It's one of the most common questions we hear from local business owners across West Yorkshire. You've already got a Facebook page bringing in work — so why pay for a website on top? It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that the two do completely different jobs.
What Facebook does well
Facebook is brilliant for staying in touch with people who already know you. Existing customers see your posts, share your work, and recommend you to friends. For word-of-mouth, it's hard to beat.
The problem is that Facebook only reaches people who are already connected to you. It doesn't help the much larger group of people who've never heard of you and are searching Google right now for the service you provide.
What a website does that Facebook can't
When someone types "electrician near me" or "carpenter in Bradford" into Google, Facebook pages almost never come up. Websites do. A website is your own space online that Google can rank, putting you in front of people at the exact moment they're looking to buy.
It also gives you control. On Facebook you're playing by someone else's rules — algorithm changes, reach throttling, the lot. Your website is yours. It works around the clock, builds trust before anyone calls, and isn't going anywhere.
The honest answer
You don't have to choose. The strongest local businesses use both: Facebook to nurture the people who already know them, and a website to win the people who don't. If you only exist on Facebook, you're invisible to everyone who isn't already following you — and that's a lot of potential customers.
If you're weighing it up, the cost is probably lower than you'd expect. Our guide to website costs breaks down exactly what you'd pay and what you get.