You could be using Instagram Wrong if your aim is to Attract Website Traffic? Today we share the core difference between Instagram and Pinterest for Website Traffic.
A client recently approached me with a conundrum. She said, Julie, my website is not attracting my desired results, yet I am on Instagram daily, posting 3 times a day.
Am talking about using Instagram as your website traffic source. In my humble opinion, that isn’t possible if you don’t have hundreds of thousands, even millions of active followers. who are tuned into, tapped in, and turned on by your message and content.
Lots of business owners have the same challenge. They complain and worry that their Instagram isn’t growing, they aren’t attracting new people and their Bio links are redundant…
I feel their pain and yours too
A while back we laid out a detailed comparison between Selling on Instagram Vs on Pinterest, and I encourage you to check it out.
We also dug deep into the use of Hashtags in this full episode.
If you don’t already have a website that is working for you 24/7 to increase your audience, build authority, build your email list on autopilot, and deliver your desired end goals… We can help you change that narrative.
TRUTH be told, people trust and look out for businesses/brands with a website today more than those that don’t. 💁
Plus, our dedicated digital media and design team – K-Web Social Designs, can work with you to get your website and digital brand set up. We are marketing experts and digital media professionals which makes a big difference when it comes to attracting your audience and/or sales online.
We build and design websites, blogs, landing pages, lead magnets, e-Books, marketing funnels, logos, Pinterest Accounts, and more! 👏
With that said now, let’s talk about Instagram aka IG. You see we don’t use IG for anything other than a presence and exposure, and for our voluntary organisation, for the same purpose. Yet a lot of newbie start-up business owners hope to attract abundant website traffic from this platform.
In the video below I share why that is a fallacy.
Website Traffic Strategy – You are Using IG Wrong
So, is Instagram good for Website Traffic?
The simple answer is; not for most users.
So why does everyone and their aunt May going on about Instagram being the platform to be on?
One word; MARKETING. The Meta Marketing and hype machine have you and your pet all hyped up about IG. The world’s mainstream media is doing the same.
We noticed Netflix is in on this too, with movies mentioning insta-worthy images and spots.
Yet, the way the Instagram Algorithm is set up, no one unless they run massive $$$$ ads and have a ton of followers, is getting much traffic from IG to their website or other platforms. Simple.
Why else do they allow you only 1 clickable link – in your Bio(Unless you have 10k+ followers), while encouraging you to post 3-5 times a day?
When we understood this years ago through testing different content, we made the choice to not use IG for website and brand growth.
The reason we’re not very active on IG is that it’s not the platform for reaching new people and attracting website traffic, not even if you have millions of followers. If you want to do that, use Pinterest, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, or even Facebook…
These platforms are there to help you reach new audiences, and new people, build community, and your community, which in turn can visit your website, refer others to it, share it, etc. Traffic baby!
Pinterest is ours and most influencers’ Go-To platform for generic website traffic. Even as they sell you their over polished, airbrushed Insta-dream.
IMHO Instagram is more of an influencer marketing platform, you can also use it to nurture your audience, if you have an audience that loves your IG content, mostly via Reels and Stories.
Not via the Instagram feed…not for most IG users anyway!
Pinterest, on the other hand, is not a nurturing platform, you can use Facebook or even LinkedIn for that. To nurture your audience with your photos and captions. Pinterest on the other hand is a search engine so it is the best platform to increase your audience, reach new people, get traffic to your offers, website, landing pages, books, etc.
And for that, You need a strategy and process which I lay out fully inside the Pinterest Growth Academy which you can learn more about here.
Final Words on IG and Website Traffic
It can be really difficult to attract new traffic and reach new people with Instagram even via Reels and Stories.
If you truly wish to grow your website traffic, try Pinterest and dare we say TikTok. It won’t be via IG, just posting on your feed on IG isn’t going to get you anywhere. We at Kalungi Group definitely don’t use that platform to reach new people. You need to drive views from other platforms as suggested above.
Pinterest should be your focus for website traffic.
First, go and create a business account, set a goal for your Pinterest, create content that aligns with that goal, use Tik Tok to create short punchy videos, and post them to your Pinterest with a link to your website, IG, Or FB page you decide. You can follow our Best Pinterest Tips for all the above.
Thank us later.
So, is Instagram Good for Website Traffic or not? The answer is, It can be good if you work your nails off all day long engaging, following, and building that audience into the millions. If it’s the only platform you feel aligned to. And if you truly believe it is your one.
Otherwise, spread your wings, go to Pinterest, automate your efforts and go to the beach.
Julie Syl Kalungi
Live. Learn. Love
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Thanks for this post! I have been wondering why I’m even bothering with Instagram, other than I do enjoy it. But, I’ve been wondering if it is worth the time. I used to spend a lot of time on Pinterest, but now I’m constantly worried that I’m going to be shadowbanned on Pinterest if I pin too many times, so I don’t use it as much as I used to. With things changing on Pinterest all the time, I get confused as to the best way to use it safely.
Hey Pam,
I know exactly what you mean. If you pin like a maximum of 10 pins a day with 7 being yours a mix of new and old content and 3 being whatever interests you, you will see a change in traffic and no shadow bans unless you use the same images to the same links. They want fresh content, fresh images in fact Videos as opposed to images. You got this, Pinterest is the traffic mama, IG is the comparitis place. But also somewhere you can build some relationships if youh have time to create mini vidoes for stories and reels and your target clients are on there. You can find a lot of very practical and sensible tips here https://juleskalpauli.com/pinterest-tips/ the platform may change like the weather, but the foundational SEO still works.
Good luck with either.
Jules