With the increasing users and usage of social media platforms, demand for influencer marketing, and, emergence of AI-generated content, plus ecommerce and marketplace platforms such as Amazon, Lazada, and Shopee, among others, is having a website and ranking on search engines still necessary this 2025 and in the future?
You might think that the answer is no.
Clearly, there are a lot of ways in how you can be in front of your customers and clients. There are other strategies to gain online attention and brand exposure that are not limited to having a website.
Even so, having a website is more necessary today. However, we need to take a modern approach on how to do it.
If you are a business owner or a startup founder, here are the reasons why your website and its search engine visibility will remain crucial this 2025 and in the future. Plus, some strategy on how to future-proof your digital footprint.
Why websites still matter
Website is still the digital headquarters of your brand. It is your global office where everyone in the world can see and find you. It is one of the places on the internet where you have full control of your content, customer experience, and brand voice. Here’s why it matters and why your company needs it.
1. Ownership and Control
You may think that having social media pages is enough to promote your business. But social media platforms are governed by ever-changing algorithms and policies that can affect your online presence and how you create and publish content. As to having a website, it is an asset that you own. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok might have millions of audiences who spend hours of scrolling and watching, but remember, you are limited in creating your own brand identity on these sites. However, with your website, you have full control of your domain, design, and content, and even monitor your traffic.
2. Credibility and Trust
Customers are getting savvier and savvier as the years progress. A well-designed, fast-loading website remains a key trust signal. With the growing threat of scams and online security, customers feel more at ease if they find a legitimate and registered website of a business. In fact, according to a 2024 survey made by HubSpot, 73% of users said they wouldn’t trust a business without a website, and 87% searched online before making a buying decision.
So if you are a business owner, getting the trust of your customers should be one of your main priorities, with this, having a website is highly necessary.
3. Central Hub for All Marketing
Having a website gives you an opportunity to put all your marketing in one place – ads, social media, email marketing, affiliate links, among others. It is where you send your audience to learn more, sign up, book services, and most importantly, buy products or contact you for your services.
That is why it is your global office where you can welcome your customers so they can know more about you.
The important role of search engines in 2025
Part of having a website is making sure you are visible online. This means having search engines place you on their platforms. But ranking on search engines has been difficult and can’t be done overnight. Plus, today, search engines are no longer limited to Google alone. Yes, Google still dominates search, but this 2025, users are also using voice assistants, YouTube, TikTok, ChatGPT, and even ecommerce platforms in searching and buying for products.
Despite this, the fundamentals and discoverability, and search engine optimisation (SEO) remain important. Here’s why:
1. Search is still the main platform customer use
Even though there are other platforms that customers use in searching for products and services, search engines are still the primary way people find products they don’t already know about. Thus, it is still profitable to spend more time on building your SEO because when your site ranks well, you are meeting potential customers at the exact moment of intent.
2. SEO is changing and adapting
Just like any other innovation, SEO is also adapting. It has shifted from keyword stuffing to more experience-focused content, structured data, and AI-friendly formats. Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE), for example, is changing how search results appear, but still relies on high-quality, optimised content from authoritative websites.
3. The emergence of voice and visual search
Gone are the days when you needed to fire up Google or any search engines and type your inquiry and hundreds of results would pop up. Now there are other ways on how you can make a search with the birth of smart speakers, AR glasses, visual search tools, among others. Even though users can now ask questions differently, your website content is still the source powering many of those answers. That is why you need to optimise your website for natural language queries and image recognition to adapt to these changes.
The Cost of Not Having a Website in 2025
If your business only has social media or third-party platforms you are risking:
- No control over sudden algorithm changes
- Higher ad costs to get visibility
- Difficulty in retargeting or collecting leads
- Limited customer trust or professionalism
- Zero long-term SEO benefit or authority building
Relying on third-party platforms and not having your own website is like renting your office, you are always at the mercy of your landlord.
Not having a website is like renting all your storefronts—you’re always at the mercy of the landlord.
How you should build your website
Now if you are convinced that you need a website for your business, here are the main priorities that your website needs to have.
- Mobile-first and fast-loading (speed is now a ranking factor)
- AI-enhanced support (chatbots, predictive search, smart forms)
- Clear, focused CTAs (driving leads or conversions)
- Optimised for voice and video search
- Integrated with social, email, and CRM platforms
- Rich schema and structured data for AI search
- Personalised content delivery based on user behavior
It’s not just about having a website. It’s about having a smart website.
Now that you know the importance of having a website and SEO, you might look for a provider to assist you in building and optimising it. We can help. We at SOS Global Smart Outsourcing Solutions have highly skilled and experienced website developers and digital marketers that can help you launch a smart website to help your business grow. We can help you build, maintain and make sure it is optimised based on best practices that adapt to the changing algorithms and trends of today. Simply talk to us to know more about it.
