business
Why Having Your Own Website Is More Important Than Ever
05/08/2019
In times when social media consumption reached a high point, why does one even need a website? Let’s talk about this.
I get anxious when I hear kids out there dreaming of becoming the next big Instagram star. The truth is, influencers have tricked into thinking this is a safe environment to start a career when in reality every single one of them are having nightmares about Instagram suddenly shutting down.
It is devastating for me to see how many creators devote all of their attention into only growing on social media. This doesn’t make any sense or any difference.
We’ve experienced quite a few algorithm changes over the years & I can assure you- there are still more to come.
Also, what about all other platforms we’ve passionately consumed before Facebook came? Remember MySpace??
Young people are already turning their backs on Facebook, according to the newest reports. Did you know that two million people under the age of 25 will stop using the social network this year as research firm eMarketer predicted?
As much as I want to believe in the longevity of all the current platforms, I just don’t feel like putting all of your eggs in one basket is a smart decision
Personal websites, better known as blogs, on the other hand, came into our lives all the way back in 1994. Websites managed to beat all of the changes on the internet so far and I strongly believe they will continue to do so. Let me tell you why.
Your Social Media Posts Are Not Search-Friendly
We love using social media on the go, but we really don’t rely on it for actually finding that valuable information. You see, social platforms still aren’t ‘search-friendly’, so if you want to find that specific piece of content on, let’s say, Instagram vs Google, it is still SO much easier to find the BLOG post on a website. If you’re running an online business or simply want to grow a following online, people need to be able to find you. If you can’t be found, you can’t be hired.
The fact is, social media just can’t do that for you…
Seriously, whenever you’re having that argument with your friends playing Kriss Kross or simply need to be a doctor to yourself and figure out if your hangover symptoms aren’t actually a serious illness- what do you rely on? Exactly- Google.
We still use search engines like crazy and the number of internet users just keeps growing every single day. The only proper way for you to be found online is actually starting a website and working on your SEO score.
Your Own Website Allows You To Sell Your Own Products
If you ever wanted to start your own online shop, you need to have a website, my friend.
At the moment, there are two popular eCommerce platforms that I can recommend which is Shopify or WordPress + WooCommerce.
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce solution. However, the downside to Shopify is that it gets quite expensive, and your overall development options are limited unless you pay additional fees.
This is why most of my clients choose WordPress + WooCommerce. It does require some setup, but it’s worth doing it for the long run. WooCommerce is the world’s largest eCommerce platform & it’s currently trusted by over 40 million users and I personally use it with all of my businesses.
I do highly recommend using WordPress + WooCommerce for starting your own online shop and you can follow this step-by-step tutorial to make it happen →.
Your Own Website Allows You To Create A Personal Brand
Seriously, if you’re building a presence on social media, but are not directing your followers to your own website, you’re losing the game.
You have to start looking at your social media presence as a brand and stop focussing on a single platform, if you look at any successful brand out there, you will notice that they put equal effort into all of the outlets and most importantly- they focus on creating sleek, recognizable branding on their own websites, newsletters, blogs, etc.
You see, having a website can really help you understand how strong of an audience you have. It’s common to have random people following your Instagram, just because you post cute selfies or have millions of followers on Pinterest because of your talent to look up the coolest interiors, your website’s audience is really worth most of your efforts.
The thing is, your random social media followers most probably won’t bring you any real engagement, while your website visitors are actually the most loyal fans that you need to appreciate the most. In fact, the best thing you could do for yourself is to keep inviting your social media followers to visit your website & turn them into loyal readers!
Your Website Can Serve You As A One-Stop Destination For Your Brand
If you feel like you’re producing a lot of content elsewhere, your website can serve you as a great place to connect and reflect on all of your work. Your followers on Instagram might be also interested in your podcast or video tutorials, but it can get pretty messy if you try to introduce all of your work in those short captions.
This is where having a website comes in handy You can use your website to bring the best of your talent in one place. Website allows you to share any type of content easily with the help of thousands of available plugins and services. This way, you’ll also be able to pitch yourself to brands and clients by only sending them a single link that connects all of your activities in one place.
You’re The One In Control Here
The scariest thing about social media is that the platforms themselves are owned by someone else. This means that your account can be blocked at any time if you share your opinion on a sensitive topic and someone decides to report you. Have you ever been blocked in any of the platforms? You then know how helpless you feel in these situations…
Now when it comes to your own website or blog- you’re the one in control here. Especially if you run a self-hosted website, no-one can take it away from you! Unless you do something illegal and the authorities decide to shut you down, but well… perhaps just don’t do that?
Do you need any more proof? Read Why Being A Social Media Star Is Not Enough Anymore.
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