Is a Facebook Page Enough? Why Your Business May Need a Website

In today's digital age, having an online presence is essential for businesses of all sizes. While social media platforms like Facebook offer a quick and easy way to connect with customers, they may not be enough to fully support your businesses needs. In this post, we'll explore the limitations of relying solely on a Facebook page and discuss why a dedicated website may be a good idea for your business.

Some Benefits of a Website for Your Business Over a Facebook Page

Search Engine Visibility

Websites can be tailor-built and optimised with various SEO techniques to rank in Google Search for specific keywords and targeting your local area; gaining you traffic and potential customers from people looking for services near you. A Facebook Page can’t do this and generally the only way new people to discover your business via Facebook is friends & family sharing your page or if you pay to advertise your Facebook page.

Professional Appearance

As a business offering a professional service, you want to appear professional online. A professional-looking and well-built website leaves a good impression on someone looking at your business. The saying is that your website is your ‘shop window’ - meaning you want a good looking shop front as a first impression, to draw interest into your business.

Customisation & Persistent Content

A website can be purpose-built to your business, and you’re not limited to the template of a Facebook Page. For example, your website could feature a Portfolio page to showcase your best work, Case Studies and Client Success Stories, Testimonials, Price Lists, Frequently Asked Questions, Guides, Tips and Recommendations etc…. The possibilities of content on a website are endless and don’t just vanish down a Facebook Feed after some time.

24/7 information

Having all this information on your website, it gives your customers a complete source of information which is always accessible. They can learn a lot about your service and the quality you provide before ever picking up the phone. It instils trust and also has the added benefit of potentially reducing the number of people contacting you directly for common questions you get asked often.

Analytics and Insights

With a website, you can add analytics to track user behaviour, conversions, and other valuable metrics. You can actually see how much value you get out of your website and see if it’s worth it for yourself. Facebook does offer Insights but it’s fairly basic in comparison.

Key features of a professional, well-built Website

We often see people with a poorly-built website, usually built with Wix, Squarespace or another ‘Website Builder’, and claim it simply doesn’t get them results and it isn’t worth having over a Facebook page. The thing is, building a website with these services introduces a whole load of other problems and, quite simply, have very poor ranking potential in search results, as well as bad usability. Not to mention they usually don’t look very professional either. We wrote an article about the downsides of website builders if you’re interested. But, generally, a website should work for you and a proper, well-built one will be benefiting you more than what you have invested in it.

Some key features and benefits of a well-built website are:

• Fast Loading Speeds: Improves user experience and boosts SEO rankings
• High-Quality Content: Engaging and informative content attracts and retains visitors, and gets you ranking for keywords.
• Built with SEO in Mind: And optimised to improve your website's visibility in search engine results.
• Purpose Built: No unnessecary code and built exactly to what you need. Wix, WordPress and other website builders have a lot of bloat to them.
• Professional Design: A professional looking website that reflects your professional service, and looks great and functions seamlessly on all devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile).
• User-Friendly Navigation: Allows people to quickly and effectively find information on your website.
• Accessibility: Ensures your website is accessible to people with disabilities.

Making the Decision: Do you need a website?

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to invest in a website is up to you. However, considering these factors can help you make an informed choice.

Consider Your Business Goals

• Are you wanting to expand your potential reach through potentially ranking locally in Google Search?
• Are you wanting to establish a strong brand and professional presence to build trust online?
• Would you like information about your business or services readily-available for potential customers to easily access?

These are some questions you should be asking yourself if you’re not sure if a website is right for your business.

Evaluate Your Budget and Resources

You have to see if you can afford the expense of a website. Especially if you’re on a tight budget you might have to think this through a bit more.

People usually think a custom built, professional website is going to be a big up-front expense. But we’ve tried to make them more affordable to small businesses through offering websites at no-upfront cost and a simple, consistent monthly fee. This makes it a small, predictable expense every month. And, generally, people find they’re getting more value out of the website than they’re spending every month.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice is yours. We hope you found value in this blog post, and if you have any questions or just want some advice about anything digital be sure to get in contact and we’d be happy to help with whatever your needs may be.