Plenty of great local businesses run everything through a Facebook page. It's free, your customers are already there, and posting takes seconds. So do you need a website as well? Here's our honest answer.
When we looked at 60 independent businesses across Cumbria and the North West in September 2026, 6 of them had no website at all, just a Facebook or Instagram page. Some were busy, well-reviewed shops, so it can work. But you're leaving a lot to chance.
Five Reasons to Have Both
1. Not Everyone Is on Facebook
Some of your customers don't use it, and people who aren't logged in often get asked to sign in before they can see much of your page. A website opens for everyone, on any phone.
2. Google Shows Websites First
When someone searches for what you do in your town, Google shows businesses' own websites and their Google Business Profiles. A Facebook page can appear, but you have far less say in what people see. (Our guide to setting up your Google Business Profile covers the other half.)
3. You Don't Own Your Facebook Page
Pages get hacked, accounts get locked, rules change and fewer followers see each post. Your website is yours: nobody can switch it off or decide who sees it.
4. The Important Things Get Buried
Opening times, prices, how to book and where to park slide down the feed under this week's posts. A website keeps them one tap away, every time.
5. It Shows You're Established
Before people spend real money, or travel to see you, they check you're real. A proper website with your own address says you're here to stay.
"Use Facebook for the chat and the news. Use your website as your shop window: the place where everything important is always right."
What a Simple Website Needs
It doesn't need to be big. Four to six pages cover most local businesses:
- Who you are, and what you offer, with good photos
- Your opening times, kept up to date
- Where to find you, with a map and parking
- A Book or Call button on every page
- A contact form that lands in your inbox
And make sure you can change it yourself, so it stays as fresh as your Facebook page.
Keep Your Facebook Page
This isn't either-or. Keep posting on Facebook, and link your posts to your website for anything people need to act on: booking, prices, opening times. Put your website address on your Facebook page, and your Facebook page on your website. Each one makes the other work harder.
The Short Version
Facebook is a great place to talk to customers. A website is where they go to decide, book and find you. If you've only got one, you're relying on Facebook to do both jobs. A small, simple website you can update yourself fixes that, and it's what we set up for businesses every week.