A couple of weeks ago, I saw a TikTok that shocked me. (And I wish I had saved it, because I would have loved to share!)

Essentially, the creator said something along the lines of this: TikTok is the new Instagram, and Instagram is the new website.

Now, no harm no foul — I’m pretty sure what she meant by that was “people are using Instagram like their website now”, which is an observation that I can’t disagree with. Just a few months ago an artist friend of mine asked me, “Do people still have websites? I think I still have one online somewhere, but I can’t imagine who goes to it.”

Mindblown.

In stark contrast, my entire Instagram feed is complaining about how much they hate being on (and creating content for) Instagram. And as much as I love TikTok, my FYP is starting to become full of ads.

So, is having a website worth it? Absolutely YES! Here’s why.

A Home on the Internet

Imagine a space that never goes out of style. That’s your website.

If you’d have asked me in 2014 where I could log on to find out info about most of my network, I’d have said Vine. If you’d asked me in 2015, I’d have said Facebook. If you’d asked me in 2016, I’d have said Snapchat. If you’d asked me in 2017, I’d have said Instagram. And if you’d asked me in 2022, I’d have said “honestly, not too sure anymore because less and less people are spending time on social media, but I do get most of my news from TikTok”.

Platforms are constantly going in and out of style. In fact, even being on social media in general is going out of style. (I can’t count how many friends I’ve seen recently post something along the lines of “social media is getting exhausting for me, see ya’ll in a little bit.”)

Now, imagine you’d spent the last 5 years building an Instagram following—only to find in 2022 that less and less people care about it. How valuable is that Instagram following going to be in 5 years from now? 10 years? 15?

Here’s the reality. Your website is a homebase. It’s there for you when the current trendy social media platform goes out of style, and it will be there for you when the next big one comes in too.

You Have all the Control

In a world where so many things are out of your control, your website is a space where you have full control.

Can you say with certainty that you’ll sign on that next big client?

Can you say with certainty that you’ll get cast in a show this year?

Can you say with certainty that the Instagram or TikTok algorithm will prioritize your next post in the feed?

Nope.

However, you can say with certainty that your website will tell the story of your creative offerings, present you the way you want to be presented, do its best to attract your dream collaborators, look just how you want it to, and be a space online you are proud of.

With the right approach, I believe you can say that with certainty.

So, is having a website worth it? If you value a sense of control like me, I do think so!

Ownership & Searchability

Apart from having a space that never goes out of style & full creative control of the design and content, you get to own it.

Legally.

Here’s the tea: you can’t say that on any other platform. And! Not only do you own it, but it’s searchable.

Google is the most-visited website in the world. (Facts!) And that’s not changing anytime soon. And while you can try your damndest to increase your SEO efforts on platforms like Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, Pinterest, etc…. nothing is gonna top those same efforts on a website (that you own!!! I can’t say it enough!).

Sales

Here’s one last thing I’ll say about websites that you really can’t get on any other platform: high-ticket sales.

Now sure, can you scoot on over to the “shop” tab on Instagram and hit “add to cart” on a $30 jacket and be happy with that choice? Absolutely. (We’ve all done it.)

But let’s say you wanna invest big bucks in a designer leather jacket that you want to last years and be a pinnacle of your personal style moving forward. You better believe you’re moving your search over to your laptop and reading about all the leather jackets you can find on various designer websites.

(FYI, this is exactly what I did in 2017 to find THE leather jacket that still remains my favorite and most expensive piece of clothing I’ve ever owned.)

Selling high-ticket products or services requires a website. You need space to write about what you’re selling. You need space for photos of what you’re selling. You need way more than the Instagram caption limit or TikTok time limit.

So, is having a website worth it?

YESSSSSSSS! A thousand times yes!

If you’d like more tips and tricks for how to make your website the best it can , my blog is full of ’em, but here are a few faves:

• Is Your Service Page Content Working for You?
• What to Put in a Footer of a Website—Explained!
• 4 Website Copywriting Mistakes to Avoid

(And of course, if you’d like to hire me, you can do so here.)