On the other hand, if you already know the answers to these questions, check this out:
Creation of homepages
A cheap website like cheese in a mousetrap
How to choose a domain?
The difference between a website and a social network account
The difference between a website and a social network account lies in the definition of channel properties. From this point of view, channels are divided into paid, rented and personal. Paid channels are those owned by third-party owners and can only be streamed for a fee. Classically, it is advertising, advertising articles and similar sources. On the other hand, rented sources are those who do not belong to the company, but it is possible to create the flow with their own work. Social network accounts would be considered as such. The platforms themselves are owned by third-party companies, they can be created for free and a stream is created by posting content. Finally, personal channels are those owned by the company itself. That one of the most classic examples is the home page. So, the homepage is the personal channel, and the social network account is the rented one. This means that the impact of the website from third parties is possible to a much lesser extent than social network accounts.
Website as a source of precise target audience
When creating the content of social bulgaria b2b leads network accounts, users are attracted, but they are mainly people who are oriented to superficial communication or people who know the company's employees well, but are not the direct target audience. Therefore, if you choose this list as a target audience for social media ads, the results could be quite low, because the algorithm would not get the desired data. On the other hand, if website visitors are used as the target audience for advertising, you can get a much more accurate target audience, because the website is visited by people who are interested in the product or service, not those who like advertising videos or are loyal to the brand and its employees. It is worth mentioning that on the homepage it is possible with additional scripts to selectively select visits with certain behavior parameters, for example, those who made a purchase, order or application. Of course, lead advertising can be used as a counter-argument, but it is not possible in many business processes and it does not promote brand awareness.
The home page increases the number of channels that make up the flow
Certainly, an important argument why a homepage is necessary is also the fact that the homepage increases the number of channels creating the flow. For example, the website assumes that it participates in SEM (Search Engine Marketing). This means that it is possible to create search engine advertising on the homepage, as well as to optimize it so that its entries appear as high as possible in the organic results. If you look at all Google products, then most of them can be related only to the homepage. The only thing that can be used to create additional traffic to a social network account is Google My Business. The settings of this account provide that it is possible to insert the social network account address instead of the homepage address. At the same time, neither Google banner ads , nor YouTube ads, nor Gmail ads are possible. Also, activities on social networks become only one of the channels that generate traffic to the host's homepage.
Using only a social network account reduces the chances of using the leads you get
Another important argument is that using only a social network account reduces the possibility of using e-mail marketing to its full potential. Of course, in the case of lead advertising, it is possible to create lists, but there is no possibility to automate e-mails for those who sign up for newsletters or fill out contact forms. Fewer opportunities to create regular mailings informing about a new article or something similar.
Differences in branding for businesses with and without a website
There are significant branding differences between businesses that have a website and those that don't. Those companies that choose to create a website confirm the long-term goals and ambitions of their company. Investments in this marketing tool serve as confirmation of this. It is clear to any entrepreneur that a one-day company will not invest in a resource whose existence is only intended for a short term. On the other hand, if the company has only social network accounts, then from the point of view of brand management, the company is a home manufacturer that realizes insignificant volumes from the point of view of the national economy, whose target audience is local households. Of course, there are also successful examples of domestic manufacturers who have managed to gain recognition internationally and their products are popular in many countries. For example, Latvia has producers of knives and axes, which are well known all over the world. They are manufacturers of expensive niche products who can do without a website. However, at some point they too reach a brand value that requires a homepage as well.
The home page is the decision-making place
If anyone needs that last push to admit that a website is important in business, we've got one! And this argument is quite simple:
The website is the consumer's decision-making place!
A social network account is not enough
In very rare cases, the consumer makes a decision on social networks. Yes, there are still spontaneous purchases, which are mostly typical of visiting a real store. However, digitization has significantly changed the buyer's journey and its behavior. According to research, a consumer needs 7 to 11 contacts with a brand before making a decision. Therefore, social networks are a great place to address the customer and use as an environment from which to drive to the home page. On the other hand, if the only place where the consumer can come into contact with the brand is social networks, then both the probability of the number of contacts and the reliability decrease. On the other hand, if the consumer can go through the entire sales funnel from the recognition phase to the purchase phase, then the decision is more likely to be made, because the encounter is also more multifaceted. And the final decision is made on the home page, where it has returned many times through search engines, remarketing campaigns and e-mails.
Landing page
There is a misconception that a landing page is a type of home page. A landing page can be any page on the homepage that traffic is directed to. Such pages tend to be supplemented with additional blocks that encourage the consumer to make a positive decision. If the website is properly built, it is possible to reduce the number of links viewed on the website during one session until the decision is made.
For example, looking at the Google Analytics link comparing the months of November 2021 and 2022 to each other shows a significant change. Between these reporting periods, the homepage was changed, updating it to a more modern structure and design. As a result, we can see that the number of visits has increased by about 18% comparing one reporting period to another, which may be due to the influence of advertising and cannot be considered the merit of the website, but the conversion rate has increased by 26%, and in actual numbers by 50%, despite that the number of pages visited per session has dropped by 28% and the time spent by 32%. This is definitely a merit of the website.
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As you can see, from a marketing point of view, there are quite significant differences between those companies that have a website and those that don't. And we have arguments in favor of the website not because we provide such a service, but the other way around. We provide this service because it makes essential sense for our clients' business. Now that we have argued enough why a company should have a website, let's look at what kind of website is needed.
E-Commerce
Before starting the conversation about website types, it is necessary to clarify the concept of e-commerce. Colloquially, this means e-shop. However, this is not the case, because e-commerce solutions are not only purchases, but also orders and contacts. Therefore, active contact links and various forms are also e-commerce. Therefore, various virtual solutions on the home page can be called e-commerce, which ensures the operation of the company, regardless of whether it is engaged in offering goods or services, and today the task of every home page is to fulfill such a task. Here you can check the status of your website - whether it fulfills these functions successfully enough. In the event that it does not have a contact form for communicating with you, a clickable phone number and an e-mail, we can already talk about the fact that the website does not fulfill the functions of e-commerce and does not meet modern requirements. Next, you can start evaluating factors that are no longer relevant to our article, but still take place on the website and are called conversion optimization