A website is a business tool, your 24/7 staff member, your business calling card, your shop window and the internet premises of your business. Do you need a website?

Social Media

Social media is an incredible business tool for many businesses. It’s fast, it’s global, it’s interactive, it’s relatively easy for most to use, it can reach millions of people in a short amount of time and ultimately it is free. Free, a word we all love. No start up costs, no annual hosting or maintenance cost, completely free. Why do you need a website when you can use social media?

If you are selling a service or products, you need a platform to sell from. That’s where needing a website comes in.

Where Were You The Day Facebook Went Down?

4^th October 2021, a date most are unfamiliar with as being memorable, but a date many remember as the day Facebook went down. Not just Facebook, also Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, all platforms owned and run by Meta. For what seemed like much longer than just the six hours it was, all these platforms were inaccessible by all users. Businesses reported a huge decrease in sales from the six hour blackout, with many having to rely on emails and mobile marketing to engage and communicate with clients and customers.

Who Needs a Website in 2022?

I saw a similar comment on the day this blog was written, in fact it was this comment that led to the writing of this blog. Everybody selling a service or product who wants to be successful needs a website. Have you ever watched Dragons Den? Have any of the products being pitched on it driven you to seek them out online? I do this each time I watch it and one thing many of the entrepreneurs have in common is to display a ‘As Seen on Dragons Den’ badge on their site. This is usually paired with a special offer for the product. Sure you can do this on social media, but in a sea of newsfeeds, reels and posts, how many will see it in comparison to it being seen and sold on your website?

Websites Build Trust

A website says to your clients and customers you are a genuine business. Ok so there are some not so genuine businesses with website too, but a website helps build trust for many. Its content can be sources easily for as long as you want it to be seen. It won’t disappear as a social media story can.

You Are in Control

If you solely depend upon social media platforms, you are putting your business and all you have done to start it and run it at the mercy of another company. Social media is free and because it is free you cannot complain at loss of sales and business if it goes down again.

You also need to constantly keep checking it as social media unfortunately is a place for online trolls and negativity. Negative comments, inaccurate comments, spammed accounts bad reviews, having your accounts hacked (websites can be hacked which is why I build secure websites that are maintained and updated, and I have a backup of all sites I build with daily back-ups done) and unsupervised accounts can be a concern. Imagine a negative comment left at 11.45pm, by the time you could see it at say 8am, it’s too late and this would have reached so many people. It could be even worse if others join in with the trolling.

Your Website is Your Voice

We are all tempted at times to add personal information on social media, and this can be damaging. This is the internet, and you want to be showing you are professional. Posting family holiday photos can show your personality, but will be help or harm your business? It is very easy to get a personal, private life and a business identity intertwined on social media, but with a website, you are less likely to post a personal image that could have a negative impact on your business. A website is a telephone voice, a business voice, a professional and knowledgeable voice.