Why Business Needs a Website & Not Only Facebook Page!
1. You Lose Control
My number one reason was actually spotlighted within the last two weeks when Facebook posted an statement regarding their future plans. In the upcoming months, they will focus on their original mission which was bringing people closer together. It seems that most users have spoken, and they don't enjoy seeing page posts and advertisements over their friend's and families updates on their timelines. What does this mean for your Facebook page? Well, likely the small percentage of your followers that are still seeing your Facebook page posts, won't be seeing it at all in the future.
2. What Results?
A big, ongoing issue that we have with Facebook is the stats and results that they provide. These results can be tricky, making it harder to show lead generation results that you may be getting from your Facebook business page. With a website, you have so much more access to your data and results.
3. You need a landing page for paid ads
Even if you don't think you will need to run paid ads, I tell my clients to always be prepared and set-up to successfully run paid ads. You might change your mind, and they can be very beneficial for future campaigns. You can link Google AdWords to a Facebook page, but it's definitely discouraged for many reasons, such as: historically lower quality scores for Facebook landing pages, Google often limits how many ads for a top-level domain (such as Facebook) will show in the results, Facebook trademark violations are possible, you can't use AdWords conversion tracking, and you must be logged into Facebook to see content of most Facebook pages.
4. Barrier to entry
Not everyone has a Facebook account. Especially since the younger generations are decreasingly using Facebook. In September 2018, it was estimated that 44% of young millennials (aged 18-29) have unfriended Facebook, and studies have shown that Gen Z will probably kill Facebook.
I have a 22 year old sister that refuses to use the social media platform at all, and this is pretty common for the 18-24 year age range. But, it's not only the younger crowd... 59% of the 65 and older age group are present on Facebook. This means that if someone has to sign in to a platform that they aren't familiar with or don't have a log-in for you've instantly lost them.
5. Show off your style
Gone are the days of customizing your MySpace page, and honestly, I don't know about you but I don't want to go back there. So since you can no longer customize social media platforms complete with Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" playing in the background, it's better to have your own website that shows off your style and your product. Whether you are a serious accounting firm, a creative sign shop, or a homey coffee shop, with your own website you are able to give visitors a sense of your business before they even step through the doors of your physical location or receive your product.
6. Credibility
For years, studies have shown that a good website instantly adds perceived value or credibility to products and services. I know I want to be able to go to a website, find what I'm looking for, learn about the company, and see what they are all about.
A Major Purchase Shopper Study by GE Capital Retail Bank revealed that 81% of shoppers do online research before making a purchase, with 60% going directly to the retailer's website to check out various product details; such as warranty, pricing, availability, and shipping information. A standard Facebook page that looks like everyone else's Facebook page doesn't give me a good idea of what your company is about, or make it easy to find information that I might be searching for before purchasing your product or service.