What a Facebook page does well
A page is quick to start, and your customers may already be on Facebook. It suits news, photos, opening-hour changes and conversations. If most of your customers find you by recommendation and message you directly, a page already does useful work.
What a website adds
A website is yours to arrange. You decide the pages, the wording and the order, so a visitor who wants your prices, your areas or your menu finds them without scrolling through posts.
It also gives you a web address you register and own, such as yourbusiness.co.uk. That address can go on your van, cards and invoices, and it keeps working whichever social platforms you use.
Related: How to buy a domain in your own name
Who owns what
Your Facebook page lives inside an account that Meta runs under its terms. Those terms say Meta may update them from time to time, and that it may suspend or disable access for breaches of its terms or standards. That is the platform’s right, and it is a reason not to make it your only public presence.
With a website, your domain, files and hosting stay in accounts you own. When I build a site, I hand over the website files and account access at launch.
Related: What you get at launch
Being found on Google
On your own site you choose page titles, descriptions and headings. Google’s starter guide advises making them clear, so people and search engines can tell what a page is about. On a Facebook page, you work within the layout the platform gives you.
I cannot promise any position in Google for either. What a website gives you is more control over the words Google can read about your services and where you work.
If you meet customers in person, a Google Business Profile is a separate listing that can link to your website.
The two side by side
| Facebook page | Your own website | |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls it | You and the platform, under its terms | You |
| Your address | A page address on Facebook | A domain you own |
| Layout and pages | The platform’s layout | Whatever suits your customers |
| Best at | News, photos and conversation | Services, prices and enquiries |
| Cost to start | Quick to set up | A one-off build, from £199 |
Website prices are mine and include VAT. Your quote confirms the pages, features and total before any work starts.
When a Facebook page is enough for now
A page can be enough while you are very small, if customers already reach you through it, your prices rarely change and you are not ready to spend yet. Keep your details accurate, and treat it as a starting point.
A website is worth it when you want customers to compare your services, send you structured enquiries, find you without knowing your name, or see you as an established business. Keep both. Link your website from your page, and your page from your website.
Related: See the prices, Ask about a website
Further reading
Official guidance behind the practical advice. Service inclusions are confirmed in your written quote.