You Need To Stop Using Linktree

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According to Instagram, there’s technically nothing “wrong” with having a Linktr.ee account. However, because most Instagram and Facebook workers have been working from home, and things on Instagram are increasingly being marked as spam, and Facebook/Instagram is trying. to force users into working with their “creator’s studio” exclusively, it’s no wonder anyone using a Linktr.ee account is being forced into removing it from their profile entirely.

If you don’t remove the link from your profile, or you somehow forget about it completely, then you run into this issue:

Let’s say you decide to research what’s going on. Maybe try to uncover why this is happening outside of a “possible’ Linktr.ee problem. But guess what… even if you go to Linktr.ee’s website and look through their support forms, this is the answer you’ll find…

It seems like a reasonable response, right? Sure. But why would Linktr.ee tell you you can’t use their product anymore unless this issue was simultaneously hitting every account under their service umbrella at the same time? They wouldn’t. And Instagram isn’t in a position where they can make these changes widespread and are instead doing this to accounts in batches. I will say this is speculation based on the massive amount of research I have done in the past week and my first-hand experiences. 

It’s damn time you got yourself your own website and ditched third party services. Including linktr.ee. Now, I will say that as an avid user and fan of Linktr.ee for a long time, I’m sad to see it go, but Instagram is ruthlessly cracking down on profiles using this tool and others like it. 

In this article, I will give you the reasons you need to stop using Linktr.ee and what your alternative solution is. 

The Issue with Linktr.ee

Linktr.ee was the first tool on the Instagram scene that allowed users to share more than one link with their audience in a super clean way. 

This program and many others like it provide an easy, streamlined way of incorporating many links with little effort. During its heyday, Linktr.ee had very few pros and cons that would lead many of us to use the tool because who wants to spend a few hours creating an all-new Instagram home page? Literally no one. 

But with Instagram’s latest crackdown on profiles using this service, they’re preventing users from posting, commenting, liking, following, uploading, posting to YouTube, and even demoting previously shared content. You read that right. If you get caught with Linktr.ee or other similar services in use Instagram will take you down and throw a wrench in your day while you try to figure out what the hell is going on. 

But the biggest issue about this? THEY ARE SAYING NOTHING ABOUT IT. They being Facebook, our social media overlord.

It’s not just Linktr.ee that is the issue though. I’m seeing major halts on accounts network-wide that use Etsy links, Snapchat, Telegram, What’s App, Bit.ly links, and anything that is not a genuine website. 

Want to know exactly what happened? I attempted to publish a new post to my client’s Instagram page and kept running into roadblocks. At first, I thought, “Maybe it’s that affiliate link we placed in her Linktr.ee account.” Then upon disabling the link on her tree, we still ran into issues. So, I went into research mode and discovered what some other experts were also saying, “Instagram is cracking down and preventing Instagram users from using the platform if they are using a third party link service.” 

Well, that sold it for me and literally the moment I removed the Linktr.ee account and put their normal website URL in its place…I knew it was true.

So what should people who have no website use? Let’s talk about that. 

Here’s What You Should Use Instead of Linktr.ee 

Nothing. I’m serious! You shouldn’t use anything other than your own website. If you don’t have a website, you need to make one. Now, before you go getting overwhelmed at creating one and making it look all professional and such I’m here to tell you, there’s no need for that.

You can go right on over to Go Daddy or Bluehost and purchase a URL. They’re all on sale right now and a great URL costs less than $20. You can also use Go Daddy’s website builder service to create a quick and easy one-page website. If you want something a little more customizable, are interested in learning a new skill and have the time, here’s what I recommend for the best results. 

Obviously you still need to go forth and purchase a URL, you will need one no matter what. After you’ve purchased a website (with privacy and SSL certificate) upgrade with a WordPress website, and head over to Elegant Themes and purchase the Divi Builder. I’ve been using Divi Builder for many years and it has grown into an incredible builder service is by far the easiest to use app that works seamlessly with WordPress. You won’t feel like a pro in 24 hours and that’s why I say “If you have time.” Learning how to properly use Divi could take you a little time, but once you understand how to use and manipulate the builder you will create a beautiful website.

Let’s say you don’t have any interest in creating your own website or maybe you just don’t know where to start. There are a lot of really great tutorials, freelancers, and consultants who can teach you how to build a website or build it for you. 

 I highly recommend you ditch your Linktr.ee and create your own website. You’ll have a lot more opportunities to take advantage of when you have your own website. 

Here are some benefits of creating your own website: 

• No restrictions on what you can publish on your website
• No risk of losing your data due to a third party shut down
• More opportunity to properly showcase your products or services
• Gain direct traffic to your website, better positioning you for the best influencer based partnerships
• Ability to more deeply analyze your user data from web visits
• Customization of the aesthetics of your website
• Instagram will never* shut down your ability to share links via your website
• You have full control over the aesthetic and can create something that represents your personality and isn’t regurgitated across several other people’s profiles.

I want to give you a heads up before I close out this article when you create your own website and design a page is to be used for Instagram specifically, you will need to update the button links the same way you did with Linktr.ee, it just might require a few extra steps. 

There are probably some of you out there that will continue to use Linktr.ee until Instagram blocks every single one of your actions, and that’s fine. That is your choice to make. But is it worth the headache it will cause in the long run? No.

In conclusion, get your own website, keep it updated, stop using Linktr.ee. Need some inspiration? Here are a few other links in bio custom created website pages that I love too, plus mine. Just click the image below and view the examples.

About The Author

I found it incredibly frustrating, especially as a novice relying on people I thought had a clue.

I had tried all these tactics, tools, and what I thought were promising solutions to my problems as a business and marketer. None of what I had been doing was producing results for the businesses I was working with. So I dug deeper to understand what was driving the success of some of these more prominent companies and entrepreneurs.

After taking every single online course (free and paid), reading every inch of marketing copy, Instagram expertise, and dissecting as many “how-to” guides as possible I came to the conclusion that the element I had been missing was personality through brand development. I began teaching others – becoming a mentor and educator; A master.

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