Why owning your data and website matters even more in 2024

When I tell people I create websites, the response I often get is, “Who still uses websites nowadays?”

Social media is so prevalent today that businesses and solopreneurs would have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms. That’s where users are and where users would search for them. Having a website often becomes an afterthought.

Home of your digital presence

It might come as a surprise, but owning your data and having your own website is still as crucial as ever for entrepreneurs and small businesses in 2024. In fact, the importance of owning your digital presence has only grown in our increasingly online world.

I’ve been making websites since 1997, providing it as a service for over 15 years, and it has been a key part of the business we do at RubyCoded for the past 10 years. This blog has been around for 22 years. I cannot emphasise the importance of owning your data and website more.

In a world where social media platforms come and go faster than fashion trends, relying solely on them is like building your house on quicksand. And just having a website is not enough. You need to own the data, or at least make sure that your data is portable. Web hosts and content management systems evolve and newer, better ones appear all the time. You need to make sure it is easy to migrate your content to new hosts and software you use.

Remember MySpace? Once the coolest kid on the block, now it’s about as relevant as a VHS tape. Or Vine, the six-second sensation that withered away, leaving creators scrambling. And let’s not forget Google+, which despite being backed by the internet giant, ended up yet another casualty in Google’s graveyard.

These platforms rose to dizzying heights, only to plummet faster than a lead balloon.

By pouring your efforts into growing your audience on a social media platform, you’re sinking yourself deep in its silo. Your content is often only discoverable within the platform, and you can only reach your followers there.

When you have all your eggs in one basket, you might lose access to your audience should the platform suddenly decide to tweak its algorithm, restrict your account, or if you lose access to your account.

I’ve seen so many cases where clients lost their following that they built up over years because the platform banned them without giving a reason or a chance to reactivate the account. Or where the clients lose their accounts to hackers or errant employees.

You can only restart building your audience from scratch.

The power of data ownership

In today’s world, it’s indisputable that data is king. When you build your entire business presence on social media, you’re essentially handing over the keys to your most valuable resource. These platforms aren’t in the charity business; they’re profiting from your data faster than you can say “targeted advertising.”

Not owning your data is like letting someone else write your autobiography. Sure, they might capture the main events, but they’ll miss all the nuances that make your story unique. Plus, there’s always the risk that one day they might just decide to lock that book and throw away the key. Poof! There goes your customer insights, your engagement history, and, potentially, your peace of mind.

In the past, when platforms closed down, they just turned off the lights and left you in the lurch. Most of them are more responsible now and provide a grace period for you to back up your data. However, the usefulness of the data backup is a big question mark.

Your website: Your online home and data fortress

Think of your website as your virtual home and data fortress. It’s the place where you present to the world whatever you want to. Your deepest thoughts, your casual musings, or simply a portfolio. How you choose to decorate and fortify your online home is up to you.

Or, if you prefer, think of it as your personal billboard in the digital Times Square. It’s always there, 24/7, shouting your message to the world. And unlike social media, where your post gets buried faster than yesterday’s news, your website stands tall and proud, waiting for visitors to stop by.

Benefits of owning your data and website:

Control over your brand presentation: No more fighting with restrictive layouts or character limits. Your website, your rules.
Independence from platform limitations: Want to sell products, host videos, or create an interactive experience? The sky’s the limit.
SEO benefits and discoverability: When someone Googles your business, do you want them to find your website or your competitor’s Facebook page?
Direct relationships with your audience: Build an email list, create a community, or offer exclusive content. It’s like having a direct line to your customers’ hearts (and wallets).

The POSSE strategy

Now, I’m not suggesting you abandon social media entirely. That would be like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I’m a proponent of the IndieWeb concept of Publish on your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere (POSSE). This means that the content you post on your website is the one true source that you then repurpose and share on social media platforms and other sites.

Here’s how POSSE works in practice:

Create and publish content on your own website first.
Share that content on various social media platforms, linking back to your original post.
Engage with your audience on social media, but always guide them back to your owned platform.

When you post on your own site, you are not shackled when a particular third-party site is down and unavailable, such as when Twitter or Facebook suffered massive outages.

You link posts from third-party sites back to your website, so that people who discover your content through your social media posts can find your original content, and the place where they know they would be able to find you if the third-party platform is down.

There is a push to increase adoption of ActivityPub. This allows you to publish content on your own site, but still be connected to others through the ActivityPub protocol that is used by the likes of Mastodon, Threads, and BlueSky.

You can also use Webmention to send a notification to other sites using it to inform them that you wrote a post as a response to their content. Such purposeful and considered writing gives more depth and context than a mere comment under their post would.

The importance of email in owning your audience

While social media platforms can be fickle, email remains a constant in digital communication. By building an email list through your website, you’re creating a direct line of communication with your audience that you own and control.

Remember the Great Facebook Outage of 2021? For six hours, businesses that relied solely on Facebook and Instagram for their online presence might as well have been shouting into the void. It was like showing up to open your store, only to find the entire shopping mall had vanished overnight.

Or how about the countless small businesses that built thriving communities on platforms like Tumblr or Twitter, only to see their engagement plummet when algorithm changes relegated their posts to the digital equivalent of Siberia?

These aren’t just cautionary tales; they’re digital horror stories that should keep any savvy entrepreneur up at night. By owning your data and website, and building an email list, you insulate yourself from these platform-specific risks.

How to start owning your data and website

So, what should you do in this wild digital west? Here are a few steps to start taking control of your data and online presence:

Choose the right website platform: Whether it’s WordPress, Squarespace, or something else, find a platform that gives you the flexibility and features you need.
Implement data collection and management tools: Start gathering those precious customer insights directly. It’s like having your own crystal ball, but less mystical and more practical.
Create a content strategy that prioritises your owned channels: Think of your website as the sun, with your social media profiles orbiting around it. Everything should lead back to your digital home base.
Build and nurture an email list: This is your direct line to your audience, independent of any social media platform.

If you have any questions on the right strategy for you, feel free to reach out. I’m more than happy to give suggestions.

Embrace the power of owning your data and website

In the end, relying solely on social media is like trying to build a house on rented land. Sure, it might work for a while, but you’re always at the mercy of the landlord. Owning your data and your website? That’s like having the deed to your own piece of digital real estate.

Don’t let your digital destiny be at the mercy of social media giants. Take control, own your data, and build your digital home today. After all, in the ever-changing landscape of the internet, the only constant should be your own piece of digital turf.

Remember, in the game of online presence, those who own their data and website don’t just participate – they write the rules. So, are you ready to be the master of your digital domain?

Take the first step today: Start planning your website, or if you already have one, begin the process of truly owning and controlling your data. Your future self will thank you for it.