Some people choose to get their own website because that serves as proof to other people that they are cool and relevant in the 21st century. It is certainly true that getting your own website does prove that you (or someone you paid) demonstrated certain relevant skills and talents to create a website that is viewable to the entire world. But, so what?

Having a website so you can say your domain name aloud to other people should serve a personal branding purpose: You should say your domain name aloud to other people with the specific intent of motivating them to go look at your website right away.

Having a website so you can promote your domain name on a business card or in mainstream media channels (radio, television, newspapers, magazines, etc.) should serve a personal branding purpose: You should have the specific intention of driving visitors to go look at your website right away.

Setting up a website as proof that you are cool and relevant in the 21st century but not following up by promoting the existence of that website to other people is the equivalent of having physical printed business cards created for you in full color with classy and glossy printing on both sides, but never handing those fancy cards out to anybody. This usually means that you must pay somebody to promote your website.

You may have thought that if you spent time and money to get a website that you would not have to spend any more time or money beyond that initial investment. Sorry, but real life in the business world of the Internet does not work that way at all.

Either you have to pay for advertising in one or more of the mainstream media channels (radio, television, newspapers, magazines, etc.), or you will have to pay for marketing your website using the Internet. Either way, you will have to pay money to somebody, or, you will have to spend your own time (which is worth money).

The honest truth is that there is no way to avoid this additional expenditure of money for promoting the existence of your website above and beyond the initial investment to get your website in the first place.

This is why I recommend getting a website that ATTRACTS VISITORS as part of why it exists. You can certainly use a website to serve as proof that you are someone in the 21st century who knows how to use technology, but as I have shown here today, you are only doing one portion of the work of setting up a website unless your website is built to promote itself to your target audiences actively and on a full-time basis.

Remember: No matter how cool having a website may make you seem to be, unless that website is actively promoting itself and your personal brand on a full-time basis, that website is all imaginary coolness and very little else.