Google’s Search Relations team was asked directly whether you still need a website in 2026. They didn’t give a one-size-fits-all answer.
The conversation stayed focused on trade-offs between owning a website and relying on platforms such as social networks or app stores.
In a new episode of the Search Off the Record podcast, Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt spent about 28 minutes exploring the question and repeatedly landed on the same conclusion: it depends.
What Was Said
Illyes and Splitt acknowledged that websites still offer distinct advantages,…

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