I get asked this constantly, usually by someone whose Facebook page is genuinely working. So let me give a fair answer rather than the one that sells a website.
When Social Media Genuinely Is Enough
There are real cases where you can skip a website, at least for now:
- You are fully booked from referrals and not trying to grow.
- Your work is entirely visual and impulse-driven — some cake makers, nail technicians and small craft sellers do genuinely well on Instagram alone.
- You are testing an idea and not ready to spend money on it yet.
- Your customers are all in one local Facebook group and that is genuinely where the trade happens.
If that is you, spend the £499 elsewhere for now. I would rather tell you that than sell you something you do not need.
The Four Things a Facebook Page Cannot Do
1. Appear when someone searches for your service
This is the big one. Someone in Bradford types "emergency plumber near me" into Google. Your Facebook page will not be in those results — not because it is bad, but because Google ranks web pages for service searches, and social profiles carry almost none of the local signals that decide those rankings.
Those searches are people actively looking to hire, right now, who have never heard of you. Social media does not reach them. That is the gap.
2. Belong to you
Your Facebook page exists at Meta's discretion. Accounts get disabled by automated systems, sometimes wrongly, sometimes with no meaningful appeal. If it happens, you lose your photos, your reviews, your customer messages and your audience overnight.
People assume this is a scare story until it happens to someone they know. A domain you own cannot be taken away by an algorithm.
3. Be shown to everyone who follows you
Organic reach on a Facebook business page is a small fraction of your followers. You built that audience; the platform decides how many of them see you, and increasingly the answer is "pay to reach them". Your website shows everything to everyone who visits.
4. Answer questions properly
Prices, service areas, qualifications, insurance, how you work, what happens next. On social these are scattered across posts and comments. Customers give up looking and ring a competitor whose website answers it in ten seconds.
The one that convinces most people
Someone recommends you to a friend. The friend searches your business name. If nothing comes up, or the top result is a Facebook page last posted to in March, the recommendation loses its force. A website does not just win new searches — it makes your existing word of mouth convert better.
They Do Different Jobs
This is not either/or, and framing it that way is where people go wrong:
- Social media is for people who already know you. Staying visible, showing personality, sharing recent work, keeping regulars engaged.
- Your website is for people who do not know you. Capturing search demand, answering questions, converting strangers into enquiries.
The businesses that do best use both, and link them: social posts drive people to the site, the site displays the social feed and reviews.
The Numbers
A starter site is £499 one-off. Hosting and domain are roughly £50-150 a year. There is no monthly fee unless you want maintenance.
For most trades and local services, one job won through search covers it. After that it is running at a profit — and unlike advertising, it does not stop working when you stop paying.
A Reasonable Test
Ask yourself: if someone in my town needed exactly what I do tomorrow, and had never heard of me, how would they find me?
If the honest answer is "they wouldn't", that is what a website fixes. If the answer is "someone would tag me in a Facebook group", you may genuinely be fine for now — and it is worth knowing that is the whole of your marketing.
If you decide it is time, get in touch for a fixed quote, or read what actually goes into a local business website.
Common Questions
Can a Facebook page rank on Google?
The page itself can appear for your business name, but it will not compete for service searches like "plumber Wakefield". Google ranks web pages, and social profiles carry almost none of the local signals it uses for those results.
Is a website worth it if all my work comes from word of mouth?
Word of mouth now runs through Google — someone recommends you, and the next thing the customer does is search your name. What they find at that moment either confirms the recommendation or undermines it. That is the main reason referral-led businesses still benefit from a site.
How much does a basic website cost?
A five-page starter site is £499 as a one-off, with hosting and domain running roughly £50-150 a year afterwards. There is no monthly fee unless you choose a maintenance plan.
Can I keep using Facebook if I get a website?
You should. They do different jobs — social keeps existing customers engaged, the website captures people searching who have never heard of you. Businesses that use both do considerably better than those using either alone.