How to Make a Booking Link for Free and Put It Where Clients Look

Make a free booking linkDownload the booking link placement worksheet (PDF)

What a booking link is, and why one link beats a phone number

A booking link is a web address that opens a page where people pick a service and a time and leave their details. Nobody has to call during your working hours, and you do not have to answer the same "are you free Thursday?" message three times a day.

The link itself takes a few minutes to make. What decides whether it brings bookings is where you put it. People look for you in a handful of places: your Instagram profile, Google when they search your name, the emails you send, the counter or van they see in person, and your website. The rest of this guide makes the link once and then places it in each of those spots.

Make the link

1. Make the booking page

Open the free booking page builder. Add your business name and up to three services, each with its own length. Tick the days you work and set the hours, pick your time zone, say whether you meet by phone, in person or by video, and add any questions you need answered before the appointment. The preview on the right updates as you type. Press Publish my booking page, give your name and email, and open the link we email you.

2. Copy the link

Your free account opens on Booking calendars. Press Copy link next to a service to get that service's address, or Copy all-calendars link at the top for one page that lists every service. Use the all-calendars link in places with room for only one link, such as an Instagram bio. The video above shows the whole route.

Put it where clients look

3. Add it to your Instagram bio

In the Instagram app go to your profile, tap Edit profile, then Links, then Add external link, and paste the address with a title such as "Book a time". Instagram added support for up to five links in a bio in 2023, as TechCrunch reported; the first one shows on your profile, so put the booking link first. A separate "Book" action button on a business profile only works with Instagram's booking partners, so a link in the bio is the route open to everyone.

4. Add it to your Google Business Profile

Google's help page on local business links gives the route. In Google Search, open your profile and select Booking; in Google Maps, select Edit profile and the booking type. Then select Add link, enter the address and select Save. You can add up to 10 links per category and mark one as preferred. Google also offers bookings through partner providers, and its help page warns that a provider may charge you when customers book through Google; your own link carries no such fee, though Google says performance data is not available for custom links.

5. Add it to your email signature and a QR code

Every email you send is a chance to be booked. Add a "Book a time" line or button with the link; the free email signature generator builds one that pastes into Gmail and Outlook. For people who meet you in person, print a QR code of the link with the free QR code generator and put it on your counter, your van, your business card or the back of a receipt.

6. Tag each copy so you know what works

Add a different tag to the end of each copy of the link: ?utm_source=instagram in your bio, ?utm_source=google on your profile, ?utm_source=qr on the code. The free UTM builder writes them for you. After a month you know which place brings bookings and which one is just decoration.

The words around the link matter as much as the link

A bare web address gets fewer taps than a short line that tells people what happens when they tap it. Three habits help. Name the action: "Book a 30-minute consultation" beats "Click here". Say what it costs them: "Free, takes a minute, pick any open time". And say what happens next: "You will see a confirmation with a button to add it to your calendar".

On Instagram, mention the link in the caption of posts that make people want to book ("link in bio to book"), and pin a post that explains how booking works. On Google, add a short line to your business description saying appointments can be booked online. In your email signature, keep it to one line or one button; three booking links in a signature look like spam.

Finally, check every placement from a phone that is not logged in to anything. A link that works on your laptop can still open the wrong service or an old page in an app's built-in browser.

What the person booking sees

On the free plan, nobody receives an email: not you and not the client. After booking, the client sees a confirmation on screen with Add to Google Calendar and Apple or Outlook buttons, and a page they can bookmark to reschedule or cancel. You see the booking on your calendar, your dashboard and the notification bell, with the answers to your questions. The page takes 50 bookings a month and carries a small credit link at the bottom.

If clients forget, the paid Starter plan sends confirmations and reminders from your own Gmail and can take a deposit when they book. Until then, our guide to cutting no-shows without paid software covers what you can do by hand. If you are still choosing a tool, this comparison of free booking plans lines up the limits, and every free tool is on one page.

Questions people also ask

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help — Manage local business links
• TechCrunch — Instagram adds support for up to 5 links in bio (April 2023)
• Google Business Profile Help — Bookings on your Business Profile