Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?

What's wrong with just having a Facebook page?

Nothing's wrong with having one. The problem is having only one.

Here's what you're dealing with when Facebook is your entire online presence:

• You don't own it. Facebook can change its rules, reduce your reach, disable your page, or shut down entirely. You have zero control. Businesses have lost their pages overnight with no explanation and no recourse.
• Your reach is throttled. Facebook shows your posts to roughly 5% of your followers unless you pay to boost them. You built that audience, but Facebook decides whether they see your content.
• You're invisible on Google. When someone searches "Italian restaurant Salford" or "electrician Bolton," Facebook pages rarely appear in those results. Your website would.
• You can't control the experience. On Facebook, your business sits next to ads, distractions, notifications, and your competitors. On your own website, you control everything the visitor sees.
• AI can't cite you properly. ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews pull information from websites with structured data. They can't do much with a Facebook page.

What can a website do that Facebook can't?

A proper website gives you things Facebook never will:

• Rank on Google for what you actually do. "Wedding cakes Manchester." "Tax returns help Oldham." "Dog groomer Bury." These are searches your website can rank for. Your Facebook page won't.
• Look professional. When someone gets your name from a friend and Googles you, they expect a website. If all they find is a Facebook page, it raises questions. Fair or not, that's how people judge businesses in 2026.
• Show up in AI answers. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google AI "where can I get a good curry in Stockport," the AI pulls from websites with structured content. Not Facebook posts.
• Collect enquiries properly. A contact form on your website goes straight to your inbox. Facebook messages get buried in a separate app that many business owners forget to check.
• Tell your full story. Service pages, pricing, your team, your process, testimonials, a portfolio. Try fitting that on a Facebook page in a way that's easy to navigate.

But my customers are all on Facebook?

Some of them are. The ones who already know you. But what about the ones who don't?

Think about this: when someone new moves to your area and needs a plumber, a hairdresser, or a good place for lunch, they don't search Facebook. They Google it. Or they ask Alexa. Or they ask ChatGPT.

If you only exist on Facebook, you only reach people who are already on Facebook and already looking for you by name. You're missing every single person who searches by what you do rather than who you are.

A cafe in Wigan that only has a Facebook page might have 2,000 followers. But it's invisible to the 500 people a month who Google "cafe near Wigan" or "brunch Wigan." Those are new customers, actively looking, ready to spend. And they're going to a competitor with a website.

I've heard websites are expensive — is it worth it?

A professional website for a small business costs between £500 and £1,500. That's a one-off cost, not monthly. Compare that to what you spend on Facebook ads to reach your own followers — the people who already liked your page.

A website works for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for years. It doesn't need boosting. It doesn't get throttled by an algorithm. Every month it's live, it builds authority on Google and becomes more visible.

For a restaurant, one table booking a week from Google search pays for the website within a couple of months. For a solicitor, one new client from organic search covers the cost several times over.

Can I use Facebook AND a website together?

That's exactly what you should do. They're not competitors — they're complementary.

• Website = your home base. Full information, Google ranking, AI visibility, professional appearance, contact forms, booking systems.
• Facebook = your community channel. Daily updates, behind-the-scenes posts, event promotion, customer interaction, sharing your personality.

Link your Facebook page to your website. Share your blog posts on Facebook. Use Facebook to drive traffic to your site. Use your website to capture the people who find you through Google.

A retailer in Rochdale might post daily on Instagram and Facebook about new stock. But their website has the full catalogue, opening hours, location map, and "shop local" content that ranks on Google. Both channels feed each other.

What happens if Facebook changes its rules again?

It will. It always does. Facebook has changed its algorithm multiple times, each time reducing organic reach for business pages. In 2024, Meta shifted focus toward AI-generated content in feeds, pushing business posts even further down.

If you've built your entire business presence on Facebook, you're at the mercy of those changes. Your website is yours. Your domain, your content, your design, your rules. Nobody can throttle it, suspend it, or change how it works without your say-so.

Think of it like renting vs owning. Facebook is a rented shopfront in someone else's shopping centre. Your website is your own premises.