How UK small businesses use a link in bio page for bookings, calls and directions

A café in Leeds, a mobile hairdresser in Cardiff and a plumber in Bristol have the same problem on Instagram. People find them, like the photos, and then cannot work out how to book, where the place is or what it costs. The profile allows one link, the website was built for a desktop screen three years ago, and the phone number is buried in a caption.

A bio link page is the cheapest fix. It is a small page that opens from the profile link and puts the four or five things a local customer wants in front of them, in order. This guide covers what belongs on that page for a shop, a salon and a trade, and how to build it on Digily Link in an afternoon.

What local customers are looking for

Someone who taps the link in a local business profile is rarely browsing. They want to do one of a short list of things. Book an appointment or a table. Check opening hours. Get directions. Call or message. See prices or a menu. Read a few reviews before deciding. The page should answer those in the first screen, before any scrolling.

That is different from a creator page, where the goal is to route people to content. For a business the goal is a booking, a visit or a call, so the page should be short and every button should be an action.

A layout that works for most local businesses

1. Header with your name, what you do and where. "Nook Coffee, Chapel Allerton, Leeds" tells a visitor in three seconds that they are in the right place.
2. One featured button for the main action. "Book online", "Order for collection", "Get a quote". Make it the big button so it is impossible to miss.
3. Call and WhatsApp. A phone button and a click-to-chat WhatsApp button. Trades in particular get most of their enquiries this way. The WhatsApp link generator builds the chat link with a pre-filled message such as "Hi, I would like a quote for".
4. Directions. A button that opens your postcode in Google Maps. If you make that button a Digily Link short link with app linking switched on, it opens the Google Maps or Waze app directly on a phone that has it installed.
5. Business hours. The business hours block shows today's hours at a glance and marks the day you are closed.
6. Reviews. A button to your Google reviews, or on the Pro plan a review block with two or three short quotes. New customers read these before they book.
7. Menu, price list or portfolio. An image block with the menu, an image grid of recent work on Starter, a PDF block on Pro, or a link to the relevant page on your website.
8. Social icons at the bottom. They matter less for a local business than for a creator, so they go last.

That is eight blocks. The free plan allows up to 15 on a page and covers buttons, business hours, images and embedded media. The sign-up form, contact form, PayPal button, vCard and FAQ blocks come with Starter at £2 a month, and the appointment calendar, review, image slider and PDF blocks with Pro at £4 a month.

Examples by type of business

Shops and cafés

Lead with ordering or a click-and-collect link, then hours and directions. If you run a loyalty scheme or a mailing list, an email sign-up block near the top collects addresses without sending people to another site. Put your menu or a "what is new this week" image grid next. A PayPal button lets you sell gift vouchers straight from the page.

Salons, barbers and beauty

The booking button is everything. Link it to your booking system, or use the appointment calendar block if you take bookings directly. Follow it with a price list, a before-and-after image slider, and a cancellation policy line in a paragraph block so nobody is surprised later. A vCard block lets clients save your number in one tap.

Trades and home services

Plumbers, electricians, decorators and cleaners get enquiries by phone and WhatsApp far more than by form, so those two buttons come first. Then areas covered, a short paragraph on what you do, an image grid of recent jobs, and a contact form as a fallback for people messaging out of hours. If you are on Checkatrade or Trustpilot, a button to your profile there does the job that reviews do for a café.

Setting it up on Digily Link

1. Create a free account and pick a bio link address. UK businesses often choose ukbio.link/yourname or digily.uk/yourname because the address itself says where you are. All 15 domains are listed on the domains page.
2. Add the blocks in the order above. Start with the featured button, the call button and directions, then fill in the rest.
3. Choose a theme and set the colours to match your shop front or logo. Upload your logo as the avatar.
4. Paste the page address into Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and your Google Business Profile website field, and add it to your email signature.
5. Print a QR code for the page. It goes on the door, the receipt and the van. The QR code is created in the same dashboard and can be styled with your colours and logo.

If you later want the page on your own domain, the Starter plan (£2 a month) allows up to five custom domains, so links.yourbusiness.co.uk can point at the same page. Details are on the plans page.

Knowing what works

Every button on the page counts its clicks, and the statistics show where visitors came from, which device they used and which town they were in. For a local business that answers two useful questions. Which button do people actually use, and does the page get visitors from outside your area who might be worth a delivery or postage option.

If a button leads to your own website, tag it with UTM parameters using the UTM link generator so the visits show up as "bio link" in Google Analytics instead of "direct". The statistics are collected without a tracking cookie, so there is no consent banner to add to the page. The link statistics page explains what is recorded.

Mistakes that cost bookings

• Linking the profile to the website home page. It usually loads slowly on mobile data and hides the booking button under a menu.
• Too many buttons. Twelve links look like a directory. Keep the first screen to the actions that make you money.
• Vague labels. "Click here" and "More info" get skipped. "Book a cut", "See today's menu" and "Get directions" get tapped.
• Out-of-date hours. Bank holiday hours and Christmas closures need updating on the page, not only on the door.
• No way to save your number. Add the vCard block. Repeat customers call the saved contact, not the profile.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a website as well as a bio link page?

Not to start. Many small businesses run for a year or more on a bio link page, a Google Business Profile and a booking tool. When you do want a full site, Digily Link can host a simple AI or HTML website on the same account, and the bio link page keeps working as the mobile front door.

Can I take bookings directly on the page?

Yes, on the Pro plan. The appointment calendar block collects a name, contact details and a requested time. If you already use a booking system, a button that opens it is usually simpler for customers who are used to it, and it works on every plan.

Is the free plan enough for a small business?

For one location with one page, yes. The free plan includes five pages, 50 short links, 20 QR codes and one month of statistics history, without adverts. You move to Starter when you want your own domain, longer statistics or more QR codes for print.

Will the page show up on Google?

The page has its own title and description, so it can be indexed, but it is not a replacement for a Google Business Profile. Use both, and put the bio link address in the profile's website field.

Can I put the same QR code on a menu and a leaflet?

Yes. A QR code that points at a Digily Link short link keeps working when you change the destination, so one printed code can move from the menu to a seasonal offer without reprinting.

Final checks

• The first screen of the page shows the booking or order button, a call button and directions.
• Opening hours are current, including bank holidays.
• The page address is in every social profile and in your Google Business Profile.
• A QR code for the page is printed somewhere customers stand still.
• You have opened the statistics once and know which button gets the most taps.