Blog / Getting online
Do I need a website if I have Instagram or Facebook?
When a social page is enough for a service business, when it isn't, and what a simple website does that your Instagram or Facebook page can't.
Plenty of good businesses run on Instagram or Facebook and nothing else. A groomer posts before-and-after photos, a cleaner answers DMs between jobs, a handyman picks up work from the neighborhood group. It works, so why pay for a website?
Sometimes you shouldn't. This post helps you tell the two cases apart and explains what a website does that a social page can't.
Key takeaways
- A social page is good at being seen by people who already follow you or your friends.
- A website is good at being found by people who don't know you yet, and at answering the same questions so you don't have to.
- You don't have to choose. The usual setup is social for showing your work and a simple website for prices, areas and booking.
When a social page is enough
If all of these are true, a website may not change much for you right now:
- Your calendar is full, and most new clients come from people you already know.
- You don't want more work, or you couldn't take it if it came.
- Clients rarely ask you the same questions over and over.
- Nobody has ever said "I couldn't find you".
If that's you, keep doing what works. Come back to this when one of those changes, which usually happens when you raise prices, hire someone, or move.
What a social page is bad at
Being found by strangers
People who need a dog walker, a house cleaner or a detailer often start with a search like "house cleaner near me" or "mobile detailing [town]". Search results and map listings show business profiles and websites. A social post from last Tuesday is rarely what comes up. However good your page is, the person searching may never see it.
Answering questions once
Look at your DMs. How many are the same five questions? What do you charge, do you come to my area, are you free Saturday, do you take big dogs, do you bring supplies. A social profile has a short bio and a feed that scrolls away. A website has a services page with prices, an areas page and a calendar. You write the answers once and point people to them.
Looking like a business to cautious clients
Some clients are happy to book from a DM. Others, often the ones with bigger jobs or bigger homes, want to see something that looks settled: your full name, your insurance, a clear list of services, a way to book that isn't a chat thread. A website is the usual way to show that.
Keeping what you've built
You don't control a social platform's rules, its feed or your account access. Accounts get locked, features change, and reach goes up and down. You can stay on the platform and still keep the important parts somewhere you control: your own website and your own customer list.
What a simple website adds
You don't need a big site. For most service businesses, five pages do it:
- Home: what you do, where, and one button (book, or ask for a quote).
- Services and prices: a "from" price is fine if jobs vary.
- Areas you cover: the towns or neighborhoods, by name.
- About: your face, your name, how long you've done this, insurance if you have it.
- Book or get a quote: a calendar, or a short form that asks the questions you always ask.
Add reviews and a few real photos of your work, and you have a site that does most of what bigger sites do for a local trade. Our guide to local SEO basics covers the search side in more detail.
How social and a website work together
The setup that works for most owners:
- Keep posting on Instagram or Facebook. That's where people see your work and remember you.
- Put your website link in your bio, pointing straight at the booking or quote page, not the home page.
- Answer DMs with a link when it's a question your site already answers: "Prices and free times are here."
- Share new reviews from your site on your social page now and then.
- Collect emails from people who book, so you can reach them without relying on the feed. A QR card at the counter or on the invoice helps.
The social page gets you noticed, and the website is where people book and leave their details.
What it costs
A simple site doesn't need to be expensive. Some builders have free plans with ads or limits, and paid plans with more tools. Agencies charge much more. Our comparison page sets out the options, including how DollarSite compares with Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and Durable.
DollarSite is $7 per month for your first website when you make it live to the Internet, and $5 per month for each additional website. Building and previewing is free. Appointments, Forms, Reviews, a Photo gallery and the other apps are all included, with nothing extra per booking.
How DollarSite helps
You build the site by chatting with Chip: tell it what you do, where you work and how people book you, and it writes the pages. If your Instagram already shows your work, there's a quicker way: send Chip 5 to 15 photos from your phone and it builds a site around them for you to approve. Then put the link in your bio.
If you run a service business, there are pages with ideas for your trade, such as dog walkers, groomers, house cleaners and handymen and trades.
Frequently asked questions
Can't people just find my Instagram on Google?
Sometimes, if they search your exact business name. People searching for a service in their town, without your name, are much more likely to see business profiles and websites than a social page.
Will a website replace my DMs?
No. Regulars will keep messaging you, and that's fine. A website cuts down the first-contact questions, so the messages you get are shorter and more likely to turn into a booking.
I already have a Facebook page with a Book button. Is that enough?
It may be, for people who already follow you. A website still helps with being found in search and with showing prices, areas and reviews in one place. You can use both, and point the Facebook button at your website's booking page.
How often do I need to update a website?
Much less than a social feed. Change prices or hours when they change, add new photos every few months, and add reviews as they come in. A site with correct basics beats a busy one with old information.
Written by the DollarSite team. We make a website builder for small businesses, so we have a point of view. We've tried to make this guide useful whatever tool you choose.