A Scenario of a Modern Day Internet User
Imagine, if you will, the following situation. You’re on your phone, browsing social media. As you’re scrolling through your feed, you see an ad for a product you’re interested in. You click on the ad and are taken to the social media profile of the company that posted the ad. After scrolling through their feed, you decide to try out one of their products. After a quick search, you find the product on Amazon and purchase it through there.
Does this situation sound familiar to you? Did you notice that you never visited the company’s website during that process?
While the scenario we provided is just an example, there are many instances of people purchasing products or learning more about a company without ever visiting their website. Of course, our example is mainly true for product based websites, but the same concepts can apply to service based websites as well. This can be true in cases where a service-based company uses a third-party site like Acuity rather than their website in order to collect leads and schedule meetings.
Why You Still Need a Website
This now begs the question – do you still need a website? The answer will almost always be a resounding ‘Yes!’. Sure, you can run your entire business through social media and sell your products on sites like Amazon or Etsy. But when it comes down to the core basics of Know, Like and Trust, you’re missing out on the key factor of Trust. Just because someone knows who you are and likes your posts doesn’t necessarily mean that they will trust you enough to purchase your offerings.
Your Website Can Play Many Roles
That is where a well-designed website comes into play. Your website can provide much more information about you and your company than you’re able to on social media. With an about page, you can tell your story – the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing to begin with. When told right, your story can resonate with your ideal audience, which builds trust. It’s important to make yourself relatable to your target audience so they see a piece of themselves in your offerings.
Your website is also an online brochure for the products and services you offer. If you’re a chiropractor, you can explain all about the procedures you follow and how your services help improve lives. If you’re a realtor, your website should be the go-to place someone can turn to for information on the housing market and what’s available in their area.
Built For Trust
One of the main benefits of having a website, outside of the know, like, and trust factor, is you’re able to optimize your SEO. And the better your website is optimized for SEO, the more people you’ll reach, which can lead to more sales and more business.
So, think of social media as just a starting point for people to find you, and your website as the place for people to trust you. As long as all the parts of your online presence works together coherently, it doesn’t really matter how people find you – just that they are finding you.
Alex Galassi is Donna’s son and has been working with Blue Zenith since the fall of 2013, after graduating from CU Boulder that spring. In the beginning he worked part time, mainly doing blogging and simple website edits. Since then, his role has shifted to become the main website developer for Blue Zenith. He is experienced in working with WordPress and Kajabi. Alex’s other responsibilities include website maintenance, security, and updates.
Alex Galassi is the author of the Rebalancing the Cosmos series, a science-fiction and fantasy book series. When he is not at work or writing fiction, Alex enjoys exploring Colorado’s beautiful mountains, reading fantasy and science-fiction novels, attending concerts at Red Rocks, and playing Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and video games.