Five link-in-bio basics that are easy to get wrong
How many links each app allows, what goes at the top, how to label links, and why you should test them inside the app.
The link in your bio is often the main route from a post to your work. Small slips there can cost you visits. Each fix below takes a few minutes.
Know what each app allows
Each app has its own rules for profile links. Instagram lets you add up to five links to your profile, and its help page notes that anyone, on or off Instagram, can see them (Instagram Help Center).
TikTok's help page says you can add a website link if you have 1,000 followers or more, or a Registered Business Account (TikTok Support).
So one plan won't fit every app. Check the rules for each account before you decide what goes where.
Put this week's main thing at the top
Whatever sits at the top is what people meet before anything else. Put the one thing you want them to do now at the top: book, buy, join or watch.
Meta's help for Instagram link pages calls this a "primary link", and you need at least 2 links to set one (Meta Help Center). Move older items down when something new starts.
Name each link by what it does
"Book a session" tells people more than a web address does. Meta's help makes the same point: the title is what people see, so it suggests a short description rather than the web address (Meta Help Center).
Clear labels help people who use screen readers too. The web accessibility guidelines ask that the purpose of each link can be worked out from its text, or from the text around it (W3C).
Expect links to open inside the app
On TikTok, tapping a link on someone's profile opens the page in TikTok's in-app browser (TikTok Support). TechCrunch reported in 2023 that Instagram's profile links also open inside the app, with a menu option to open them in the phone's own browser (TechCrunch).
That matters for shop, booking and sign-in pages. Test them inside each app as well as in your phone's browser.
Re-check every link after each change
After you edit your bio, open your profile in each app and tap every link. Check that each one lands on the right page and loads properly. It takes a couple of minutes, and it catches broken or out-of-date links before your visitors do.
Where we're going with this
We're building Frontpin around these basics: one page, one pinned main action, and links named by what they do. It isn't built yet. We'll share what we learn here on the blog.
Sources
- Instagram Help Center: Add a website to your Instagram profile
- Meta Help Center: How to add a link page to your Instagram bio with Meta One
- TikTok Support: Helpful links
- TikTok Support: How to add a link to your TikTok profile
- TechCrunch: Instagram takes on Linktree and others with support for up to 5 'links in bio' (18 April 2023)
- W3C: Understanding Success Criterion 2.4.4, Link Purpose (In Context)
Sources checked on 27 October 2026. Drafted with AI and checked by our team.