Social media
Do you need a website if you have Instagram?
Instagram and Facebook bring attention. A website turns it into bookings and enquiries you control. What a small business needs from each, and why.
If your Instagram or Facebook page is busy, a website can feel like extra work for no reason. Customers already find you, message you and turn up. Why pay for a page nobody asked for?
Because the two do different jobs. Social media is where people discover you and feel like they know you. A website is where they check you are real, find the price, and book or enquire without a conversation. Most businesses need both, and the website does not need to be big.
Key takeaways
- Social gets you noticed. A website gets you chosen and booked.
- Google searches for your business name land on whatever you have. Make sure it is yours.
- A single page with prices, area, hours and a contact button does most of the work.
- You own your website. You rent your audience on every social platform.
- Link the two: the website in your bio, the social proof on your website.
1. Where people go after they find you
Someone sees your post, likes the look of it, and does the same thing everyone does: they search your name on Google. If the first result is a directory listing with the wrong hours, or nothing at all, the moment passes. A website gives that search somewhere to land that you control.
It also answers the questions people do not want to ask in a DM. What does it cost, where are you, are you open on Sunday, how do I book?
2. The questions a profile cannot answer
A bio is 150 characters. A grid of posts is a mood, not a price list. People who are ready to buy want specifics: a service list, a price or a starting price, a service area, and a way to get in touch that does not depend on you replying in the app.
A website holds all of that in one place, and it does not scroll away when you post something new.
3. Bookings and enquiries you actually own
Messages in an app are easy to miss and hard to track. A website form or booking tool sends the enquiry to your inbox, with the details you asked for, and can confirm to the customer automatically. You can see what came in, when, and from where.
That matters on a busy day, and it matters more when a feature or a viral post sends a hundred people your way at once.
4. What happens when the algorithm changes
Reach on social platforms rises and falls for reasons you never see. Accounts get restricted, hacked or lost. A website on your own domain does not depend on any of that. It is the one address that stays the same on your van, your cards and your invoices.
It also keeps working while you are busy. Search traffic arrives whether or not you posted this week.
5. Make them work together
Put the website link in every bio and pinned post. On the website, embed or link your social feed so visitors can see you are active and real. Use the same prices, hours and phone number in both places, and change them together.
The website does the heavy lifting; the social accounts bring people to it. Kept in step, each makes the other more convincing.
Frequently asked questions
How big does the website need to be?
For most local businesses, one well-built page is enough to start: what you do, where, what it costs and how to book. Pages can be added later if there is a reason.
Can I just use Linktree or a similar link page?
It is better than nothing, but it is another company's page, with their branding and limits. A single page on your own domain is not much more effort and it is yours.
What does a simple website cost?
New sites start from £500 for a Launch homepage with a fixed written quote, and you can see a free homepage mock-up before you pay anything.
Where to start
Request a free homepage mock-up and you will see what a single page for your business could look like, usually within 48 hours. If you already have a site, run a free website check to see whether it is doing its job.