Last week we talked about some principles of gentle business, or business that is true to who you are and comes from a place of heart and abundance. All of the principles we talked about can help you achieve a calmer version of business ownership. But there are also a couple of tools that come in especially handy when it comes to creating the kind of business that offers you greater freedom and authenticity. Today, we’re going to talk about what might be the most important tool you can have for your gentle business in today’s fast-paced world: a website.

Wait a minute, you might be thinking. A website?

I know, websites are part of the saturated, visually loud, and sometimes bewildering world of the internet. But they don’t have to reflect that world. A well-designed website can carve out a space for you and your business in a way that’s organic, rewarding, and yes, gentle.

Here’s How Having Your Own Website Can Support Your Gentle Business Model

1. Helps Your Ideal Client Find You

A website provides a calmer, saner way to help people find you. Many small business owners burn out because they are constantly on the content creation wheel, posting endless content and getting nowhere. The world of social media is frenetic, and while setting up a website can require some work upfront, it results in a much more sustainable way to connect with your audience.

This doesn’t mean you have to abandon social media altogether. Some business owners like to stay connected on social media platforms and want to keep it as a marketing method. However it does mean that you can use your social accounts in a way that feels more genuine.

2. Carves Out a Space on the Web That You Can Control

One of the best things about having a website for your gentle business is that it’s your very own little corner of the web. You can make it look and feel the way you want. When you’re on social media, it’s not really your space. You’re playing by other people’s rules, and all kinds of things might show up in your feed, since an algorithm is ultimately in charge of what you see.

A website, on the other hand, is created and designed to reflect your specific business and personality. It can help to think of your website as an office, studio, or home. When you design it like a physical space—with easy navigation, pretty aesthetics, and a warm and inviting vibe—clients feel welcomed and want to stay and spend time.

3. Encourages Your Clients to Slow Down and Connect

This thoughtful design of your website can also encourage visitors to slow down and take in the vibe of your business. Exploring a website often feels more fulfilling to people because they can get all the answers they need in one place, explore topics of interest to them, and get to know you and your business at their leisure.

4. Provides Steady Marketing Growth

A well-run website can take some time and effort to set up in the beginning. But once you’ve created it, a site requires minimal upkeep compared to other forms of marketing. A website can also grow in authority simply by the amount of time it exists, so your credibility is always growing surely but steadily in the background. Search engines like websites that have been around for a while, and often prioritize older web pages over new ones because of the authority they’ve garnered over time. Which means that the sooner you get your website up and running, the sooner and longer you can reap the benefits of gentle and sustainable marketing growth.

5. Establishes You as a True Expert

It’s not just about the amount of time your site has been on the internet. Even if your business is new on the web, people will take your business more seriously if it has a professional-looking website rather than just a social media presence. Having a website sends the message that your business is the real deal and that you know what you’re talking about.

This impression is also helped by your website’s content. Creating content on your website (or blog, which we’ll talk about next week) allows you to go deeper into topics of interest to your clients. On social media, you’re limited to bite-sized, flashy snippets of information, which is fine as an intro. But if people want to know more, they can go to your site and take a deep dive into your impressive content library where they’ll find answers, tips, and inspiration.

6. Centralizes Your Business

A website provides a home base for your business. It doesn’t need to replace any other forms of marketing, so if you so choose, you can continue to engage in social media, email, Facebook ads, or any of your other ongoing outreach campaigns. All of these other methods, however, are disjointed and scattered unless you have a central hub (a.k.a. your website) that they’re radiating out from. With a website, all of your marketing can radiate out from (and connect back to) your website, keeping everything coherent, grounded, and on-brand.

7. Saves You Time

A good website will have most of the information potential clients need right there. This allows them to get their questions answered without having to get in touch with you directly, which boosts your credibility and saves you time.

You’ll also save time on content creation with a website, since most of your information won’t change that much, and you can update content on an as-needed basis. You can put your efforts into new content creation only as much as you feel you can handle, knowing that the pressure is off. Your website is taking on most of the burden of helping people find you, informing them about your brand, and answering their questions.

Your Website: An Essential Tool for Your Gentle Business

If you’ve never had a website before, it can feel like just one more thing to add to your never-ending to-do list as a business owner. But in fact, the opposite is true. I consider a website one of the essential tools of a gentle business in today’s competitive world precisely because it gives you an edge with minimal effort. Running a gentle business is very much about working smarter and in ways that free up your time and mental energy so that you can get back to feeling passionate about what you do.