With the rise of social media marketing through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all of the others, many businesses have forced their websites to take a back seat when it comes to their internet marketing. There are even businesses that opt out of setting up a website because it seems easier and cheaper to just have a Facebook page. While Facebook is a very important tool for companies to embrace, it cannot replace your website. Rather, it should be used to pull more customers and leads to your website where the real sale can take place. Below are 4 basic reasons why your website is the hub of your internet marketing.
1. You own your website.
It’s important to remember that you do not own Facebook, or any other social networking site for that matter. Facebook has strict rules that many business owners either don’t know or simply ignore altogether, especially when it comes to contests, sweepstakes and giveaways. If you break these rules your page is subject to being removed. Facebook is also known to make big changes and updates without warning. Your website only changes when you want to change it. You dictate how your website functions and when changes are made, this is very important.
2. Your website can display all of your information.
Your website can be as large and complex as you need. To give a full presentation of your services and products you need space and organization. A website meets this need by allowing you to have as many pages as you can fill with content. You’re also able to easily make changes and updates as your products evolve. Facebook only allows for so much, which is why sites like Facebook and Twitter are perfect for giving your potential clients a teaser, or sample, and then pulling them back to your website where the real sales presentation can take place.
3. Search Engine Optimization
SEO is king. Being involved in social media does help your SEO, but your website does more. As I mentioned above, you can fill your website with as much content as you want. The more pages of content that you have, the more that search engines such as Google and Bing have to look at. Search Engine Land recently blogged that a new industry report says SEO Beats PPC & Social Media For Generating Leads. Search engine optimization cannot be ignored and the organic SEO on your website is the foundation for it all.
4. Mobile Optimization
More individuals are accessing the internet from their smart phones. Social media is perfect for mobile interaction, but not so much for sales presentations. Keep in mind that making more sales is what drives you to market and promote your business in the first place. Facebook allows you to have custom tabs and applications on your page, but those tabs and applications are not viewable in the mobile version of Facebook or in the native Facebook application. However, your website can be optimized for mobile browsing and allows for consumers to conveniently view your content on the go, which is very important.
These are very basic points, but my purpose in presenting them is to simply remind you of the importance of your website. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all of the other social networking sites are very important as well and should not be ignored. All businesses and organizations can benefit from using social media in some form. Just make sure that you don’t forget your website, which is the hub of your internet marketing.