TL;DR — you don't need a website to exist online. A free link-in-bio gives you a public page under your name, with no hosting, no code and no credit card. For most creators and small businesses, it covers 90% of a website's needs — in five minutes instead of weeks.
Building a website is expensive, slow and technical: domain name, hosting, theme, maintenance… Many creators, freelancers and small businesses give up before they even start. Yet in the vast majority of cases you don't need a website: you need a single, clean place under your name that gathers your links and makes you reachable. That's exactly what a link-in-bio offers — for free, without writing a line of code. This guide explains how far it goes, and how to get started.
I'm Julien, founder of Korli. I see tons of people who think "I need a website" when a well-made links page would solve their problem in five minutes. Here's how to tell if that's your case.
Website or link-in-bio: what do you really need?
Before diving into a website project, ask the real question: what do you want people to be able to do? In most cases, the answer fits in a links page.
| Your need | Website | Free link-in-bio |
|---|---|---|
| Gather your links | Overkill | Perfect |
| Be findable by name | Yes | Yes (public page) |
| Take bookings | Possible | Yes (booking link) |
| Capture emails | Possible | Yes (newsletter block) |
| Cost | Domain + hosting | 0 |
| Setup time | Days / weeks | Minutes |
| Skills | Technical | None |
A website still makes sense if you need dozens of pages, a large blog, or a complex e-commerce store. For everything else — creators, coaches, artists, freelancers, small shops, associations — a free link-in-bio does the job, right now.
What a free link-in-bio actually replaces
- An "about" page: your photo, your title, what you offer in one line.
- A "contact" page: email, WhatsApp, socials, booking form.
- A "useful links" page: all your networks and content, centralized.
- Email capture: a newsletter block with a bonus, to build your audience.
- A digital business card: a QR code that leads to your page, to put everywhere.
All at an address under your name (for example korli.fr/yourname) that you can dictate, share, print. It's a complete online presence for most use cases, without the cost or complexity of a website.
No code, really: how it works
No installation, no hosting to manage, no line of code. You create an account, add your links in a visual interface, customize in a few clicks, and your page is live. The technical part (servers, security, updates) is entirely handled by the tool. That's what makes it accessible to everyone, even without any skills.
The trap to avoid: the fake free
As with any link-in-bio, beware of "free" tools that ask for a credit card at signup or call a 14-day trial "free." When you don't have a website precisely because you have no budget, falling into a hidden subscription would be the height of irony. Choose a real, permanent free plan, no card.
Being findable without a website
Not having a website doesn't mean being invisible. Three free levers make you findable. One, an indexable links page with a clear title: people find you by searching your name. Two, a business profile (Google Business Profile) if you have a local activity: free and very powerful for local. Three, your social networks, which also rank in searches.
By linking these three — local profile, socials and your links page as the central hub — you get a coherent, findable online presence, without spending a cent or writing a line of code.
Moving to a website later: the growth path
Starting without a website doesn't lock you in. When the time comes, keep your links page as the entry point and add a website it points to. Your page stays the hub people have in your bios; the website complements, not replaces. This gradual approach saves you from waiting for the "perfect website" that pushes your launch back six months.
Recap
- You don't need a website to exist online: a links page is enough in 90% of cases.
- A free link-in-bio replaces about, contact, useful links, email capture and business card.
- Zero code, zero hosting, zero credit card with a real free plan.
- Beware of fake free tools (card at signup, limited trial).
- Start now: you'll add a real website later if the need arises.