Have you ever wondered about “why have a website”? Can’t you just sell stuff via Social Media Platforms? Most likely, that’s what you’d like to know at this point of time and luckily we at Metodiev Design have an answer to that question.
A website comes with a cost (hosting, domain, design, SEO, updates, support), at the same time, you can just use social media to sell your products/services completely free of charge, right? Think again!
We are being constantly bombarded with that question (why have a website) and today we’re answering that officially.
Social Media Platforms
SMPs are free (for the most part) and they have millions of users that are one step away from interacting with you and your business. When used correctly, you can use SMP to scale much faster. So far so good.
Here are some of the benefits of using Social Media Networks for your business (w/o having a website at all):
< 1 > They Don’t Require Much Technical Knowledge.
Most of the SMPs out there don’t require technical knowledge. When creating a business page, for example, there are a couple of fields that you need to fill in and that’s pretty much it. Of course, you’ll be asked to provide your business logo and eventually a header image.
< 2 > They Are (kind of) SEO Friendly.
Because of the popularity of those sites, Google pays special attention to them. Usually, business pages tend to do well in Google, especially when someone’s searching for the name of your business (ex. “Metodiev Design”), however, you can’t optimize it for “web design” for example because you don’t have control over the platform.
< 3 > Marketing Tools and Integrations.
Most of the social media platforms (like FB, TW, YT, Google+, Pinterest,
A nice feature of SMPs is that they have
However, the anlyzing features of social media platofrms are not anywhere near to what your custom (professional) website could offer.
Why Have a Website?
Now, lets talk about having your own website.
To have your own website means that you (we) can build your own business page(s) where you have total control over the content. Meaning, you can align it with your business goals, mission and vision in a way that’s completely unique and unforgettable.
You know that you can’t customize SMP business pages much, right. Well, with your own website you (we) can do whatever you want.
When you decide to have a professional website, you know that it’d come at a cost. You know the drill – hosting, domain, design, SEO, updates, support. However, that shouldn’t be stopping you and here’s why.
As a business owner, what would you prefer?
- Renting out/buying a space within a popular store?
- Having your own popular store?
If you’re serious about your business and you are in it for the long term, you’d better pick option B, otherwise, you depend on someone else during the whole time of your existence and that’s definitely not a good idea.
Let’s take a look at a simple example. Imagine you picked option A and FB, YT, Instagram (the popular store in this case) decided they no longer needed you in their “store”, what would you do? What if they needed to go through changes you don’t like? What if they had a downtime you didn’t plan for? How would that affect your business?
Whereas, if you picked option B (your own professional website), you’d be in a position of control. In this case, you wouldn’t care if FB, YT, Instagram, LinkedIn crashed all at the same time. You’d still have your email list of Customers, you’d still have your website up and running.
Truth to be known, SMPs are used to support and drive traffic to your website and not to be THE TOOL for doing business.
Here’s some of the key points of having your own website.
< 1 > Don’t Rely Purely on Someone Else’s Platform.
As discussed above, it’s not a good idea to be relying solely on someone else’s platforms. After all, that’s your business, isn’t it?
Another great example comes to mind while on that topic… Recently, there were FB algorithm changes that affected how users were notified of updates from business pages. In that sense, FB reduced the “reach” of business pages.
They changed it in a way that in order for a user to be able to see business page posts, they needed to have those business pages prioritized. Business owners were left with no choice whatsoever.
The same could happen to every other Social Media Platform anytime and remember, you won’t be able to be a part of the decision because that has nothing to do with you and your business.
There’s also an option for the social networks to make business-client relationship paid, which is slowly but surely happening by the way, so again… think twice when in two minds about having your own website.
< 2 > Your Website Your Kingdom!
No matter how many words we lay out on that topic, one thing remains an undoable fact and that is – your website is your Kingdom. You can do whatever you want with it because you have full control over it.
Redesign it anytime. Have advanced SEO optimization. Also, a custom mobile version. Plus, advanced analysis on who does what in your “Kingdom”… and the list goes on and on.
The whole point of using social media is to have additional tools that help you scale a bit quicker and at the same time build trust with your Customers.
Social Media Networks are just a tool!
After all, you’d better invest in something that’s yours, rather than supporting someone else’s business.
Metodiev Design Suggests:
At this point the “why have a website” question should be answered but just to sum it all up. You’d better have your own website and utilize the power of SPMs to extend the reach of your business and build trust with your (potential) Customers.
If you are looking for an agency that can develop a professional website for you, look no further. We at Metodiev Design can do this for you. Check out our free eBook on “The Secret to SuperCharge your Website” or simply contact us for more information.
