Do you still need a website, or is social media enough?

If you run a small business, a lot of your enquiries and sales probably come through a Facebook or Instagram page. So you may wonder if there is really any point in paying for a website too.

It’s a good question, and the answer differs depending on your circumstances. Websites and social media pages aren’t two alternatives – they do different jobs, and how useful they are to you depends on what you need.

Different tools – not rivals

The offline equivalent of social media is handing out flyers, chatting at a market stall or networking event and showing people what you do. The goal is to be discovered, showcase your work and your personality, and connect with customers.

A website is more like your shop. People come to it when they are already interested in what you have to offer. They want to know more details such as prices or business hours, or they want to make a purchase.

For many businesses, social media pages draw potential customers in, and then the website secures the sale.

When social media is enough

There are some scenarios where a website wouldn’t benefit you, at least in the short term. Social pages alone can carry you when:

• You are testing a new business idea or running a side hustle – you want to see if there is demand before you invest too much in it.
• You have a highly visual, local business. For example, a bakery, nail technician or photographer – your customers are on social media and it’s often the first place they look for recommendations.
• You sell/take bookings exclusively via phone/message or in person, and don’t want to expand this online. What you offer is self-explanatory and potential customers don’t need much explanation to make a purchase.

In these cases, social media is fast, free and familiar. A website could be a nice touch and add credibility, but if you are already selling near to capacity, then it likely won’t offer much additional benefit, whilst requiring you to maintain it.

When a website is important

If your business is highly dependent on trust, requires extra information prior to purchase or is difficult to locate, a website is crucial. A website earns its keep when:

• You have customers who need details before they commit. Restaurants, service providers, consultants, tradespeople – anyone whose customer might want to compare options, see a portfolio, check the menu, read reviews or book a slot. This sort of decision-making requires a dedicated place where information can be found easily and quickly, not by endless scrolling.
• You want to make sales at 2am. If you want people to be able to purchase your products and book your services around the clock, a website is critical.
• You’re playing the long game. If you are investing in growth – things like SEO, local advertising, paid ads, etc. – you need somewhere to send people. Your website is the central hub that everything else points to.

A more recent consideration

Something that was barely a factor just 18 months ago is that a huge number of people now start their searches with AI rather than a standard search engine – Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, etc. When asked a question like “where’s a good mechanic near me?”, the information used in the answer is pulled mostly from websites – not social posts.

This means that businesses without websites are increasingly invisible in one of the places that potential customers turn to first. Love it or hate it, AI-assisted search is only getting more popular – and with it the disadvantage of not having a website grows, and no amount of social media posts will fix that.

The risk of change beyond your control

Social media can work brilliantly to get your business noticed – right up until it doesn’t. Building your business around social media is like building on land that you don’t own. Algorithms change with little to no warning, and organic reach has become harder to achieve in recent years as paid ads seem to have been given priority. Popular accounts suddenly reach far fewer people, accounts get restricted, and sometimes whole platforms lose their relevance.

Interacting with followers is important, but so is having a place where customers can reliably find your contact information and details about your products or services.

Quick questions to help you decide

Evaluate your situation with the following questions:

• Are people happily buying through DMs, phone calls or a physical shop with no real questions or queries? If so, a social page may be all you need.
• Do customers research and compare before they commit? You need a website.
• Would someone searching your name find enough information to trust you? If not, a website would help.
• Are you spending money on growth (ads, SEO, mailing lists)? You need a website to point potential clients to.
• Would losing your social accounts tomorrow seriously damage your business? If so, you want something you own – a website.

The bottom line

It’s rarely a question of either/or. In the majority of cases, the strongest setup is to have both, and optimise each to do the job that it’s good at: social media to start the conversation and bring people in, a website to build trust and convert that interest into a sale.

There’s so much to do when you are just starting out – so a website doesn’t need to be there from the very beginning. But once you start to become established, for most people a website stops being optional and becomes fundamental in terms of being discovered, building trust and being chosen.

And websites don’t need to be fancy with clever animations – a simple but clear and easy-to-navigate site in your branding that includes some reviews, contact details and information about your business is enough.