Linktree is a bad idea when it comes to search engine optimisation.
Sorry, it’s just one of those inescapable truths.
I know it sounds like a good idea to use Linktree when you can’t add hyperlinks to your Instagram posts and have so much content you want to share.
But really, it isn’t.
In this blog I’m going to talk you through the 3 key reasons why Linktree can negatively affect your SEO and digital marketing efforts, and offer some suggestions on what you can use for your Instagram marketing instead.
What is Linktree?
is a freemium social media plug-in for Instagram that creates a landing page with your links for your audience to click on. It was designed to get around the one weblink per profile restriction on Instagram bios.
As links aren’t clickable on Instagram posts, many entrepreneurs choose to use Linktree in their bio to put their blog post links too.
When clicking on a linktr.ee link, a visitor is presented with a list of links for them to click on – such as recent blogs, service pages, lead magnet landing pages, etc.
It seems like a great idea and it can certainly get people reading your content, so why is Linktree bad for SEO? Especially when it appears to be so popular?
Linktree adds an extra step to your user’s journey
I always recommend social media marketing to support SEO. It’s a great way of linking back to your content and getting it read. This then sends a social signal to Google that your content is high quality and of value to your audience.Giving your content a higher search result on Google.
SEO (and all marketing) is focused on your ideal customer’s journey, from realising they have a problem they need fixing to working out what it is; figuring out who they need to search for to finding a solution and coming across your website/social media.
Social media is about getting you in front of those customers at various stages of their journey but with one intention in mind, to get them back to your website so they see what you have to offer and choose to buy from you.
The problem with Linktree is that it interferes with your user’s journey from social media post to your website, which is the last thing you want to happen.
Instead of going from social media post and to your website, they’re taken to a third party landing page full of links. There a few things may happen:
- They find the right link for the content they were interested in
- They get distracted and click on a completely different link
- They feel bombarded with all of the links and go back to Instagram instead
In case you were wondering, most people feel bombarded when there are too many links.
It’s called “decision paralysis”, where there are so many links to choose from most people don’t know which one to go for, so they don’t click any of them.
Anyhow, I just find it frustrating to click on a link and be faced with a myriad of new links to choose from when you just wanted to read that blog mentioned in the Instagram post you liked!
Your branding gets lost along the way
The free version of Linktree has very limited branding opportunities; you’re limited to a handful of colours and fonts. Even with the paid version you can’t match it to your own brand easily.
This is problematic for your marketing.
Branding is important in reinforcing your values as a business owner and getting the right message across to your dream customers. It helps to build that rapport with your potential customers and ensure you’re both aligned in terms of shared vision and goals.
When that branding is lost, especially in the middle of a buying journey, it’s a stumbling block, This is something new and different, and it can cast doubt in the back of their mind.Why does this look so different to everything else I’ve seen?
It might not seem like a big deal, but the role of marketing is to cast away doubts,not create them.
Linktree makes it harder to evaluate your Instagram marketing for SEO
One of the reasons social media is useful for SEO, is because it tells you which content resonates with your audience.
Figuring out the content your ideal customers want to see can be difficult to do. They might not know what they’re looking for or even what their problem actually is!
Posting on social media and seeing which posts work best, get interactions and are shared is a great way to understand your target audience and figure out what they’re looking for.
When a link to the content on your website is clicked on, you know what piece of content is worth promoting as it hits the right note with your audience. And you know to create more content around that topic.
Linktree only provides basic analytic data – how many clicks on a link and total lifetime views. It doesn’t tell you:
When a link was clicked on– so you can’t match it with the Instagram post(s) you published that day to see what’s worked well this time.
When a visitor reaches Linktree but drops out– an Instragram post may have really hit the right mark but you don’t know how much traffic you lost when they reached Linktree instead of the anticipated blog post/content.
Even if you use Google Analytics to track your social media posts for SEO, Linktree shows up as referral traffic, not social media. So, you still don’t know how much traffic has come from Instagram.
Is there a better SEO alternative than Linktree?
Yes, your own website!
If you really love the idea of Linktree and how it works, why not create your own link page on your website?
You’ll keep your brand message intact and you won’t be sending traffic to a third party instead of your own website.
You’ll also be able to make it easier for your visitors to find the link they need at a glance, you could:
- Put blurbs next to each link so they can find the one they were looking for quickly
- Section the page into blog posts, lead magnet landing pages, by topic, etc
- Use pictures instead of text links – i.e. blog post graphic with the title
While this option does require maintenance and some design skills, it is worth it for attracting that valuable Instagram traffic direct to your website.
And if that sounds like too much effort. Link to your website in the bio and don’t worry that the links in your post aren’t hyperlinks. It’s easy enough to copy and paste from a phone these days, as easy as going to your bio, clicking on Linktree and finding the right link, anyway.
