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Do I Need a Website If I Have a Facebook Page? Here are 9 Reasons Why

As a business owner, you might ask “Do I need a website if I have an FB page?”

Having a Facebook page for your business may seem enough at first if your business needs an online presence.  But before you rest your business’s online presence on a Facebook business page or any social media platform,  here are the important benefits as to why business owners still need a website.

Reasons Why Every Business Needs a Website vs Just a Facebook Page

1. A business website gives credibility vs a company on just a Facebook page.

Even small businesses will benefit from a website as it builds your brand not just your online presence. It levels the playing field vs other competing companies and make your business look as big as theirs. Think of branding with the right domain name.

A website builds TRUST and professionalism, that you are indeed serious about your business. The same cannot be said when you merely have a social media presence.

2. A Facebook page is not yours and FB can shut it down anytime.

Your Facebook business page, as in any business account on any social media platform can be shut down at any time. You cannot do anything about it most of the time.

When this happens and you do not have a website, a customer would not know where to find you. Worse, your competitors will show up as related pages on Facebook.

Facebook page being shut down

A business website, On the other hand, is like your online representation of your company.  Your domain is your business’s online address. With a website, customers know where to find you again and again.

3. Customers searching for products and services on search engines have higher buyer intent vs those on Facebook.

Buyer intent is the likelihood that the customer will buy a product or avail of a service. Based on studies, those searching on Google or other search engines, are most likely to call, visit your store, or hire you for services that you provide.

On the other hand, studies show that  Facebook users, or those on any social media platform for that matter, are there mainly to socialize or to keep in touch with friends.

So before focusing on Facebook because it has 2 billion users, it helps to know that Google alone processes 5.4 billion searches PER DAY.

Having a Facebook page for your business may seem good at first, it is free anyway, aside from getting to connect with your audience.

Compared to a website, however, wherein you control the customer’s attention, you could lose a customer in social media to a competitor because it shows Facebook pages that are similar to yours, dampening your marketing efforts.  Just look at the example below:

competitors on a Facebook page

5. A website lets you perform Search Engine Optimization to let your business get found easily in searches.

When you create a website for your business, you can have Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performed on it.  SEO lets a business get found even more easily when customers are searching for products and services through the smart use of keywords on a site/business page.

Notice how the meta title in a website can be matched with the search query as compared to Facebook search result:

meta title optimization

Below is another example: notice the top results for Fiberglass pool Oklahoma are all websites, not a Facebook page:

do i need a website if I have a facebook page

Another strategy in SEO is to post articles on your website that will answer a searcher’s particular query. You have control over the articles you post along with the keywords that will lead searchers to your site.  This cannot be said of Facebook posts.

This is a service you have to pay for, but if it brings in good leads and thus, more business, then it is so much worth it.

This is not the case with a Facebook page. They follow certain templates and you cannot optimize it as much as you could as compared to a website.

6. With a website, you can track data accurately via Google Analytics.

Another advantage of having a website is that you can track data. These include sources of traffic and site visitors, where your audience mostly comes from, your strong and weak pages.

You can even measure the success of your digital marketing efforts, such as when you run ads whether in search engines or social media platforms. You can do this via a free tracking tool called Google Analytics.

Google Analytics on Traffic Source

In fact, when you run Pay-Per-Click advertising, you will even see the keywords that are converting, the best hours to run ads for your target customers.

This is quite useful when planning your next marketing moves. You can tell which traffic medium you still need to work on to build your online presence further.

Social media platforms, including Facebook pages, on the other hand, provide limited tracking.

7. With a business website, you get customer support from the digital marketing company that built your site.

Having a website for your business gives you total control of its performance and content. Should there be any issue, technical support is as easy as calling the digital marketing agency that manages your site.

web development and maintenance

On the contrary, FB support is almost non-existent. Hardly ever can you get hold of anybody from FB to answer your issues, let alone a Facebook live chat, or worse, the deletion of your Facebook page. Since Facebook is free to use, you cannot demand support and you can only hope nothing goes wrong with your FB page.

8. Having a website allows you to add all the custom functions that you need.

When you have a website, you have total customization in your hands. Need to have a custom form that calculates? Need different payment methods integrated on your site for your online shop?  Want to launch an email marketing campaign? These are just a few of the many functionalities that you can implement on your site.

9. You have less control with the reach of your Facebook posts.

Facebook has a certain algorithm, which if you are not familiar with, can cause a dwindling reach of your posts, making them ineffective. Have you noticed most posts have low engagements? But of course, Facebook wants you to create ads/boost your posts!

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my Facebook page as a website?

While you can use your Facebook page for your online presence on the web, you cannot get the benefits that having a website offers. Having a website establishes your company’s credibility, professionalism, and brand. It also provides total control of your content, your visibility in search engines, and the gathering/tracking of your website visitors’ data, which you cannot do with merely using Facebook for your business.

Is it better to have a website or a Facebook page?

It is always better to have a website than an FB page for the added credibility, branding, and stable online presence.  Remember that Facebook can delete your page for any reason at their discretion.

The gathering and tracking of data are also more detailed with a website compared to when you use Facebook alone. You also get to create landing pages as deemed needed, allowing you to be responsive to your business needs.

However, having social media helps in getting real-time engagement with users and customers and should be part of most businesses.

Can a Facebook page replace a small business website?

A Facebook page cannot replace what a business website offers if you want to establish a long-term online presence and credibility, plus the added advantage of data gathering that you can do with a website.

Having a website also provides you the flexibility of optimizing the site’s content according to the needs of the business. Lastly, unlike a Facebook page which you have no choice if deleted by FB, you own the website and will be online as long as you want it to be.

An FB page and any social media account for that matter, is limited in capability and should be a complement to your site as the engagement arm of your promotional efforts.

Do you need a website if you have social media?

Yes your company, no matter how small, needs a website to establish your brand and to be able to level the playing field with other competing businesses. It makes your business look more professional and it establishes trust. A website also enables you to rank in search engines which will generate leads for your business.

Your social media should complement your site’s presence on the web as your real-time engagement and interaction with your customers.

A Bit of Caution: Not All Websites are the Same

Websites when not done right can do more harm than good to your business. There are elements to consider such as page speed, web hosting, and maintenance. The bottom line is having a website is good for your company, but do not attempt to create a website by yourself.

Talk to us at Design Develop Now to start building your strong online presence today!

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