agram now allows you to have up to five “links” in your bio.

Instagram introduced a new feature to compete with Linktree and Beacons as well as other “link in profile” solution providers. Users can now add up to five hyperlinks to their bio.

This is how it works. This feature can direct followers to a variety of content such as online businesses or brands, causes that are supported, or profiles on other social platforms. Instagram has revealed that creators have been clamoring for this feature. This also shows the inability of the company to meet the needs and wants of its users. Alternative solutions have flourished as a result.

Competition from 3rd-party tools. Linktree, and other similar services, can be attributed in part to restrictions imposed by Instagram and other social networks. These networks have for years prohibited users from adding more than one link to an external site out of fear of losing user engagement. Social media platforms prefer to keep their users in their apps than send them anywhere else.

Again, Instagram trails behind TikTok. TikTok only allows clickable bio links for business accounts. This makes it difficult for creators and regular users to direct their followers to other websites. Instagram’s move to increase bio link access may be in response to criticisms of TikTok for its stricter restrictions.

Instagram may be able to attract creators to its platform by allowing them to access links in a more extensive way. The company stresses that all accounts are able to add multiple profiles links, including creator and business accounts. Users must first go to the “Edit profile,” the “Links” and the “Add external link”, and then arrange their links in the desired order.

Early testing. Initial tests showed no problems linking to other platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. Instagram users can also link their Facebook accounts using the dedicated linking option. This displays a professional looking rounded Facebook icon with accompanying text. External links, however, do not have any customizations such as icons.

Links do not open a new browser window, but in the Instagram app. If you want to use your built-in browser like Safari or Chrome instead, tap the three dots menu at the top and choose “open in system Browser.”

Mark Zuckerberg announced this new feature in a short post on his broadcast channel. This relatively new feature allows creators send messages to the entire community. In his message, Zuckerberg stated that the ability to have multiple links within the bio is “probably one of our most requested features.”

Why we care. This new feature gives brands and advertisers the opportunity to drive more traffic to their online stores, websites and other platforms. Businesses can now more effectively market their products and services, as well as promote them to potential customers. This can increase engagement and conversions.

The article Instagram allows up to five “links in the bio” first appeared on Search Engine Land.