Time to Ditch LinkTree

May 4

You have got to stop relying on Linktree - there’s a better way for you!

I am always surprised when I follow the link in someone’s social media bio and find out they are STILL using Linktree.

I thought the great outage of 2018 (when Linktree crashed and nobody was able to direct traffic to the link in their bio) would put business owners on a new path.

I’m here to tell you - there is a much better way!

What is Linktree?

For those who may not use the service, here are the deets.

Linktree is an online service that allows you to create a personalized webpage that houses all of the links you want to share with your audience. These could be links to other social media platforms, blog posts, affiliate links, etc.

Once you have your Linktree page set up, you use the URL as a gathering place to send your customers. From the Linktree page, your customers can be sent to whichever link they choose.

The service comes as a free version and a paid version at $6 a month. It’s a great idea and a good tool for directing traffic to multiple places… but you never own the webpage, and that is the problem.

Why should you stop using it?

It’s the same issue I have with social media - it is a borrowed platform. You never fully own the service, therefore you have to deal with their outages, rules, and agreements.

As business owners, I think we get too dependant on the platforms we have for free. What happens if tomorrow Instagram starts charging a monthly fee for usage? The number of users would rapidly decline, and there goes your hopes at marketing to them. Now you’re encouraging another monthly charge as well, would you continue to use the platform? I don’t think social media will move to a paid subscription model, there is a mutually beneficial reason to keep it free. But it is something to consider when you are using the platform for business.

How are your capturing your audience? If social media all went away tomorrow, would you still have an audience?

Why are you giving all of your traffic away when you could be capturing it on your own platform?

There’s a better way

Creating a page landing on your OWN website is the smarter, more robust alternative to Linktree. If you are directing people to your website anyways, why would you be using a service to direct your audience in the first place?

You are giving away traffic, and allowing them to drop off before they even make it to your content. By using your website as a link landing, you are allowing customers to get a taste of your brand from the minute they start interacting online with you.

But how do I create that?

Start by creating an unlinked page on your website. Your regular website traffic doesn’t need to see this page, but it needs to live under your domain.

On the page, you can create a series of buttons that are centered on the page. Each button links to a different page of your website, outside links, or blog posts. Wherever you want to send customers, create a button for that.

Common places you might send customers - to shop your store, to schedule a meeting with you, to an affiliate product, to send you an email, or to read your latest blog post.

You can find my link page here: The Goods.

You might have a website service (like Shopify) that doesn’t allow you to have multiple buttons without some coding magic. You can always use images that look like buttons and link to another place, or just basic text that links like The Goods link above.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, are you going to make the switch from Linktree?

I’m Brenna - and I can’t wait to chat with you about all things business and rural life. Thanks for reading!

Find more blogs like this

A few of my favorite things

Dubsado

Dubsado is the tool I use for client relations. I house all of my contracts, proposals, invoices, and deadlines there. It’s a lifesaver - used code bCreative20 for 20% off your first month or year!

FloDesk

I use FloDesk to run email campaigns and create beautiful monthly newsletters. Use my code for 50% off your FloDesk Subscription!

Squarespace

If you’re looking to build your own website, but still want a robust system, I cannot recommend Squarespace enough. Check out all of the templates they have to get you started!