Website or social media? Advantages and disadvantages

Many people, having started their own business, simultaneously create pages on social networks, enthusiastically promoting their business on them, especially on Instagram, deciding not to bother with a website, because it’s cheaper.

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Is this right? Which is better: social media or your own website? Let's find out.

For a small business, the benefits of running it on social media are obvious, especially at the initial stage, when the owner isn't exactly sure whether their business will succeed, what it should look like, or what exactly they'll be doing.

The benefits of social media

• minimum difficulties: the ability to create a fairly good page filled with the required range of goods or services without having any website creation skills;
• Well-functioning usability: Internet marketers and designers have taken care of the tools for promoting your page, just use them;
• Quick audience acquisition: social media newsletters will bring in visitors from the very first day, then advertising is connected, which is inexpensive;

Of course, there are also disadvantages:

• Even a child can create a page on social networks, and due to the low entry threshold, there is high competition;
• inconvenient or limited functionality provided within the capabilities of a particular social network;
• the page will look template, not particularly standing out from competitors’ accounts;
• It is more difficult to develop and promote a business using only social media;
• the social network page does not rightfully belong to you;
• the possibility of blocking social networks in a particular country;
• In particular, Instagram may suddenly block your account, which you have worked so hard on, with or without maximum effort.explanationsdelete posts;

Benefits of running a business through a website:

• Having your own website gives you complete freedom of action: you can make it the way you want, with the options and templates you need, while also taking into account the convenience of the buyer;
• By promoting your website in search engines, you are not limited to the social media audience;
• Website monitoring, using the same Google Analytics, provides broader analytics of development and promotion than statistics on social networks;
• The most important aspect is ownership. Once you create a website, you become its rightful owner. You can sell it, change hosting,transfer domains, place banner advertising on it;

Difficulties you encounter when creating a website:

• The cost of creating a website is much higher if you order it from a web studio. However, you can use a free builder with certain limited functionality.
• Promoting a website and getting it to rank highly is much more difficult. SEO is essential, and that takes time and money.

It can be concluded that social media is comfortable for beginners, but as a business grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to read comments and direct messages about orders, and in general, it will be cramped without a website.

A website will help you present a complete picture of your business. It's easier for customers to browse your entire product or service catalog than on a social media page. Furthermore, a website is the face of your company, its image.

It would be very interesting to hear the opinions of our readers - what, in your opinion, is more suitable for your business: a website or social media?

What brings you more customers?