Guide
Linktree, Instagram, or a real website
Whether a beauty pro needs a website when Instagram and a link in bio already bring in work, and what each of the three is actually good at
By Aston Cook. Updated
Instagram is where people discover you, and Linktree is a tidy way to point them somewhere. A website is where they decide, and it is the only one of the three you own. Whether you need one comes down to two things: whether new clients can find you on Google, and what is left of your business if the account goes
I am not going to tell you to stop posting. Instagram is the best discovery tool a makeup artist or stylist has, and Linktree's free plan does its one job well. They just do a different job from a website, and the difference shows up in three places
Who finds you on Google
Think about how a new client looks for somebody. She types makeup artist in Cleveland, or hair stylist near me, into Google. What comes back is the map with business profiles on it, and websites with a page that matches what she typed
A link in bio page holds your name, a photo and a short stack of buttons. There is very little on it for a search to match against bridal makeup in your town. Instagram posts are built to be found inside Instagram, by people already scrolling it
A website gives a search something to read. A page about bridal makeup, with your town, your services and your prices on it, is what a search can land on. It is also what your Google Business Profile points to, so the two help each other. Every build I do includes local search setup and help with that profile, and the pages on makeup artist websites and hair stylist websites show what goes on them
Who owns the address and the client list
Your Instagram handle is yours to use, not yours to own. The followers, the messages and the reach all live on an app that sets its own rules. You cannot email your followers, and you cannot take them with you
Linktree is rented in a more literal way. No Linktree plan lets you put your own website name on the page, so every link you print on a card or a mirror sticker sends people to an address that ends in Linktree's name. If you ever leave, every one of those cards still sends people there
On a website the address is your website name, registered to you, for about $11 a year. The inquiry form sends each client's name, email and date straight to your inbox, so the list of people who asked is yours and not an app's
When the account goes, or the feed changes
Accounts get locked, hacked and suspended, sometimes by mistake, and getting one back is out of your hands. Reach changes too. A post that used to find plenty of people can find far fewer after a change nobody told you about
None of that touches a website. If your Instagram is down for a month, the site still answers a bride's questions at midnight, still takes inquiries, and still comes up when somebody searches your name
What each one is good at
| What you need | Linktree | Your website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Being found by people scrolling | The best there is | Not its job | Not its job either |
| Being found in a search for your trade and town | Sometimes, for your name | Very little to match | What it is built for |
| An address of your own | A handle on their app | Ends in Linktree's name on every plan | Your website name |
| Answering questions without you | Captions and highlights | A few buttons | Every page, at any hour |
| What it costs | Free | Free, or $6 to $30 a month billed yearly | $500 once for one page, plus about $11 a year |
| If the account goes | Everything goes with it | Your links go with it | Still there |
What Linktree costs over time
Linktree's free plan costs nothing, and for plenty of people it is enough. The paid plans add features on top, and here is what they come to
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Five years, billed yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Starter | $8 a month | $6 a month | $360 |
| Pro | $15 a month | $12 a month | $720 |
| Premium | $35 a month | $30 a month | $1,800 |
Five years of Pro costs more than a one-page site from me, which is $500 once plus about $11 a year for the website name, and the address on the one-page site is yours. That is not an argument against Linktree Free. It is an argument against paying every month to send people to an address you can never own
How the three work best together
The setup I suggest to most beauty pros uses all three. Instagram does the discovery. The link in your bio goes straight to your website, or to a Linktree whose first button is your website. The website answers the questions, shows the prices and takes the inquiry
If you book through an app like GlossGenius or Vagaro, the website links straight into it, so nothing about how you take deposits has to change. You can open a finished one at Makeup X Chloe, a bridal makeup site I built in East Tennessee, and see what a bride sees before she books
Questions people ask next
Do I need a website if I have Instagram
If nearly all your work comes from people who already follow you, you can manage without one for a while. If you want strangers to find you on Google, or an address you own, you need one
Can I put my own website name on Linktree
Not on any plan. Linktree's own help pages say it does not offer a way to replace its address with yours
Is a one-page site enough
For a lot of beauty pros, yes. It holds your services, a gallery and a contact form, and it is $500 once
Should I keep my Linktree once I have a website
You can, as long as the website is the first button. Putting the website itself in your bio saves a bride one tap on her phone
Read next
- Websites for makeup artists
- Websites for hair stylists and barbers
- All three prices
- Can you have a website with no monthly fee
Other companies’ prices were checked on their own pricing pages on : Linktree pricing, Linktree help. Prices change, so check theirs before you decide
Tell me what you are building
Tell me about it in a couple of sentences. You get a real reply within one business day, whichever way it goes