How a Freelance Brand Strategist Replaced Her Portfolio Website with a Branded Bio Page

The problem

It was 9:30 on a Thursday evening in Berlin, and Nadia was staring at her website editor with a familiar sense of guilt. A founder had just messaged her on LinkedIn asking for relevant case studies and an onboarding timeline for a Q4 rebrand. Her portfolio site, however, was nearly two years out of date. It still showcased archived projects she no longer offered, the typography reflected an old design system she had retired eighteen months earlier, and the contact form fed an old email forwarder that occasionally missed notifications.

Fixing the multi-page website meant sacrificing half a day to resize assets, debug CSS formatting breaks across mobile viewports, and update static PDF attachments. For a solo brand strategist balancing 5 to 8 client retainers simultaneously, those open evenings simply did not exist. Every month, she was also paying for a website plan she rarely updated.

When prospective clients reached out, they did not want to dig through an eight-page site or read long philosophical essays about brand architecture. They wanted three straightforward things: proof that Nadia had solved problems for companies like theirs, a glimpse of her working framework, and an effortless way to schedule a discovery call.

Why using a link in bio as portfolio solved Nadia's dilemma

Using a link in bio as portfolio allowed Nadia to step away from CMS maintenance entirely. She set clear criteria for her new setup:

• Frictionless updates: The ability to add or reorder case study links in under five minutes from her phone or laptop whenever a client engagement wrapped up.
• Complete brand ownership: A dedicated page hosted on her existing custom subdomain (go.nadiak.studio/hi) rather than a third-party platform subdomain that diluted her professional credibility.
• Clear visual hierarchy: Clean blocks and typography that matched her studio aesthetic without requiring custom code or template overrides.
• Per-button analytics: Real-time visibility into which case studies and resources prospects actually clicked, showing where client interest concentrated.
• Unified toolchain: Direct links to her Notion case study decks, Calendly scheduling session, and LinkedIn profile without clunky CMS plugins.

How Nadia set up her portfolio bio page in SimpleURL

1 Connect her branded domain and create the bio page

Because Nadia was already on the SimpleURL Hobby plan for her short links, she had access to one branded domain (go.nadiak.studio) and one full link-in-bio page. Rather than pointing visitors to a generic third-party bio tool, she created her bio page at go.nadiak.studio/hi.

In SimpleURL's visual editor, she selected a minimalist color palette featuring crisp dark navy cards, soft neutral backgrounds, and muted purple highlights matching her studio guidelines. She added her profile photo, set her title as Independent Brand Strategist, and added a single summary line: Positioning and narrative systems for high-growth tech teams.

2 Structure the bio page into focused client decision blocks

Instead of replicating a sprawling website navigation, Nadia organized her page into four focused modular sections designed to guide prospects directly toward a conversation:

1. Work Samples & Proof: Two concise case study cards linking directly to formatted Notion presentations via clean short links (go.nadiak.studio/cases). One featured a Series B fintech rebrand; the other highlighted a B2B SaaS positioning sprint.
2. Primary Call to Action: A prominent, dark-styled button reading Book a 30-Minute Discovery Session, routed straight to her Calendly page via go.nadiak.studio/call.
3. Authority Asset: A downloadable 12-page guide titled The 5-Step Brand Positioning Framework, providing value for prospects who were not quite ready to hire.
4. Social Proof & Contact: Sleek social icons for her LinkedIn profile and direct studio email.

3 Deploy the branded URL across all inbound channels

With her single page live, Nadia updated every touchpoint where prospective clients encountered her name. She added go.nadiak.studio/hi to her LinkedIn profile website slot and her featured post section. In her Google Workspace email signature, she added a concise one-liner: "Review recent case studies and book a discovery call: go.nadiak.studio/hi."

Whenever a founder messaged her asking for examples of her work, Nadia simply sent the branded bio link instead of attaching heavy presentation files. Because the destination was hosted on her own domain, the link carried the same prestige and professionalism as an agency website.

4 Track per-button click data to refine client proposals

Unlike standard websites that offer vague pageview counts, SimpleURL provides detailed per-link click tracking for every button on a link-in-bio page. After 30 days, Nadia opened her analytics dashboard to see how prospects engaged with her content.

Across 642 total button clicks, one finding stood out immediately: her fintech brand audit case study captured 248 clicks (39%), while her discovery session link accounted for 184 clicks (29%). Prospective clients were examining that specific fintech case study before clicking through to schedule a call. Armed with that data, Nadia rearranged her bio layout to place the fintech project in the top slot and started mentioning that engagement during initial outreach conversations.

The results

Replacing an unmaintained portfolio site with a focused bio page gave Nadia complete control over how prospective clients experience her work, while saving her countless hours of routine website maintenance.

Make a link-in-bio portfolio work for your freelance consulting practice

• Lead with proof, not philosophy: Put your strongest two case study summaries right at the top. Clients buy proven outcomes before they read about your methodology.
• Keep the booking action prominent: Do not hide your calendar link behind submenus. A bold, high-contrast button for discovery sessions removes friction for ready-to-hire clients.
• Use branded short links behind every button: Route case studies through short links such as go.nadiak.studio/cases. That way you can update the underlying Notion deck or Google Drive slide without altering the bio page. Read our guide on what is a link in bio to explore block structures.
• Review click data before sending client proposals: Check which case studies receive the most taps each month. Align your outbound pitch and proposal opening with the topics already attracting high attention.
• Host on your own branded domain: Avoid shared platform subdomains that scream amateur. Connecting a branded domain like go.yourname.studio builds immediate credibility. See our guide on link-in-bio design strategies to refine your layout.

FAQ

Is a link-in-bio page really enough to replace a portfolio website?

For many independent consultants and freelance strategists, yes. When new clients arrive through referrals, outbound proposals, and LinkedIn, they primarily look for work samples, social proof, and a calendar link. A focused bio page eliminates slow multi-page navigation. However, if your business relies on long-tail organic search traffic, a multi-page blog provides SEO depth that a single bio page does not.

Can I customize fonts, colors, and styling to match my brand identity?

Yes. SimpleURL's drag-and-drop link-in-bio editor lets you configure brand typography, background gradients, custom button contours, and platform icons so the page matches your visual identity rather than looking like a generic template.

Can I host my link-in-bio page on my own custom domain?

Yes. On SimpleURL, your link-in-bio page lives directly on your connected branded domain or subdomain, such as go.nadiak.studio/hi, with automatic SSL provisioning included on all plans.

How many bio pages can I build on the SimpleURL Hobby plan?

The Hobby plan includes 1 custom domain and 1 link-in-bio page, which is tailored for solo freelancers. If you need more pages for separate brands or clients, the Pro plan supports up to 5 bio pages and the Team plan supports up to 50.

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