Case study · Self-initiated BOFU guide · 2019–2026
How One Self-Initiated “Linktree Alternatives” Guide Referred 6,868 Sign-Ups and 178 Paying Customers
In January 2019, I wrote a “Linktree alternatives” guide on my blog. I tested the tools, picked ContactInBio, and joined its affiliate program. Seven years later, the guide has sent 6,868 sign-ups to ContactInBio and to Taplink, which acquired it in 2021. Here’s the raw data, and what B2B SaaS teams can take from it.
Free · 20 minutes · written summary within 24 hours
6,868
referred sign-ups, January 2019 – September 2026
178
paying customers, a 2.59% conversion rate
Feature card
on Google for “linktree alternatives” by July 2019
52%
of all sign-ups came after Taplink acquired ContactInBio
The short version
One Guide, Two Owners, Seven Years of Sign-Ups
- I wrote for people already leaving Linktree. One guide, no link building.
- It held Google’s feature card for “linktree alternatives” by July 2019.
- It referred 6,868 sign-ups. 178 became paying customers, a 2.59% conversion rate.
- Taplink acquired ContactInBio in April 2021. The guide kept working. Sign-ups still arrive in 2026.
Why a SaaS team should care
Swap “Linktree alternatives” for “HubSpot alternatives” or “Intercom alternatives”.
The searcher has already decided to leave. They only need help picking where to go. The page that helps them pick gets the sign-up.
01The challenge
Creators Had One Bio Link and Too Many Places to Send People
In 2018, Instagram allowed one link in a bio. Creators, coaches, and small shops needed more: a shop, a booking page, a WhatsApp chat, and the latest video.
Linktree solved it. But many found its paid plan expensive for what it did. And link-in-bio pages sometimes got flagged on Instagram.
So the same question kept coming up: what else can I use?
02The insight
The Complaint Was the Keyword
I was active on Facebook and Instagram then. I read creators’ complaints the day they posted them.
Nobody hired me. Nobody briefed me. The complaints were the brief.
Someone who types “linktree alternatives” has already decided to switch. The page only has to help them pick the winner.
“I would like to replace Linktree with a safe option.”A reader’s comment on the guide, 13 November 2020
03The strategy
Test Every Tool, Pick One Winner, Sell the Free Plan
I didn’t list tools from their websites. I built a page on each one, then ranked them.
ContactInBio was my #1 pick. Setup was as easy as opening an Instagram account. The free plan needed no card. One page held links, images, video, a contact form, and social icons.
Then I joined its affiliate program. Today it pays 25% of each payment from a referred user.
| Stage | What happened | Where | B2B SaaS equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | Buyer types linktree alternatives | Google, feature card by July 2019 | [competitor] alternatives |
| Pick | ContactInBio is my #1 pick, after a hands-on test | The guide | Your product as the recommended pick |
| Sign up | Free plan, no card needed | ContactInBio | Free trial or free plan |
| Spread | “Get your own account” link on every free page | Every reader’s new page | Product-led loops: badges, invites, and shared links |
| Pay | Business plan for more features | ContactInBio, later Taplink | A paid tier with a clear reason to upgrade |
04The build
One Guide, One Repeatable Block per Tool
- One guide on petermurage.com, researched, tested, and written by me.
- I shared it on Facebook at launch. That explains the first visits.
- Google search took over around March and April 2019. No link building.
- Every tool got the same block: who it’s for, key features, free vs paid, my verdict, and a try-it-free link.
- Reader and vendor comments became my update list.
ContactInBio’s CEO, Abzal Assembekov, reached out after the commissions started. From then on, I sent him regular reports: how the guide performed, and what I’d improve next.
“He really knows his stuff in this area, and we always kept things flowing smoothly in our communication.”Abzal Assembekov, former CEO of ContactInBio and founder of Many.bio, LinkedIn recommendation, 5 February 2024
05The results
Four Numbers From Two Affiliate Dashboards
Every figure below comes from the ContactInBio and Taplink affiliate dashboards. I read every row on 29 October 2026. No Google Analytics or Search Console data survives from those years, so I show only what the dashboards show.
RESULT 5.1
6,868 Referred Sign-Ups Across Seven Years
- 4,631 to ContactInBio, January 2019 to July 2023.
- 2,237 to Taplink, August 2021 to September 2026.
- 2020 was the biggest year, with 1,993 ContactInBio sign-ups. The best month was July 2021, with 301.
RESULT 5.2
178 Paying Customers, a 2.59% Conversion Rate
- 83 ContactInBio accounts upgraded to Business: 1.79%.
- 95 Taplink accounts paid at least once: 4.25%.
- People who signed up in 2019 upgraded best on ContactInBio: 3.17%.
RESULT 5.3
Referred Customers Kept Paying Until July 2026
- ContactInBio logged 305 payments from referred users, March 2019 to November 2024.
- Taplink logged 176 sales, September 2021 to July 2026.
- Referred Taplink customers paid $4,753.76 in US dollars alone, plus payments in six other currencies.
- In May 2023, Taplink raised its partner rate from 20% to 55%.
RESULT 5.4
The Guide Survived the Acquisition
- Taplink acquired ContactInBio on 30 April 2021.
- After the sale, 1,304 more people signed up for ContactInBio through the guide, and 2,237 for Taplink. That’s 52% of all sign-ups.
- In December 2021, ContactInBio sign-ups stopped and Taplink’s jumped: 81 that month, then 256 in January 2022.
- 2022 was Taplink’s best year: 1,770 sign-ups and 76 paying customers.
Your Buyers Are Searching “[Competitor] Alternatives” Right Now
On a free 20-minute call, I’ll review 2–3 of your alternatives, comparison, or integration pages. You get a written summary within 24 hours.
06The timeline
Seven Years, Two Owners, One Guide
- Jan 16, 2019: my ContactInBio page logs its first visits. The guide goes live in January.
- Jan 25, 2019: the first referred sign-up.
- Mar 20, 2019: the first payment from a referred user.
- Jul 14 and 25, 2019: both co-founders of Campsite.bio, a competitor, comment on the guide. One congratulates me on the feature card for “linktree alternatives”.
- 2020: ContactInBio’s biggest year from the guide: 1,993 sign-ups.
- Apr 30, 2021: Taplink acquires ContactInBio.
- Aug 23, 2021: the first Taplink sign-up from my links.
- Jan 2022: Taplink’s best month: 256 sign-ups.
- May 2023: Taplink’s partner rate rises from 20% to 55%.
- Jan 1, 2024: the guide’s last update before the rebuild.
- Jul 6, 2026: the latest payment from a referred customer.
- Nov 5, 2026: I rebuilt the guide: 11 tools cut to 3 picks, with a comparison table and a “Last tested” date. I’ll report its performance here every 3 months.
07What went wrong
Sign-Ups Lasted. Most Paying Customers Didn’t.
- 91% of Taplink payers lapsed. 86 of 95 went back to the free plan. The 9 still paying all signed up in 2022.
- Upgrades faded as the guide aged. Taplink sign-ups from 2021 to 2024 upgraded at 4% to 6%. For 2025 sign-ups, it was 0.85%. For 2026, zero.
- My recommendation carried the vendor’s support. In September 2021, a reader bought ContactInBio Business, then waited a week for a support reply. My reply, pointing the reader to Taplink, came 17 months later.
- I can’t show the traffic. No analytics data survives from 2019 to 2021.
08The playbook for B2B SaaS
Six Lessons for Your Alternatives Pages
LESSON 1
Rank for the Buyer Who Already Left
“[Competitor] alternatives” is typed by someone who has decided to switch. It’s the highest-intent query a challenger brand can target.
LESSON 2
Test Before You Rank
Build something real in every tool. Readers trust screenshots and verdicts, not feature lists copied from pricing pages.
LESSON 3
Make the First Step Free
A free plan with no card turned a click into a sign-up. A trial without a card does the same job in SaaS.
LESSON 4
Count Paying Customers, Not Sign-Ups
6,868 sign-ups became 178 paying customers. Report both, and say which one your page moved.
LESSON 5
Track Retention From Day One
86 of 95 Taplink payers lapsed. Ask your affiliates and partners for retention data, not only first payments.
LESSON 6
Write Pages That Outlive the Deal
The guide outlived an acquisition, a new owner, and a new commission rate. Write for the buyer’s problem, and update the pick when the market changes.
The raw data
Every Number, Straight From the Dashboards
The ContactInBio and Taplink affiliate dashboards, read in full on 29 October 2026, plus the comments on the guide. Email usernames are blurred. Customer account names aren’t shown. Click any image to see it full size.
ContactInBio, first visits, Jan 2019
ContactInBio, daily visits, Apr 2019
Feature card comment, Jul 2019
Reader comment, Sep 2021
Sign-ups per month, 2019–2026
Sign-ups by year
Sign-up to paying customer
Payments by year
The handover, 2021–2022
Timeline, 2019–2026
The conversion path
The case study at a glance
Work with me
Want Pages That Bring in Buyers, Not Browsers?
I write comparison, alternatives, integration, and use-case pages for B2B SaaS teams. On a free 20-minute call, I’ll review 2–3 of yours and send a written summary within 24 hours.
Free · 20 minutes · 3 founding client spots for Q1 2027