Do I Need Both a Website and Social Media?
Updated: Oct 11
I can't tell you how many times I've clicked on the profile of someone who just followed me, scrolled for a minute, and thought, oh my gosh, I don't even know what they do.
So, I'll poke around a little. I tap the link in their bio, hoping the website will clear it up, and when it doesn't, I leave. Sometimes I email them, because I can see the potential (but most people will just leave)
That's the answer to whether you need both a website and social media. You do, because they have two different jobs, and when one of them isn't doing its job, people give up FAST.
Social media is for discovery.
Somebody who has never heard of you sees one of your videos and thinks, huh, that's cool. From there, they might follow you, tap through to your website, or Google you later when they need what you sell.
That's social media's job: discovery, and building trust with people who have no clue who you are yet. In a 2026 ESW Signals report, 45% of Americans said they discover products through social media (and that jumps to 76% for Gen Z).
Your website is where they decide.
Once someone lands on your website, its job is to keep building that trust. It gives them more information, answers their questions, and makes it obvious what to do next, whether that's booking a service or buying a product.
People are much more comfortable spending money there, too. In that same report, 37% of U.S. shoppers said they prefer buying directly from a brand's website, and only 7% said they prefer buying mainly through social platforms.
They have to look like the same business.
This is the part most people miss. Your social media and your website NEED to be clear, consistent, and cohesive, so when someone taps from one to the other, they don't get confused.
If your Instagram feels one way and your website feels completely different (ex: different colors, a different message, an old logo, etc), people notice. It takes about 50 milliseconds for someone to form a first impression of a website, so you don't get long to convince them they're in the right place.
I think our attention spans being this short is a little silly, but we have to work with it instead of against it.
Here's how that works for Mary's Herb Garden.
When I built Tricia's brand, website, and social media, I made sure all three said the same thing. Her messaging, positioning, and visual identity show up the same way on her website as they do in her content.
Her social content has a mix of jobs. Some posts are for discovery, some are for nurturing the people who already follow her, and some are for converting, but they all point people back to her website.
That doesn't mean every post says click the link in my bio! It just means every post has a purpose (you won't find a single "hey guys, I'm back!" post on her page). And it's working! In our first thirty days, she earned 25% of her previous year's revenue, and now she's selling to strangers who found her online.
Can't you just pick one?
You can, but it'll be MUCH harder in the long run. Plenty of businesses run only an Instagram page, and plenty have a website nobody ever finds.
It's possible. It just isn't helpful in most ways, because each one is doing a job the other one can't.
If you can only do one right now, build the website.
A lot of people start with social media, and that's fine, but if you get a bunch of attention and those people have nowhere to go (no form to fill out, no clear way to book or buy) things get lost. They might call or email you, but there's no way to keep track of it all, and everything gets backed up (which is one of the biggest reasons social media doesn't turn into customers).
If you build the website first, sure, fewer people will find you at the start. But the people who do come can actually turn into customers. Then when you add social media, all that new attention has somewhere to go.
Want them working together from day one?
That's exactly what my Total Package is for. I build your brand, website, and social media as one system, so every post, page, and profile says the same thing and points people to the same next step.
If you're not sure whether yours match, try this. Open your Instagram on your phone, tap the link in your bio, and ask yourself if it feels like the same business. If it doesn't, let's talk.
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