Instagram Refresh: How to Drive Website Traffic

With 75 million active daily users, Instagram continues to be one of the most popular social media platforms used. Over a quarter of the US population used Instagram last year, and this number is expected to climb. After introducing ads in 2013, the platform has been growing in popularity with businesses ranging from industry leaders like Nike to the small local coffee shop down the street.

Using Instagram for your business is a smart strategy to connect on a personal level with your audience, and more and more entrepreneurs are embracing this platform. One of the frustrations Instagram presents is the lack of clickable links in photo captions and comments. Many brands have struggled to find a way around this limitation to still use the platform to send traffic to their website. While there is no “magic fix,” here are 3 simple Instagram strategies you can put in place to boost the website traffic you get from the platform:

Strategy #1: Put a link in your bio.

The one place links are clickable in Instagram is in your bio. Make sure to add your website URL by going into Edit Profile -> Website. Feel free to frequently change out which link you use; use a photo to feature a blog article or specific page on your site and instruct readers to find the link in your profile.

Pro tip: Google Analytics doesn’t track traffic from Instagram; if someone clicks a link in your Instagram profile, Google will report it as Direct Traffic instead of Referral Traffic. To get around this and track how much traffic you’re getting from Instagram, use bit.ly or goo.gl to shorten a link, customize it, and keep tabs on how well your links do.

Strategy #2: Use a direct call-to-action in photo captions

When you post a photo directly related to a blog or page on your website, be sure to include a specific call-to-action instructing viewers to find the link on your website. You can either type out the URL in your comment and hope that people copy and paste it into their browser, or instruct viewers to click the link in your profile.

Pro tip: Send people to click the link in your profile. While both approaches require an extra step on the follower’s part, going to your profile and clicking the link there is far easier than re-typing it in a browser.

Strategy #3: Use Instagram ads

Instagram recently made this option available to all companies and brands, meaning you can now pay for targeted ads on the platform. You can choose from photo, video (up to 30 seconds, or carousel (a series of four photos) ads, all of which include a “Learn More” link.

Pro tip: While not for everyone, a well-thought-out Instagram ad could be extremely beneficial for your business.

Instagram is likely to remain one of the primary social media platforms for the foreseeable future. While undoubtedly things will change, implementing these three simple strategies will up the website traffic Instagram sends your way.