Do you really need a website if an Instagram page or Facebook page is already giving you online presence?
Let us look into various aspects before coming to a conclusion.
Advantages of Instagram/Facebook Page
- Free of Cost – To create as well to maintain
- Easy Setup – It does not take a lot of time too
- Easy to Maintain – If its an Instagram page all you have to do is to create images is square shape and in few clicks the content is live
Most small businesses start with an Instagram page or Facebook page as it is simple and free to set up. Uploading and managing content is also very easy.
Note : Is everyone managing social media pages successfully? Definitely NO. Many people think that they are managing it well, but most people do it very poorly. They don’t create relevant content or don’t engage with the audience correctly. Social Media Management is no easy task, even though it might look like anyone can do it.
Now lets look into having a website.
It is not an easy task to design and build a mobile responsive website on your own. Even if you know the basics or even if you are relying on platforms like WordPress it will take considerable time and effort to design and build a good one. Then there is SEO, optimisations, speed etc. Will you spent time and effort learning how to build a website or rather focus on your area of expertise?
If you are designer you will need a developer’s help. For a developer, most likely you will need a designer’s help if you want it to look great. There is again complications like SEO, optimisations for page loading speed, security, hosting, domain and all the hustle which comes with it. So it sure will cost you money to build a website and you sure need a professionally build website.
So why would anyone spent money to have a website when Facebook and Instagram a page for free?
Website gives you control, you OWN it.
The number one reason to have a website is to have control over nearly everything.
In Instagram and Facebook you are literally at the mercy of them. Don’t be at the mercy of someone else. Imagine loosing access to all your followers one fine day!
Yes, I am sure there are a lot of people who build and are still building business and portfolios just through social medias. However one change in an algorithm or a violation of their policy can cost you a lot, you can even loose access to your account. Instagram does not even warn users before blocking their profiles. You have not much control here. If you want to stay on top of the newsfeed eventually you will have to rely on Facebook ads or Instagram ads.
A website has Google search on its side
Using a great content marketing strategy and SEO you can customise the content with keywords your potential customers are searching for. Showing up in a google search is a great way of customer acquisition.
Website allows you to visually showcase your Brand
A Facebook/Instagram page cannot give the complete brand experience a website will. Website gives a brand experience to any visitor. It is a major component to build trust and authenticity and thus helps you to build the brand itself. By having a well structured website you can foster instant credibility with anyone.
Website is your marketing and sales person who is awake 24×7. If he is trained well he will help with the sales and marketing at a very cost effective way. Website is important for brand/business success.
Social Media page is like a Restaurant, but Website is like your Home
You can have multiple social media accounts and they all are nice and good. But at the end of the day you will need a home which will be the root of your core business. Your social media channels should be driving traffic to your website. Social media should feed your company website. Website is the “Hub” of your online presence – Social Media is a marketing tool.
Your sales funnel should be designed in such a way that the conversation finally happens in the website.
Does everyone need a website? No
If you don’t really have a purpose, you don’t need a website. If you are somebody who is not interested in growing your brand, you don’t need to have a website.
If you have a purpose, invest well in a website. By not having a website, you will be missing out on a big piece of the pie.
How much should you spend on a new website design and development? Your website is your most valuable business tool, treat as such by realistically investing as much as possible.
What is the purpose of a website?
A website is about your prospect and their needs. And communicating in a clear, specific and persuasive manner to their needs. The purpose of a website is to turn visitors into prospects.
- A good looking website can help you promote your brand and increase the confidence of your website visitors in your business.
- You can collect information about your followers and build a database. This database can be used to reach out to people while you are promoting something. Technically for e-mail marketing.
- You will know who exactly is following you, and targeted communication is possible because of that. This can be leveraged if you are promoting a particular product as you already know the target audience for that product. You will not be spamming people who may not want to see the communication of an irrelevant product or service.
- Complete control in terms of content. You decides what to post.
- You don’t need to worry about policies and loosing account access.
- Algorithm changes affect you only in SEO. But if you are good at content generation you don’t really have to worry about it.
- You can show off case studies, testimonials, and social proof about what you do.
- You can use retargeting and remarketing to bring in more customers if you have a website.
- A website allows you to stand out from the competition.
- With a website you will have the flexibility to integrate a blog, create content and build links, major components of SEO.
Does everyone need an Instagram or Facebook Page? Yes
A website is only one part of the equation.
Social media pages can be used to distribute your content which is published in your website. So the point is you will probably need both if you are building something long term. However if you are doing something just for hobby, for example if you are a hobbyist photographer you may not need a website. But if you have plans for expand things in the future, you better start building your website now. In SEO, domain age matters.
