Why I Am Shutting Down My Website

I have decided that with all the social media tools, I cannot justify the cost and effort of supporting a stand-alone website which is more static in nature.  Sure I have a website that was built using Wiki technologies which means that I can change the content easily and could open it up so that others could add content, but I question why I should do this.  In fact, I question why I should even recommend it to my clients.

SO what are the alternatives you ask? Well, here are a few:

• A blog – Like a website based on Wiki technologies, blog websites are easy to create and maintain.  The difference is that if you use a Word Press blog, then your website is a lot more likely to be indexed by the search engines.  Also, you can have people comment on your contents without allowing them to add their own content.  Using the correct template, you can make it look like a traditional website.
• A Facebook business page – Facebook has emerged as the number one site visited on the internet.  If you have a business page, NOT personal profile, then your page can be indexed by search engines and seen by anyone on the internet with a web browser.  In addition, with all of the applications that have been developed for business pages, you can basically have the same features and functions which were available with a traditional website.
• A LinkedIn Company profile – Although, you do not have as many features with a LinkedIn profile, a LinkedIn profile is very helpful, especially, if you pay to have more than just a basic profile.  With a LinkedIn profile, you can have all the static data that you would normally have on a website for your company.   LinkedIn is the most popular social media site for business professionals and businesses that are looking for solutions in the United States.  So the advantage is that when someone goes looking for your services or products and you have used SEO properly, it is highly likely that your profile will pop-up in their searches.  Also, LinkedIn will put you at the top of the page if you keep your profile updated every 24-48 hours.

There are plenty of other alternatives and I often advise my clients to first determine their goals for their internet presence before deciding if and what  services they will use to make their company more visible on the internet.  So before you decide what to do, sit down and really define your whys and goals for being on the internet.  It is still true that if you don’t need a screw driver to get the job done, don’t use a screw driver.  AND if you need a screw driver, make sure you have the right one for the job you need to perform.