Being visible online is now essential for any business, regardless of its industry. Faced with this necessity, many turn to the simplest solution: creating a page on social media. Fast, free and accessible, this choice seems ideal.

However, building your digital presence solely on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn can prove risky in the long run. Between autonomy and visibility, how can you choose the right approach and build a sustainable digital strategy?

The limits of relying solely on social media

While social platforms offer quick visibility and an intuitive interface, entrusting your entire digital presence to private organisations can be a costly mistake for your business.

You don’t control your content

Social platforms have their own rules — and they change over time. In recent years, we’ve seen many transformations: Twitter turning into X, major algorithm changes on Meta, debates surrounding TikTok… These evolutions highlight a reality: your visibility depends entirely on the decisions of these platforms, and your page could be suspended, deleted, or see its reach drastically reduced overnight.

Organic reach in freefall

Social media algorithms constantly evolve, and rarely in favour of businesses. Organic reach (the number of people who see your posts for free, without promotion) keeps shrinking. On Facebook, it dropped to just 1.37% on average in 2024 according to Social Status. To reach your own audience, you now have to pay.

You don’t own your data

On social media, you cannot freely export your subscriber list, their contact details, or analyse their behaviour in depth. This valuable data belongs to the platforms, not to you. Yet your followers are also your clients or potential clients. Their data would help you better understand their needs, create targeted campaigns or improve your offer. If you decide to change your strategy — or if a platform shuts down — you start again from scratch.

Your website: the foundation of your digital identity

In light of these limitations, owning your own website with a professional domain name forms the basis of a solid and sustainable digital strategy — the heart of your digital identity.

A digital property that’s truly yours

Unlike social media, your website and domain name belong entirely to you. You decide the content, layout, and features. No one can shut down your site overnight or change the rules: it’s your territory.

A professional domain name such as your-company.com enhances your credibility. It shows that you invest in your online presence and that you’re here to stay. Your domain name also allows you to create professional email addresses such as firstname.lastname@your-company.com, helping you build a consistent digital ecosystem.

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Organic visibility that works for you

A well-designed and regularly updated website contributes to your visibility on search engines. Unlike social media posts, which have a lifespan of a few hours, your web pages can continue attracting visitors for years.

With effective SEO (search engine optimisation), your site can attract potential customers without relying on an algorithm or advertising budget. Every product page or blog post becomes a potential entry point for users looking for what you offer.

A goldmine of data and insights

With your own website, you have access to valuable data about your visitors: pages viewed, time spent, browsing paths, conversion rates, traffic sources… This information is a goldmine for understanding what works and what needs improvement.

Unlike the limited statistics offered by social media, you are in full control of your analytics. You can make data-driven decisions to improve user experience, measure the effectiveness of your marketing actions, or simply build your customer and prospect database.

💡 Also read 10 tools to analyse your website’s performance.

Building a complementary digital strategy

Of course, this is not about dismissing the role of social media. They are an integral part of brand communication. They provide a powerful, free channel for sharing and visibility. The question isn’t whether to choose a website OR social media, but rather how to make them work together effectively.

Think needs before channels

Before getting started, ask yourself the right questions:

What is the main goal of your online presence? (selling, informing, engaging…)
Do you want to sell products, generate leads, offer services, or schedule appointments?
What action do you want your visitors to take?

Once these objectives are clear, you can build a coherent digital ecosystem where each channel plays a specific role.

The concept of “Owned, Paid and Earned Media”

To structure your strategy, it helps to understand these three categories:

Owned media: your website, your blog, your domain name. This is your property — your foundation.
Paid media: ads, sponsored posts. You pay for visibility, which ends as soon as you stop investing.
Earned media: word of mouth, shares, mentions, customer reviews. Visibility earned through your influence and quality.

💡 An effective strategy starts with owned media, then leverages paid and earned media to amplify its reach.

Your website as the central hub

There are many ways to exist online: website, blog, portfolio, professional networks, ads, newsletters, etc.

In an effective digital strategy, your website should be the heart of your online presence. Every other channel should drive traffic to this central hub, where visitors can be converted into customers. The goal is to build a coherent network between all these touchpoints.

For example, take a restaurant owner looking to boost takeaway sales:

The website (central hub) hosts the online ordering system with secure payment
Social media (Facebook, Instagram) are used to share weekly menus, appetising photos and opening hours
Each post includes a link to the ordering page

Result: the restaurant gains visibility, builds an engaged community AND achieves its main business goal (sales). Platforms play their role as amplifiers, while the website remains the conversion point.

Social media: essential relays

Social platforms remain key tools and bring many advantages to your digital strategy:

Create proximity with your audience through direct interactions and quick responses
Generate traffic to your website
Build engagement and loyalty within your community
Humanise your brand through authentic content
Test content before deploying it more widely

💡 But they should never be your only communication channel. Their role is to amplify your message and drive traffic to your website — not replace your owned online presence.

To do so, we recommend starting by launching your website, then expanding to the social networks most relevant to your business:

LinkedIn: for B2B and professional networking
Facebook: to reach a broad local audience (news, events…)
Instagram: for visual or aspirational sectors (fashion, décor, food, travel…)
TikTok: for innovative, educational or entertaining products (short videos)
YouTube: for demos, testimonials or tutorials (long videos)
X: for updates, news or quick, direct exchanges (public customer service)

💡 Remember: quality over quantity. It’s better to be active and engaging on 1–2 well-chosen platforms than to be everywhere without a clear strategy.

Finally, don’t forget to create bridges between all your channels:

Add your website link in your social bios
Share your blog articles on social media (and track your links)
Include social buttons on your website
Tell a consistent story across all your platforms

Ready to launch your digital presence?

Start by registering your domain name and lay the first stones of your lasting digital identity.

👉 Register your domain name with Netim!

🖊️ Explore all our domain name articles.
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