There are so many ways to present yourself online, connect, and share with your audience. With just a few clicks, you can have a ready-made network to tap into.

Yet, over the years, we have all felt the pain of shifting popularity, changing algorithms, and other features that remain out of our control. While there is so much potential to leveraging large social media platforms as a way to connect with others across the web, it’s also important to cater to your own little space on the internet: your website.

Leveraging online networks

When you’re creating a site – or even revamping an existing one – one key action is to find your audience. Who are you writing for? What kind of community are you trying to build? Who will buy your product?

As you advertise, network, and outreach, you’re consciously, or subconsciously, working to bring folks with similar interests or needs to your site. While the metrics and outcomes may differ, the goals are the same: build your audience.

Where social media networks shine is in allowing you to tap into their audience. Through algorithms, hashtags, @-mentions, and beyond, these networks are able to present your creations to people who are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. Where Google and search engine results are focused on providing the most relevant information based on search queries, social media networks are typically focused on driving engagement through their unique algorithms.

A good SEO strategy will help ensure your site appears in relevant searches; a social media strategy can help ensure your brand is consistently growing and directly engaging with your ideal audience. But what happens when the network where you’re built your following changes or makes it more difficult to engage with others?

Building your home base

Having your own website allows you to take control of your online presence. Think of it as your home base on the web. As you build your audience on other networks, your website can be a source of truth for information, updates, and generally providing a consistent experience for those who return again and again. Using an open source tool, like WordPress or Drupal, especially puts you in the driver seat for changes to your online presence.

So how do you build an audience for your site, both on and off other platforms?

Leverage social media!

If you’ve built a following somewhere else, leverage that. When sharing updates online, always include a link to your site. Sign-ups? On the website. News updates? On your site’s blog. Coupons, events, and more? Head to the site. Continue the magic formula you’ve already unlocked, and add on opportunities to head to your site as often as makes sense and feels natural for your community.

Keep your branding consistent.

Social media platforms are designed to be entertaining, engaging, and keep you scrolling as long as possible, which can make it difficult to find your fair share of time to update your site. While websites are generally more static, it’s important to treat your site as the hub of your online identity. Changed your logo? Make sure your site reflects the updated branding. Changes to your store hours or a new drop? Share it on your site as well. Disparate online experiences can feel off, so keep things consistent to convey a professional, thoughtful approach.

Look for automations.

It’s somewhat expected that a business, person, or brand will be active on more than one platform. One of the great parts of hosting your own site is that there are tools that allow you to streamline the process of sharing news and information across networks. If you’re using WordPress, check for plugins that allow you to connect to other sites like Tumblr or BlueSky. When you publish a new post, it will automatically be shared across these networks with a single click.

Plan long-term.

Where does most of your traffic or engagement come from? What would happen if that platform went down, for a day or forever? Develop a plan for how to retain your audience as much as possible. Squarespace has a newsletter block that allows you to stay in touch with your visitors, as does WordPress and most other content management systems.

Ask yourself what makes the most sense for your audience, and build a plan around it. You don’t have to enact it right now, but planning for the long-term will give you a solid backup when, and if, you need it.