seven reasons why a website is still relevant.

In the age of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, the humble website seems like an afterthought. Old school. Even, unnecessary. Here are seven reasons why we disagree, why having a professional website is as important as ever and why your business needs its’ own digital home.

#1 your website is the home of your brand

Maybe you aren’t trying to generate leads or business via your website. Perhaps LinkedIn is your biggest platform and is working well as your mechanism for building trust and legitimacy, and is producing healthy leads thank you very much.

But! You still have your brand to consider.

You don’t want to be the person who drives a Ferrari but lives in a tent. In this analogy the ‘tent’ is your website. It’s your key digital presence that communicates who you are and what you’re about.

Even if you don’t need a website to demonstrate your offering, you can at least point people to it.

Although, if you’re creating lots of written content we believe hosting it on your own platform is better than hosting it on someone else’s, where you don’t have any control of it. What’s more, there are tools available to pull in your content from social media to your website – no need to retype it or copy and paste it all in. You can do this with any social media platform.

So even if your site is a straight business card/brochure website, it’s important that it’s there, looks professional and communicates your brand.

#2 a professional website is the best way to build your ‘know, like and trust’ factor

If for some reason, your chosen social media channel stops working, there is no digital platform for your business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No place where, under one roof, someone can get an understanding of your brand, a feel for who you are and what you have to offer.

If you’re selling services that require a client to make a significant investment, potential clients need to get to know, like and trust you.

Of these three things we say ‘trust ’ is the most important.

Your clients could be anywhere in the world, and have never met you face to face. Yet you want them to send you thousands of pounds, euros or dollars over the internet.

How is this achieved? The answer is they can check you out on your website. They can browse through your portfolio, check out client testimonials and read through your blog posts, building your legitimacy as a business and a rapport with your target audience.

#3 you need a website for SEO

If you don’t have a website, there is no force driving leads and clients your way that aren’t in already in your referral network.

Let’s face it, when most people are looking for a service, they research and base their decisions based on multiple Google searches, not while passively scrolling through Instagram.

The only digital property you can optimise for search engine optimisation is your website. Even if your business runs entirely on referrals, you should still be building your list, your authority and your brand recognition beyond your referrals. Driving people to your website helps you accomplish this.

#4 websites show your expertise

No platform better shows off what you know than your website. You can create portfolio pages, publish loads of blog posts and articles. Embed a podcast or video feed that speak directly to your ideal customer. The content on your website gives you a chance to show potential clients that you ‘get it’. You can solve their problem. You can help.

#5 your website is away from the crowd

Not only can a website show off what you can do, it does it without distraction. You are not positioning yourself side by side with a bunch of other accounts trying to do the same thing and fight for the same attention.

Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. are all big, loud, busy carnivals.

Visitors can jump from person to person, room to room, or just passively consume a feed of never ending information.

When people land on your website, they are in your house. It’s only you and them with no distractions.

When designed right, your website can hold and keep a visitors attention; the most valuable resource around.

#6 a website lets you sell products and services on auto pilot

At some point you may want to sell information products or services online. Or you may want to allow clients to book your services, or join your mailing list. This happens best on your own site.

All major website platforms now have an e-commerce component, or allow you to embed scheduling or a newsletter sign-up.

#7 websites allow you to gather crucial metrics

A website can give you access to information that you can’t always get on social media platforms.

Where people found you, what content they clicked on most, what content is highest ranked by Google, at what access point on your website did they sign up for your mailing list?

Even if your budget doesn’t allow for an all-singing, all-dancing website, we can still purchase a domain for you and design a single page site, that way your domain will begin the ageing process to help your SEO.

Your future website will thank you!