Have a fucking website
Owning a simple, independent website is argued to be essential for businesses and creators who currently rely on Instagram, Facebook, or Google Maps for basics like menus, hours, and pricing. Commenters weigh this against the real barriers for small, non-technical owners: time pressure, confusing hosting/DNS/TLS setup, predatory or pricey web agencies, and the fact that most customers already discover them via big platforms. Many see a minimal, static site plus platform profiles as an ideal compromise, but note that the modern web’s complexity and the rise of AI scraping have made “just have a website” far less straightforward than it sounds.
Value of Having a Website
- Many agree businesses (restaurants, salons, trades, artists) should have a simple site with hours, location, pricing, menu/services, and contact info.
- Some see lack of a website in 2026 as a red flag for professionalism, unless the Google Maps profile is very complete.
- Websites are viewed as more durable and controllable than social accounts, and better for things like bookings, ordering, and reducing phone interruptions.
Why Many Small Businesses Don’t
- Owners are time-poor, focused on survival, and often non-technical; even learning tools feels overwhelming.
- For many, customers already come via Instagram, Facebook, Google Maps, Yelp, TikTok, delivery apps or aggregators; a separate site feels like extra, low-ROI work.
- Menus, hours, and offers change frequently; posting a photo or story on IG is easier than maintaining a site.
- Some local “web dev” offerings are seen as predatory or overcomplicated (WordPress, custom CMS, ongoing retainers).
Tools, Hosting, and Technical Barriers
- Technical readers underestimate friction in concepts like domains, DNS, VPS, TLS, nginx, Git, even “plain HTML”.
- Others argue it’s “solved” with Wix/Squarespace/Shopify/WordPress/Google Sites, or static hosts (Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, GitHub Pages, B2+Cloudflare), but acknowledge these are still too nerdy for many.
- Debate over Squarespace/Wix pricing: some call ~$20/month “ridiculously expensive”, others “ridiculously cheap” relative to business value.
- Suggestions for ultra-simple site builders (like “GitHub Pages without Git”) and anecdotes of niche products targeting this, often with weak uptake.
Platforms vs Open Web
- Strong resentment of “walled gardens” (Meta, X/Twitter, Instagram) for locking in content, blocking logged-out users, and enshittifying UX.
- Counterpoint: platforms are where customers already are, free, and easy to update; many small businesses thrive on IG-only presences.
- Some propose government- or nonprofit-run directory/hosting services analogous to Yellow Pages; others object to taxpayer funding or bias risks.
AI/LLMs and Websites
- Skepticism that LLMs “bridge the gap” for normies: you still need requirements, hosting, domains, payments, updates.
- A few anecdotes of kids or developers using LLMs to quickly spin up and deploy static sites, but even then hosting/billing/maintenance remain friction.
- Some refuse to run public sites at all due to LLM scraping and “digital sharecropping” concerns.
Other Themes
- TLS and modern browser “not secure” warnings are seen as making long-lived low-maintenance sites harder.
- Calls for minimalist, static, accessible sites without heavy JS; nostalgia for Geocities/FrontPage and praise for Neocities.
- Notable discomfort with the article’s performative profanity and inflammatory political language; others find that tone authentic or effective.