Why do we need websites in the face of a dominant social media presence?
In today's digital world, many businesses and individuals choose to use social media platforms because they are easy to access, attract a large audience and are quickly accessible. You might think that it's enough for a business or personal brand to be just is present on one or the other. Social media is a great tool for branding and communication, so at first glance they seem like the perfect solution, but a website can offer much more and still play a key role in your online presence. Let's look at why it's worth creating your own website alongside social media.
Ownership and control
One of the biggest differences between a website and a social media platform is that the website is completely owned and controlled by you. When create a website, you decide what it looks like, what content to put on it, and what features to offer.
In contrast, the algorithms and rules of social media platforms are constantly changing, and can change the way you can access or even delete content at any time. In English they influence how and to whom your content is delivered. For example, if a platform changes its rules, your previous results may become inaccessible or you may lose contact with your audience. In contrast, a website is a long-term, stable solution where you control every aspect. In other words. your website is your own online space where you are in complete control.
Unique look, brand identity
A website gives you the opportunity to fully express your brand identity. You can customise the design, colours, typography and user experience to suit the needs of your target audience, so your website accurately reflects the uniqueness of your business. This helps visitors to easily recognise and remember your brand. Their structure can be much more transparent and organised than social media platforms. On a website, you can easily create navigation menus, subpages, blogs, portfolios and other content units that help visitors find what they're looking for easily.
On social media, on the other hand, everything appears in almost the same structure, and the uniqueness of your brand is less pronounced.
SEO and online searchability
A search engine optimization (SEO) is a key element of online presence in which websites excel.
Search engines such as Google or Bing find and rank website content much easier than social media posts. A well-optimised website gives your target audience the opportunity to find your services or products easily. You can use keywords, metadata and other techniques to increase the visibility of your website, whereas on social media these tools are limited, there you don't have the same SEO capabilities, making it much harder to get ahead in search results.
Stability and independence
The popularity of social media platforms is constantly changing, and they may even disappear. Think of the old MySpace, or iWiW - they too were once leaders, but have all but disappeared. If you rely only on these platforms, you can become vulnerable.
In contrast, a private, well maintained by website will provide you with a solid long-term foundation and a stable platform for your online presence, regardless of social media trends.
Multifunctional options
A website can offer much more functionality than any social media platform. For example, you can integrate a webshop, a booking system, order forms, and many other tools that facilitate customer interactions and increase your revenue. On a website, you can offer detailed product descriptions, customer reviews, and unique offers that help customers make informed decisions. Social media offers limited functionality compared to these.
Data security and data collection
On your own website, you have full control over the data collection how and to what extent. For example, you can track visitor statistics, collect subscriptions and offer personalised offers. Social media platforms, on the other hand, share limited data and you often have to rely on their tools for analytics. On your website, however, you can fully customise your data collection processes to your own needs, while ensuring compliance with data protection rules.
A personalised user experience
A website gives you the opportunity to provide an experience tailored to your visitors' needs. For example, you can make automatic offers, create different language versions or even tailor the presentation of content based on user behaviour. In social media, on the other hand, the user experience is determined by algorithms and the general rules of the platform, which makes it less flexible.
Content archiving and accessibility
On a website, your content is always available and easily searchable. You can categorise and archive material, such as blog posts, articles or videos, to make it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for. On social media, content can quickly get "lost" in the timeline and become difficult to retrieve. Website structure is much better at supporting long-term retention of content.
Professional appearance
A well-designed website gives a professional image of your business or activity. Visitors will feel confident when they find an informative and aesthetically pleasing website where all the important information is easily accessible. A unique domain a website with a name gives a much more credible impression than a social media profile and can help you stand out from the competition.
Summary
Overall, social media and websites are not substitutes but complementary. While social media provide fast communication and broad reach, websites build deeper, more lasting relationships with audiences. A website provides a solid foundation for your online presence in the long term, and offers tools (full control, unique branding, search engine optimisation) to increase your reach and results.
Social media is a great way to promote a website, but it is the combination of the two that gives the best results in a successful online strategy. So it's worth using them together to get the most out of your online strategy.
