To website or not to website?

Hello to everyone who is considering becoming a gymnast after this week:

I’m going to get right to the point with this week’s topic because mentally, I’m here:

Websites.

Do you need one? Is it worth it?

Maybe. 🤔

I feel like the answer to this question is constantly evolving with the overall online business/marketing landscape. It may not be the biggest decision you’ll make in your entrepreneurial journey, but it’s also not the smallest.

Before we get into pros and cons, let’s establish some terminology:

Website

This definition might seem obvious, but I’m using “website” in this post to refer to a custom website that’s all yours. You can be ultra-techy and code a website from scratch 👩‍💻, or you can use a site builder like Squarespace, Wix, or Webflow.

Platform

In our discussion today, “platform” refers to you selling and/or creating content on a website that isn’t owned by you. Think Etsy, Redbubble, YouTube, and all social media. You may have your own corner of the platform, but overall it’s owned by someone who’s probably a lot richer than we are.

Redirect

When we talked about claiming your online territory, we discussed one of my favorite tech words to whip out at a party: the redirect. As a reminder, this is when you point your domain/URL to another website. If that doesn’t sound familiar, take a look at this post.

So many options, so little decision-making ability

The biggest question you should ask yourself when considering a website for your business is:

💡 Is it worth it?

To break things down a little further:

🙋‍♂️ Where are your customers?

If you learn nothing else from me, please remember this:

✨ User experience will make or break your online presence.

And the first step to creating a good user (customer) experience?

Know where they are.

Does your target customer scroll through Pinterest or Instagram? Then you may want your own website to link up with your social media profiles.

Does your target customer shop for gifts on Etsy? A MAJOR benefit of platforms like Etsy is that they bring some of your customer base to you.

💸 Can you financially invest in a website right now?

Even after you buy your domain name aka your super cheap insurance policy, you still need to pay to use a website builder and/or hire someone to build your website for you. Do some research to find out if a website fits in your current budget.

🎢 Can you emotionally invest in a website right now?

As a self-taught web designer, I can tell you that creating your first website (or first 20 websites) is a freaking emotional rollercoaster.

If you hire someone to build and maintain your website, you can forget about this rollercoaster because you’re probably in the midst of some other emotional amusement park ride. If you build your own site, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If your business is your full-time gig and you don’t have an Internet home yet, a website is likely totally worth it. If you’re rocking the corporate life and you want to start a blog just for sh*ts and giggles, you can probably get by with something else for now.

Remember, you can always change your mind later! It’s not uncommon for a business to start out selling on another platform, then later expand to their own website. Choose something you can be consistent with, and the rest will follow.

To summarize:

¿Por qué no los dos?

Not to add to your plethora of options, but you can also use a combination of your own website and third-party platforms to reach your customers.

Maybe you sell on Etsy or TikTok shop, and you also sell directly on your website. That way, customers can find you through Etsy search, TikTok FYP, or good old Google.

Alright, that’s enough to chew on for today. Have a great week!

-Katelen

P.S. What questions or topics do you want to see in the newsletter? Hit reply or leave a comment and let me know! 💬