Do I need a website if my business is on Facebook?

Plenty of local businesses do well with just a Facebook page. If the phone's ringing and the diary's full, you might not need anything else. But a Facebook page and a website do different jobs, and relying on one alone has a few catches.

Not everyone is on Facebook

Lots of your potential customers either don't use it or won't message a business through it. When they search for a plumber or a garage, they open Google, not Facebook. If all you have is a Facebook page, they often won't find you, or they'll find a competitor first.

You don't own your Facebook page

Facebook decides who sees your posts, and that can change overnight. Pages get hacked, locked or buried, and there's not much you can do about it. A website is yours. Nobody can switch it off or decide your customers don't see it.

Facebook is a feed, not a brochure

The things customers want to know, like your prices, the areas you cover, your opening hours and how to book, get lost under months of posts. A website puts them in one place where people can find them in a few seconds.

It's about trust

Fair or not, a lot of people see a proper website as a sign of a proper business. If someone's choosing between two garages with similar reviews, the one with a clear, quick website usually gets the call.

When Facebook on its own is fine

• You're already as busy as you want to be.
• Nearly all your work comes from word of mouth and repeat customers.
• You're testing an idea and don't want to spend anything yet.

The best answer is usually both

Keep your Facebook page for posts, photos and chatting with regulars. Use a website for the basics and for people who've never heard of you. Link them to each other, and add a Google Business Profile so you show up on Google Maps as well.

It doesn't have to cost much. My one-page site is £495 and is built for exactly this: everything a customer needs on one page, set up on Google, with a contact form that comes straight to you.