Your Website is More Important Today Than Ever

In today’s highly-competitive business environment, lean operations and tight budgets are more the rule than the exception. For that reason, it’s understandable why companies may be reluctant to invest - both time and money - into a website of their own.

Given the popularity of social media, some decision-makers are asking, “Do I really need a website, or can I manage my digital footprint on social alone?”

I have encountered this very thing with contacts in our industry. More than one person has said to me, “I don’t need a website. I have a Facebook page. My customers can find me there or on Yelp”.

While it’s true that maybe not every business needs a website, THAT is more the exception than the rule today. Here are some top reasons why your website is more important today than ever before.

Credibility and Trust

Over time, people have just come to expect that a reputable business will have a website they can visit. The effort required to set up a Facebook page or Instagram account is pretty minimal. Your prospective customers know and understand this. Establishing a more formal online presence with your own website requires a more significant investment, and this resonates with your audience in the form of credibility.

To drive this point home, think back to a time when you wanted to find out more information about a company you saw somewhere online (i.e., on Facebook or Instagram). But when you went looking for more information, they didn’t have a website of their own. How did that make you feel? While one could argue that a website alone is not enough to instill trust, the lack of one will almost certainly make a prospect uneasy.

Audience Size

Having your own website allows you to target the largest audience possible. Despite the surging popularity of social media these days, not everyone has a presence on social media.

There are over 5.5 billion internet users worldwide (Source). By contrast, as of the second quarter of 2022, Facebook had 2.934 billion active users (Source). Factor in the recurring reports that Facebook is constantly battling the issue of fake accounts, and their number of active users is likely less than that. If you rely solely on social media to deliver leads for your business, odds are you are leaving a substantial opportunity on the table.

Visibility (Especially on Google Search)

• 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine (Source: Fortune)
  
  
• 81% of consumers perform some type of research prior to making a purchase (Source: Invoca)
  
  
• 77% of shoppers use a mobile device to search for products (Source: RetailDive)

People are searching because they are looking for answers to questions they have or solutions to problems they are trying to solve. If you don’t have a website, you have zero chance of showing up on the search engine results pages and engaging that user.

On the flip side, what if you, or your company, had the answers, or solutions, the user is looking for, and you provided that information on your website? Appropriately optimized, your site will appear at the top of the search engine’s results, increasing your visibility among potential customers.

Control

Your website should be the anchor point for your brand online. Yes, you can (and should) establish a presence on social media platforms. Yes, you should customize your page, or profile, with your company colors and logo to the extent the platform allows. However, none of the customization features available allow you to comprehensively convey your brand the way you can on your own website. Your website is the only place you can completely control how your brand is represented.

Further, when it comes to reaching customers, you are at the whims of the platform. The same clever algorithms responsible for pulling recommended photos, videos, or posts into your feed are the same ones that control who ultimately sees your content.

At the beginning of this year, many people noticed that their reach on Facebook dropped, meaning that fewer “fans” were viewing or interacting with their content. In addition to increased competition, the primary reason for this was that Facebook changed its algorithm. Their goal was to “shift ranking to make News Feed more about connecting with people and less about consuming media in isolation.” In short, what might work for you today - in terms of connecting with customers - on a specific platform, might not work tomorrow.

On your website, you have ultimate editorial control and control over what content is shown.

Permanence

This last point is rather obvious, but these third-party platforms do not exist to serve your interests. They are in business to make money (even if they haven’t made a penny yet). Ultimately you do not want the success of your business to be tied to theirs. The connections you have made on these platforms only exist as long as they do. Where will your business be if one of your current social platforms becomes the next Digg, Friendster, or MySpace?

Your own website provides as permanent an online home for your business as there can be. You own your site and your content (you should, anyway), so even if your hosting company goes out of business, you can move your site to another host.

Wrap-up

Setting up a website for your business is one of the most important marketing investments you can make for your brand. A well-designed and executed website will reinforce your brand online and raise the visibility of your content to the broadest audience possible.

This is not an indictment on social media platforms in the least. Every digital marketing strategy should have social media component. However, this should be a complementary component relative to your website. Your activities on social media should always direct users to your permanent home on the internet, your business website.

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you are starting the journey of growing your business, book a free - no obligation - assessment call with Chuck today.