logo you have setup in your Theme settings.

Step 7. Adjust the design on mobile & tablet

For Elementor Users:

• On the bottom settings bar > click the device to toggle between the tablet and mobile views
• Modify the design on each of the devices if necessary using the style and advanced controls.

For Kadence Users:

• Click “Preview” to toggle between desktop, tablet and mobile views.
• Modify the design on each of the devices if necessary using the style and advanced controls.

That’s it! Now you just need to hit publish & you now have a lookalike Linktree page on your own WordPress website FOR FREE!

You are certainly welcome to add more sections, include a built-in contact form, and tweak the design until you’re happy with the end result. 

If you get stuck or just want to take the easier route, you can always buy the Instagram Link In Bio Elementor Template. It’s strategically designed, comes with easy-to-follow tutorials showing you how to customize the template with ease, and gets you access to my Elementor Basics course.

Was this guide helpful?

Did this post convince you to ditch third-party link in bio tools that steal traffic away from your own website and create an Instagram bio link on your own WordPress website instead? Leave a comment and let me know. 

Also, after you create your Instagram link in bio page (using this free tutorial or my Instagram Link In Bio Elementor Template), tag me on @katy_boykin in an Instagram post or story and show me what you created! I’d love to see your Instagram bio page in action and give you a shoutout on my Instagram stories! 

Share this post or save it for later!