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These days, it seems like you can do just about everything without ever leaving social media platforms.
On Instagram, you can go from scrolling to making a purchase with the tap of a finger. Facebook now features ratings and reviews, as well as a messaging feature that serves as an extension of many companies’ customer service offerings.
With so many features designed to entice businesses to rely on social media platforms, it’s easy to understand why 1 in 5 small businesses now rely on social media in place of a website.
After all, social media platforms have a built in audience of users and manage all the technical details that come with running a website. What could go wrong?
As it turns out, there are numerous shortcomings to a strategy that uses social media in place of a website.
Here are five potential issues to consider before opting to have social media instead of a website.
- Algorithms Can Change
Even if your business’ social media accounts have high engagement now, that doesn’t mean they will forever.
Social media platforms are flooded with more new content than we could possibly keep up with every day. Instead of showing every user every post, complex algorithms determine what content is most likely to appeal to users.
The problem for small businesses? Algorithms change frequently. This means that a strategy that brings a flood of likes and comments one month might bring crickets the next.
In January 2018, Facebook announced the biggest change yet. Moving forward, the social media giant plans to prioritize statuses from individual users over posts from businesses.
Instead of putting all of their trust in social media platforms that could change the rules at any time, businesses should use social media to supplement a website that they have total control over.
- Websites Build Credibility
Chances are, the vast majority of your potential customers are savvy consumers.
If a potential customer is searching for information about your company online and finds only social media accounts and a profile on a review website, they might think your company has gone out of business–or, worse, that your company isn’t entirely real.
This is especially important for businesses that don’t have a brick and mortar location.
Websites corroborate all of the information potential customers might find elsewhere. Additionally, customers will view your website as the most authoritative source of information in the event that another website publishes incorrect information such as your hours or phone number.
- Don’t Leave SEO to Chance
No one knows exactly how Google interprets social media pages when calculating a website’s clout. We do know that when it comes to ranking websites, Google doesn’t factor in the number of social shares on any particular post.
However, there does seem to be a correlation between website traffic and social media engagement, according to a study conducted by Moz in 2016.
In other words, when it comes to SEO, high engagement on social channels only matters if that engagement is flowing into high quality website content.
Investing in a website will show Google that you want to help users by providing useful information, which increases your chances of being found online.
- Make Sure Customers Experience Your Brand
Think of the last time you took a spin through your Facebook newsfeed. Did you notice the branding of any of the businesses whose posts appeared?
Chances are, if you weren’t paying close attention, it may have been difficult to even distinguish businesses’ ads from news reports or your friends’ status updates.
When anyone logs onto Facebook, users primarily experiences Facebook’s branding. The same is true for other social media sites.
Your business’ brand encompasses everything from content to design elements like photographs, fonts, and the layout of your web pages. Building a customized website allows you to show off your brand’s unique look and feel.
Without a website, your customers won’t have the opportunity to fully connect with your brand. Instead of risking your customers thinking of your company as just another Facebook profile, make sure that you don’t get lost in the shuffle.
Conclusion
Overall, businesses that don’t have a website leave too many factors to chance.
Without a website, it’s more difficult for potential customers to find accurate, trustworthy information about your company, experience your branding, and more.
Additionally, a recent survey found that when it comes to social media, nearly a quarter of small businesses lack a formal strategy.
Instead of taking the risk, small businesses should embrace both a website and social media as two important parts that work together in a larger online strategy.
Michelle Delgado is a Content Developer & Marketer at Clutch, a ratings and reviews firm based in Washington DC. She covers website builder software and web design.
