Social media and your website: how they work together
Social media brings people to your door. Your website is the room they step into. Here is how to connect the two.
Social media brings people to your door. Your website is the room they step into. When the two work together, a customer can discover you in a post, check your hours and your work on your site, and contact you in a minute. This lesson shows how to connect them: which links to add, what to put on the page your profile points to and why plain links beat embedded feeds.
Social media and your website do different jobs
Think of a street with a shop on it. Social media is the sidewalk: people walk by, see something interesting and stop. Your website is the shop: it has the full story, the facts and the counter where the business happens.
- Social media is good for being discovered, showing your work often, talking with people and building trust.
- Your website is good for the full story, your services, your hours, your location, your photos, your questions and answers, and for actions such as booking, ordering or contacting you.
The website also has one big advantage. You control it. A social network can change its rules, its look or its owners. Your website stays yours.
Link from your website to your profiles with plain links
Visitors who like your site often want to follow you. Make that easy with a plain link to each profile you keep up to date. The footer is the usual place, and many sites also add the links to the contact page. Use the network's name or its icon, and check that each link opens the right profile.
Link only to the profiles you really use. A link to an account that has not been updated for a year does more harm than good.
Prefer plain links to embedded feeds
Some tools let you show a live feed of your latest posts on your website. It looks convenient, but it has a cost:
- It slows the page. The feed loads extra code and pictures from the network, and the page waits for them. On a phone, a slow page makes people leave.
- It shares visitor data with the platform. A feed embedded from a network connects every visitor's browser to that network, even if they never click anything.
- It breaks. When the network changes its system, the feed may show errors or go blank.
- It is out of your control. The feed can show posts, comments or ads that you would not choose to show on your site.
A plain link has none of these problems. Nothing loads from the network until the visitor decides to click. If you want to show your recent work on your website, add the photos to your own pages, the ones you took and own, and link to your profile for more.
Send each post to the page that matches it
Your profile has one link, and your posts can have others. The link works best when it goes to a page that matches what the post promised. This kind of page is called a landing page, since it is where people land. A good landing page follows a few rules:
- It repeats the promise. If the post said "book a test ride," the page should be about booking a test ride, not the general home page.
- It has one clear action. A short form, a call button or a booking calendar. Not six options.
- It loads fast on a phone. Use a few good photos, not twenty heavy ones.
- It looks like your profile. The same name, logo, colors and tone tell people they are in the right place.
- It answers the first questions. Price range or how to get a quote, hours, place and what happens next.
Design for the person holding a phone
Most people who tap a link in a post are holding a phone. Many apps open the link inside the app, in a small built-in browser, so check your pages there too. Make these checks:
- Open your link from the app, on your phone, using mobile data and not your Wi-Fi. See how long it takes to load.
- Read the text. It should be readable without zooming.
- Tap the buttons. They should be large enough for a thumb.
- Try the form. Fill it out as a customer would. Keep it short: name, a way to contact you and a message.
- Tap the phone number. On a phone, it should start a call.
When we build a site, a mobile version is included, and the contact forms are part of it.
Walk the whole path once
Pretend you are a new customer and follow the path from start to finish. Say a hair salon posts a short video of a color change. A viewer taps the profile, reads the one-line bio and taps the link. The link opens a booking page that repeats the words of the post, shows three services with a short description and has a form with a name, a phone number and a preferred day. After sending, the visitor sees a message that says when the salon will answer.
Count the taps from the post to the form. Every extra tap loses some people. Try to make that path as short as it can be, and do it again every few months, since profiles and pages change.
Make the next step obvious
A visitor from social media wants to take one step, quickly. Give each page a main action and put it where the eye goes first. Common ones are:
- Call. A phone number that works as a button on a phone.
- Message. A short contact form.
- Book or order. A link to your booking or ordering page.
- Visit. Your address, hours and a map link.
- Join. A signup for your email list.
Say what happens after they act: "We will answer within one business day." Promise only what you will do.
Offer an email signup, because your list is yours
Followers belong to the network. Your email list belongs to you. A short signup on your website gives you a way to reach people who are interested, whatever the network does next. Give people a reason to join, not only a box that says "subscribe." One useful note a month, a seasonal reminder or first news about new products are good reasons. Ask for the email address only, and say how often you will write. Email marketing is a monthly service you can add to a site, and the next series covers the topic in depth.
Put your best content on your website too
Do not leave your best work only on a social network. Posts disappear down a feed, while a web page stays easy to find. Take the best of what you make and give it a home on your site:
- A gallery of your work, with the photos you took.
- Customer comments you have permission to share.
- A page of questions and answers, built from the questions people ask in your messages.
- A journal or news page with longer stories, like the how-to you shortened for a post.
Then each post can point to the full story. A short video of a repair links to the page that explains the repair. A photo of a new product links to its page.
Keep your name, your look and your facts the same
When someone moves from a post to your site, nothing should feel different. Use the same name, logo, colors and tone. Make sure your hours, address, phone number and services say the same thing on every network, on your website and on your Google Business Profile. When something changes, update all of them on the same day.
Connect the offline world too
A QR code on a sign, a menu, a flyer or a package can take people from the real world to your profile or to a page on your site. Test the code with a phone before you print it, make sure the page loads quickly and keep the link short. A QR code is only as good as the page behind it.
Check your links every month
Links break: a page is renamed, an old offer is removed, a profile changes its name. Once a month, click every link on your website that points to a profile, and every link in your profiles that points to your site. Do it from a phone. Fix what is broken, and keep the link in your profile current.
Be careful with tracking tools
Many social networks offer small pieces of code you can add to your website to count visitors or to show ads. These tools also send information about your visitors to those networks. Use them only if you need them, mention them in your privacy policy and ask a professional about the rules that apply to your business and your state.
If you do not have a website yet
Many businesses start on social media, and that is fine. Until you have a site, make your profile as complete as you can, with hours, contact details and a phone number that works. But plan the next step. A profile alone cannot hold your full story, and customers who search for you by name usually expect to find a website. A small site, with a few clear pages, is often enough to start.
Your website is built to receive visitors from social media
When we build a site, it goes online in 7 days, with a design made for your industry, the texts of your pages written for you, a mobile version, SEO setup, hosting and contact forms included. You can upload your own photos and files in any format, so the pictures you take for your profile can also fill your pages. Email marketing and a 24/7 chat assistant are monthly services you can add. When you are ready, you can start your site.
Questions people ask
How do I link my social media to my website?
Add a plain link or an icon for each profile you keep up to date, usually in the footer and on the contact page. In each profile, add your website address to the link field.
Should I embed my Instagram feed on my website?
It is better not to. An embedded feed slows the page, connects every visitor's browser to the network and can break when the network changes. Use plain links, and put your best photos on your own pages.
What should I put in my link in bio?
Your own website, ideally the page that matches what you are promoting right now, such as booking or contact. Keep it short and check that it works well on a phone.
What is a landing page?
It is the page a visitor sees first after tapping a link. A good landing page repeats the promise of the post, offers one clear action and loads quickly on a phone.
Do I need a website if I already have social media?
It is worth having one. Your website is the place you control, where you can tell the full story, keep your information and take bookings or messages. A profile can change, or disappear, and a website stays yours.
How do I get followers to join my email list?
Give them a reason, such as one useful email a month, and make the signup short. Mention the list in your posts and in your profile link page, and ask for the email address only.
How do I make my website work for visitors on phones?
Test it on a phone, from the app, using mobile data. Make sure the text reads without zooming, the buttons are easy to tap, the forms are short and the page loads fast.
Where should social media icons go on my website?
Usually in the footer and on the contact page. Keep them small and plain. Your main call to action should stand out more than the icons.
Can I use my social media posts as website content?
Yes, when the photos and text are yours or you have the right to use them. Copy the best ones to your own pages instead of embedding the feed, and ask for permission before you show customers' words or faces.
How do I check that my links work?
Once a month, click every link between your profiles and your website, using a phone. Fix broken links, and update the link in your profile when your pages change.
Want a website that does all of this? Start your site