I don’t know about you, but in the online business community, I’ve often heard the adage “you don’t need a website to hit multiple six figures” or “a premium website isn’t required for your business to thrive.” And while I agree that not having the best possible website early in your business journey isn’t the thing that’s going to make or break your success, I do think there’s a lot to be said for having an online presence that you own. 

What do I mean by that? Simple. On social media platforms and other third-party sites, you don’t own the real estate. In other words, Meta could decide anytime to change its algorithm so that small businesses are no longer allowed to solicit sales on their sites.That’s an extreme example and extremely unlikely, but we’ve all seen smaller examples of how Meta’s algorithms can cause problems for small businesses. And who’s to say whether, tomorrow, Zuck might decide it’s time to charge for a business profile. It’s unlikely, but you get my point. We’re all beholden to the whims of Facebook’s and Instagram’s overlords when we build our businesses on those platforms. 

The same goes for other third-party sites like Substack. While a Substack presence can be a great idea for a certain type of business, it’s another platform where you are beholden to their rules, regulations, and algorithms. 

And, if that works for you, great. But if you’re like me and many of my entrepreneur friends (a bit of a control freak), you might be thinking, how do we get around this? 

Well, by creating your own website, of course! A dedicated, professionally designed website is essential for long-term success and stability.

In the following paragraphs, I’ll explain the allure of building on borrowed real estate, the risks of doing so, the benefits of setting up your own little corner of the internet, and how to transition if you’ve put all your business eggs in the proverbial social media basket. 

The Allure of Borrowed Real Estate for Small Business Owners

Look, I get it. Creating your own website can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’re an early-stage business or a solopreneuer. Social media platforms seem like a quicker and easier path to get in front of your ideal clients. They are easy to use (typically), have built-in audiences, and for the most part, they’re free to use. 

And there’s always some guru detailing how they made six figures yesterday just by posting on Instagram. [insert eye roll emoji here] 

The thing is, social media and other platforms can be amazing for expanding your realm of influence, getting in front of new audiences, and marketing your wares, you just don’t have as much control over them as you do with your own site. 

The Risks of Relying on Borrowed Real Estate

There are three main issues with this approach that can hinder your ability to build, grow, and scale your business in the long-term. So, if you’re more than a hobby business and you want to be around for the long haul, you’ll want to consider whether you have the appetite to deal with these potential barriers. 

• Lack of control. The first, and arguably most important, risk you run building your business on borrowed real estate is the lack of control. We’ve already covered this above, but it warrants repeating. Any third-party platform in which you participate has the ability to change their algorithms and policies or even shut down at any time, without notice, leaving your business vulnerable and without a place to connect with your audience. That’s why these platforms should be leveraged as supplemental marketing avenues, but not as your primary online presence. 
• Limited branding opportunities. As a brand designer, I know how important it is to create a memorable, unique, and compelling brand. Yet, there are often branding parameters inherent in third-party platforms. For example, on Instagram, you only have one main spot to include a primary profile image. If you’re a business that wants to use its logo there, you have to choose a version that makes sense in a small circle (even if, maybe, that’s not something you currently have). Some other examples –  the character count limit in captions, the font limitations in stories, etc. The list goes on and on. 
• Data ownership and access. When you have your own website, you have more access to customer data that can help you make smarter decisions about and for your business. On third-party platforms, they control the data you get, limiting your ability to analyze it and use it for targeted marketing. 

The Benefits of Owning Your Own Website

Now, let’s switch gears and talk about why I always suggest small business owners carve out their own online presence in the form of a website. 

• Total control and flexibility. Have you ever tried to update your Instagram bio, only to be told you’ve updated it too many times in the recent past and must wait 14 days to be able to make any additional changes? Me too. It’s annoying. When you have your own website, though, you have the freedom to design, update, and optimize it whenever you feel is appropriate. So, you can implement features and functionalities you believe will best serve your business and clients without having to ask anyone’s permission. 
• Enhanced credibility and professionalism. Have you ever seen an interesting brand or provider on social media, headed to their bio, clicked a link, and been directed to yet-another third-party platform? I know I’m a bit biased, but it always turns me off. I want to see your website. I want to see how you present yourself outside the four walls of social media. What do you feel is important for me to know about your business when you have all the control? In short, having this dedicated real estate builds trust with potential clients and customers in a way that social media and other third-party platforms just don’t.
• Improved SEO and visibility. If you want to show up on Google and have people pointed to your business when they are in solution-finding mode, you need your own website that you can optimize to answer their questions and get served up to them in their search results. With a dedicated strategy, you can drive organic lead generation by getting in front of the right people at the right time. 
• Better customer experience. A professionally-designed website helps you curate a great user experience, so that your ideal clients get all the information they need to make a smart decision about whether to work with you or not. You can strategically place calls to action in places that help your visitors go from investigation to inquiry seamlessly. 

How to Transition from Borrowed Real Estate to Your Own Website

If you’re ready to transition to building and maintaining your own website rather than depending solely on third-party platforms, you’ll first want to decide which website builder to go with as well as whether to go the DIY, template, or custom route. There are pros and cons to all of the above, so make sure to do your research, understand what your website goals are, and then choose the builder and route that makes the most sense for your business. 

And once you get your website live, make sure to link to it from your social channels and vice versa. Social media is great, and I think we should all be taking advantage of it if it fits our business strategies. Just not to the exclusion of your very own website on your very own domain. If you want help deciding how to uplevel your online presence, reach out to us. We’d love to help.