Why You Shouldn’t Use Canva for Your ‘Link in Bio’ (Do This Instead!)

I use Canva for tons of things in my business, but there’s one thing I won’t use it for: hosting my ‘link in bio’ page. While I still create the design in Canva, I always prefer to host these pages on my own website. Not only does it drive more traffic to my URL, but it also opens the door for tons of tracking capabilities. (You know I love data!)

Here’s why you shouldn’t use Canva or Linktree for your ‘link in bio’ page and how to set up an alternative on your own site.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Canva or Linktree for Your ‘Link in Bio’

While Canva and Linktree both make it super easy and quick to set up a ‘link in bio’ page, neither provide the same level of tracking as a page on your own website. There’s no way to know how many people click the link, how much time they spend on the page, or which buttons they click.

On your own website, you can use Google Analytics to track all that and more. Plus, you can use a free program like heatmap.com to track which buttons your audience is drawn to. Try it out!

All that being said, Canva is still a great option for designing the elements on your ‘link in bio’ page. Just make sure your page lives on your website, not a third-party app.

Want even more Canva features? Start your free trial of Canva Pro here. I now use Canva for almost everything in my business and have been able to cancel subscriptions to other design software because of it.

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION: Instagram Bio Links in Squarespace

Hey, I’m Galen from Local Creative Co. And in this video, we’re going to be talking all about your Instagram bio links and why you shouldn’t be using it Canva or Linktree to create your Instagram bio page. Before we get started, let me know what you’re currently using for your link in bio page. No judgment.

If you’re already using Canva or Linktree that’s okay. Hopefully this video changes your mind, but I just like to take a quick poll and see where you’re at. Also make sure to hit that subscribe button and like this video. So, you don’t miss any videos we put out in the future. Let’s start with some of the pros of using something like Canva or Linktree for your Instagram bio link design. Canva has a ton of different designs to choose from, and you can really quickly get a bio page up and running in a matter of minutes.

I haven’t personally used Linktree, but I’ve heard great things about it. And again, it’s very easy to get up and running. Because you have no way to add your tracking code from something like Google Analytics to your Canva or Linktree page, you have no idea how many people are clicking the link in your bio and heading over to your website.

And which of your links there choosing? The best alternative to this is to actually add your link in bio page to your own website, where you already have your Google Analytics tracking code installed. Hopefully. If you haven’t installed Google Analytics on your website, yet that’s an entirely different video.

But let me know in the comments, if that’s, when you’d like to see. The first thing to know when you’re creating a link in bio page on your own website, is that you don’t want it to show up in search engines. You actually want to hide this page from search engines because no one should be able to find it in search. The only way they should be able to get there is through your Instagram bio link.

The second thing you should know is that because it doesn’t have to be SEO friendly, you can still design your link in bio page in something like Canva and save each of the elements. So, you still get that really custom look without having to know any code. Canva has so many beautiful bio templates to choose from.

I try to pick one that has some sort of main image and maybe a little bit of text at the top followed by buttons below, because this is something that’s going to be really easy to create on your actual website. You can start by choosing a design you like in Canva, adding your logo. Or maybe some design elements in photos that fit with your brand.

Then, we’re going to download your Canva design to our desktop. Canva has the option to publish as a website. We’re actually not going to choose that. You’re going to click the down arrow right next to that. And then you can download it to your computer. I have Canva Pro. So, I’m going to download this graphic with a transparent background, but you could always download it with a background color. If you don’t have Canva Pro and then just make sure that the color of your graphic matches the color of your website. You can style the buttons directly in Canva if you want to, or you can use your website builder to add buttons that way.

We’re going to open up something like preview on your computer, which is just the basic image editor that comes with your Mac.
If you have a PC, you probably have something similar. And I like to crop out each individual image, as I mentioned earlier. So, you’re going to have one image for the main graphic at the top of your design, and then one image for each button. If you’re using your website builder like Squarespace or Showit to create these buttons, you do not need to crop them out of your design.

You really just need one image for the top part of your design. And then we can add the buttons manually, depending on which website builder you’re using. The next step is to log into your website builder and go to the page that you created for your Instagram bio links. Remember to make sure that this page is hidden from search engines, and then you’re going to add the different elements to your design.

Now make sure that each button or image is linking to the right place. And even more importantly, make sure that this page looks great on mobile devices, because most of your visitors are going to be clicking your Instagram bio link from their phones. Here’s an example of my Instagram bio page. As you can see the graphic at the top, I created in Canva and then the buttons below that I actually created inside of Squarespace.

Since you stayed all the way to the end of this video, I’ve got a super quick bonus tip for you. You can install a free heat map software like heatmap.com, to your website, it’s free for up to five pages. And that way you can see exactly which buttons in your link in bio people are clicking on. This might help you figure out how you want to arrange your buttons or what content your audience is most interested in. Thanks so much for watching. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to hit the thumbs up and subscribe. So, you don’t miss any of our future videos. I can’t wait to see you in the next one.

How to Design a ‘Link in Bio’ Page on Your Own Website

Here’s how to design a beautiful, functional ‘link in bio’ page on your own website.

STEP 1: Design the elements in Canva.

Choose one of Canva’s many templates or design your own from scratch. I recommend including a photo at the top, a quick blurb about your business, and then buttons for each of the pages you want to link to.

Once you’re done, download it as a PNG, either with a transparent background with with a background that matches the color of your website.

canva-design-a-link-in-bio.png

STEP 2: Crop your elements.

In ‘Preview’ (or your desktop equivalent), crop each of your elements out individually. You can crop out each of your buttons, or you can create new ones in your website editor. Up to you!

canva-crop-your-elements.png

STEP 3: Make your page.

Create a new page on your website to act as your ‘link in bio’ page. Make sure it’s not visible via Google Search (as you only want people finding it through your Instagram link).

Insert your elements, make any new buttons you need, and set everything up to link to the appropriate pages. (Pro tip: Set your photo at the top to link to your ‘about’ or ‘home’ page.)

Since most people will visit this page on their phones, make sure the design looks great on mobile. Test your links, finalize the design, and save your new page.

canva-make-your-page-bio.png

And you’re done!

Enjoy your branded ‘link in bio’ page, and be sure to check in with the analytics to see how it’s performing. The results might surprise you!

Want More Ways to Customize Your Squarespace Site?

Here are some other Squarespace tutorials I recommend you check out next…

For even more tutorials, head over to the Local Creative Co. Youtube channel.

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