Get the Social Media Icons Off of Your Site

The internet is a vast, distraction-filled space, and social media is one of its biggest attention traps. While social media can play a positive role in bringing new visitors to your website, it should always be a one-way street. Every click and scroll away from your website diminishes the chance of converting a visitor into a client. Here’s why social media icons on your site’s main pages are counterproductive.

Social Media Should Drive Traffic To Your Website—Not From It

When used effectively, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn can help bring new eyes to your site. This inbound flow is valuable, creating new opportunities for engagement. But once you’ve captured a visitor’s attention on your website, the last thing you want is to risk them getting sidetracked by the social media “rabbit hole.” In most cases, once they’re gone, there’s no guarantee they’ll make it back.

Focus on Conversions—Not on Losing Visitors to Distractions

The primary goal of your website is conversion. Everything on each page should guide visitors toward taking action—whether that’s filling out a contact form, making a call, or scheduling a consultation. When you add social media icons in prominent places, you’re inviting visitors to leave. And with platforms designed to keep users scrolling, it’s easy for them to forget why they visited your site in the first place.

Think about it: you’ve already done the hard work of attracting a potential client to your site. Why risk losing that progress by letting them wander off to social media? The only destination you want your website visitor to reach is the next step in your funnel—contacting you, not checking their feed.

Once They’re Here, Keep Them Here

Having social media icons on your website is like a lifeguard tossing someone who was just pulled from the waves right back into the ocean. Once a visitor has landed on your site, every interaction should build toward a conversion—not create exits. You’ve brought them here; now let’s keep them here. Guiding them through your website in a structured way not only increases the likelihood of conversion but also ensures they’re engaging with content that positions you as the solution to their needs.

But What If They Want to Follow Us on Social Media?

If followers are important to your business, there are less distracting ways to encourage social engagement. For example, adding a social media link in the footer or as part of an email follow-up is far less disruptive than having an icon right in the main navigation. You’re not ignoring social media; you’re just using it strategically to serve your goals.

The Bottom Line: Keep Visitors Focused

Ultimately, every element on your website should serve the purpose of guiding visitors toward contacting you. Adding social media icons doesn’t help with that mission. So, as you evaluate your site, consider whether those icons are helping you achieve your goals—or whether they’re an invitation to distractions that can pull clients away before they even get a chance to connect with you.