Do You Even Need A Website Anymore?
I'm having second thoughts ...
As you know, Juliana has been building her business.
Over the last month, by using the marketing tactics I teach in The Machine Method, she has been absolutely crushing it. Last week she booked three sales calls and closed every one of them. She’s the coolest. 💖
Her and I have been talking about rebuilding her website, but the more I watch how her business is growing, the more I am starting to second guess the need.
Today I want to talk about whether you actually need a website for your business.
LFG. 🔥
Websites Used To Be About Ownership
Back in the day, before social media, blogging was how you built an audience. You would write articles, share them through an RSS feed, and people would forward your work to their friends through email.
The purpose was simple. The website was yours. You owned the traffic, you owned the list, and you used that list to promote and sell your offers.
Now everything lives on social. Content spreads instantly, algorithms do the distribution, and you can build an email list straight from a landing page. The middleman, the website, is no longer essential for many personal brands.
How Juliana Has Been Closing Her Deals
It’s been fascinating to watch her process.
Jules has been booking calls through her Substack, her business Instagram, her personal Instagram, the DMs, and through referrals. She’s not relying on SEO or traffic. She’s simply engaging with people, providing value, and inviting them to talk.
Last week, she started putting a link to her Calendly right in her Substack. She’s bypassing her website completely. This allows her to keep everything in one place.
If your business is driven by your personal brand, I am starting to wonder whether a traditional website is even necessary. What you need is attention, trust, and a way for people to reach you.
Maybe that means you create a simple one page splash site that acts as your business card. A great example is Matt Garry’s page for Grow Letter. It’s one page, one offer, one contact button, and that is enough.
When A Website Is Necessary
This is where we have to draw a line between a personal brand and a corporate business.
If your audience already knows who you are and you are closing sales through personal connections, you can skip or at least simplify the website. But if your company is a standalone brand that must look credible to strangers, a professional website still matters.
For instance, many of my clients are healthcare companies. A local clinic cannot rely on a landing page alone. Patients will always search locally, and they expect a site that feels professional and trustworthy.
The same goes for agencies, cleaning companies, media companies, and other service businesses that depend on discovery.
For example …
Neil Patel still has a website for NP Digital.
Eric Siu still has a website for Single Grain.
Codie Sanchez still has a website for Contrarian Thinking.
Debbie Sardone still runs Buckets and Bows alongside The Maid Coach, where she sells her digital products and coaching programs.
These businesses need a digital home. But for personal brands, the website’s job is not marketing, it’s clarity. It exists to capture leads or make sales, nothing more.
Final Answer
Like everything else in business, it’s nuanced.
Your website is a tool, not a requirement. What matters is attention and conversion. If you already have attention and a clear path to turn that attention into sales, a website might only slow you down.
But if you’re building something larger than yourself, a brand that can live without you, then your website becomes the foundation.
The key is knowing which game you’re playing.
Love you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.
Tim
I’ll Teach You How To Build A Seven Figure Business
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from my life as an entrepreneur, it’s this.
ENTREPRENUERSHIP IS NOT COMPLICATED.
Internet gurus love to talk about “frameworks, secrets, and insights.” The reality is that every business follows the same exact process in order to generate sales, build internal systems, and scale.
I have broken this process down into six steps, which I call The Machine Method.
If you’re serious about starting an online business, I will guide you on your quest to seven figures.
Welcome to the machine. 🤖
I still think we need a website, but I don't think you have to put a lot into it anymore. If anything, keep it as a portfolio that gives some info about you and links to all your social channels. That's at least my thinking. Of course, my website is a big deal to me, but I've built it into that. It's now a big part of my brand.
After spending over two decades building digital products, leading teams, and watching technologies evolve at lightning speed, I’ve learned this: a website is only as valuable as the role it plays in your business. For many personal brands today, the relationship truly starts in the DMs, in comments, or in a simple scheduling link not on a polished homepage. And that’s perfectly okay. Connection, trust, and conversation will always outperform a “perfect” website.
But for businesses that need credibility at first glance, especially service companies, healthcare, agencies a website still acts as that essential digital home. It's the reassurance new customers look for when they don’t already know you.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this — do you think every business needs a website, or are there times it’s okay to focus elsewhere?
https://substack.com/@shamimrajani/note/p-178874524?r=1mbhxm&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web