Do I Really Need a Website If I'm Already on Facebook?

Short answer: yes, you still need a website. Facebook is useful, but you don't own it — Meta does. If your page gets restricted, hacked, or the algorithm stops showing your posts, your entire online presence disappears overnight. A website is the one corner of the internet that's genuinely yours.

Your Facebook page is rented space

Think of social media like a market stall in someone else's building. You can set it up, arrange it nicely, and bring in customers — but you're there at the landlord's pleasure.

Meta can change its rules at any time. It can reduce how many of your followers see your posts (it already has, repeatedly). It can suspend your account if it thinks you've broken a policy, even if you haven't. And if the platform ever falls out of fashion — as MySpace and Google+ did before it — your entire online presence goes with it.

A website is different. You own the domain. You control the content. No algorithm decides whether your customers can see what you're offering.

"But my customers are all on Facebook"

This might be true right now. But it doesn't mean they *search* on Facebook.

When someone needs a plumber at 9pm, they Google "emergency plumber near me". They don't scroll Facebook. When someone wants to book a dog groomer, they search Google. When a local business owner wants to find a graphic designer, they search Google.

Google processes roughly 8.5 billion searches a day. Facebook is where people look at holiday photos and argue about football. They're doing different jobs.

If you don't have a website, you simply don't exist in those search results. No matter how many Facebook followers you have.

The trust problem

Here's something worth thinking about. When someone hears about your business for the first time — whether from a friend, a Facebook ad, or a leaflet through their door — what's the first thing they do?

They Google you.

If nothing comes up, or if all they find is a Facebook page, that creates doubt. It signals a business that either isn't established enough to have a website, or doesn't take itself seriously enough to have one. That might not be fair, but it's how people think.

A proper website — even a simple one — says: *this is a real business that's been around a while and knows what it's doing.*

What Facebook is actually good for

This isn't an argument against Facebook. It's still useful.

If you run a local service business, Facebook is great for community word-of-mouth. Joining local groups, running simple ads targeting people in your area, posting updates that feel human — all of that has real value.

But social media works best as a channel that *drives people to your website*, not as a replacement for it. Your website is where people book appointments, request quotes, read about your services, and make a decision to trust you. Facebook is where they discover you.

The practical argument: you get more control

With a website, you can:

• Show up in Google search results for what you actually do
• Collect customer email addresses (which you own — unlike Facebook followers)
• Run Google Ads if you want to
• Put your website on business cards, van signage, and flyers without it looking temporary
• Build a professional email address that matches your domain (hello@yourbusiness.co.uk rather than yourbusiness123@gmail.com)

None of that is possible if your only online presence is a Facebook page.

"I can't afford a website"

This is the most common reason people give for not having one — and it's become less true than it used to be.

A basic brochure website — the kind that tells people who you are, what you do, where you work, and how to get in touch — doesn't have to cost thousands of pounds. At SME Shack, we build them from £0 (yes, genuinely free) for small businesses who just need something solid to point people to.

The question isn't really whether you can afford a website. It's whether you can afford not to have one.

What about Instagram? WhatsApp Business? TikTok?

The same logic applies to every social platform. They're all useful as discovery channels. None of them replace a website.

Instagram can be taken away from you. TikTok has been threatened with bans in multiple countries. WhatsApp Business is great for conversations, but it's not a searchable online presence.

Your website is the foundation. Everything else sits on top of it.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can't I just use a free website builder like Wix instead of paying for a proper website?

A: Yes — a Wix site is far better than no website at all. The main limitations are that it's harder to rank well in Google search, you're tied to Wix's platform long-term, and it can look a bit generic. If budget is genuinely tight, start with a basic builder to get something live, then upgrade when you're ready.

Q: My Facebook page has 2,000 followers. Isn't that more valuable than a website?

A: Those followers are valuable — but only as long as Facebook decides to show them your posts, which it does less and less without paid promotion. You can't export that audience and take it elsewhere. An email list or a website you control is worth more long-term because it can't be taken away from you.

Q: I'm a sole trader and just starting out. Do I really need a website straight away?

A: Not necessarily on day one — but sooner rather than later. Even a one-page site that explains what you do, where you work, and how to get in touch is enough to start with. It gives you a professional presence while you're getting established, and it starts building your Google presence from the beginning.

Q: What if my business is entirely word-of-mouth?

A: Word-of-mouth is brilliant — it's still the most effective form of marketing. But even word-of-mouth customers will Google you before they call. A website makes sure they find something reassuring when they do. It validates the recommendation they just received.