Website vs. Social Media: Where Should You Focus Your Energy?

Spoiler alert: If you're tired of dancing for the algorithm gods and shouting into the Instagram void, you’re not alone. And no, you're not a failure if social media makes you want to crawl under a blanket and disappear.

This post is for you.

The Real Talk: I’m NOT a Social Media Person—and That’s Okay

Confession time: As a Human Design 2/4 generator, I’ve never been a “social media girlie.” I don’t wake up in the morning bursting with reel ideas or obsessing over my grid aesthetic. I don’t do cold DMs and I don’t like showing my life on social media.

I’ve tried. Believe me. I’ve downloaded the content calendar templates, signed up for five-day challenges, and even spent an embarrassing amount of money on a course that promised I'd “go viral in 30 days.”

Spoiler: I did not go viral. I went feral.

My ADHD enthusiasm lasted maybe a week or two until I abandoned it.

What I’ve come to accept (and what a lot of my clients eventually admit with a nervous laugh) is that not everyone is wired for the social media hustle.

Some of us are here to build sustainable businesses, not chase dopamine hits from likes and follows.

And that’s where having a well-designed, SEO-optimized website becomes your secret weapon.

Website vs. Social Media: The Problem with Relying on Social Media Alone

Let’s say you’re killing it on Instagram right now.

You’ve got the carousels, the trending audios, the whole nine yards. Awesome. But what happens when the algorithm shifts? Or your account gets hacked? Or you burn out and need a break?

Your audience disappears. Poof. Just like that.

Social media is borrowed land. A website? That’s your home turf.

Here’s why your website should be the foundation of your online presence—and how to make it work in harmony with your social channels, even if you’re not the most “online” person.

Why You Need a Website in 2025?

1. Discoverability: Attracting the Right People, Automatically

Unlike social media followers, who are mostly scrolling to avoid doing something, people who find you through Google (or Pinterest, which is basically a visual search engine) are actively looking for something. They’re already problem-aware. They're ready.

This is what marketers call high-intent traffic—and it’s pure gold. These folks aren’t just lurking. They’re Googling stuff like:

• “Therapist for family estrangement in Austin”

• “How to stop people pleasing as a woman over 40”

• “Squarespace website designer for coaches”
  
  

They’re trying to solve something, and when you show up with a page that speaks directly to them? It’s basically a warm introduction without the awkward small talk.

It’s Aligned with Human Design (Especially If You’re a 2/4)

Let me get a little woo for a sec—but still keep it grounded. If you’re into Human Design and you’re a 2/4 profile (like me), you’re not here to chase people.

You’re designed to be found.

To do your thing in your corner of the internet, and let your natural genius speak for itself.

SEO and a great website? That’s a dream combo for a 2/4.

You optimize your site, put your work out there once, and let people discover you on their own. No reels. No dancing. No scrambling to stay “top of mind.” Just magnetic resonance in action.

Your website doesn’t care if it’s Sunday or if Mercury’s in retrograde. With solid SEO, it can attract dream clients while you’re binge-watching Netflix or walking your dog.

📌 Action step: Make sure every page on your site targets a specific keyword or phrase. Use H1 headings, meta descriptions, and alt text for images. Tools like Yoast (for WordPress) or in-built SEO tools on Squarespace can help. In your blog posts, target long-tail keywords your ideal clients are actually searching for. Not sure what those are? Use tools like Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, or Keywords Everywhere.

2. Building Trust: Look Legit, Feel Confident

Let’s talk about why people buy—and why they don’t.

When someone lands on your website, you have less than 10 seconds to make a first impression. That’s not me being dramatic—that’s psychology. According to a study by Google, users form an opinion about a website’s visual appeal within 50 milliseconds.

Yep. Faster than you can say “wait, my logo isn’t loading.”

But here’s the real kicker: that split-second impression isn’t just about design. It’s about trust. In the psychology of sales, trust is what moves someone from “just browsing” to “sh*t up and take my money.” And if your online presence looks sketchy, sloppy, or nonexistent… you’ve already lost them.

Enter your website. A beautifully designed, thoughtfully structured site signals, on a subconscious level:

✨ “I know what I’m doing.”
✨ “You’re safe here.”
✨ “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
✨ “Yes, you can trust me with your money.”

This isn’t just aesthetic fluff—it’s grounded in Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion, particularly authority and consistency. A well-built website positions you as an expert (authority), and when your online presence aligns across your brand (consistency), it reinforces your credibility. People want to feel confident that you’re the real deal, and visual professionalism plays a huge role in that.

Let’s break it down even further:

• Design = Safety. Humans are wired to avoid risk. A clean, modern website with clear navigation makes people feel at ease. Clutter, broken links, or outdated vibes? That’s the equivalent of walking into a dusty store with flickering lights and no one at the counter. Nope. Next.
  

• Copy = Connection. Trust isn’t just about what things look like—it’s what you say. Your website gives you room to share your story, your values, and your “why.” This taps into what psychologists call the liking principle—people are more likely to buy from those they feel a personal connection with. So don’t be afraid to be human on your homepage. (Your link-in-bio can’t do that.)
  

• Transparency = Confidence. Want people to trust you faster? Be upfront. About pricing. About how your process works. About who your offers are not for. The more honest you are, the safer people feel—and that safety leads to sales.
  

• Testimonials = Social Proof. Another Cialdini classic. Seeing other people sing your praises—especially when those testimonials live on your site alongside photos, full names, or video clips—massively boosts trust. This is harder to achieve with the fleeting nature of Instagram Stories. Your website acts as a permanent stage for your client wins.

And here's the quiet part no one's saying out loud:

If you don’t believe in your own legitimacy, neither will your potential clients. The act of investing time and care into your site—into how your brand looks and sounds—doesn’t just project confidence, it builds it. When your online home reflects your values and worth, you start to embody that energy. And your dream clients feel it.

So no, you don’t need 10k followers or to dance on reels to look like a pro. You need:

• A site that feels aligned with who you are

• Clear, confidence-infused messaging

• Offers that are easy to access and understand
  
  

Trust isn’t built by shouting louder. It’s built by showing up with integrity. And your website is the single best place to do that.

📌 Action step: Add social proof like testimonials, client logos, and credentials to your homepage or sales pages. Include a photo of yourself. Humans trust faces.

3. Your Offers Deserve Better Than a Link in Bio

Let’s be honest: trying to sell your offers through a single “link in bio” is like trying to sell a luxury retreat through a Post-it note on a bulletin board. It’s chaotic, cramped, and gives your brilliance exactly 0.3 seconds to shine before someone scrolls away to watch a cat video.

You didn’t pour your heart and soul into crafting your offer—your program, your 1:1 services, your epic retreat or group experience—just to stuff it into a milkcrate of third-party links. Your work deserves a red carpet, not a breadcrumb trail.

Here’s the thing: those “link in bio” tools (like Linktree, Milkshake, etc.) are fine as a temporary bridge, but they’re not a destination.

They’re generic.

They have limited design control.

And worst of all?

You're building traffic for them, not you. Every click that goes to your Linktree is one less person landing on your website, soaking in your magic, and taking action that actually moves the needle in your business.

And don’t even get me started on SEO.

Link in bio tools don’t do anything to help you get found on Google. Your website? It’s searchable, indexable, and optimized. Every page you create is a breadcrumb for someone to discover you organically—without you having to shout into the void of social media 24/7.

Plus, when you use your own site:

• You control the branding. No clunky templates.

• You can track exactly what people are clicking.

• You can tailor pages for specific offers, launches, or even individual posts.
  
  

Bottom line: Your offers deserve space. They deserve storytelling. They deserve context. And most of all, they deserve the kind of digital home that makes someone go, “Damn, I want this.”

So if you're still relying on a link-in-bio bandaid, it might be time to upgrade to a real funnel, a real home, and a real conversion strategy—one that lives on your website, not someone else’s.

📌 Action step: Create individual sales pages for each offer. Make sure they include clear pricing, transformation-driven copy, FAQs, and testimonials.

4. You Can Track What’s Working (and What’s Not)

Social media gives you likes and follows. That’s nice and tickles one’s ego, but it doesn’t tell you who visited your offer, how long they stayed, or what made them bounce.

With your website, you can install tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar to track behavior, identify your top-performing pages, and see where people are dropping off. 

And if you do run ads, your website is where you install your Facebook Pixel or Google Tag, so you can retarget visitors who didn’t convert the first time. You know, those “oh hey, it’s you again” ads that pop up on their feed a day after they were creeping on your About page at 11 p.m.

📌 Action step: Set up Google Analytics and connect your site to Search Console. If you’re ready to go deeper, add heatmaps or a Facebook pixel for retargeting.

5. Your Website Is Part of Your Funnel

Your website isn’t just a digital business card—it’s the engine of your sales funnel. Social media? That’s your billboard. It’s flashy, fun, and it grabs attention. But you don’t close sales on a billboard. You need a place to bring that attention—somewhere you’re in control. That’s your website.

Here’s how this actually works:

Let’s say you post a spicy Instagram Reel that gets some traction.

You add a CTA like “Download my free guide” or “Join the waitlist.”

That link leads to your website—specifically, a landing page designed for one job: converting curious scrollers into warm leads.

On that page, you offer something of value—a lead magnet, a quiz, a free mini-course, whatever fits your brand. They enter their email (score!), and boom: now they’re in your world. Off the flaky Instagram algorithm and into your email list, where you have direct access to them.

From there, your website keeps working behind the scenes:

• They get a welcome email sequence that nurtures them, shows your vibe, and builds trust.

• Maybe they click around your site—read your blog, check out your services, browse your testimonials.

• Meanwhile, you’re tracking all of this with tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar. You know what they’re clicking on, how long they’re staying, and where they’re dropping off.
  

That’s gold.

Why?

Because now you’re not guessing what your audience wants. You’ve got data to shape your offers, content, and even ad strategy.

This kind of funnel setup works beautifully for people who aren’t glued to their phones or obsessed with going viral every week (hi, fellow 2/4 profile!). It means you can attract instead of chase. You don’t need to dance on camera 6 days a week—you need a solid system that turns quiet clicks into conversions.

Your website makes that happen. Not Instagram. Not TikTok. Not threads or DMs or algorithms. Your site is where the real magic happens—and where the money flows.

So… Should You Ditch Social Media?

Not necessarily. Social media is great for discovery, connection, and personality. It’s like the party where people first meet you. But your website is where the real conversations happen—the ones that lead to conversions.

If social media feels overwhelming, here’s what I tell my clients:

Be social strategically, not constantly.

• Find out what your human design type and profile are to figure out the right strategy for you

• Do what lights you up, honestly

• Repurpose your blog content into posts and stories.

• Show your face occasionally (you’re delightful, promise).

• Use social as a bridge to your website—not as your business’s beating heart.

TL;DR: Social media is the appetizer… Your website is the main course.

And if you’re like me—a creative human with limited time, energy, and interest in chasing algorithms—then your website should be your #1 priority.

Build it. Nurture it. Let it carry the weight so you don’t have to.

And hey—if you need help creating a website that actually converts (and looks damn good doing it), you know where to find me.

Bonus: Quick Social Media vs. Website Comparison Checklist

Website vs. Social Media: Final Thoughts

If you’ve been feeling low-key guilty about not posting enough or secretly wish you could quit Instagram altogether, consider this your permission slip. You don’t have to be everywhere to be successful. You just have to be strategic.

Start with your website. Own your corner of the internet. And let the rest be optional.

Want a website that does the heavy lifting for you—without looking like everyone else’s template? Let’s chat.