It's one of the most common questions I get from local business owners: "I've already got a Facebook page and a Google listing — do I actually need a website as well?" It's a fair question. Both are free, both put you in front of customers, and both take real effort to keep going. So why pay for a third thing?
Here's the honest answer. A Facebook page and a Google Business Profile are genuinely useful, and you should absolutely have both. But neither one replaces a website, and using them without one leaves money on the table. Let me explain exactly why.
What a Facebook page does well
Facebook (and Instagram) are brilliant for one thing above all else: reach. They're where you post updates, share photos of recent work, run the odd offer, and stay on people's radar. If someone already follows you, social media keeps you front of mind.
What it's not good at is convincing a brand-new customer to trust you. When someone lands on your Facebook page for the first time, they see a wall of posts in no particular order, no clear list of what you offer, no pricing, and no obvious way to take the next step. It's built to keep people scrolling on Facebook — not to send them to your business.
Where a Facebook page falls short
- You don't own it. Your account can be restricted or hacked, the algorithm can quietly bury your posts, and Facebook can change the rules whenever it likes. You're building on rented land.
- It doesn't show up properly on Google. When someone searches for what you do, a Facebook page rarely ranks the way a real website does — and it gives Google very little to actually rank.
- AI tools ignore it. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews pull their recommendations from websites, not social feeds. No website means you're invisible to a fast-growing channel.
- It all looks the same. Every Facebook page looks identical. A website is the one place online you control completely, so your business looks like yours.
What about a Google Business Profile?
Your Google Business Profile is arguably the single most valuable free tool a local business has. It's what puts you on Google Maps and in the "local pack" — those three businesses that show up with star ratings when someone searches "electrician near me". If you haven't claimed and optimised yours, that's the first thing to sort.
But a Google Business Profile is a summary, not a home. It shows your name, hours, reviews and a few photos — and that's about it. It can't tell your full story, show off a proper portfolio, explain your process, or lay out everything you offer. And here's the part most people miss: Google rewards profiles that link to a real, relevant website. The two work best as a pair. A strong profile sends people to a strong website, and the website makes your profile more credible in return.
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The businesses that pull ahead locally aren't choosing between these tools — they're using all three, each for what it's good at:
- Google Business Profile gets you found on Maps and in local searches.
- Social media keeps you visible and builds familiarity over time.
- Your website is the hub they all point to — the place that turns interest into an actual enquiry, and the thing Google and AI search rank and recommend.
Take your Facebook and Google presence away and your website still works. Take your website away and everything else is pushing people towards a dead end.
It doesn't have to be expensive
The reason a lot of owners lean on Facebook and Google alone is cost — they assume a website means a big bill and months of waiting. It doesn't. A clean, fast landing page that does the job properly can be built in days and starts paying for itself with the first enquiry it brings in. You don't need anything complicated to begin — just something you own, that looks the part, and is set up to be found.
The bottom line
Keep your Facebook page. Definitely sort your Google Business Profile. But don't mistake either of them for a website. They're the signposts — your website is the destination. Without one, you're sending every interested customer somewhere that was never designed to close the deal.