Do you really need a website as well as social media? (Yes!)

Nowadays, most social platforms have a form of ‘business profile’ option. As a result, you might find yourself wondering if you really need a website as well as social media? It certainly makes sense to ask this question, especially with new features like product tagging on Instagram and Facebook. However, a website is still very important for your business. The two platforms have their own benefits, but they are always at their most beneficial when used together. In this case, more actually is more!

The benefits of social media for your small business

It’s rare to find a business that doesn’t have a presence on at least one social media platform. This has always been a good way of opening the doors for communication with potential and actual customers. A huge proportion of businesses are now on social media, so it’s not a particular advantage to have social media. On the other hand, it’s definitely a disadvantage not to.

It’s quick, free and easy to create an account on any of the main social media platforms. This means that you can begin to build an online presence almost immediately! The interactivity of platforms like Facebook and Twitter means you can start to interact with your customers straight away, while also getting your brand seen by the friends of people you talk to, as your conversations show up on others’ newsfeeds.

The drawbacks

While social media offers some of the functions needed by small businesses, it lacks permanence and security. Instead of having ownership over your online presence, you are effectively ‘renting’ online space from the social media sites you use. This means that you are totally at the mercy of algorithm changes that may stop your page appearing on newsfeeds. More and more frequently, businesses are being forced to pay for advertising in order to gain any exposure, rather than being able to keep using social media as a free way of growing their brand. In addition, while it may seem as though the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will be around forever, there’s no guarantee that they won’t eventually go down the same route as websites like Myspace and Friendster – meaning that you are also at the mercy of the fate of the platforms themselves.

Opportunities for branding and credibility are also limited on social media. Your branding has to fit in with that of the platform in question, which can seriously limit your options. While no business can have particularly strong branding on social media, not making up for this elsewhere can leave you lacking credibility and memorability. As mentioned above, while using social media can add to your business’s credibility slightly, this effect is now limited by the saturation-levels of social media, leaving everyone on a fairly even playing field.

The benefits of a website for your small business

In light of these drawbacks, a website can act as the perfect solution to the problems posed by social media. You have much more ownership over a website. This means that potential impermanence and changing algorithms are no longer an issue. Websites are also much better for building credibility and trust. This works on a sliding scale: just a website gives a certain amount; a domain name and personalised email address gives even more.

A website also serves as a central location for information. Instead of having to ask questions on social media, your customers can find answers on your website. With fewer repetitive questions on social media, you can free it up as a platform for customer feedback, reviews and more. All of this has the potential to build your brand! This will also free up your valuable time, as you’ll only need to answer these questions once.

While social media has more functionalities than it did a few years ago, websites still have more to offer. From blogs to eCommerce and more, they offer a smooth and complete way of operating that social media can’t. All of these functionalities work together with advanced website analytics. These may be included in the website builder itself or an external system like Google Analytics – both are beneficial! While social media includes some analytics, they generally aren’t complex enough for a growing small business.

Best of both worlds

It’s easy to pitch websites against social media when it comes to web presence. In reality, they can work together to make a stronger online presence than either could alone. Both methods strengthen SEO, and a good social media following can drive customers to your website when it matters most – such as during a promotion or a big event. This aspect of social media is incredibly important. However, it can’t help your business to reach its full potential without the stability, security and flexibility of a well branded website. A promotion, for example, can find popularity on social media, but can’t become a reality without a website’s eCommerce functionality. Similarly, an event which requires customers to register their interest needs a dedicated contact form.

However you choose to use the two, you can (and should) use social media and a website in tandem. This will enable you to get the most out of both of these versatile, potential-packed platforms and grow your ideas into something amazing. To get started today, sign up for a free trial here.

Six things to check before publishing your website

When you create your own website, you have total creative freedom to make it entirely your own, with as many quirks and unique touches as you like. When you first get started, there are a few things you should be checking as you go along – and definitely before you take the exciting step of hitting the publish button! In this blog we’ve rounded up the top six things to check before publishing your website.

What is your website about?

This is something you should keep asking yourself throughout the process: is it obvious what your website is about? It sounds simple, but it can be all too easy to lose sight of your website’s focus when you’re looking at colours, styles, images and copy. If your website is a business website, make sure your business is front and centre, and it’s clear what it’s about.

Are you happy with the colours?

Make sure all the colours work together. If you’ve used different colours on different pages or sections, was this intentional? You can change colours as often as you like, so don’t be afraid to play around to see what works best. Think about which colours represent your business, and tie them in with any colours in your branding, if applicable.

Is all your content present and correct?

Make sure you haven’t left any of the sections you’ve added incomplete. Never underestimate the value of a double (and triple) check of spelling and grammar. Fresh eyes can work wonders; ask somebody else to check over the content if you can, or come back to it yourself after a break.

Have you got all the pages you want?

For example, if you’ve told people to contact you, have you got a dedicated contact page? Check all your links go to the right place. It’s also worth checking out a few websites you are familiar with, to see if they’ve included any key pages you might have forgotten.

Are you happy with the fonts? Is it easy to read?

Make sure your fonts look good in preview mode, and work together. Does all the text fit into the different sections so you can easily read it? Like the colours, you can change your fonts as often as you want, but it’s worth finding one you’re happy with to begin with – if you can be as consistent with any other branding as possible, it will give your website (and business) a more professional look.

Does it work on mobile?

This is very important – lots of your visitors and potential customers will be looking at your website from a mobile device, so you need to make sure all your hard work pays off on mobile devices and computers! Make sure you use the different preview modes and check that all the pages look good in any format.

Since Go Sitebuilder has been designed to reduce the amount of time and effort you need to put into these elements, many of these things will just be very quick checks. For example, our style options have been designed to work across the whole site – so any check of colours and fonts only needs to take a second! Keep checking in with the above questions about your website’s aim, content and style and you’ll soon find you’ve quickly and easily made the exact website you want and need. If you haven’t already, you can get started today: download the Go Sitebuilder app on Google Play or the App Store, or access it through your browser here.