Is a website still a valuable asset for your organization? This is what you need to know

As social media tightens its influence over global culture and video sharing platforms such as YouTube attract more and more users, you could easily argue that there is little need for your business to have a website.

This is an understandable viewpoint, especially when you consider that it is free to create a social media account, whereas websites will undoubtedly cost you money from the start. Furthermore, social media and video streaming platforms are where the majority of online audiences are, so you could argue that cutting out the middleman (your website) is both cost-effective and plain logical. 

However, this is to ignore the fundamental value of a website, which social media and other online avenues cannot match. A website acts as your front of the house, the central place from which the rest of your online estate (social media accounts, etc.) can orbit. Without it, customers may not fully understand what it is you offer.

This is what you need to know about whether a website is still a valuable asset for your company:

Websites have never been so easy to build and manage

The first factor you need to bear in mind when it comes to websites is that, while social media accounts are easy to set up, so are basic websites.

There are now many platforms - such as WordPress - which allow you to quickly create a functioning website. You don't even have to design and build it by yourself, instead of hiring the services of a website construction team who specialize in WordPress development.

A website is your digital shop window

One of the most crucial benefits of a website as a business asset is that it allows you the ideal platform to show off your goods and services.

While social media platforms are great for specific tasks (whether that is sharing pictures, interacting with customers, or uploading videos), they can’t offer your audience a rounded customer experience. 

A website allows you to sell your products, offer contact information, host a blog, and give your customers a more in-depth look at what you do exactly. 

You shouldn’t create a website if you are not fully invested in it

However, you also shouldn't have a website if you are not fully invested in it.

All the benefits can also be a drawback, because if all you are showing on your site is a few empty pages, broken links, and a neglected blog, then customers are going to form a more negative view of your business than is necessarily warranted based on your products.

Therefore, you need to be committed to your website. Ensure it is well-populated and attractive, with an easy-to-navigate layout.

A website offers corporate independence 

A lesser-mentioned benefit of having a website is that it offers your business relative independence.

Social media platforms are closely monitored, and it is easy for their algorithms to accidentally shut your accounts down, ban you from their networks or force you to remove content. 

Whatever the reasons they may have, this is incredibly inconvenient and can cause your business to collapse if you have no other audience to fall back on.

While websites are still hosted by exterior corporations, you will have far more of a say over your content, as well as be able to better protect the audience you have cultivated.