Does the Instagram algorithm punish for putting a link in bio?
The phrase “link in bio” has become commonplace for Instagram copy… but is it good or bad? Does the algorithm punish for it? Does adding a link in bio affect my Instagram content? Through a study, we tell you the truth.
Since its launch, Instagram has limited links; you can only have a single clickable link from the bio. This link is the only thing that can be used to direct people away from the app, so it’s no surprise that it’s frequently used by those looking to drive traffic to their sites.
In fact, some people have even gone further and turned that link into many with tools like Linktree.
However, it is clear that social networks do not like content that seeks to drive traffic away from them and algorithms are said to punish this practice.
On Facebook, for example, the reach of content with links is much lower than that which only has native content such as photos or videos. Does the same thing happen on Instagram?
How does the phrase “link in bio” influence Instagram engagement?
To answer this question once and for all, a study was carried out analyzing 78,662,277 contents on this social network. This one was done in collaboration with Lightspan Digital, a Chicago-based digital marketing agency.
The unknowns to be answered were:
- How do Instagram posts work with or without the phrase “link in bio” in the caption?
- How many Instagram posts have that phrase?
- What is the most engaging post type on Instagram?
The results: is it good or not to put a link in bio?
Instagram posts without the phrase “link in bio” in their copy work slightly better than those with the phrase. Although the difference is not that much.
Here is the performance graph taking into account the three types of publication:
Only 32.4% of brands add the phrase “link in bio” in the titles of their Instagram posts.
The Instagram post type that receives the most engagement across the board is the carousel, with an engagement rate per post of 0.58% of the total audience.
So does adding a link in bio affect my Instagram content? Apparently a little, but not enough to stop doing it.
Practice is essential if you’re executing a branding strategy on Instagram.
While we know that data never lies, there is NO standard recipe for successful social media content. So the next time you are planning to use this practice in your strategy, don’t be afraid… Yes, there will surely be a little less engagement, but it won’t be that bad.