Does Your Business Need A Website? (Hint: Yes)

I know what you might be thinking. In today’s age of social media and the rise of apps like Tik Tok, you might not even need a website! And while there’s no one size fits all approach to business, we’re willing to bet that a website is a useful tool to most small businesses.

I get it, I’m a website designer so obviously I recommend that everyone have a website. But it’s true. And here’s why:

1. Not everyone uses social media. I know, it might seem like a crazy concept but it’s true. I don’t have a Tik Tok account, and sometimes when I’d try to view them I’d be asked to log in and ultimately I’d just decide it’s probably not that important. You don’t want to miss out on potential clients because they can’t access your content.
2. You own your website and its content. I’ve heard horror stories of business owners building a huge community on Facebook, then finding out that they’ve lost access and have little recourse for recovering their data. Now they’ve lost connection to their potential clients, and it’s all because someone else is making all the decisions with their content. That’s not to say that you won’t ever have technical difficulties with your website, I’ve lost mine at 2 in the morning (but got it back!). But technical difficulties are easier to troubleshoot than trying to navigate the ever evolving policies of social media networks.
3. You can control how you show up. With most social media networks, you only have so much control over what information you can share and in what format. With your website, that’s not an issue. Are you a photographer who takes breathtaking pictures of your bridal clients? A website featuring your high definition images will definitely draw more people in than a Facebook feed. 

Social media has its time and place but in the 13 years since we launched our business, websites remain an important tool for small business owners. And don’t worry, when you’re just starting out there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars (in fact we highly recommend you don’t and we’ll cover that in a future post) or have all the bells and whistles. Keep it simple and make it happen, your site will evolve as your business does (take it from someone who has had her share of rebrands!)

Ready to build your website? Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming freebie: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Build Your Website. We’ll take all the stress and headache out of the planning process for you!