Is a Website a Thing of the Past? Are Facebook Pages Killing it?	Visited: 1175 5.0/5.0 (4 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Simone Collins February 07, 2011

With the growing popularity of Twitter, Facebook and other awesome applications as a promotional means, a lot have changed. Just a few years ago the game used to be relatively simple. All you need to do was to build a website, keep it updated with content which is at least semi-friendly for search engines, and you are well on your way to the top.

But now, this is no longer the case. You can't confine to existing within your website, and waiting for the users to find you. Some even go as far as claiming that the website as we know it will soon be a thing of the past. I wouldn't be so fast in my judgment though.

With 500 million members and much more joining each and every day, the key question is whether the growing love affair with Facebook Pages will damage the role of our websites. The chances are Facebook has already have access to all of your customers, and considering the fact that many have already reaped the benefits of the social network, why wouldn't you just jump on the bandwagon?

It has become increasingly common to see a TV spot end with the URL of a Facebook page rather than a website domain. Companies such as Adidas, Toyota, Uniball, and Disney, are all using their traditional media efforts to drive traffic to Facebook.

As this trend continues to develop, some companies are beginning to wonder if it may have a negative impact on their Web sites, which could be seen as less important. In the age of social media, when Facebook can often provide a more engaging and targeted online experience, are brand websites still relevant? Do you need to build a strong presence on Facebook then, and abandon your web site, or just put it on a second place? I think the answer is "it depends" but these are questions that have a lot more merit than they did a few years ago.
Even though branded Facebook pages are growing at a rapid pace, they remain secondary for most consumers. A recent study from Invoke Solutions found that even among frequent social media users, people are nearly twice as likely to visit a company's website than its Facebook page.

Yet, putting all your eggs in Facebook's basket is not the best way to go, because you're essentially building your marketing program on "rented land". This is the biggest danger that you face with Facebook Pages – you can manage but don't own them which of course leave you vulnerable to changes made by Facebook.

A few months ago, for example, Facebook stopped letting companies customize the left-hand sidebar of their Facebook Pages. With little notice, the features and functionality that companies had spent time and money to create suddenly disappeared. Another blow the companies recently took from Facebook was the removal of the custom profile applications tabs.

While a Facebook Page can offer a lot of value, there are many risks involved. That's why the best thing to do is to continue putting a lot of emphasis on your website and using the whole mix of internet marketing promotional tools such as search optimization, public relations, banner ads, skywriting, or whatever other means you've devised, while still maintaining a robust Facebook page.