February 24, 2023 · 4 min read
Why a Facebook Page is Not a Substitute for a Website
When it comes to promoting and representing your small business online, it's important to have a strong, professional presence. Many businesses today turn to social media platforms, like Facebook, to create that presence. However, using a Facebook page as your primary or only online presence can be a huge mistake.
A Facebook page is a great place to talk to people who already know you. It is a terrible place to be found by people who don't. If your business lives only on social media, you are renting your presence from a platform that can change the rules, hide your posts, or remove your page entirely — and you own none of it.
You don't control the space
On Facebook, your page's layout, reach and even its existence depend on decisions made by someone else. Organic reach for business pages has fallen for years, which means every other post is essentially invisible unless you pay to boost it. A website is different: you own the domain, the design, the content and the customer relationship.
Search engines still send the customers
When someone in your area needs what you sell, they search. Google indexes websites, not Facebook pages. A Facebook page can rank for your business name, but it rarely ranks for the services you actually sell — "emergency plumber in Santa Monica" or "eyelash extensions near me". Your website is what earns those searches.
Your Google Business Profile needs a website
Google's own guidance is clear that a complete local listing should link to a business website. Your Google Business Profile is what puts your map pin in front of local searchers; your website is the page it sends them to. Profile and website work together. A Facebook page is a weak substitute for both.
Social media works best when it has somewhere to send people
The strongest setup for a small business is a website at the centre with your Google Business Profile feeding it local traffic, and social media supporting it with regular updates. Every post has a destination, every searcher lands somewhere you control, and every visitor is a visitor you can measure.
The bottom line
Keep your Facebook page. Just don't let it be the only thing you have. If you're ready to own your presence instead of renting it, a professional website paired with Google Business Profile management is the most reliable local marketing foundation there is.
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