Knowing which social media platforms are driving traffic to your site is key to refining your marketing strategy. A link in bio paired with appropriate tracking elements provides clear insight into referral traffic and conversions from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to create UTM-enabled biography links using Bitly that allow maximum social link management insights. Follow these steps to uncover exactly where your audience is coming from.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What is Bitly’s link-in-bio?
Bitly’s link-in-bio feature lets you connect your social media bio to a fully clickable, branded landing page, without needing a web designer. You can showcase multiple items in one place, including links to product pages, blog posts, your homepage, and campaign-specific calls to action. Every link is short, trackable, and optimized to drive traffic and conversions across your social media setup.
What sets Bitly apart is how easy it is to measure performance. Every link you add to your Bitly link in bio can include UTM parameters. These small snippets of text added to a URL help you track the source, medium, and campaign of all incoming traffic. This setup means you can see exactly how many clicks came from Instagram posts vs. your TikTok bio, or which influencers are sending the most page views.
Whether you’re managing social media marketing for an e-commerce brand or growing your personal audience, Bitly makes it simple to stay data-driven while keeping your bio link clean and clickable.
How to create a link-in-bio that tracks social referrals with Bitly
Now that you understand the power of Bitly’s link-in-bio and UTM tracking, it’s time to put that knowledge to work. In just a few steps, you can create a clickable, branded link-in-bio page that not only looks good but also helps you track referral traffic and social media performance with precision. Here’s how to do it:
1. Sign up or sign into your Bitly account
First, you’ll need to set up a Bitly account where you can manage your page and links. You can sign up for an account here or log into your existing account here if you already have one.
To unlock UTM parameters and advanced analytics, you’ll need to be on a Bitly paid plan. These powerful features aren’t included in the free tier, but upgrading gives you access to the full suite of tracking and performance tools that can transform your social media strategy.
With a paid plan, you can add UTM features to every link in your Bitly collection, making it easy to pinpoint which posts, platforms, and campaigns are driving traffic. You’ll also gain access to deeper insights, like geographic data, device breakdowns, and click trends over time via a clean, visual dashboard.
This level of detail helps you optimize what’s working, pivot where needed, and drive better results from your content. Whether you’re running Instagram giveaways, influencer campaigns, or cross-channel promotions, a Bitly paid plan ensures you’re not flying blind; you’re tracking every click and maximizing every opportunity.
2. Select an appropriate page template
Once you’re in the main account window, select Pages in the left-hand menu. Bitly keeps all its tools—Links, QR Codes, Pages, Analytics, and Campaigns—in one intuitive space. So if you’re familiar with making QR Codes or short links, this will feel instantly familiar.
The site will then prompt you to enter the text for your short link (and select a custom domain if that feature is available in your service plan). When you’ve found the ideal link text, select Create Page.
Now it’s time to select your page template. In the left-hand menu, under By use case, select Link in bio. The site will display some appropriate options, and you can click on the one that best matches your desired look.
3. Add some destination links
Once you’ve selected a template, the site will bring you back to the main view, with Pages selected in the left-hand menu. Now you can begin to customize elements of your landing page by clicking on the Edit icon in the upper-right corner of each element’s label. In addition to images, you can add links to:
- A product page to boost e-commerce conversions.
- A blog post that supports your current marketing efforts.
- Your homepage to increase brand visibility.
If you’re unsure what to include in your link-in-bio, consider which destinations you consider most important to building your brand identity.
4. Customize your link
You can change the second half of your Bitly link at any time to reflect your brand or page topic. For example, instead of a random string, you might use: bit.ly/summer-sale-2025 or bit.ly/weekly-wellness-guide
Customizing your link is as simple as clicking the … button in the upper-right of your page editing screen and entering new text. Using the right short link can help increase clicks by making it more recognizable, clickable, and trustworthy.
Some Bitly plans also let you use a custom domain name, opening options like your_name.social/bio and other cool combinations that can further reinforce brand identity.
5. Add UTM parameters
If your plan allows, you can enable referral tracking on any or all of your Bitly Links. To do so, toggle on UTM parameters under Advanced features and fill out the required fields. You can read more on Bitly’s UTM link features here.
Each UTM link includes three required fields:
- Source: Where the traffic is coming from (e.g., Instagram or LinkedIn)
- Medium: The channel used (e.g., social or influencer)
- Campaign: Your internal campaign name (e.g., summer_drop or new_product_launch)
Each link also allows for two optional fields (Term and Content) as well as a custom URL parameter name. These fields make it easier to keep track of many different parameter settings and groupings used across different URLs. This structured data helps you spot trends in your metrics and track conversions with clarity.
As you add UTM parameters, the UTM tag preview field will update with how they will look at the end of your long link. The parameters will not show up in your short link, but every click will include all Bitly UTM parameters so you can gather appropriate analytics.
6. Create your links and add them to your social media
After entering each link’s details and UTM fields:
- Select Create your link.
- Test the link in your browser to ensure it loads correctly.
- Add the final links to your Instagram bio, TikTok profile, Facebook intro, or LinkedIn “website” field. If you’re using more than one link, make sure to use the right referral link with the correct UTM parameters for each social source.
- Consider updating your link-in-bio landing page regularly based on current campaigns or promotions
7. Track your social media referrals in Bitly
To see how your link is performing, select Analytics on your Bitly menu. There, you’ll find data like:
- Total clicks
- Top social media platforms
- Geographic (city/country) and device-based demographics
If you’ve added UTM parameters, this data becomes even more valuable. You can analyze how each campaign performs across different platforms, then optimize based on real insights.
For a full-funnel view, consider pairing Bitly Analytics data with Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Google Analytics can show you bounce rate, time on page, and deeper engagement metrics, completing your understanding of how social referrals are impacting your marketing strategy.
Best practices for tracking social referrals with link-in-bio effectively
Now that your Bitly link-in-bio page is live and tracking, it’s time to make sure you’re using it to its full potential. These best practices will help you optimize your UTM parameters, fine-tune your social media strategy, and turn referral data into real results.
Use short and simple terminology
When adding UTM parameters, keep things clear and concise. For example, use “instagram” instead of “instagram-profile-organic” as your source, or “summer” instead of “early-summer-campaign-sale-v1.”
Simple tags make it easier to filter and analyze your data later, especially when collaborating across a marketing team. Clean naming conventions reduce confusion and ensure everyone can understand your referral reports at a glance.
Customize UTM tags based on the platform
Not all platforms drive traffic the same way. That’s why it’s essential to customize your UTM parameters to reflect the specific social media platforms you’re using. For example, you might tag links from YouTube as either YT-Video, YT-Short, or YT-Bio to distinguish between links shared in the descriptions of regular videos, shorts, or bios. For Facebook, tags like FB-Post, FB-Story, and FB-Bio might be more appropriate. This structure lets you compare platform performance side by side, helping you better optimize each channel’s strategy based on actual metrics.
Monitor social referral traffic regularly
Tracking social media referrals shouldn’t be a one-time task. Make it part of your regular social media management workflow. By monitoring page views, referral sources, and clickable content performance, you can quickly identify which platforms and which content formats are delivering results. This insight helps you invest more into what’s working, whether that’s more Instagram posts with product links or more influencer partnerships to boost referral traffic. Over time, consistent tracking means smarter decisions and stronger marketing efforts.
Maximize the potential of your link-in-bio with Bitly
Tracking traffic from your biography links gives you powerful insights into how your audience engages with your content across social media platforms. By measuring clicks, traffic sources, and conversion rates, you can see what’s working in real time and optimize your marketing strategy accordingly.
Bitly is more than just a link-in-bio tool. It’s your all-in-one platform for tracking social media referrals, analyzing clicks, and improving your overall marketing strategy. With built-in Analytics, customizable UTM parameters, and branded Short Links, you’ll gain clear visibility into what’s working across your social media platforms.
The right Bitly plan helps you not only create smarter, clickable links but also make data-backed decisions that can drive better conversion rates. Sign up today to start getting the most out of your bio links on every platform.
