Is it becoming more important to have a good quality website?
The simple answer is YES, but that would really make a pants article now wouldn’t it?!
So you’ve probably heard things like;
- Your website is the home of your business.
- You don’t own your Social Media presence and it could be taken away from you in a whiff whaff.
Both of these things are true, your website is the home of your business. It’s the place that people will head to check you out a little further. I’m sure you’ve had occasions where you’ve come across a business, whether through an ad on Social Media or it’s appeared in your timeline, and you’ve headed off the interwebby to check them out further. It might be to seek reassurance, it might be to check out their credibility, it might be to put your mind at ease that they are legit. Your potential customers may well be doing this about you too. That home base for your business is the place where you own all of the assets on there, you can produce content that has longevity (more of that in a mo) and you are able to control the customer experience.
Moving over to the social media can be taken away from you thing, unfortunately that’s true. It’s not an urban myth. I’ve been contacted by clients in the past who have gone to bed with a BIG social media following & woken up to find that it’s disappeared. No recourse, no way to appeal, just gone! I don’t say that to scare the pants off you. I don’t want you fretting about it but so far as assets are concerned it’s like giving your purse to one of your teenage children, you hope it’ll be ok but you aren’t wholly convinced those assets won’t go to waste.
This week we saw an announcement from the head of Instagram who was giving a heads up that the future of the platform seems to be becoming more video focused, this is what people want, what they share, what they interact with and what they are consuming. The platform that came about with a huge focus on imagery is pivoting to being a more video based platform, they are not doing away with imagery but there’s likely to be less emphasis on it moving forwards. I’ve written an article about what you need to know following this announcement and you can read that here – https://www.rebelsandrockstars.com/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-changes-to-instagram/
Why does this stuff even matter to the priority you place on a good quality website? Yeah, bits of it are obvious but some less so;
Being Found
Yes, there is the opportunity for people to stumble across you on Social Media. Yes, you can enhance that possibility by using paid for advertising on the platform BUT where do we go when we are looking for an answer to a question? Google! We are going to Google to ask for specific answers to specific questions. When people are heading to google (yeah, other search engines are available) they already know they have a problem to which they seek a resolution. Therefore they are well along the readiness cycle and more likely to sign up for your free resource that solves that problem (become an asset on your mailing list), consume your article (perhaps you can capture them on a pixel to re-market to ~ again an asset to your business) or even by the thing that solves their problem (another asset to your business INCOME!)
On A Good Quality Website You’re In Charge Of The Customer Journey/Experience
On your website you have the ability to dictate what your audience see next and you’re able to offer a level of influence as to what they do with strong calls to action. On Social Media you’re one post amongst many posts and the flick will continue after they have consumed what they’ve seen from you.
The Life Span Of Your Content Is Optimised
The stats that are often quoted when it comes to the life span of Social Media posts goes a little something like this;
Twitter 15 minutes
TikTok & Snapchat immediate decay
Facebook 6 hours
Instagram 48 hours
Linkedin 24 hours
Yet the content on your website has a lifespan of years and it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Your work can be found many years into the future. I have articles which I wrote in 2015 (that’s 7 years ago, I am at the age where I can’t accept how long ago something is unless it’s written down – 1990 is still 10 years ago in my head!) that are still getting lots of traffic right now, they still create sign ups to my mailing list.
There’s less kerfuffle
What do I even mean by that? Well, we see (probably around annually) one of the social media platforms either announcing a big shake up to the algorithm, an evolution of focus or a pivot in their plans. This is ok. This doesn’t ever need to be catastrophised. Everything has changed on Social Media since I started my business a decade ago, yet everything is still exactly the same. The announcements that they make are always interesting because it’s giving you a heads up on trends and what’s working in terms of content consumption and what people want.
You never need panic about these changes.
Yet, there’s stacks more stability when it comes to your own site, your own domain and how you want to present your awesome to your audience. A feel of more consistency in the approach.
It’s Where You Collect Assets
Yup – your content is an asset on there in view of the enhanced lifespan
Yup – it’s where people sign up to your mailing list, which is an asset to your business
Yup – it’s the place people buy from you & convert
Takeaways
I ❤️ Social Media. It’s bloody ace for business. It’s a component in your business that can bring so much to the party BUT if you’re considering it at the expense of a good quality website then you’re not optimising your business’s positioning, credibility & opportunity for growth!
Listen to Kat! She doesn’t just say that stuff she says because she builds website, she builds websites because she’s acutely aware of the importance of them in your business and being able to allow you to truly shine in your arena, showcase your expertise and fulfil your potential! If you aren’t sure where to start with planning your own website, check out Kat’s blog post on getting started with your website
