Many startups, businesses and artists wonder, do I really need a website? People can find your stuff on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Why need an expensive website when you can open a free Facebook page? Never change a winning team, they say, if it works, it works but look back on the last 10 years and how much social media is changing. Is your business temporary or do you want to see your business grow and evolve? If the answer is yes, counting on social media solely is not enough. You need to have a place on the web that you can call home. You need a website.
But a website is expensive
What do you define as expensive? Fifty dollars? hundred dollars? A thousand dollars? When you invest in your company, you invest with care. An investment should pay off. That means if you have a budget of 150 dollars, then at least make sure you claim your domain name before anybody else can claim it, and upload a landing page with your basic information on what you provide and how to contact you. This way you look professional when you send potential clients, customers or companies your website. Even though it’s not a huge website, you are more convincing than when you send an Instagram page and therefore you will earn that investment back because the potential client will be interested.
Algo-what?
Algorithms. You must have heard about it while building your Instagram profile. One day you are on top of the list, the next day nobody can find you back because they changed the algorithm. Was it at first all about using the right hashtags, now it’s all about video content while hashtags are seen as spam. If you don’t keep up with the latest on social media, your profile will sink to the bottom of the algorithm ocean.
Now when you have a website, you are in control of everything. You can change the information very easily, write blogs, add your portfolio or sell your books. Whatever rocks your boat, you are in control. Nobody rocks your boat with a sudden change of algorithm or deleting your social media profile because it went against policy.
Another thing is also that your website is less quickly to hack than your Instagram profile. Can you imagine? You built your whole business on Instagram and suddenly a hacker takes over and there is nothing you can do about it but start all over again.
How about Google
You are right, Google has algorithms too but if you play it smart, you can boost your website by sharing it on your social media and your Google business account. Google business account is completely free. It gives you a place on the map, you can share information about you, what you do, your blogs and portfolio or your products. An absolute must-have for every entrepreneur.
A place you can call home
I can hear you wonder. ‘So I get myself a website but I still have to share that on social media? What’s the point in having a website?’ Thirty years ago people went to an actual mortal and brick shop to get what they needed, they knew the address, they knew how to find it, and what products they had.
Nowadays with so many online shops, it’s hard to distinguish one from the other, especially when they only exist on social media. That’s why I explain it in this way: a website is the online home of your company. This is where people can find you, contact you, read your blogs, and look at your products or services. Here you have control over everything you place online. But to be found, you have to share that information on several social media and Google Business, like the advertisements in the paper, 30 years ago or tv commercials that now became TikTok videos. When your visitors come to your website through social media, the website will be pushed up in ranking on Google, which attracts more visitors and so on.
Think about it, when, for whatever reason Instagram or Facebook suddenly stops or changes their policy, you can easily move on to the next social network without losing any data, ranking or information. People can still find your website on the world wide web.
Want to know more about having a website or what I can do for you? Email me or book a Zoom call and we will discuss your ideas within your budget.