We get it. Social media is free. Websites cost money. You can even set up shop on some social media channels!

The social-media-only approach might work for one-off products or a niche community group, but not for typical businesses that want to grow. A website may seem like a lot of money upfront, but it’s actually an incredibly cost-effective long-term investment. Here are a few reasons why real businesses need a real website:

• There are so many features, programs, and all kinds of things that you can do on a website that you can’t do on social media.

• A majority of people in the world find businesses through Search, which looks at websites, where you can deploy numerous SEO strategies to increase your search ranking.

• You have much greater control over your brand with a website. You get to decide how much or how little it needs to change.

• Social media platforms are changing all the time … their functions, their policies, their user experience. You’re at the whims of the social media developers.

• We suggest using proven, security-designed eCommerce systems, not what a social media channel decides.

Social media is a fantastic, essential tool for reach. But everything you do on all channels needs to drive to one spot—your website, where your brand can shine through, where it’s customizable and changeable to your desire, where eCommerce lives, and where you can build and expand on customer loyalty and SEO.

Invest wisely!