Why do you need a website when you have a social media page?
One word: ownership.
“You don’t own accounts hosted on external social networks, you only rent them. And access to data is limited.”
Having a personal website gives you your own intellectual real estate — a “hub” that is the center of everything that you do.
“In order for your personal brand to have long-term viability, you need to invest in a platform that you own: your website. That’s the only place where you’re completely in control, and where you have a captive audience. It’s where you get people to join your mailing list, buy your product, and enquire about your services. It’s where all meaningful action is taken.”
—Jon Person, Brand Strategist & Founder of Cult Method
It’s a form of decentralization — where you “own it all” and are resistant to censorship:
(Image courtesy of Balaji Srinivasan)
That said, social media is still useful.
But have your own personal website AND social media.
Use your social media to direct people to your personal website: your online hub.
That way, you’re using social media effectively —and you aren’t dangerously reliant on it.
How can a company know the number of people who visited another company’s website?
You can muse my favorite SEO tool, Ahrefs, to do this!
In fact, I was doing this the other day — checking out Nat Eliason’s website.
Here’s a quick video of me finding how much (estimated) traffic his site gets per month in about 10 seconds:
As a bonus, I also checked out the specific keywords and pages he has that are generating most of his traffic.
All of this is public, freely available information. Ahrefs just makes it quick and easy to find.
I really like Siteground. I use them for my personal website.
(I’m not an affiliate. I genuinely think they are a great web hosting provider for personal websites in particular)
They are…
- Inexpensive
- Easy to use
- Offer great support
You can host your personal website for less than a few cups of coffee per month:
I recorded a video that will help you set up your website hosting in less than 3 minutes:
It’s super easy to do, even if you’re not a technical person.
Hosting your own personal website is one of the best investments you can make. Siteground makes it easy — even if you know nothing about design, development.
What are some reasons for creating a personal or professional website?
- Build your email list
- Generate income
- Create a portfolio of work
- Write about your experiences
- Connects you to people looking for speakers
- Works for you while you are away from your computer
- Set up passive income
- It’s your resume, business card, store, directory, and personal magazine
- You own it
- People can always find you
- Links out to all other platforms you’re on
- Creates a strong, professional impression for your brand
- Helps you with SEO and getting found on Google
- It’s your legacy — what’s left of you when you die
- Capture inquiries from leads/referrals
- Generates consulting opportunities
- Connects you with people who love your work
- Gives you an online home
- Enables you to document and share your story
- Control how others perceive you
- Helps you build a writing habit
- Keeps you accountable
- Get book deals
- Test your ideas before turning them into products and courses
- Work for yourself
- Build your confidence through improving your communication skills
- Sell products and generate revenue
- Talk about anything you like or are interested in
- Internet serendipity
- Show potential clients your process and work
- Land jobs and make connections
- Hire employees
- Build your credibility
- A public track record
- Help other people
- Stand out among your competitors
- Shows that you’re an expert in your field
- Build a personal connection with people
- Teaches you to build in public
- Make your life’s work public
But don’t take it from me — all of these come from other people who have a personal website: from my article on the 29 Best Personal Websites 2020 (And Why They Have Them).