What is a link in bio?

Where the name comes from

Instagram, for most of its history, did not allow clickable links in posts. The one place a link worked was the profile bio. So people wrote "link in bio" under posts to send followers there.

Because there was only one link, people started pointing it at a page with many links. That page is what we now call a link in bio, and tools like Linktree grew up to make them.

What goes on one

It depends on who you are:

• Creators: latest videos, merch, sponsors, socials
• Businesses: shop, booking, menu, contact
• Makers and founders: products, their status, what they earn, and a way to follow along

The best ones are short and ordered by priority. Read link in bio for founders: what to put on it.

How to choose a tool

Ask what the page is for. A list of content links, a storefront, a maker page and a full website are different jobs, and tools specialize. Then check the basics: a free plan, a custom domain if you want one, analytics you can actually use, and whether it adds cookies or trackers.

Our Linktree alternatives page sorts the options by job.

makerhandle's take

makerhandle is a link in bio for people who make things: each project has a status, screenshot and optional verified revenue, laid out by one of seven templates. Free for five projects, $20 a year for Pro. See features.