Your company might have a Facebook page, Instagram account, X handle, and maybe – if it’s where a big chunk of your demographic does their scrolling – a TikTok profile. Businesses have more ways than ever to get in front of potential customers and potential customers have changed their online behavior so much that businesses need to take advantage of all those different ways. It used to be that, more often than not, the first experience people would have with your company would be your website. Now they’re more likely to stumble across you on Instagram. So it begs the question: If you can deliver your message, provide contact information, list hours of operation, and notify people of company news & events through your social media accounts, how important is a website?

 

If you’re a really small business with very little information to convey, you might be okay with just a Facebook page. But, for most organizations, social media platforms just don’t provide the layout or navigational architecture to create an engaging user experience to showcase their products or services. Where social media posts and profile pages really shine is in their reach – their ability to get your branding and message in front of countless casual eyeballs. Like advertising, their job is to generate enough interest or curiosity to push potential customers to a point of sale, elicit a direct contact with your company, or send them to your flagship online property – your website.

 

Your website is the virtual front door to your organization. It’s your company’s online headquarters. It’s the only place on the internet where you have complete creative control over what visitors see and experience. There are no layout restrictions, no character limits, no aesthetic or content boundaries except the ones imposed by your own imagination. Unlike your social media properties where your content is wrapped in the layout and branding of Facebook or other platforms, your website can be an immersive brand and messaging experience that is uniquely yours. And when you're trying to stand out and be remembered amongst your competitors, that brand recognition can make all the difference.

 

But do people even visit websites anymore? If they can get the information they need from social media, why would they?

 

Websites still reign supreme. Why? Credibility. They have become a primary way for potential customers to confirm the legitimacy of a company. How many times have you found a product on Amazon and did a quick search on Google so that you could peruse the manufacturer’s website to make sure they were the real deal? We’ve all done it. And if there is no website or the website looks thrown together and janky, the red flags go up. People use websites to not only learn more about a company and their product/service offerings, but for reassurance that the organization is one they will feel comfortable giving their credit card number to. Let’s face it. Your grandmother has a Facebook page. Websites reside a level up in professionalism. So the biggest mistake a business can make with their website is to neglect it or “phone in” the design because they feel their socials have those bases covered. 

 

Your online properties should really work as a system with your website seated squarely in the center. Social media posts/pages, directory listings, online ads, and anything else you’re putting out there should be creating awareness and generating interest in your company, products, or services. But if that interest doesn’t translate into immediate action in the way of a purchase or contact with your business, your website is the next stop in the process – often the LAST stop before a deal or no deal decision. So it better be good. Because even if your sales process isn’t structured so that your website can make a sale, your website can always LOSE a sale.

 

To answer the question at the top of this article: Yes, websites are still very mission critical. In fact, right now, someone, somewhere is probably browsing your website. What are they seeing? Does it look professionally designed? Are there typos? Broken links? Is it easy and intuitive to navigate? Does it CLEARLY say what you do? All those things matter to a potential customer. If they get a 404 error after clicking a link, how can they believe your “Quality is our number one priority” tagline?! 

 

So go give your website the TLC it deserves! Social media is a great marketing tool, but it can only take you so far.