Do you need a website if you have a Facebook page?

Plenty of small businesses start with a Facebook page, and it makes sense. It’s free, it takes an afternoon to set up, and your friends and past customers are already there. So when someone asks whether you need a website as well, the honest first reaction is often “why bother?”

Here is what a Facebook page does well, where it falls short, and how to tell whether you need a website now.

The short answer

Do I need a website for my small business? If most of your new work comes from people searching on Google, yes. If almost all of it comes from people who already know you, a Facebook page can carry you for a while. Most local service businesses sit somewhere in between, and for them a simple website plus an active Facebook page works better than either one alone.

What a Facebook page does well

A Facebook page is good at keeping in touch with people who already know you. It is handy for:

• Sharing photos of recent jobs, new stock or specials.
• Letting regular customers know about holiday hours or a new service.
• Answering quick questions through Messenger.
• Collecting recommendations from happy customers.
• Running Facebook ads to people in your area.

None of that is wasted effort. The problem starts when the page is the only place a new customer can check you out.

Where a Facebook page falls short

It rarely shows up when people search

When someone types “electrician Gosford” or “dog groomer near me” into Google, the results are mostly Google Business Profiles in the map and websites below them. Facebook pages do appear sometimes, mainly when someone searches your business name. For the searches where people don’t know you yet, a page usually isn’t in the running.

You don’t own it

Facebook sets the rules, the layout and who sees your posts. Pages get locked, hacked or restricted, and getting help can be slow. If that happens, your main shopfront disappears overnight. A website on your own domain stays yours, whatever happens to any one platform.

Not everyone uses Facebook

Some of your best potential customers don’t have an account, or don’t like being asked to log in to see more. A website opens for anyone, on any device, with no sign-up.

Your important details get buried

On a Facebook page, your newest post sits at the top. Your services, prices, service area and licence details sit lower down or behind a tab. A website lets you put the things a new customer needs first, in the order you choose.

It is harder to look established

Fairly or not, many people judge a business by its website. A clear site with your own domain and email address (you@yourbusiness.com.au rather than a free webmail address) makes a small business look settled and trustworthy, especially for bigger jobs.

It is harder to measure

With a website you can track how many people call or send an enquiry, which pages they read and where they came from. That matters a lot the moment you spend money on advertising, because it tells you what is working.

Signs you need a website now

• You want new customers, not just repeat ones. People who don’t know you yet mostly start on Google.
• You plan to run Google Ads. Google Ads sends people to a web page. A Facebook page makes a poor landing page because you can’t control what visitors see first or track enquiries properly.
• Customers keep asking the same questions. Prices, areas, opening hours and how a job works can all live on a website, so you spend less time repeating yourself.
• You offer several different services. Each one deserves its own page so people searching for that service can find it.
• You sell bigger jobs. The more a customer is about to spend, the more they research you first.

When a Facebook page is enough, for now

There are times a page can carry a business for a while:

• You are fully booked from referrals and regulars.
• You are testing an idea or a side business before committing.
• Your customers are a close local community who already follow you.

Even then, set up a free Google Business Profile so you can appear on Google Maps. Our guide to Google Business Profile fixes that bring in more calls covers the quick wins.

How a website and Facebook work together

You don’t have to pick one. The two do different jobs:

• Google Business Profile helps people find you on the map.
• האתר שלכם shows what you do, where you work and how to contact you.
• Your Facebook page keeps you in front of people who already know you, with photos, news and offers.

Link them together. Put your website on your Facebook page and Google Business Profile, and link to your Facebook page from your website. A website also gives AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers clear facts to quote about your business.

What a basic small business website needs

A first website can be small. Start with:

• A home page that says what you do and where, in plain words.
• One page for each main service.
• Your service area written as text, not only on a map.
• A tap-to-call phone number and a short enquiry form.
• Real photos of your work, plus your licence, insurance and reviews where they apply.

Our guide to what a tradie website needs to win more calls goes through each of these in detail, and most of it applies to any local service business.

What does it cost?

A website costs more than a free Facebook page, but it doesn’t need to be a big upfront bill. Our professional AI website is from $49 a month, and you see your website free before you buy, so you can compare it side by side with your Facebook page before spending anything.

See your website before you decide

Not sure a website is worth it next to your Facebook page? We will build a draft website for your business so you can judge the real thing. It is from $49 a month, and you see your website free before you buy.

See my free website draft ←

FAQ

Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?

If you want new customers who find you through Google, yes. A Facebook page is good for staying in touch with people who already know you, but it rarely appears in local service searches, and a website gives you a place you own and control.

Can a Facebook page replace a website for a small business?

For a short time, and only if most of your work comes from referrals and regulars. Once you want to be found by new customers or run Google Ads, a website does jobs a Facebook page can’t.

Does a Facebook page help with Google rankings?

Not much for service searches. Your Google Business Profile and website do most of the work there; a Facebook page mainly helps when people search your business name.

How much does a basic small business website cost?

It depends on the number of pages, who writes the words and the features you need. Our professional AI website is from $49 a month, and you see your website free before you buy.