Do You Really Need a Website?

In the early years of the internet, it was almost essential for anyone marketing online to have a website. A website is like your digital business card, except it does so much more than that; it lets prospective clients know more about you, what you offer, how much your services cost, and how to contact you. It was, and still is, a powerful tool to spread your message online. However, with the many outlets you can use to market online in this modern day of marketing, is it still really needed?

The answer is NO! There are so many ways to market nowadays that a website isn’t needed anymore. I know massage therapists who have brought in most of their clients from organic reach (no ads!) on social media. Was it easy? No! You’ll have to put effort into any marketing you do. Between Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, YouTube, and more, there are more ways to reach prospective clients now than ever before. So you might ask, “Shawn, where do I send people interested in my business?” The question is, what platform do you enjoy using? You can leverage any social media to educate people into becoming clients.

If you like creating written content, Facebook and LinkedIn are the way to go. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are powerful for video creators. If you’re not a content creator, don’t worry about it! Because if you’re going into business for yourself, you will be! You must use social media that you like and are most comfortable with to stay dedicated once you start rolling out content to prospective clients. Once you know what platforms you mainly want to use (really stick to no more than 1-2 at first!), that’s where you’ll send your prospective clients. Social media can work the same as a dedicated website. The main thing you need to make sure is that clients know how to contact you to make appointments. That information can be all over a social media profile and within the content you promote.

If you don’t already have a website, the real question is, why do you want a website? If it’s for people to find you online in your local area, you can do that easily through social media. If your real strength is in networking and marketing to people in person and not online, you can send them to a social media page, an online scheduling page, or the old-fashioned way with brochures with your contact info, which can still work to this day! Ask yourself, what is the purpose of my website? What do I want to do with it?

If you want a website for online scheduling, remember you can set up links for your online scheduling through social media pages. Using services like MassageBook, you can set up a profile page like a website landing page to send clients to. If you have liability insurance through AMTA or ABMP, you can get accessible websites to share with clients (they do not rank well in Google searches). I’m saying all this because a website takes time and effort. Depending on your marketing goals, you can achieve the same results online without a website.

All that said, I love websites! I built the website for my practice back in 2014 to have a “digital home.” I wanted clients to find me in local Google searches and see any Google reviews I had clients write for me. I wanted clients to get to know me and trust me before they set up an appointment. I wanted it to be a one-stop shop online to send prospective clients. It was a place where my clients could read blogs, get educated on self-care, buy gift certificates, and make appointments online. I like the fact that my content won't magically disappear or get lost on my website like it could on social media. Here are some pros to having a website:

• All the content on your website is yours. You will not have to worry about content becoming lost, potentially deleted, or banned from social media.
• Websites can be a great place to organize content you want your potential clients to see.
• You can plug your online scheduling into your website for a more seamless transition.
• Websites are great platforms for hosting blogs or podcasts if you are interested in them.
• Most potential clients will look for your business via Google Search; Websites still rank better than social media pages in search.
• A good website is still a fantastic marketing tool for potential clients to find you.
• If you plan on adding products, courses for clients, and other services, showcasing them on a website is a better experience than piecemealing it on social media.
• Most people still prefer to look at a website to learn more about your business.

Building one is relatively easy yet time-consuming if you don’t have a website. You don’t have to be a nerdy code person that understands HTML to build a website. Nowadays, most people use web builders. I use Squarespace.com because I love the templates, and it’s user-friendly. Other popular web-building options are Wordpress.com, Wix, Weebly, GoDaddy, Web.com, and more.

Remember that you still have work to do once you have a website. Google indexes and ranks your site based on visitors. This is when you learn about Search Engine Optimization. You need keywords relevant to your practice and local area for people to find you in local searches. For example, my practice, Pain Relief Massage, located in Rochester, NY, is the leading expert in massage for chronic pain. So, if someone were to type in “massage for pain, Rochester, NY” in Google search, we have four keywords in the website content, and I have a better chance of being found. Your SEO increases as you create more website content (pages, blogs, updates) and then sharing it all across the internet. Backlinks from other websites that point to yours also help with SEO. 

It’s ok if some of that sounds confusing. It did for me years ago before I created my first website. I can teach you all about it with The LMT Private Practice Success Guide, included in my coaching programs. I even walk you through creating not one but two websites through Squarespace! The course has everything you need to start building your website once you’re ready.

Do you want a website but need help getting it started? I can help you build it! I offer website development services to Massage Therapists who want a functional website. I can make you a website with a home page, services, about the therapist, a contact page, any online scheduling you want plugged in, and more. Then, I will show you how to edit your pages and create more content, and you will have all the control after I build it.

Once you have a website, you must share it all over the internet. Put your website on all your business materials and the links to your website on all your social media pages. GET IT OUT THERE. It will not do well with searches if you’re not sending people to your website and just letting it sit there. You need to make a small effort to have your website work for you! If you don’t want to do that after making a website, it’s a big waste of your time and money.

I hope you found this article helpful! Especially if you’re considering a website that hasn’t been built yet or sticking with promoting on social media. I extensively discuss websites, SEO, and online content creation in my coaching programs with The LMT Private Practice Success Guide if you need more information. You can read more on my website development service when you click the link below. See you there!

Website Creation!