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

Plenty of Irish businesses have run happily for years on a Facebook page and word of mouth. It is free, your customers are already on it, and posting a photo of a finished job takes seconds. So it is a fair question: if Facebook is working, why pay for a website at all? The honest answer is that they do different jobs, and relying only on Facebook leaves gaps that cost you customers you never hear about.

What a Facebook page is good at

• Staying in touch with people who already know you. Regulars see your updates, offers and opening hours.
• Showing recent work. A steady stream of photos shows you are busy and active.
• Quick messages. Some customers prefer to send a message rather than ring.
• Word of mouth. Friends tag friends, and local community groups share recommendations.

None of that goes away when you get a website. The question is what Facebook does badly.

Where a Facebook page falls short

People searching on Google often won't find it

When someone searches for an electrician in Tralee or a café in Westport, Google shows its map listings and a list of websites. Facebook pages can appear in those results, but a page made mostly of posts and photos rarely tells Google clearly what you do and which areas you serve. A website built around your services and your town gives Google far more to work with.

Not everyone uses Facebook

Some of your potential customers do not have an account, and others will not log in just to check your prices. Parts of a Facebook page can be hidden or interrupted by login prompts for people who are not signed in. A website opens for everyone, on any device, with no account needed.

Important information gets buried

On a Facebook page the newest post sits at the top. Your price list from last spring, the photo of your best kitchen fit, the post explaining which towns you cover: all of it slides down the feed. On a website, your services, areas, prices and contact details stay exactly where you put them.

You don't control the platform

Meta sets the rules on Facebook and changes them when it likes. Pages can be restricted, hacked or locked, and getting help can be slow. How many of your followers see each post is decided by Meta, not by you. A website on your own domain is yours. If you change provider, your address and your content come with you.

It can look less established

This one is about perception rather than fact, but it matters. For bigger jobs like an extension, a wedding cake or a new roof, people often check whether a business has a proper website before they get in touch. A clear, professional site reassures them that you are established and easy to deal with.

What about Google Business Profile?

If you only do one thing this week, set up your free Google Business Profile. It is what puts you on Google Maps and in the map results for local searches, with your phone number, hours and reviews. Google used to offer simple websites through Business Profile, but it shut that feature down in 2024, so your profile now needs a separate website to link to. Our guide on getting your business on Google Maps in Ireland explains the steps.

Using Facebook and a website together

The businesses that do best online usually treat each channel as doing one job well:

• Your website is the permanent shop window: what you do, where, prices if you share them, and how to get in touch.
• Your Google Business Profile gets you found on Maps and collects reviews, and it links to your website.
• Facebook and Instagram keep you in front of people who already know you, and link back to your website for the details.

Put your website address in your Facebook page's About section and in your Instagram bio. When someone asks for a price list in the comments, send them the link instead of retyping it. Over time, more of your enquiries arrive with the details you need, because the customer has already read your services page.

Who can get by on Facebook alone?

Some businesses genuinely can. If you are fully booked by repeat customers and word of mouth, and you are not looking for new work, a Facebook page may be enough for now. The trouble is that you cannot see the customers who searched, did not find you and rang someone else. If you want to grow, or your work comes from people who do not already know you, a website is usually worth having.

A quick test you can do today

Open Google on your phone, without logging in to anything, and search for the main thing you do plus your town, the way a customer would. Then search for your business name. Note what comes up: your Facebook page, your Google listing, a directory, a competitor. If a stranger could not work out from those results what you do, where you cover and how to contact you within a few seconds, that is the gap a website fills. Try the same searches on a friend's phone too, since results can vary from person to person.

It doesn't have to be a big project

A small business website does not need dozens of pages. A clear home page, your services, the areas you cover, a few photos and a contact form will do most of the work. Sitefront builds exactly that for you in a few minutes, written for your trade and town, for €120 a year. See what we build for salons and tradespeople, or how the builder works.