STOP Believing These Website Myths! (They’re Holding Your Business Back)

If you’ve been putting off building or updating your website because it feels overwhelming, expensive, or just plain frustrating—you’re not alone. But here’s the truth: your website isn’t just an online brochure or a digital business card. It’s a powerful tool that can bring in leads, establish your credibility, and work for you 24/7—if it’s built strategically.

In today’s episode, we’re tackling 9 common website myths that keep small business owners from getting real results online. From the belief that "if you build it, they will come" to thinking "social media is enough," these myths could be costing you clients and sales.

📌 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
✅ Why SEO isn’t as complicated as you think
✅ Why a pretty website alone won’t get you bookings
✅ The real reason free website builders and AI tools can hurt your business
✅ Why social media is NOT a replacement for your website
✅ How to turn your site into a lead-generating machine (without constantly rebuilding it)

🎧 Episode Breakdown & Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome – Why website myths are hurting your business
00:43 Myth #1: "If I build it, they will come" (Why your website needs strategy, SEO, and content)
01:38 Myth #2: "A pretty website is all that matters" (Why visuals alone won’t get you clients)
02:35 Myth #3: "I can just use a free website builder or AI" (Why free tools may cost you in the long run)
03:40 Myth #4: "I don’t need a website, social media is enough" (Why your website is your brand’s home base)
05:10 Myth #5: "SEO is too complicated for DIYers" (SEO is simpler than you think!)
06:25 Myth #6: "I just need to buy a template and fill in the blanks" (Why templates need customization)
07:30 Myth #7: "Mobile design doesn’t matter that much" (Most visitors browse on mobile first!)
08:20 Myth #8: "Websites are just online brochures" (Your website should work like a salesperson)
09:12 Myth #9: "I can just set it and forget it" (Why website updates keep your business visible)
10:30 What to do next – How to build a website that sells for you

💡 Resources & Next Steps:
🚀 Want to stop second-guessing your website? Build a strategic site that helps you get found, attract ideal clients, and grow your business—without the guesswork.

🎯 Join Brand Base Camp for expert guidance, live support, and all the tools you need to create a website that works for you:
👉 dearkatebrandstrategy.com/bbc

📢 Let’s Connect!
✨ Have a question about today’s episode? DM me on Instagram [@dearkatebrandstrategy] or leave a review!
✨ Loved this episode? Share it with a fellow entrepreneur who needs a website that works!

🎙️ Subscribe & Review
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Learn more at Howyoupicturedit.com

Episode Transcript

Kate (2) (00:00):
if you've been putting off building or updating your

(00:01):
website, you're not alone.
of small business owners avoidit because it feels
overwhelming, expensive, or justplain frustrating.
but there are a lot of mythsabout websites and I want to get
into those today because reallyyour website is not just an
online brochure or businesscard.
It's a powerful tool that canbring in leads, establish your
credibility, and even bring youbusiness when you're not
working.
Let's face it, we do not havetime to be constantly marketing

(00:24):
our business and running it too.
But as small business owners,that's what we end up doing.
while a website isn't a quickfix marketing tool, it's a long
term strategy that continues towork for you over time.
Unlike social media, whichrequires constant updates and
engagement, a well optimizedwebsite attracts, educates, and
converts visitors passively formonths and even years to come.
So let's get into those myths.
Let me know in the commentsbelow which one of these have

(00:45):
kept you from updating orlaunching your website.
Myth number one is, if I buildit, they will come.
Just launching a website doesn'tmean that people will find it,
let alone book with you.
I see a lot of the times wherepeople have a website set up and
they're confused about why it'snot getting them any clients,
why it's not converting people,why they're not driving any
traffic, and really it comesdown to a couple of different
things.
SEO, strategic content, and userexperience all impact how well

(01:08):
your website will attractclients.
When it's done well, Google willsend leads your way, now, You
don't need to be a tech expertto make your website work for
you, though.
It's all about having astrategic plan and a roadmap to
get that done.
Myth number two.
A pretty website is all thatmatters.
This one hits home for me prettyhard as a photographer.
I always felt like my workshould stand for itself.
That the pretty pictures wouldattract the right people, but

(01:29):
that's just not how it works.
Aesthetics alone don't get youbookings.
If your site looks good, butdoesn't tell people why they
should book with you and guideyour visitors to take action,
you're losing out on leads.
The truth is, your website needsto be functional, easy to
navigate, and clear about whatyou offer.
A strategic website will guidevisitors to booking, buying, or
inquiring without any confusion.
and really the words matter justas much as the aesthetics and

(01:51):
the images on your website.
We really want to create thatone two punch with the visuals
and the messaging to back it up.
myth number three, I can justuse a free website builder or AI
tools to build my website.
To be honest, I love freethings.
I am frugal with my businessexpenses, but a website is
really a place where you shouldinvest because You're going to
get so much return on thatinvestment.
Those free website buildersoften have a lot of limitations,

(02:13):
and they can end up hurting yourbusiness in the long run.
Especially as you grow andyou're ready to move to a new
platform, you can't take whatyou've already created with you.
You've wasted all of thateffort, and you're kind of
stuck.
those free tools also havelimitations on how you can
design your SEO capabilities andother things?
As for AI, I am 100 percent afan of AI, but there are some
limitations there too.

(02:34):
We want to make sure that we'reusing AI as a tool, but there
has to be that human elementbehind it too.
People buy from people, and ifyou're building a website just
straight from an AI tool thatjust says like, hey, build a
website, you're missing out onthe strategy.
You're missing out on connectingwith people and understanding
your clients.
You're missing out on a bigpiece of that marketing puzzle
that gets people from thatinterested phase to that buying

(02:56):
phase.
Choosing the right platform andusing AI with that human
strategic approach can make abig difference.
Again, I'm all for using AI.
We just have to use it in theright ways.
Having it just build a websitefor us is probably not the
answer, at least with the toolsthat currently exist.
Myth number four is I don't needa website.
I have social media.
That's enough.
Social media can be great forengagement, but there are a few

(03:17):
problems with social media whenit comes to marketing your
business overall.
Number one is that the contentcycles really fast, usually
maybe 24 hours, maybe a littlebit longer, but then that
content kind of goes and dies.
Maybe somebody is going toscroll back on your Instagram
feed and read something, butvery rarely it's hard to have
that one like central source oftruth.
When you have only social media,you don't have a home base for

(03:37):
your brand and that makes ithard for potential clients to
really figure out who you are,what you're about, and if you're
the right choice for them.
There's no place where all ofyour offers exist.
There's no place for them tobook, buy, contact you all in
one central place with all ofthe information that they need
to make that decision.
with our website, we have theability to create a journey for
people.
We can walk them through fromlike, Hey, I understand where

(03:58):
you're at.
I understand what your problemsare.
Here's how I solve yourproblems.
Here's why I'm the right fit foryou and why you should choose
me.
And then you get them going downthat kind of rabbit hole of more
information, finding what theyneed and getting to that booking
page.
You can't really create thatsame kind of experience on
social media.
All of your social media postsshould lead back to your website
in some way, shape, or form.

(04:19):
And that's how we kind of buildthat engagement, credibility,
trust, and make that connectionwith our dream clients.
Myth number five is that SEO istoo complicated for DIYers and
that is exactly what SEO expertswant you to think.
They want you to pay them, theywant you to invest in their
services.
But really, the majority of SEOis not as technical or time
consuming as you think it is.

(04:40):
Basic SEO is really easy toimplement and can dramatically
increase your website'svisibility.
It's really just about thinkingthrough what people are looking
for and using their words sothat you show up in those Google
search results and they canclearly see that, Hey, you
understand them, you know wherethey're coming from and you've
got the solutions to theirproblems.
It's as easy as optimizing yourimages, writing clear page

(05:00):
titles, and using your keywordsnaturally so that Google knows,
you're providing the answer thatpeople are looking for.
SEO is a long term strategy thatcompounds over time.
The more that you work on that,the more results you're going to
see, and it's going to be a longterm solution versus that quick
win of social media.
Myth number six.
I just need to buy a templateand fill in the blanks.
So while website templates are agreat starting point, they don't

(05:21):
automatically give you astrategic website.
A lot of the time, templates arecreated by designers who
prioritize the aesthetics overthe strategy and the function,
and that can lead you down notthe best path.
Website templates still need tobe customized to fit your brand,
your offer, and your clientjourney.
You want to make sure that thetemplate that you choose Matches
your goals and your brandmessaging, and it's really

(05:41):
important to write your websitecopy and that messaging before
you even choose a template.
that messaging and strategyshould guide your visual choices
and help you choose a templatethat connects with your ideal
client.
I'm absolutely not saying youshouldn't use a website
template.
You should.
It's a great way to save time.
Get those building blocks inplace and have some of that
design, But making sure that itmatches with your brand, your

(06:03):
messaging, and your offers iskey.
Myth number seven, mobile designdoesn't matter that much.
Truthfully, in 2025, over halfof your website visitors are
browsing on mobile.
If your website is not optimizedfor fast load speeds and easy
navigation on mobile, people aregoing to leave.
We have to make sure that ourtext is readable, our buttons
are easy to tap, and ournavigation is easy to follow.

(06:24):
a great mobile site helps youbook more clients, and a bad one
drives them away.
Using a platform like ShowItmakes it easy to customize your
mobile design separate from yourdesktop, so you can make sure
that both are optimized for theuser.
Myth number eight, websites arejust an online brochure or a
portfolio.
Many people see websites as justa static page rather than a tool
to bring in clients.

(06:44):
a strategic website acts as asalesperson for you 24 7,
guiding your visitors into thebooking process.
When done well, we're not justshowing our work the what of
what we do in our business, butthe how and the why and the who
we do it for, so that it makesit easy for people to connect
with us and know that we're theright person for them to book
with.
a strong website helps youmarket sustainably without
having to constantly create newcontent.

(07:06):
Myth number nine, I can just setit and forget it.
We have this idea that we haveto build it once and then that's
it, no more changes.
But really, websites needongoing updates to stay fresh,
to keep relevant with what'sgoing on in your business, And
to stay visible on searchengines.
It's important for your websiteto evolve with your business.
Keeping content and offers up todate.
Regular updates help with SEOand keep your visitors engaged.

(07:27):
You don't have to constantlyrebuild, but you do have to
check in and refine, Which issomething that I really love
about websites versus socialmedia content.
with website content, you'regoing in and you're tweaking
versus social media content,you're starting from scratch
every time.
You have to create a new post, anew design, a new caption.
With websites, you're going togo in And tweak some of the
images, the layout, the wording,whatever it may be as your

(07:48):
business grows and changes.
When you learn to DIY yourwebsite, it's easy for you to
make those changes on your own,and you know your business is
going to change.
we always have those five yearplans in mind, but things change
constantly in small business.
Your services change, you haveto change prices, you got a new
phone number, new email address,or just little tiny things can
change, and just being able togo in and make those changes on

(08:09):
your own is a highly valuableskill.
Sustainable marketing meansyou're just making updates and
maintaining your website versushaving to overhaul it every
couple of years.
If these myths resonated withyou, you are not alone.
your website can be your bestmarketing tool, But only if it's
built strategically.
if you're tired of secondguessing your website, or
feeling stuck with a site thatisn't working for you, you don't
have to DIY it alone.

(08:29):
Inside BrandBaseCamp, you'll getthe proven roadmap guiding you
through every step of building awebsite that sells for you.
From figuring out your strategyand your messaging, to writing
your copy and building yourwebsite, and then optimizing it
with SEO, I help you throughevery step of the way, With live
feedback and support and all ofthe tools to get it done in as
little as four weeks.
Get the full details at dearKate brand strategy.com/bbc or

(08:53):
find the link below.
join Brandbase Camp today andbuild a website that helps you
get found, attract idealclients, and grow your business
without the guesswork.