Don't get me wrong, social media, like Facebook and Twitter, are great for your business. But just like you can't survive on a constant diet of cake, your business can't thrive relying on social media alone.

Control

There are several key areas where a website absolutely destroys social media, one of these areas is Control. With your own website you control the presentation, branding, goals, strategy and message. Sure, you can customize certain parts of your social media platform but you are severely limited in how you can present your business to your potential customers. You can only showcase so many things with a Facebook or Twitter profile, and there's no guarantee anyone will actually look at it.

Distracting Advertising

They might be too busy looking at the advertisements. These ads are distracting, leading eyes away from your products and services. They might even show your competition! Plus advertisements on your Facebook/Twitter/Other social media pages don't make you any money, but ads on your site can! By using services like Google Adwords , affiliate programs, or even selling ad space you can improve the return on investing in a website.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing and others will show a variety of websites. People looking for your business might see links for Yelp, Urban Spoon, Facebook, Twitter and more. Your social media page will show up in the search, but so will a lot of other options, which will be confusing. Even if you show up in a search for your business name, you likely won't be displayed for more general searches, such as “Restaurants in Kingston”. If you want to be found on Google, a website is your best bet.

Not Everyone Uses Social Media

Another obvious flaw with social media is that not everyone uses it. In fact recent reports show that customers overwhelmingly prefer websites to Facebook!

"Nearly 90 percent of the some 2,000 people surveyed said the company’s website—not a social network—is their preferred place to research products and hunt for information they’ll use to make buying decisions."

(https://www.openforum.com/articles/report-customers-still-prefer-company-websites-to-facebook/)

Facebook's popularity is currently dropping – sites like MySpace, AOL, and Digg used to be seen as indestructible web communities, now they are all but dead. The same thing could happen to Facebook. This brings up a final flaw, Ownership. You don't own anything you post to Facebook, Facebook does. A website is an valuable asset for your company which can increase the overall worth of your business since you own it. You own it's traffic, advertising, branding, and content.

Like I said at the start of the article, social media has its place. It is a great complement to your company's website, but it most certainly is not a replacement.

Want to get up to speed on two of the most popular social media platforms? Read our articles to “Learn About Facebook” and “Learn About Twitter”.