The rise of social media has fostered a misconception that many small businesses are now paying for dearly: the belief that a Facebook page is sufficient to establish an online presence and grow a business.
This strategy does not amplify reach; in fact, it reduces it. Understanding why is crucial to avoid missing out on web opportunities and becoming irrelevant to your market. In this article, you’ll learn that registering a domain name to build an online presence is the undisputed way forward. Relying solely on a social media account is a choice fraught with risks and problems that do not elevate true entrepreneurial spirits.
Registering a domain and building a more structured online presence, in conjunction with a social media account, is a far more advisable approach. With decades of experience in launching online journeys, Aruba Domains is the ideal provider for this task.
Social media alone just doesn’t cut the mustard
Those who believe that social media provides sufficient reach often overlook the fact that many potential users are not on social media, and those who are may only use it casually. This simple statistical realisation alone highlights why relying solely on social media might not be a good idea.
Moreover, each social network caters to specific demographics. For instance, Gen Z is not on Facebook, Boomers don’t use TikTok, and some Gen Xers don’t favour Instagram. Limiting your presence to a single social network means you are cutting off a sizable portion of the market.
For the sake of argument, let’s say the social network you chose directly coincides with your target audience. Who’s to say the algorithm will consistently bring your content to their feed? How often have you seen content randomly appear for a while only to disappear again? Relying on a proprietary platform to establish your online presence means your success hinges on someone else’s decisions. This approach is bound to backfire in the long run and, most importantly, puts you out of control.
Starting with a domain
This is not to say that investing in a social media account isn’t worthwhile. However, it shouldn’t be the focal point of your business. Registering a domain name is synonymous with building an online identity that should become:
- Memorable and self-selling
- An asset in the long term
- Highly ranked in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) for users searching for your products or services
A domain name can also serve as a guarantor for the content pushed through social media – it is undeniable proof of your online presence and the authenticity of what you offer.
Companies and professionals who rely solely on social media to reach their audience often lack even the proof of a proper email address, relying instead on free email services such as Gmail. This can raise questions about their legitimacy. The first question that springs to mind is: how can a company that isn’t willing to spend a few euros per year on a simple webpage to host their content have the right skills and resources to provide a reliable product or service?
Can a brand that doesn’t have a domain still call itself a brand?
Not having a registered domain name is symptomatic of a much broader issue: it conveys a shallow and fragile image of the brand – if it can even be called that. If the term “brand” encapsulates everything that identifies a trademark in the eyes of the consumer, not owning a domain name means not appearing in search engine results, in a nutshell: you don’t exist.
Can something be defined as a brand if it isn’t willing to establish an online presence? Would a genuine brand forgo the chance to inform its target audience of its existence and ignore the fact that registering a domain name is the first step towards building something potential users might want to click on?
A trademark without its digital space equivalent – such as a domain name, server IP address and DNS setup – indicates something more lacklustre than meets the eye: it cannot be found or contacted.
This shortcoming can dash the dreams and ambitions of professionals or small businesses convinced that a Facebook page is sufficient to compete on the web. A brief look into the digital world reveals how trivial and basic domain registration is: a straightforward procedure with minimal costs that grants access to immeasurable opportunities. Those who ignore this aspect will inevitably pay the price of not appearing in the market, which inevitably rewards those who are visible and penalises those who are not in the supply vs. demand game.
A domain is only the beginning
A domain is nothing more than an online outpost, ready to be imagined, designed, and subsequently built. Following domain registration, the next step is to build a website that contains all the content, media, and useful information needed to communicate your project and appear in SERPs.
Once your domain name and website are set up, consider looking into domain monitoring for brand protection. Aruba Domains’ automated service actively seeks out potential risks to your brand. Scalable protection layers adapt to the size of your business, offering robust security at a very competitive cost compared to other solutions on the market.
The hyperlinks found in this article are just some of the examples of what Aruba Domains can provide to those ready to register a domain and start building a web presence that organically reflects their brand’s offerings.
