Far from being an artifact of the early years of the Internet, and despite several claims to the contrary, a website is still a necessity for a variety of organizations, from start-ups to health care companies to government agencies. And yet, based on this report from a business-to-business research firm, 46% of small businesses do not have a website for their respective brands.
Notwithstanding this rather negative piece from Forbes, the corporate website—indeed, the vast majority of websites—should not die; because any such site contains vital information that is too expansive for Twitter, too separate for Facebook, and too different for Instagram. One need only read this post entitled "Why Every Small Business Should Have A Website," to understand the power of a website to make an impression—and attract impressions, too—while articulating a message that captures the essence of this or that company.
Consider, too, this column from a fellow contributor to The Huffington Post, which implores business owners to optimize their websites for mobile users. The broader point is as clear as it should be convincing to small business owners and other denizens of the online world of news and commerce: It is easy—and affordable—to have a site that tells a story, that tells your story, in a way that other options cannot match or even attempt to equal.
Indeed, your own website is the one place where you can highlight everything, from the biographies of individual executives, and the strengths of a company's products and services, to listing the most basic but crucial material about an organization's location and contact information. Why, in other words, should anyone forgo the chance to say something—to say everything—within the flexible parameters of a website?
According to Chad Otar, of small business funding specialist Excel Capital Management:
"A website is a savior, of sorts, for a small business owner. It allows this individual to express him or herself without the limitations of a character count or some other barrier to creativity. In fact, a website is no less critical—it is no less timely—than e-mail, a service that continues to thrive in spite of the false predictions about its demise by one expert after another."
"By giving people the facts, and by doing so with a sense of purpose and personal conviction, a website can honor the thoughts and virtues of a business owner with plenty of ambition and an abundance of ambitious ideas."
Or, to quote from an additional member of this community of writers for The Huffington Post, "You have a better chance of controlling the conversation around your content by supplementing it on your own web page. That way, you can cultivate an audience that will be more receptive to your content."
Let us, therefore, celebrate the longevity of the website. It is an advantage for small business owners to seize, and a strength for these men and women to leverage.