Seven Reasons Why Websites Still Matter

Does having your own website still matter?
Why build your own website when you can use Facebook?
Should you use Facebook exclusively?

It’s true, Facebook and Twitter have become the most popular websites used by people for social interaction. Many businesses now use these social media platforms to interact with their customers and build awareness of their brands. Perhaps you’re thinking you should just build a Facebook Fan page and forget about your building and maintaining your own website.

Here are 7 reasons why websites still matter:

1. Control

Having your own website means you have control over it. Think what would happen if you had built up tons of content and 1000s of followers on Twitter and Facebook only to have it shut down. You would suddenly lose all the hard work you invested. They make the rules and can decide what to do with your content.

Having your own website enables you to control the design, where it is hosted and allow you to make changes whenever you want.

2. Search engine optimization

When your web pages rank on the first page of the search engines for a specific keyword you get more traffic and sales. With your own site you can optimize your web pages so they gain high rankings. You can’t do this with social media sites.

3. Analytics

Monitoring your website allows you to track how many visitors you’re receiving each day, month and year plus see what keywords visitors use to find your pages. Most web hosts include statistics with their plans. Alternatively you can install Google Analytics.

Social media sites don’t give you this ability.

4. Branding

With your own site you have the flexibility to design it for your niche and give users a unique experience that fits with your business model. This makes your site stand out from your competition.

5. Sell your site

You can sell your site for a profit if you own it. For example what if your website was worth $50,000 after investing years into building a brand? You’re unable to do this with a social media site you don’t own.

6. Make money

With your own website you have the opportunity to build an online business by selling goods and services. You have total control over what you want to sell and how to market your goods.

7. Become recognized as an authority in your niche

If you build an authority website it will become the “go to” place for visitors in your niche. it can be used as a hub for all your other web properties so they all feed into it.

I’m not recommending you forget about social media websites. Use Twitter, Facebook and others to network with other people in your niche but always redirect them to your website which you control. For example create an opt-in form on your site that captures visitor’s contact information then use an autoresponder to build long term relationships with them.

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