Do I even need a website?

This question shows up on my social media feed all the time.

If I’m on social media do I even “need” a website?

The short answer is YES!

Sure, you can build a business solely on social media and postpone building a website or even forego a website entirely.

But honestly, they work better together. Hear me out:

Why you need a website

• Your website is like having a 24/7 salesperson, customer service rep, and receptionist rolled into one. It’s always there ready and available to your clients and customers to answer their questions, make sales and provides a way for potential clients to contact you.
  
• You own it and you get to make the rules. We all know that social media changes all the time. They make the rules and somehow the networks decide who sees your content on any given day. It can be frustrating, to say the least. Not to mention if you inadvertently go against the terms of service and somehow end up in Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter “jail.” They can also kick you off the platform if they choose. Then what happens to all your hard work?
  
• You are more likely to show up on search engine results. You are sharing value on Instagram but if your potential reader/client/customer is googling “how to spring clean your blog” or any other topic you have shared on the gram, you are more likely to come up in search results from a blog post or page than social media content.
  
• Boost your online presence with content that lives forever. Search engine results are the gift that keeps on giving. I get traffic from posts that I wrote years ago.
  
• Build your credibility and build the know, like, and trust factor. You have valuable content to share with your audience. Your website is the go-to place to learn more about your services and industry. As well as about you and your business.
  
• Create an easy-to-navigate library of your content and share your expertise without the competition of other accounts.
  
• Make the most of your social content by repurposing it on your blog and reaping the benefits of SEO (search engine optimization).

Don’t put all your eggs in the social media basket

• Remember that dark, sad day that Instagram was down all day? If your social media platform goes down you are not in control of when it gets fixed. You need other ways to connect to your audience.
  
• You do not own or control the playground on social media. They make the rules and they can suspend your account at their whim.
  
• Sometimes the algothrim doesn’t work in your favor.
  
• It is becoming increasingly more difficult to be seen on social media.

Build your empire.

My advice will always be to claim your space on the web and start building your empire with your own website. There are options for any budget and skill level. From doing it yourself to hiring a designer to set it all up for you and make it beautiful.

Start wherever you can.

Buy a domain today and take the first step. Godaddy is my favorite because it’s the easiest and most responsive to make tech changes when you are ready.

If you are not ready to jump in with a website and you decide to stick to social media for now start building a library of future content. When you write a valuable or lengthy caption for Instagram or Facebook save that content in Google Drive for when you are ready. You will be that much ahead of the game.

Still not convinced? Read Five Reasons to Start Blogging and 9 Reasons to Choose WordPress

And while we are on the subject of social media…let’s be friends on the gram!

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