I get this question a lot, especially from trades and restaurants around here. Plenty of good local businesses run entirely off a Facebook page, and some of them stay busy doing it. So let me be straight with you: Facebook is useful, and I'm not going to tell you to quit it.
But if Facebook is the only place your business lives online, you're leaving some doors closed. Here's how I see it.
What Facebook does well
Credit where it's due. A Facebook page is free, quick to set up, and easy to post to from your phone. It's great for:
- Sharing photos of recent jobs or today's special
- Letting regulars know about closures, new hours, or events
- Getting reviews and comments from people who already know you
- Showing up in local community groups, where a lot of word of mouth happens these days
If you've built a following on Facebook, that's worth protecting. Keep it going.
Where a Facebook-only setup falls short
Not everybody is on Facebook
Some of your future customers don't use Facebook, or barely do. Others won't log in just to check your hours. When they look up a business like yours, they want a quick answer: what you do, where you are, and how to reach you. Facebook doesn't always make that easy for people who aren't logged in, and it may ask them to sign in before they can keep scrolling.
People search Google, not Facebook
When somebody's AC quits in July, they don't scroll Facebook. They grab their phone and search "AC repair near me" or "plumber in Atmore." A website gives Google a clear picture of what you do and where you do it. A Facebook page can show up in search results too, but you have a lot less control over how it looks and what it says.
You don't own it
This is the big one for me. Your Facebook page lives on somebody else's platform, under their rules. If your account gets hacked, locked, or flagged by mistake, getting it back can be a real headache, and there's not much you can do in the meantime. Facebook also decides who sees your posts. A website on your own domain is yours, and nobody can switch it off on you, as long as you keep your domain renewed.
Your info gets buried
On Facebook, your services, prices, service area, and hours end up scattered across posts, the About tab, and whatever you shared last spring. A customer looking for a straight answer has to dig for it. A good website puts the important stuff right up front: what you do, the towns you cover, and a big button to call you.
It can look less established
Fair or not, a lot of people size up a business by its website. When somebody is choosing between two roofers, the one with a clean, professional site often looks more established than the one with only a Facebook page. That matters most on bigger jobs, where people want to feel sure about who they're hiring.
The best setup: both, working together
I don't think it's either/or. The businesses that do best online usually use both:
- Your website is home base. It has your services, service area, hours, photos of your work, reviews, and a way to call or request a quote. It's what shows up on Google, and it's what you control.
- Facebook is where you stay in touch. Post your recent jobs, specials, and updates there, and link back to your website.
- Your Google Business Profile ties it together. It's what shows up on Google Maps, and it should point to your website.
Each one sends people to the others, and if Facebook ever has a bad day, your business doesn't disappear with it.
What a simple website needs
You don't need anything fancy. For most local businesses, a few pages cover it:
- A home page that says what you do and where, with a big call button
- A services page, or a menu if you're a restaurant
- Photos of your work, your shop, or your food
- Reviews from real customers
- Hours, service area, and contact info that's easy to find on a phone
If you're in the trades, I go deeper in 5 things every HVAC, plumbing, or roofing website needs to get more calls.
What it costs
A solid small business site doesn't have to break the bank. My Starter plan is $750 to set up and $79 a month, which covers hosting, security, and small edits. You can see everything on my pricing page, or read my honest breakdown of what a small business website costs in South Alabama.
See what yours could look like
The easiest way to decide is to see it. Take a look at the sample home pages I've designed for local businesses like restaurants, barbershops, and lawn and landscaping crews. If you like what you see, I'll build a free mockup for your business, and I can use what's already on your Facebook page as a starting point. No cost and no obligation.