Being present online in today’s market is vital to any business’ success. But with all the major platforms, as well as the option to own a website, there is a major debate taking place.
Does every business need a website?
If you have social media, and any kind of following there, your gut reaction would probably be to say no. If making sales and building relationships can happen for free online, why pay to have those interactions?
Social media is a fantastic tool not to be underestimated. However, a business does not own its page, its content, or its audience. I’ve seen businesses go from booming to zero sales in just a few days because they lost their Facebook page. And despite appeals, it was permanently deleted, and they couldn’t recover anything. Being bound to one outlet is a mistake a lot of businesses make. It’s really unfortunate because most people think: “I’ll never post something that goes against community guidelines” or “I follow all the rules, so why would my page be shut down?” Sometimes the AI mistakenly flags a page or post and it can be repealed. But how long will it take for that to happen? And how much business will potentially have been lost because of it?
A website is necessary no matter the business; the real decision should be WHEN to invest in a website.
If a business is just starting, I always say focus on the investments that make sales. If that means needing a website to do so, great. If not, great. Start generating consistent income and earmark capital to invest in a site. There are two major benefits to this type of strategy:
- A website won’t break the bank and business owners can pay for a site that actually does its job: gives ROI.
- A business won’t depend on social media or ads alone to make money (this is a huge plus as one could be banned from a platform, lose all of their page and entire audience, suddenly the algorithm changes and ads aren’t working as well anymore, etc.)
Ideally, a website provides an alternative stream of income. I’m not saying to discount social media; I’m recommending businesses’ diversify their online presence and utilize multiple platforms, depending on their audience.
I like to recommend a business start out by leveraging a website and 2-3 social media platforms at most. Once a consistent net profit happens, entrepreneurs can consider diversifying to other platforms. (But the more platforms used doesn’t necessarily guarantee more income. It really does depend on the business and their target audience.)
If you would like help diversifying your business’ online presence and becoming a powerhouse online, please feel free to reach out! We are always open to helping whoever we can, however, we can.
