Are Google and social media enough, or do I need a website?

What a Google Business Profile gives you

If you serve clients in a specific area, it is probably the first thing you should have. It appears on Google Maps and in local searches with your address, hours, phone number, photos and reviews.

Its limit is space: you can add a short description and a list of services, but you can’t calmly explain how you work, why to choose you or what each service includes. And Google sets the rules, changing features whenever it decides to.

What social media gives you

Social media is good for showing everyday work, building closeness and keeping clients thinking of you. For some businesses, such as a restaurant or a shop with very visual products, it is an excellent shop window.

Its limits are clear: what people see depends on the algorithm, content disappears within days and the account isn’t yours. If the platform changes its rules, closes your profile by mistake or an attack locks you out, you lose the channel and everything you built.

What each channel brings

It isn’t about choosing one. Each channel has a different role, and they usually complement each other:

When a website starts to become necessary

• Your services need explaining. If clients need to understand what you do, how you work or what it costs before deciding, a profile or a post isn’t enough.
• People search for your name after a recommendation and want to check you are trustworthy.
• You sell to clients from elsewhere or in several languages, who don’t know you through word of mouth.
• You want to appear in searches about your clients’ specific problems, not only in your map category.
• You work with businesses or professionals, who usually expect a website and an email on your own domain.

When you can manage without a website

If your business is very local, clients mainly arrive through the map or word of mouth, your services need no explanation and your Google profile is complete and well looked after, you can manage for a while without a website.

Even so, it is worth registering your domain and having a professional email address at least, so nobody else uses your name.

How to make them work together

• The website is the hub: your Google profile and social media link to it for anyone who wants to know more.
• The same details everywhere: identical name, address, phone and hours.
• Google reviews linked from or shown on the website.
• Where it makes sense, each social media post points to a specific page on the website.

If you’re looking for a simple first website at a fixed price, the Small Business Web Package is designed for exactly that step.

Frequently asked questions about Google, social media and websites