Have you ever just stared at your phone, trying to come up with things to post to Facebook or other social platforms that will get your followers engaged? You scroll through your camera roll, look to Pinterest for inspiration, and finally just type: 

"I have openings this week! Don't forget to book!"

And then...nothing.

It happens over and over. You post, you watch your page and wait for someone to give you a thumbs up, or send a message, or comment. But few people engage, if any. Maybe you had that one post go viral and haven't been able to replicate it. You ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong?" 

But what if it's not you? What if you just need to focus your energy somewhere else first, and the posts get easier to create, the engagement starts to happen, and you finally connect with your clients and potential clients? 

Using social media is like trying to build a house on rented land. You may have built the house, but you're still subject to the landowner's terms. So why not build something that's truly yours? 

You, my friend, need a website. Hear me out. I know why you don't have a website because it's the same reason I didn't have one for so long, and it's one or more of the same reasons I hear from small business owners all the time:

"It's too expensive."

"I don't know how to build one."

"I get my customers from Instagram/Facebook already."

"I'm too busy."

"I rely on word-of-mouth referrals."

"It feels overwhelming." 

But here's what's really happening: 

We've overestimated what social media is actually doing for our businesses. We haven't had a clear direction or strategy for growth. We don't understand our return on investment (ROI) in social media or what websites can do for us. And in some cases, we fear tech.

In the world of digital real estate, your website is the one property you truly own. Each social media platform is a road that leads back to your house. Your users are guests in your home, and you want them to have a clear direction for how to get there, to stay a while, to connect. And they want that too. Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks are a great way for small businesses to build brand awareness, but you don't have complete control over your social media page the way you do when you own your own website.

The biggest complaint I hear from small business owners is that they're not getting business from their efforts on social media. You want to know why potential customers aren't seeing your posts? It's because Facebook's algorithm doesn’t work for you. It works for them. Look at your personal Facebook feed. How many of the posts are by friends you actually follow? Not many, I'm sure. If you do see your friends' posts pop up on your feed, then sometimes it's DAYS later, if you even see them at all. 

That’s why relying solely on social media for your business visibility is risky, and why having a website, email list, and SEO strategy matters.

This blog is going to show you why you need to invest in a professional website that will help you actually reach your target audience, so you'll get the ROI for your time, energy, and money spent to get and maintain clients. And you'll still get to use Facebook, but you'll start to break the painful cycle of trying to figure out what to post.

Your business website is your secretary. It answers FAQs so you don't have to spend your limited time answering the same questions repeatedly, handles your bookings, and filters out bad leads. It also helps you generate leads that turn into sales.

It's your storefront. Whether you're selling products or services, your customer experience starts with a professional-looking website. When your brick-and-mortar is closed, your website is still open, and it sets the tone and expectations your audience has for your business. 

Your company website is searchable. If you look for a business, you might have social media sites pop up in Google search results, but you're still at the mercy of social media platform owners like Mark Zuckerberg and have that lack of control. At the end of the day, Facebook is a business, and you're stuck with Facebook's terms of service. The algorithm changes frequently to show users the posts it thinks will get the most engagement, based on trends, ad sales, and other factors.  The only way to maybe help yourself is by dumping funds into ads, which get expensive, and feels like a moving target - because it is. (If you've done this, please tell me about your experiences in the comments!) This can be especially frustrating for a new business owner. But when you put your marketing efforts into your website instead of your social media account and use strategies for search engine optimization (SEO), you're telling Google and other search engines who your target market is. And if you create a great user experience, they will send people your way. Not to mention, non-Facebook users can now find you and engage with your brand.

Your website is your home base. I'll say this over and over. Everything leads back here. It's your asset, the place you control... Social media is a tool you use to send new customers, and loyal customers, to your site. You reach a larger audience with your website, and who doesn't want that? 

Your website is the tool that captures emails. Emails let you bypass the algorithm and talk directly to people who care. You don’t need thousands of followers. You need connection. Have you ever heard, "Your network is your net worth?" Your email list is your engaged network, the people who actually want to hear from you. And in business, especially service-based or personal brands, your network truly is your net worth. These are the people most likely to book your services, refer you to others, or support your next offering. Growing your list isn’t about chasing numbers—it’s about building a trusted circle and showing up consistently with value. When you treat your email list like a community instead of a marketing tool, it becomes one of your most valuable business assets.

Your site is the foundation your digital presence is built upon. The content you post here can still work for you next year. Once you have articles and information on your site, it's there for as long as you want it to be there. Content marketing is part of what’s called inbound marketing. It’s all about drawing people in by being helpful, not pushy - and thinking about being helpful is a great way to reframe the idea of marketing so that it becomes fun instead of a dreaded task on your checklist. When you create content that educates, solves problems, or inspires (like blogs, newsletters, or free guides), you’re building trust and staying top of mind. 

That’s a very different approach from outbound marketing—things like cold calls or paid ads that interrupt people and often feel "yucky" to small business owners. Inbound takes more time, but it works better for small service-based businesses because it builds a foundation that keeps working for you. One blog post today can bring in clients for months if you do it right. (Want to dig deeper? I break that down here: [link coming soon])

You don’t need a fancy website to get started. Seriously, a one-page site or a simple blog with a booking link is enough. Just start where you are. The goal is to stop relying on social media alone and build something that’s actually yours. Social platforms are great tools, but they’re not a strategy. Your website is your online basecamp that everything else should lead back to. And once you’ve got that in place, creating content gets easier. One blog post can turn into multiple social media posts, a video, a newsletter, or even a quote graphic if you know how to slice it. (Learn how here: [Link to full post coming soon]. Your site helps you connect with people who care, build your email list, and grow your business in a way that’s sustainable so you can say goodbye to the burnout cycle of chasing trends or feeling like you have to post - even when you're busy or uninspired. Instead of thinking of your website as another task, think of it as an investment in your freedom.

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