Do I Really Need a Website If I Have LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is great for networking, but it's not your website. Here's why executives and consultants need their own domain, even with an active LinkedIn profile.
It’s the most common question we hear from executives and consultants: “I already have LinkedIn. Why would I need a website?”
It’s a fair question. LinkedIn is a powerful platform. You’re probably already active there, your network is there, and it works. So why invest in something separate?
The answer comes down to one thing: control.
LinkedIn is LinkedIn’s platform, not yours
On LinkedIn, you’re one of a billion profiles that all look the same. Same layout, same blue, same template. Your profile sits right next to sponsored ads and suggested connections to your competitors.
You don’t control the design, the messaging, or even the algorithm that decides who sees your content. LinkedIn could change its layout tomorrow, and your carefully crafted profile would look completely different.
Your own website is your space. You control the narrative, the design, the first impression. Nothing competes for attention on your own domain.
The Google test
Here’s the real question: what happens when someone Googles your name?
Most executives have done this at some point, and most aren’t thrilled with the results. Maybe it’s a LinkedIn profile, a few old press mentions, or worse, someone else with the same name.
With your own domain, you own the top result. When a potential client, board member, or journalist searches for you, they find exactly what you want them to see. That’s not vanity. It’s professional reputation management.
Referrals don’t end at the introduction
“I get all my clients through referrals. I don’t need a website.”
We hear this often, and it actually proves the opposite. Here’s what happens after a referral: the referred person Googles you. Every time.
They’re not questioning the referral. They’re doing their due diligence. And what they find either reinforces the referral or introduces doubt.
A professional website doesn’t replace referrals. It converts the referrals you’re already getting into actual conversations.
LinkedIn and your website serve different purposes
Think of it this way:
- LinkedIn is your resume, great for networking, connecting, and staying visible in professional circles
- Your website is your , the place someone lands when they’re ready to learn more, evaluate you, or make a decision
They’re complementary, not competing. LinkedIn drives traffic to your site. Your site closes the deal.
The credibility signal
There’s a subtle but powerful signal that comes with having your own domain: it says you take your professional brand seriously.
In industries like consulting, interim management, and advisory work, where you are , having a polished personal site communicates the same attention to detail that clients expect in your actual work.
A LinkedIn profile says “I exist.” A personal website says “I mean business.”
It’s simpler than you think
The biggest misconception is that building a website means weeks of meetings, thousands of euros, and ongoing technical headaches.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Modern professional websites can be designed, built, and launched in days, not months. No maintenance burden, no technical knowledge required on your end.
And you don’t have to stop using LinkedIn. Keep doing everything you’re doing there. Your website simply makes all of that more effective by giving you a home base that you actually own.
The question isn’t really whether you need a website. It’s whether you can afford to let someone else control how you show up online.
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