Do you need a website if you have a Facebook page?
Short answer: keep the Facebook page, and get a website. Here's why one doesn't replace the other.
By Scott McArthur, KingsWay Sites. . 4 minute read.
I hear this one a lot, usually from owners who've done fine on word of mouth and a Facebook page for years. It's a fair question. Facebook is free and your customers are already on it. Here's why I still tell people they need both.
You don't own your Facebook page
Facebook decides who sees your posts, what your page looks like and whether your account stays up. Pages get hacked, locked and buried all the time. A website on your own domain is the one spot online that's fully yours.
People don't search Facebook for a plumber
When someone needs a service, they search Google. They type "electrician in Mansfield" or "roof repair near me" and pick from what comes up. A Facebook page rarely shows up for those searches. A website with your services and towns on it can.
Not everyone is on Facebook
Plenty of your future customers don't have an account or won't log in to look at your page. A website opens for everyone, on any phone, without signing in.
A website turns a search into a job
A good site answers the questions people have before they call: what you do, where you work, what it looks like and how to reach you. Then it gives them a quote form that lands in your inbox. That's hard to pull off with a Facebook page.
Use them together
- Use Facebook for updates, photos of recent jobs and staying in touch with past customers.
- Use your website to get found on Google and turn new people into calls and quote requests.
- Link them to each other, and keep your name, phone and towns the same on both.
If you're running on a Facebook page alone, I'll build a free mock of what your website could look like, using the photos and info you already have. Pricing is on the pricing page.
Quick answers
Is a Facebook page enough for a small business?
It's a good start for staying in touch with customers, but it rarely shows up when people search Google for a service in their town. Most local businesses need a website too.
Does a website help my Google Business Profile?
Yes. Linking a website gives customers somewhere to learn more and contact you, and your site and profile back each other up when they show the same name, phone and towns.