Do I Need a Website If I Already Have a Facebook Page?

What a Facebook page is genuinely good at

Facebook is not useless, and I'd never tell you to delete it. It's easy to post to, people already use it, and it's a natural home for recent photos, quick updates, and reviews from neighbors. For a lot of local businesses it's the first place someone checks to see whether you're still active.

Keep it. The question isn't Facebook or a website. It's whether Facebook alone is doing everything you need.

What Facebook can't do for you

• •You don't control it. Layout, reach, and rules change without asking you, and an account problem can take your whole online presence with it.
• •Your services are buried. Pricing, service areas, and what you actually do get scattered across old posts instead of sitting on a page someone can scan in ten seconds.
• •It's awkward for people who don't use Facebook. Some customers won't sign in, and some won't see your page at all.
• •Search engines can read a website's pages directly. Individual pages with clear titles and headings can be matched to what someone typed.
• •There's no real form. A website can collect a structured request — name, phone, what they need — instead of a message thread you have to dig through.

To be clear: having a website doesn't guarantee Google sends you traffic. It means you have something for Google to find, and something to point every ad, business card, and truck decal at. See can a website help my business show up on Google.

Signs a website would help you now

• •People keep messaging you the same basic questions about price, hours, or whether you cover their town.
• •You want to run ads or hand out cards and need one clear place to send people.
• •You're competing against businesses that already have a site.
• •You want inquiries organized instead of mixed in with personal messages.
• •You do work you're proud of and want it presented properly rather than as a post from last March.

Signs you can wait

If you're fully booked from word of mouth, don't advertise, and have no plans to grow, a Facebook page plus a Google Business Profile may be enough for now. Spend the money when you want more control or more volume — not because someone told you a website is mandatory. On that note, see does a Google Business Profile replace a website and do I need a website if my work comes from referrals.

The practical middle ground

The simplest useful setup is a small website as your home base, with Facebook for day-to-day posting, linked in both directions. Your website explains and captures; Facebook keeps you visible and social. A one-page site is often plenty to start — see what a website should include and what one costs.

If you're not sure which side of the line you're on, send me what you have and I'll tell you straight.