How to Add a Website to an Instagram Story

Adding a clickable link to your Instagram Story is one of the most powerful ways to move your audience from passive viewing to active engagement. Whether you want to drive traffic to a new blog post, a product page, or your latest YouTube video, the link sticker is your direct line to getting it done. This guide walks you through exactly how to add a website link to your Story, plus professional strategies to turn those taps into meaningful results for your brand.

Good News: Everyone Can Use the Link Sticker

Let's clear this up right away. For years, the ability to add a link to an Instagram Story (the old "Swipe Up" feature) was reserved for accounts with over 10,000 followers or those that were verified. It felt like an exclusive club, leaving smaller creators and businesses without a direct way to send traffic off the platform.

Fortunately, that all changed. In late 2021, Instagram replaced the "Swipe Up" with the interactive link sticker, making it available to every single user on the platform, regardless of follower count. This was a game-changer, leveling the playing field and giving everyone the tools to drive an audience to their website, shop, or content hub. If you have an Instagram account, you can add a link to your Story. No follower minimums, no verification hoops to jump through.

How to Add a Website to an Instagram Story: A Step-by-Step Guide

Posting a link is straightforward once you know where to find the sticker. Follow these simple steps to get your first link live in minutes.

Step 1: Create Your Instagram Story

Start by opening the Instagram app and creating your Story as you normally would. You can either tap the plus icon (+) at the top of your screen and select "Story," or simply swipe right from your home feed to open the Story camera.

You can capture a new photo or video, or swipe up to select existing content from your camera roll. Your Story’s background - the image or video you choose - is important. It is an opportunity to provide context and convince people to click your link, so choose something that’s relevant and visually appealing.

Step 2: Open the Sticker Tray

Once your photo or video is loaded into the Story editor, look for the sticker icon at the top of the screen. It looks like a square with a smiling face. Tap it to open the sticker tray, where you’ll find all of Instagram’s interactive features, from GIFs and music to polls and quizzes.

Step 3: Select the "Link" Sticker

Scroll through the sticker options until you find the one labeled “Link.” Tap it to proceed. If you have trouble finding it, you can also use the search bar at the top of the sticker tray and type "link" to bring it up instantly.

Step 4: Enter Your URL and Customize the Sticker Text

This is where you make the magic happen. A new screen will appear with two fields:

• URL: This is where you’ll paste the full website address you want to link to. Make sure you include the `https://` part. The best practice here is to go to the website page in your browser, copy the URL directly, and then paste it here to avoid any typos.
• Sticker text: This is the text that will appear on the sticker itself. By default, it will show the domain name of the link (e.g., yourwebsite.com), but you should always customize it. Change it to a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells people what to expect. For example, instead of the plain URL, use "READ THE BLOG POST," "SHOP THE NEW COLLECTION," or "GET YOUR FREE GUIDE."

After you’ve added your URL and customized the text, tap “Done.”

Step 5: Place Your Sticker and Publish

Your newly created link sticker will now appear layered over your Story content. You can treat it just like any other sticker:

• Position: Tap and drag it to place it anywhere on the screen.
• Resize: Use two fingers to pinch or expand it to make it smaller or larger.
• Change Color: Tap the sticker to cycle through different color variations (usually white, black, and a muted rainbow effect) to match your Story’s aesthetic.

Once you’re happy with the placement, add any other elements you want (text, music, GIFs, etc.) and share your Story with your followers.

Best Practices for Using the Instagram Link Sticker Effectively

Just because you can add a link doesn’t mean people will click it. The difference between a sticker that gets ignored and one that drives traffic is all in the strategy. Here are a few professional tips to increase your click-through rates.

1. Make it Ridiculously Obvious What You Want Them to Do

People often tap through Stories quickly and passively. You need to interrupt that behavior and *explicitly* tell them to tap the link. Don’t assume they’ll notice the sticker on their own.

• Use Visual Cues: Add GIFs like blinking arrows pointing to the link sticker by searching "tap here" or "link in story" in the GIF search.
• Use On-Screen Text: Add a simple text overlay that says "Tap the link to read more!" or something similar.
• Use a Verbal CTA: If you're recording a video, point to where the sticker will be and literally say, "You can learn more by tapping the link I've added right here!"

2. Customize Your Sticker Text with a Strong CTA

Leaving the default domain name on your link sticker is a wasted opportunity. The sticker text is your tiny piece of ad copy, so make it compelling. Your CTA should be clear, concise, and action-oriented.

Instead of This (Vague)Try This (Specific & Actionable)www.mycoolshop.comSHOP THE SALEwww.myblog.com/new-postREAD THE GUIDEbit.ly/A3bXcJOIN THE WAITLISTwww.youtube.comWATCH THE FULL VIDEO

3. Give The Story Context and Build Curiosity

A link dropped without context is just spam. Your Story’s entire purpose is to pre-frame the link and make people want to click it. Think of the Story as the appetizer and the link’s destination as the main course. For example:

• For a blog post: Don't just post a graphic of the title. Share a video of yourself discussing one surprising takeaway from the article. Then add a link sticker that says "GET ALL MY TIPS."
• For a product: Don't just post a product shot. Show a video of the product in action, solving a problem for someone. Then add a link sticker that says "SHOP THIS LOOK."
• For an email list: Talk about a free guide you created. Show a sneak peek of one valuable page from the PDF, then add a link sticker that says "DOWNLOAD FOR FREE."

4. Keep the Call-to-Action Focused

A confused mind always says no. If your goal is to get link clicks, make that the primary focus of your Story slide. Resist the urge to also add a poll, a question box, and a quiz sticker all on the same slide as your link sticker. Each interactive element competes for attention. If the link is the most important action, give it the spotlight it deserves. A simple design with a clear visual hierarchy pointing to the link sticker will almost always perform better than a cluttered, chaotic one.

5. Track Your Performance to See What Works

You won't know if your strategy is effective unless you look at the data. Instagram provides basic analytics for Stories that you can use to inform your approach.

• View Story Insights: After your Story has been live for a while, swipe up on it to view its analytics. You will see a metric for "Link Clicks" that tells you exactly how many people tapped your sticker.
• Use Custom Links: For more advanced tracking, use a URL shortener like Bitly to create custom short links for your Stories. This lets you track click data directly in your Bitly dashboard.
• Use UTM Parameters: For the most precise tracking, add UTM parameters to your URLs before you paste them into the link sticker. This lets you see traffic from specific Instagram Stories directly in your Google Analytics, helping you understand how that traffic behaves once it gets to your site. This is how pros measure ROI from social media.

Final Thoughts

The Instagram link sticker transformed Stories from a simple content-sharing feature into a powerful traffic-driving tool for brands, creators, and businesses of any size. By following the simple steps to add your link and applying a few best practices - like using clear CTAs and building context - you can easily guide your audience from the app to your most important content online.

Of course, the real challenge isn’t adding a single link, it’s building a consistent content plan that uses features like the link sticker strategically over time. That often requires mapping out your campaigns, seeing your content visually, and scheduling everything in advance so you’re not scrambling to post every day. That’s precisely why we built Postbase. Our visual calendar makes it simple to plan your entire content strategy - including Stories for Instagram, Reels, and TikToks - so you can see your week or month at a glance and schedule posts reliably. It makes cohesive, traffic-driving campaigns feel manageable instead of overwhelming.