Why Do You Need a Website? Let’s Talk Digital Ownership + Long-Term Strategy

Last Updated on June 13, 2025.

So… why do you need a website if you already show up on Instagram or TikTok every day? When you are looking for something, where do you typically turn to? For me, before anything else, that’s Google. It’s my go-to for everything. Whether I need to troubleshoot a tech issue, look for a new recipe, or get ideas for my next trip, Google is my starting point. It may spin off to me visiting YouTube if I need to fix something from there, but that search engine is typically the perfect place to be the first thing I attempt to use to try to find what I need.

Over time, we may find the ones we trust to give us accurate information on a given topic and consider following them on social media. Still, typically we begin our search when we have a problem with Google, so let’s cut to the chase – can I find you on Google today? If the answer is no or if you are uncertain, it’s time for us to talk.

“I don’t need a website – I have a Facebook page. I don’t need a website – I have an Instagram page.”

I hear you, “why do I need a website for my business?! *insert groan here* I’m doing all I can to market on social media.”

What happens when content gets deleted? Or an algorithm change that causes your content not to be seen? Recently, Instagram cannot decide if hashtags help or not.

I’ve worked with brands that put all their eggs in the social media basket. And you know what? When those algorithm changes hit or a post didn’t gain traction, they saw the impact. Content disappeared into the void, engagement dropped and their business suffered.

I can empathize with how feeling like you have to do all the things can become tiresome rapidly, but not just adding something else to the plate. Building a small business website might be the foundation of your long-term results.

Because we have all heard the saying, “if it’s not online, it doesn’t exist,” and while so many people take that idea and make social media profiles their sole focus, a true focus needs to be placed on websites, blogging and actual ownership of your content.

So you truly own your content. Social media platforms can shut down anytime—and they don’t need to tell you first. And they certainly do not need to notify you of any significant changes. So, what happens to all your content if they just up and go offline tomorrow? It disappears! And if it disappears, all the time and effort you spent building a following goes with it! Not only is this frustrating for you as a business owner, but it’s also frustrating for your customers who are used to engaging with you there.

The good news is you’re already writing content with your social media posts. It is only going to make this easier. Let’s turn them into blog posts.

Why is a company website important for business? The benefits of a website.

1. The ability to optimize your website visitor’s experience is a benefit that social media accounts don’t have because they own the platforms. You can create an online presence, have some brand visibility and talk to your target audience there, but you can’t create a journey for them.
2. It’s long-form. With your company’s website, customers can increase brand awareness. New customers can learn about your company and its products or services. You can provide helpful information about the company’s history, philosophy, and mission statement. It can even bolster your customer service with a contact form, online chat or help desk. You can even create landing pages for new products as you release them – endless possibilities.
3. A website offers you the chance to engage directly with your customers and solidify yourself as an industry leader or industry expert in your field. That authority is also important because it can help people find you in search results and general customer loyalty—in short, good high-quality content enables you to stand out from the competition. It gives prospective customers the confidence to do business with you over another company that doesn’t blog.
4. And suppose you are trying to determine between a blog vs. a website. That blog allows you to express your opinions and share your knowledge. Suppose a customer finds specific blog topics helpful. In that case, they will be more likely to come back to your site for other information—and if that information is valuable enough, they may even tell others about it.
5. You can create long-form evergreen content and targeted content that you can use in other ways, such as your social media, newsletters, email marketing, etc.
6. And overall, a website will allow you to have longevity for your content and data points in the form of analytics.

And this is not a “diss” to social media or an Instagram® or Facebook® Business Page. Social media is still an excellent way to reach people who might otherwise never find out about your business. But why limit yourself to just that?

Suppose you use social media as your primary medium for reaching out to potential customers. In that case, you’re missing out on getting them to interact with your brand in other places. You can also make it easier for them to buy from you: there’s no need to go through several different pages or profiles just looking for what they want!

And we both know it would be fun to be able to launch a new website and start promoting your new website on social media.

Of course, we know having a website is a start, but ensuring it is optimized for your target consumer and their needs is just as important as bringing in the right website traffic. Once your marketing strategy includes content marketing, it not only provides valuable content for your prospective clients, but your new blog strategy is a great way to bring in new leads. So while building your website, ensure user experience and search engine optimization are at the forefront. It will not be an overnight success, but nothing online is. The benefits of working on SEO for your small business website create important reasons to play this long-game strategy, especially if you are frustrated with all the marketing frameworks out there.

So are you now wondering what industries/businesses need websites the most?

Trick question – the answer is the majority of them.