As third-party platforms continue to grow and enhance their capabilities, the necessity for traditional websites will diminish.

If you had asked me ten years ago if businesses need a fully-equipped website, I would have found the question absurd and responded with an emphatic yes. But nowadays, the question is more complicated, especially with the availability of superior third-party platforms that offer built-in audiences and lower development and overhead costs.

Take my own experience as an example. Years ago, I started a blogging business using WordPress — the most popular website for bloggers back then. However, WordPress also demanded much of my time and money to maintain. Not to mention the rigorous SEO and marketing efforts required to attract readers to the site regularly.

Fast forward a few years, and I’ve ditched the personal blog site and write exclusively on Medium. It took minutes to learn and set up, and I can reach a relevant audience while also reducing the time and money needed to run a traditional website.

Sure, I gave up some customization options, but that’s a minor trade-off in the grand scheme. The convenience and reach offered by Medium far outweigh the benefits of a personal website.

But it’s not just writers like me who have the luxury of eliminating a conventional website via a third-party platform. Whether you sell or market information, products, or services, there’s likely a platform you can leverage to replace or perform the heavy lifting of your site.

For example, a local restaurant in my neck of the woods called GoBurger strategically utilizes GrubHub to host their menu and order transactions. Their actual website is an outdated landing page directing customers to GrubHub and their social network.

This strategy of not having a conventional website does not appear to hurt them, as they always seem busy, and from what I hear, they plan on opening more restaurants.

GoBurger saves a ton by not hiring web designers or technicians to develop or maintain their site — allowing them to focus on their incredible burgers. As a customer, I prefer the GrubHub…