LinkedIn Removes Custom CTA Links from User Profiles

LinkedIn’s removing the option to add a custom link to your profile, which is currently available to Premium subscribers in the app.

As you can see in this example sequence, LinkedIn’s custom profile CTA buttons, which it added as a Premium feature back in 2023, enable users to choose from a range of CTA options (e.g. “Visit my Store”, “Visit my website”), to which they can then add an external URL as a link.

That then adds a large CTA button to the profile display, providing another way for users to drive direct traffic from their LinkedIn profile

But now, LinkedIn is removing this as an option.

As per LinkedIn:

“At LinkedIn, we are constantly evaluating our features and thinking about how we can best add value for our members and customers. As part of this process we may decide to upgrade or eliminate certain offerings so we can invest in the features that bring the most value. As a result, we no longer support adding new links to your profile. Any custom link you have previously added will remain in the top card, but if removed, you won't be able to add a new link.”

So if you’ve already added a CTA button, it will remain, but you won’t be able to change it, and if you switch it off, it’ll disappear as an option. While those who don’t have one will no longer have the option to add it.

It could be a significant change, though I doubt that many users are driving a heap of traffic from their LinkedIn profile. And as noted, it’s also not generally available, it’s only accessible to Premium subscribers.

Of which there are a lot. According to reports, LinkedIn Premium currently has around 175 million paying subscribers, while LinkedIn also recently reported that overall Premium subscriptions have grown 50% over the last two years.

Though part of that growth also relates to the launch of its Premium Company Pages, which gives brands their own way to stand out in the app.

Which, interestingly, also includes custom CTA buttons for brand profiles, that are prominently displayed on the main profile display.

And those have been a hit, with LinkedIn also reporting that Premium Company Pages get over 10x more Page custom button clicks on average. That’s likely because they’re more visible on Premium Company Pages (non-paying companies can also add a CTA button, but it’s hidden in the three dots menu), but it is interesting that LinkedIn’s framing this as a significant benefit for businesses, while removing it for individuals.

I guess the usage trends of the two would be significantly different. But with LinkedIn also looking to court creators, as a means to get more content flowing into the app, it seems like this would be a value-add worth keeping for those users?

LinkedIn hasn’t provided a reason for the removal, but my guess would be that it’s not widely used by profile visitors, and that LinkedIn would prefer to both keep people in the app, and stop members from adding questionable links (which could hurt its SEO potential).

Maybe OnlyFans links, for example, have become problematic for its overall link profile.