FOR INFLUENCERS & PUBLIC FIGURES

Do influencers need a website? When link-in-bio stops being enough

Link-in-bio tools are a sensible start. Here's how UK influencers can tell when they've outgrown them, and what a proper website adds.

The Limelight Company · 8 min read · Updated 26 October 2026

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Not on day one. A free link-in-bio page is enough while you are growing and testing what works. You need a proper website once brands, publishers or event organisers start checking you out, once you want a mailing list you control, or once you sell something of your own. That is usually the point link-in-bio stops being enough.

Picture a brand manager searching your name and landing somewhere that looks and sounds like you, with a partnerships page that answers their questions before they ask and a mailing list behind it that grows whatever the algorithm decides. That security, a home no platform can take away, is what a website gives a creator.

Most influencers start with a link-in-bio page, and for good reason: it is quick, cheap and does one job well. It sends people from a profile to a handful of destinations. The question is not whether link-in-bio is bad. It is whether it still matches what you are trying to build.

This guide sets out what each option does, the signs you have outgrown a link page, and what a website for a creator or public figure should actually include.

Is link-in-bio enough for an influencer?

For many creators, at first, yes. Tools such as Linktree offer a free plan with unlimited links and basic analytics, and Instagram itself has allowed up to five links in a profile bio since April 2023. If your goal is simply to point followers at your latest video, a discount code and a podcast, that covers it.

The limits show up when you need more than a list of buttons:

It says very little about you. A link page is a signpost, not a story. A brand manager or journalist arriving there learns almost nothing about who you are, what you stand for or who follows you.
It rarely gets found in search. People who search your name on Google want a page that answers “who is this?” A bare list of links seldom ranks well or answers that question.
It sits on someone else’s platform. Your page, your design options and your data are governed by the tool’s terms and pricing, which can change.
It looks like everyone else’s. Templates are efficient, but they make it harder to look distinct at the moment someone is deciding whether to work with you.

What does a website give an influencer that social media doesn’t?

The simplest answer is ownership. Your followers on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube are an audience you reach on the platform’s terms. Reach rises and falls with algorithm changes, and an account can be restricted or compromised. A website on your own domain, with a mailing list behind it, is the one place where you decide what people see and how you can contact them.

Beyond that, a site does four practical jobs:

It answers the “who are you?” search. When a brand, agent, producer or event organiser hears your name, the first thing they do is search for it. A clear homepage and about page give them the answer you want them to find.
It makes the commercial pitch for you. A partnerships page with your audience profile, past collaborations and a contact form does a lot of quiet selling. (Our guide to what to put in an influencer media kit covers the detail.)
It builds a list you own. An email sign-up lets you reach people without paying to boost a post or hoping the algorithm is kind that week.
It gives your own products a home. Books, courses, presets, merchandise, events or a podcast all need somewhere to live that is not a third-party shop page.

When does link-in-bio stop being enough?

There is no follower number that triggers the switch. It is about what you are doing, not how many people are watching. These are the signs we would look for:

Sign	Why it matters
Brands are approaching you, or you are pitching them	They will look you up. A professional site helps you look like a safe pair of hands.
You are being asked for interviews, talks or panels	Organisers need a bio, photos and a contact route in one place.
You are launching something of your own	A product, book or course needs a page that explains it properly.
You want a newsletter	A sign-up on your own site is a more stable base than a platform’s follower count.
Your work spans several platforms	A website ties a YouTube channel, a podcast and an Instagram account into one identity.
People search your name	You want the top result to be something you control.

If none of those applies yet, keep your link page and spend your energy on the content. A website you never update is not better than a tidy link page.

What should an influencer website include?

Keep it lean. Most creators need five or six pages, done well, rather than twenty done badly.

Homepage

Say who you are and what you make in one line, show a strong portrait, and give clear routes to your latest content, your partnerships page and your newsletter.

About

Your story in your own voice: how you started, what you care about and why people follow you. This is also the page journalists borrow from, so keep a short third-person bio on it as well.

Work with me or partnerships

Who your audience is, the kinds of collaborations you take on, a few past examples with permission, and a simple enquiry form. You do not need to publish rates; many creators prefer to quote per brief.

Content hub

Embed or link your best videos, posts or episodes. Curate rather than mirror your whole feed.

Newsletter sign-up

Put it on every page. If you collect email addresses for marketing, the UK has rules on consent and privacy information. The ICO’s guidance on electronic mail marketing and on cookies is the place to check what applies to you.

Shop or products, if you have them

Only add this when you have something to sell. An empty shop does more harm than none.

Good photography matters more than clever design. Your audience knows your face, so a set of consistent, recent portraits will do more for the site than any template. If you need them, brand photography built around how you actually present yourself is a worthwhile investment.

Can you keep your link-in-bio page and have a website?

Yes, and plenty of creators do. Some put a single link to their website in their bio and let the site do the routing. Others keep a link page for fast-changing items like this week’s discount code, with the website listed first. Either approach works, as long as the most important destination is the most obvious one.

A reasonable middle path is to build a simple site and then add a mobile-friendly “links” page on your own domain. You get the convenience of a link list without sending people somewhere you do not control.

Should you build it yourself or pay someone?

Be honest about where you are. If you are early on, a website builder template and an afternoon can produce something perfectly decent. The trade-offs are time, a generic look, and the risk that it gets left to drift once you are busy.

Paying for a personal brand website makes more sense when the site has a commercial job to do: winning partnerships, launching a product or positioning you for bigger opportunities. Then the copy, the photography and the structure matter, and a professional build tends to pay for itself in how you are perceived. That is the thinking behind our website design for influencers, part of our wider marketing for influencers. For indicative UK costs and what you should expect for the money, see our guide to how much a personal brand website costs in the UK.

Whichever route you choose, a few basics are worth getting right:

Register your name as a domain, ideally both the .co.uk and .com, before someone else does.
Make sure the site works properly on a phone, because that is where your audience will arrive from.
Keep the editing simple enough that you, or whoever manages your content, can update it in minutes.
Use the same name, photos and tone as your social profiles, so people know they are in the right place.

How we can help

We want brands, editors and your audience to land on your site and feel they have found the real you, in a home you own. We began as the in-house team of co-founder Jack Cartwright, building his website alongside his social media and videos. Today our website design for influencers covers the design, a WordPress build, copy, SEO foundations and photography that looks like you. A clear brief, scope and fee are agreed before any creative work begins.

Frequently asked questions

How many followers do you need before getting a website?

There is no set number. The trigger is what you are doing rather than your follower count: pitching brands, launching a product, being booked for interviews or starting a newsletter. Some creators with modest but loyal audiences benefit from a site sooner than larger accounts that only post for fun.

Is a website better than Linktree for brand deals?

For brand deals, usually yes. A link page tells a brand manager where your content lives; a website with a partnerships page tells them who your audience is, what you have done before and how to get in touch. That context helps them make a decision and makes you look more established.

Do influencers need a newsletter as well as a website?

It is not essential, but it is one of the most useful things a website enables. A mailing list is an audience you can reach directly, without depending on an algorithm. If you start one, check the ICO’s guidance on consent and privacy information for marketing emails.

Should my website be under my own name?

For most creators, yes. Your name is the brand people search for and it travels with you if your content or platforms change. If you trade under a channel name that is better known than you, register both and point one at the other.

Can I use my website instead of a media kit?

A partnerships page can cover much of what a media kit does and is easier to keep up to date. Many brands still ask for a PDF, so it is worth having both, with the website as the up-to-date version and the PDF as a snapshot you send on request.

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