Website or Facebook page: what does a small business actually need?
Plenty of South African businesses run entirely off a Facebook or Instagram page, and it clearly works to a point. So do you really need a website as well? The short answer is that they do different jobs — and the businesses that grow fastest usually use both.
What a Facebook page is good at
Social media is built for attention. It is where you post updates, show your latest work, run the odd promotion and stay in front of people who already know you. It is free to start, and the sharing and messaging features make it easy for happy customers to spread the word.
Where a Facebook page falls short
- It doesn’t rank on Google. When someone searches “plumber near me” or “wedding cakes Cape Town”, social pages rarely come up — websites do.
- You don’t own it. The platform controls the reach, the rules and whether your page stays up at all.
- It looks the same as everyone else’s. There is little room to look distinct or to lay out your services and prices properly.
- It buries information. New visitors have to scroll through posts to find your hours, prices or how to book.
What a website adds
A website is your permanent, professional home base. It shows up in Google searches, it presents your services and prices clearly, and it is fully yours on your own web address. It is the place you send someone when they are ready to buy, rather than hoping they piece it together from your feed.
The best answer: use both
You do not have to choose. Social media brings people in and keeps them engaged; your website turns that interest into enquiries and sales, and catches the searches your socials never will. Use your Facebook and Instagram to build the relationship, and point everything back to a website that closes the deal. Together they cover both halves of how customers actually find and choose a small business today.