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When I first got started on Instagram, it didn't make much difference to me that I could only have one URL. And then I realized that I was changing that URL all the time. So I started looking around to see what everyone else was doing.

Some people were doing what I did – changing URLs all the time.

Others were using a third-party service (primarily Linktr.ee) that made a really pretty page with stand-alone buttons so you could link to all kinds of things. Linktr.ee seemed easy enough to set up, but your branding was really limited – plus you were always sharing their brand, not getting more visibility on your own site. As a matter of fact, I discovered Linktr.ee because of everyone else using their service.

But then – the unthinkable happened… Instagram started cracking down on the use of Linktr.ee links in bios. There was no big public announcement – nothing as dramatic as the BoardBooster-Pinterest breakup – they just quietly sent out notifications to users that said “It looks like your profile contains a link that is not allowed. We restrict certain content and actions to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake.”

Now, from what I've read, Linktr.ee is working with Instagram to get this resolved – but what's a link-loving business owner to do in the meantime?

Strategies to get more followers on Instagram

Well – it's the solution that you probably should have been using from the beginning… build your own mobile-friendly link page on your own website!

How to Build Your Own Custom Instagram Link Page in 10 Minutes or Less

Feeling technophobic? That's ok. If you're a WordPress user, you can build this page in under 10 minutes using Elementor. (You can do this with the free version, but the paid version has lots of additional features that make it totally worthwhile).

My instructions are to build your Instagram link page using Elementor, my WordPress page builder of choice. You could achieve a similar result with another page builder like Divi or BeaverBuilder, or using some good old-fashioned coding. 

Step 1: Install Elementor (and the Pro add-on, if you so choose).

Step 2: Create a new page. I called mine /instagram (*yawn*) – but you can do whatever works for you. You can even use a catchy name that's on-brand for you.

http://www.mywebsite.com/InstaWhat
http://www.mywebsite.com/now
http://www.mywebsite.com/clickme
http://www.mywebsite.com/linklove

You get the idea 🙂

Step 3: Make sure you have a blank canvas for your page – no sidebars, etc. In my theme, this is the landing page template.

Step 4: Add buttons to your canvas. You can do this by dragging and dropping the button from the left side list of widgets onto your screen.

Step 5: Customize your buttons. You can set the name, the link, the color, the size and even add an icon. You can add as many buttons as make sense.

Step 6: Preview your page in mobile view. With Elementor, you can actually design your whole page in this view if you prefer!

Step 7: After you've added everything you want, publish your page. Then add the link to your Instagram bio.

Now, whenever you want to change a link, add a new program or blog course, you just come back and update that page.

Of course, you can also get a bit fancier – by adding custom graphics, sections, text – anything your heart desires! AND – you'll actually be able to see how much traffic you get to that page by using your Google Analytics.

More ways to use your custom link page

Of course, now that you know how easy it is to build a mobile-ready link page, you don't have to limit them to just Instagram. You could also create one (or use the same one) for your Twitter profile, Facebook profiles – or any other places where you want to create an easy-to-navigate hub of links.

How will you share your custom link pages? Let me know in the comments!

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