Why You Need to Stop Using Linktree Today | Linktree Alternative
Have you heard of Linktree? It’s a service that creates a simple, one link
When the tool came out, everyone lost their minds and jumped on the Linktree train.
Why?
Because it solves an obvious problem. Links! We all want more than one link in our bio and Linktree is a simple and free solution.
But it’s not the best solution for your blog.
Today, I’m covering the drawbacks of the popular platform, why you should stop using it for your blog and what to douse instead.
Not ready to make the switch? Pin it for later.
The Drawbacks of Linktree
The limits of the free plan are pretty extreme.
- You can’t remove the Linktree logo at the bottom of the page.
- There are only 5 themes to choose from. And you can’t customize the page to your brand colors or feel.
- No scheduling.
- No analytics.
Link in your bio will forever be Linktr.ee/username.
There are a lot of missed opportunities with the free plan. Let’s dive a little deeper into these.
Branding
From a branding perspective, there are a couple of pretty big drawbacks. The first being the utter lack of options when it comes to branding. I like for things to look cohesive on every channel I’m hanging out on.
I can’t do that if I use one of the five templates from Linktree. Here’s what they look like:
The other branding problem I have is with the link itself. You are stuck with linktr.ee/username.
But I don’t want people to look the Linktree URL first. I want them to look at my URL. It’s a little thing, but I hate to pass up the chance for a little name recognition!
Data and Analytics
In business and blogging, everything is data. EVERYTHING. So I have a hard time using a service that doesn’t give me analytics, even if it is easy to use.
You are already using Google Analytics to track things for your website, why not just use that?
Traffic
If and when I send people off of Instagram I want them to be heading over to MY website. When you use Linktree the link takes them to a page that you don’t own.
I don’t typically follow my pageviews, but any chance I can send someone to my website is a chance for them to sign up for my email list. Or click to an article. Or on an affiliate link.
Plus, when you send them to a landing page that lives on your blog and
The Money: Free vs. $6/ Month
I don’t know about you, but I can’ justify paying for a service that I can DIY just as easily. Ya feel?
So, since everything on the internet is editable, you can make the switch to something better whenever you want.
And guess what? It’s still free!
Spam
There is always a chance that your links could be marked as spam. It’s not super likely, but there is always a chance. Well, during the summer of 2018 Instagram marked ALL Linktree links as spam.
And all of sudden the link in bios was DEAD.
Now, the likelihood of this happening again isn’t high. But what were the chances of it happening the first time?
What to do Instead
Create your own landing page! You already own and use your domain and it’s super simple to create a landing page that function just like
1. Create a new page in WordPress.
In the menus, hove over the pages menu and the press new page.
2. Choose a page title and a permalink
Once you have a new page sitting in front of you, it’s time to choose a title for the page. This can be “Instagram Quick Links” or whatever you want, really. And if you don’t like it later, change it!
As for the permalink, I’ve seen a couple of different approaches.
- www.yourdomainhere.com/quick-links
- www.yourdomainhere.com/insta
- www.yourdomainhere.com/hello
- www.yourdomainhere.com/now
- www.yourdomainhere.com/click-here
I chose the quick links option for mine! In my opinion, it communicates ease of use. And anytime I can make it easy for people to click to where they want to go, I take it!
3. Choose a layout.
Whatever your default layout on your blog is fine. I chose to not have a sidebar for this page.
Remember that Instagram is a mobile-first platform, so creating this page with the mobile experience in mind is critical. I want to keep the links few and focused. So I said goodbye to the sidebar for this page!
4. Place your links into the page.
Now, create your links just like in Linktree! In the Gutenberg
You can see my quick links page here: LoveAndreaMoore.com/quick-links.
You can do this on mobile, too! So if you aren’t at home or you need to make a quick change to this page, all you have to do is
And you’re done! Wasn’t that easy? In just a few minutes you have created a custom, easy to update, Google Analytics friendly Instagram landing page. And you didn’t even need to sign up and pay for a separate service!
Now it’s your turn! Comment below with your new and improved Instagram landing page so I can see it in all it’s beautiful glory!
