Getting started with LinkStacked
Set up your profile, add your first links, pick a theme, and share your page — the no-pressure 15-minute walkthrough.
Before you begin
- A working email address
- A profile photo (optional, but recommended — square images work best)
- A short, specific bio you've drafted in advance (one or two sentences)
- A few destination URLs you want to feature on day one (Instagram, your shop, your podcast, etc.)
Step 1 of 6
· 2 minCreate your account
Head to linkstacked.com/signup and enter your email and a strong password. After you submit the form we send a confirmation email — click the link inside to activate your account. The whole flow is under 60 seconds for most people.
You can also sign up with Google or Apple if you prefer. Either method creates a regular account with the same features and the same exportable data — there is no penalty either way for going one route over the other.
Picking a username
During signup you choose a username. This becomes your permanent public URL: linkstacked.com/your-username. Treat it like a domain name — you can change it later, but every QR code, business card, and social-bio link you ever publish using it will need updating if you do.
- Usernames must be 3–20 characters
- Only lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores allowed
- No spaces, hyphens, or punctuation — those are reserved for system routes
- Must be unique — usernames are first-come-first-served
- Reserved words (admin, api, login, support, etc.) are blocked automatically
Existing QR codes survive a username change because they point to a stable internal ID, not the username itself. So if you do rebrand later, your printed QR codes keep working — but any direct linkstacked.com/old-username URL will redirect to the new one for 30 days, then 404.
If you plan to use a custom domain on Pro (e.g. links.yourbrand.com), your username still matters for direct sharing — keep it short, brand-friendly, and ideally identical to your handle on your most-used social platform. Consistency across handles makes you easier to find.
Why we ask for your email
Aside from login, your email is used for billing receipts, security notifications (new device sign-ins, password resets), and very occasional product updates you can opt out of in Settings → Notifications. We don't sell, share, or rent your email under any circumstances. It's also where we send your weekly analytics digest if you choose to enable it.
Step 2 of 6
· 4 minComplete your profile
Once you sign in for the first time, you land on the dashboard. The single most important thing you can do in your first session is fill in your profile properly. A page with placeholder text and a default avatar converts terribly. A page with a real photo, a sharp bio, and an obvious display name converts dramatically better — even before you've added any links.
Click "Edit profile" to open the editor. Fill in the four fields below in order. Each one nudges your conversion rate up a little.
- 1Profile photo — square images work best (min 400×400 px). A clear, well-lit photo of your face outperforms a logo for individual creators by 30–50% on first-time-visitor click-through rates.
- 2Display name — this is what visitors actually see. It can differ from your username (e.g. username 'mariakovacphoto', display name 'Maria Kovac').
- 3Short bio — one or two sentences max. We have a whole article on writing creator bios that convert; the short version is "what you make + who it's for + why it matters now".
- 4Optional fields — pronouns, location, or a short tagline. Add them only if they're relevant to what you sell. A working musician benefits from showing their city; a remote consultant probably doesn't.
Photo specs that look great everywhere
- Format: JPG or PNG. We recommend JPG for photos (smaller file size) and PNG for logos with transparency.
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square). Non-square images will be centre-cropped automatically.
- Minimum: 400×400 px. Recommended: 800×800 px for retina displays.
- Maximum file size: 8 MB. We compress automatically without visible quality loss for the displayed sizes.
Your bio is indexed by search engines. If you want to be discoverable for a specific niche, include the niche keyword in the bio (e.g. "Lightroom presets for portrait photographers" rather than "I make creative things"). Specific bios outperform generic ones for both human visitors and search ranking.
Every change you make in the profile editor saves automatically and goes live on your public page within seconds. There's no publish button and no waiting period — what you see in the preview is what visitors see.
Common gotchas at this stage
- Uploading a portrait photo with text overlaid on it. Mobile crops cut off the text. Use clean photos.
- Writing a bio that's three lines long on desktop but six lines on mobile. Always check the mobile preview.
- Using a default emoji as your avatar. It looks unfinished — drop in any photo, even a casual one, while you commission a proper headshot later.
Step 3 of 6
· 5 minAdd your first links
Links are the core of your profile. Click "+ Add link" on your dashboard to open the link editor. You can add as many links as you want on every plan — there is no link limit on Free, despite what some competitor pages might suggest.
Each link you add has a type. The type determines the form fields, the icon, and the visitor experience. Picking the right type isn't cosmetic — it changes whether your visitor gets a one-tap call, an Apple Music deep link, or a generic browser tab.
Link types available on Free
- URL — any website or landing page. The general-purpose default.
- Social — a pre-formatted social profile shortcut. Pick the platform from a dropdown, paste your username or URL, and we render the right icon and link automatically.
- Email — opens the visitor's mail client with your address pre-filled. On mobile, this triggers the native compose screen.
- Phone — initiates a call (or SMS, depending on platform). On mobile, taps it directly. On desktop, opens the default phone app.
- WhatsApp — auto-formats your phone number into a wa.me link. Visitors can click straight into a WhatsApp chat with you.
- Header — a non-clickable section divider. Use these to group links into sections like "Music", "Merch", "Press".
- Embed — embed a YouTube video, Spotify track, Vimeo, or Twitch stream directly inline on your page (visitors can play without leaving).
Best practice for the first 5 links
Resist the urge to add everything you've ever made. Your first five links set your visitor's expectations for the whole page — make them count.
- 1Your hero offer (the one thing you most want visitors to do today)
- 2Your most active platform (e.g. your YouTube or your latest podcast)
- 3Your shop or storefront (if you sell anything)
- 4A way to contact you (email, WhatsApp, or booking form)
- 5Social grouping at the bottom (Instagram, TikTok, X)
For URL links, paste the full destination including the https:// prefix. Without the protocol, browsers can interpret the URL as a relative path. We try to fix this server-side, but a properly-formatted URL is one less surface for things to go wrong.
Drag and drop link cards on the dashboard to reorder them. Your most important link should be the first one — mobile visitors rarely scroll past the second screen-height of a profile, and your highest-CTR link almost always reflects whichever one is closest to the top.
You can group links into named sections (Pro feature). Use this once you have 8+ links — sections help visitors scan rather than scroll. On Free, headers can be used to create the same visual effect at no cost.
Adding a thumbnail or icon to a link
Each link can have a custom thumbnail (an image displayed alongside the title). Thumbnails dramatically increase click-through rate compared to text-only links — typically 40–80% lift. For URL links, we auto-fetch a favicon if you don't supply one. For products and embeds, we pull a thumbnail from the destination automatically.
Avoid using the same generic icon (like a globe or arrow) for every link. Identical icons make the page feel stamped out of a template. Either give every link a unique thumbnail or none at all — consistency matters more than decoration.
Step 4 of 6
· 2 minPick a theme
Your theme controls the colours, fonts, button shapes, and background of your public profile. It's the single biggest visual lever you have — a strong theme can make a basic page look intentional, and a weak theme can make a polished page look generic.
Go to Appearance → Themes to browse. The theme picker shows a live preview of your actual content so you know exactly what your visitors will see.
- 10 free themes available on every plan, hand-tuned for contrast and readability
- Hundreds of premium themes in the Marketplace (Pro+) — most priced $4–$12, made by other LinkStacked creators
- All themes are previewed live with your real content before you apply
- Custom themes (Pro): tweak any colour, font, or shape via the visual editor
- Custom CSS available on Pro for pixel-perfect tweaks if you're comfortable with code
How to pick a theme that performs
The best theme for you isn't the one that's most beautiful in isolation — it's the one that frames your content best. Three rules:
- 1Pick a theme that contrasts your hero link clearly. If your hero is a bright product cover, choose a darker, calmer background. If your hero is a moody album art, choose a lighter background.
- 2Match the theme's mood to your audience's expectations. A pastel theme on a hardcore punk page feels off. A neon theme on a wedding photographer's page feels off.
- 3Test the theme on your actual phone before committing. Themes that look great on desktop sometimes have low contrast or weird spacing on mobile, where 85%+ of your visitors will land.
Theme changes are live immediately. There is no rebuild or cache delay — your visitors see the update within a second of you saving.
Switch themes during a launch to signal "something is happening". Match the theme to the cover art of your new project for a week. The visual continuity from social post to link page makes the experience feel more cohesive — and that bumps conversion rates.
Step 6 of 6
· ReferenceYour first-week checklist
Setup is the easy part. The first week is where the page either becomes a real funnel or sits dormant. Here is what successful creators do in the first 7 days after creating a profile.
- 1Day 1: Update at least 3 social bios with your new link.
- 2Day 2: Send a personal email or DM to 5 people in your audience asking what they'd like to see linked from your bio.
- 3Day 3: Set up email capture. Even with no incentive, a simple 'subscribe' button starts building your list.
- 4Day 5: Check analytics. Are visitors landing? Where from? Which links are clicked most?
- 5Day 7: Post a 'meet my new link page' update on your main platform. Ask for feedback explicitly.
- 6Day 7+: Plan your first A/B test on the link with the most traffic.
The single biggest factor between a profile that works and one that gathers dust is whether you check analytics in week one. If you see real visitors and zero clicks, your hero link or bio is unclear — fix it. If you see no visitors at all, your social bios still point to your old URL — fix that.
You're done with setup. The rest of the help centre walks through specific features (custom domains, A/B testing, Stripe payouts, marketplace themes). Browse the guide list whenever a question comes up — most have a 5–15 minute walkthrough that'll save you an hour of trial-and-error.