How to Use Instagram to Drive Traffic to Your Website (5 Helpful Tips)

Welcoming our latest guest author, Denise Langenegger! Denise is part of the team at Instasize—a content creating tool kit for anyone editing photos and online content on mobile. Denise has written for us about a topic she knows inside out, Instagram. Specifically how to use the social media platform to help drive traffic to your website, something that’s useful for any graphic designer to know.

Primarily a social sharing tool, Instagram has evolved into a platform where you can build your brand. You can post photos, short and long-form videos, Stories, and even set up an Instagram shop. Kantar reports that there has been a 32% increase in Instagram usage since the beginning of 2020. It’s definitely an essential.

Instagram allows you to engage with your audience but how do you drive your followers to your website? While there are a myriad of digital channels you can use to earn website visitors, Instagram allows you to capture an already engaged audience.

How do you begin? Don’t sweat. We’ve done the research for you. Check out 5 ways to drive traffic to your website on Instagram.

1. Invest In Instagram Ads

Instagram ads can potentially reach almost 850 million people worldwide. If you reach just a slice of this engaged audience while they browse through their Instagram Feeds, your website will be getting visits from all over.

First, switch to a professional account to access the ads features. Then, you’ll see a ‘Promote’ button below each of your Instagram posts. When you click the ‘Promote’ button, you can turn that particular post into an ad. You’ll be able to select where to send people—whether it be your profile, your direct messages or, in this case, your website. You’ll even be able to choose a specific call to action (CTA) like ‘Learn More’, ‘Sign Up’, or ‘Shop Now’.

Chinatown Market, a lifestyle brand led by artist and designer Mike Cherman, uses Instagram ads to promote its popular designs. When users click on the ‘Shop Now’ button, they are redirected to their website to view more of their merchandise.

To create a great ad, you need compelling artwork. A tool like Instasize can help you design magnetic visuals. The app grants you access to more than 130 premium filters and 80 trendy and unique borders for stunning photos. Even better, Instasize has preset sizes that match all types of ad variations and specifications required by Instagram ads.

2. Link Your Website!

Your Instagram bio is prime real estate. It’s the first thing your followers see when they check out your page. When you first set up your Instagram account, don’t miss the opportunity to add your website URL to your Instagram bio.

Image courtesy of @shuturp

Add strategic CTAs on your bio to drive followers to your website like ‘Shop Now’ or ‘Click Here’. Artist Ellie Hopley of SHUTURP uses the on-brand CTA ‘Buy My Sturff’ to drive attention to her website.

Take note that you can update this link any time. When your brand has a marketing campaign or a newly-launched collection, you can change your website link to a specific landing page.

Unfortunately, Instagram only allows one link featured in the bio. This is where social media microsite tools come in handy. Linktree allows you to build simple microsites that link your followers to different pages on your website and wherever you can be found on the internet through one branded link.

Image courtesy of @worry__lines

Artist Worry Lines uses Linktree to drive their followers to different projects online. On their microsite, followers can access their online store to buy “mildly uplifting” merchandise, Patreon and organisations the artist holds dear.

3. Add Links to Your Instagram Stories

34% of Gen Z use social media to get their information and more than 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day. It’s the key channel for you to showcase your brand personality and interact with your followers in a more personal way.

The swipe up feature on Instagram Stories is a game-changer for brands. It enables you to send users directly to your website when they swipe up or click on the ‘See More’ CTA at the bottom of the linked Story.

Image courtesy of @chrissimpsonsartist

Popular artist and storyteller, only known as Chris (Simpsons artist) strategically uses Instagram Stories to show off his unique merchandise and guide his followers to the product page on his website. To compel his followers to swipe up, he uses bold and funny CTAs that are always on-brand with his artwork.

To make use of the swipe up feature, your account needs to have amassed ten thousand followers or be a verified account. If you don’t meet the criteria, you can still harness the power of Stories by posting share-worthy videos, run thought-provoking polls, or share posts on your feed to generate more engagement. Having great Story content will encourage users to take the next step and head over to your website.

Image courtesy of Google Playstore

Creating content for both your feed and stories can be overwhelming so we suggest subscribing to a royalty-free stock image library like Depositphotos. You’ll have access to more than 180 million eye-catching photos, vectors and videos that you can customise and use on Instagram.

4. Use Your Highlights

Instagram Highlights is a new feature that businesses find very valuable. It’s a way to save your best Instagram stories and allow them to be seen by new visitors past its typical 24-hour lifespan. Stationed right below your bio, Highlights can easily capture the attention of a user who chances upon your page.

Image courtesy of @theofficialsadghostclub

Artists of The Sad Ghost Club use their Highlights to push merchandise. For example, when users click on the Tattoo Token Highlight, they will be taught how to buy tattoos and head to the artist’s website.

5. Engage with Your Followers

Instagram has the highest engagement compared to other social media sites. More than 45 million users send and receive direct messages on Instagram every day. Instagram Direct messaging allows you to selectively send captioned photos to your followers without publishing them to their public feed. With direct messaging, you can start a conversation with your followers and introduce your brand in a personal and engaging way.

Image courtesy of @maxiedoodled

Filipino illustrator and graphic designer Maxine Tanjutco engages with her followers through direct messages. She answers customer queries and sends clickable links via direct message to increase the traffic of warm leads to her website.

You’re now armed with the knowledge to drive traffic to your website from Instagram. Before getting started, assess which strategy works best for your brand. Figure out the creative assets you have on-hand and how much you’re willing to spend on marketing. Once you have a game plan in place, you’ll have an uplift in website traffic in no time.