Links in posts take the user away from the platform, which wants to keep them on it, which is why posts with a link tend to have lower reach than those without one. This does not mean links should be avoided, but that it is worth thinking through when to use them. Proven approaches are placing the link in the first comment or in the profile, keeping the valuable part of the content directly in the post so it makes sense even without clicking through, and using links only where a genuine next step lies behind them. Links should always be tagged with tracking parameters, otherwise the traffic from them will be attributed incorrectly in analytics. Track not only reach but also the number of click-throughs, because lower reach with a higher click-through rate tends to be more advantageous.
See also: UTM parameters, Social Media Algorithm, Social media metrics.
