Personal website vs link in bio: which do you need?
A link in bio is the single URL on a social profile, usually pointing at a short page of links. A personal website is a site about you: who you are, your work, and how to reach you. Most people need one address that does both jobs, a one-page personal site that also works as their link in bio.
The difference at a glance
| Link-in-bio page | Personal website | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Send social visitors to your links | Introduce you to anyone who looks you up |
| Typical content | A name, a photo, a stack of buttons | About, work, contact |
| Size | One short page | One page or several |
| Who visits | Followers tapping from a profile | Recruiters, clients, search visitors |
| Address | Often a path on the tool’s domain | Often your own domain |
| Time to set up | Minutes | An afternoon to a few days |
When a link-in-bio page is enough
If your audience is mostly on social media and your goal is to route them somewhere (a new video, a shop, tickets), a link-in-bio page does the job. You change the top link when you post something new, and that’s it.
When you need a personal website
You need more than a list of links when people need to judge your work before they contact you. That covers job hunting, freelancing, selling a service, or being the person whose name people search after a talk or an article. Those visitors want a sentence about what you do, examples, and a clear way to get in touch.
A personal website also gives search engines something to read. A page of buttons has very little text, so it rarely shows up for anything except your exact name.
One URL can do both
You don’t have to choose. A one-page personal site with your name, a line about what you do, a few pieces of work, your links, and a contact form is a perfectly good link in bio. Put the same address on every profile, your résumé, and your email signature.
- Write one sentence about what you do.
- Add three to six pieces of work or the things you want people to see.
- Add your social profiles below the work.
- Add an email link or contact form.
- Publish, then paste the URL into each profile’s website field.
The how to make a personal website guide walks through each step, and what is a link in bio covers where the link goes on each platform.
What about your own domain?
A custom domain like yourname.com looks more permanent, and a .com usually costs somewhere around $10 to $20 a year. It’s worth it once your page matters for work. Many people start on a builder’s free address and move later.
SayHi pages live at sayhi.page/yourname. Custom domains are not offered yet; they’re planned for a Pro plan that isn’t on sale.
Alex Chen
Languages, tools, and the notes between them
I design small languages and the CLIs that keep them honest. Currently at Harbor Labs, previously on the typechecker for a research notebook that got out of hand in the best way.
Now
Building Ink, a typed notebook format for people who write with code sitting next to the sentence. Harbor is the CLI around it — evals, snapshots, and a boringly reliable local workflow.
GitHub
harbor-labs/ink
A typed notebook format. Prose, code, and tests in one file that still diffs like a human wrote it.
GitHub
harbor-labs/harbor
The CLI for Ink: run, snapshot, and compare notebooks without standing up a service.
Types as documentation — Northshore ConfTalk notes and slidesWriting
Occasional notes on type systems that stay out of the way, local-first tools, and why most developer portfolios look like résumé PDFs with extra steps.
Work with me
Tell me about the project. I read every note.
Build a one-page personal site that also works as your link in bio, free at sayhi.page/yourname.
Questions
Is a Linktree a website?
Technically yes, it’s a web page. In practice a list of buttons works as a signpost to your other sites rather than a website about you.
Do I need both a website and a link in bio?
Usually not as two separate things. One page about you, with your links on it, can be both. Use the same URL on every profile.
Can I use my own domain with SayHi?
Not yet. SayHi does not offer custom domains today; your page lives at sayhi.page/yourname. Custom domains are planned for Pro.
Is a link-in-bio page good for SEO?
Not on its own. A page that is mostly buttons has little text for search engines. A personal page with a few sentences about you and your work has a much better chance of showing up when people search your name.