Let’s take a look at the arguments for why you might need a website as well as some of the reasons why you might not, and hopefully, we can convince you that in most cases, a professional website is the best way to attract new customers and grow your business both online and offline.

Is a Facebook page enough?

This one’s easy enough to answer. A Facebook page is not enough for any small business no matter which sector you work in. Facebook pages are an effective and free way to reach a wider audience, but they’re not enough as a standalone site. 

Credibility: Facebook pages don’t carry the same credibility as professional websites because anyone can create a Facebook page at no cost to themselves.

SEO: They have limited SEO potential so you can’t attract new customers via search engines; most people only find Facebook pages when they specifically look for them.

Property: Facebook pages are not your property, which means they could be taken down at any time and, when Facebook is down, so is your entire online presence. You are governed by Facebook’s (now Meta’s) rules of engagement. They may not be ideal for you.

Attention: Facebook and other social media sites are designed for browsing, which means that you don’t have a lot of your customers’ attention when they look at your Facebook page. In most cases, Facebook Pages’ organic reach is limited, so to really get exposure you’ll need to pay for ads.

There’s nothing wrong with using platforms like Facebook to increase your reach and keep your customers updated on new developments in your business, but too many contemporary businesses rely on Facebook entirely for their online presence.

We recommend that our clients maintain an active presence on social media, but don’t focus all of their digital efforts on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. It’s better to create a professional website as your main online ‘hub’, and use social media sites for news updates, promotions, photographs, and other time-dependent content. Using social media for this purpose will ensure you add credibility to your business whilst showing you are current and active.

The benefits of a professional website

There are lots of benefits to launching your own professional website. A website can improve your brand, increase your reach, and clarify your services to potential customers. Below is a list of eight major benefits of a professional website to illustrate how much of an impact a website could have on your business.

1. It’s more professional

Anybody can create a Facebook page for anything without spending any money or having any credentials. Having your own professional website shows that your business is official and that you’re serious about the services you offer. Customers find businesses with websites more credible and they’re more likely to trust the quality of the service they offer.

2. It’s a step on the customer journey

Your website is an essential part of your customer’s journey, and if you create a conversion optimised website, it should encourage users to progress on their journey through your sales funnel - towards making an enquiry, scheduling an appointment or getting a free quote. Your website is the place people will learn about your business, assess whether you’re the right fit for them and eventually convert into a lead or a customer.

3. It boosts your online visibility

Without a website, your business can’t increase its reach to any of the 4.5 billion active internet users that browse the web every day. Incorporating SEO into your website is the best way to reach customers searching for businesses just like yours, and this isn’t something you can do with social media. With a good SEO strategy, you could get your business website onto the front page of Google search results without paying a cent.

4. It’s especially useful if your target audience is local

If you’re trying to reach local customers because you offer trades and services like construction, plumbing, gardening or cleaning, a website is even more important. Statistics show that 97% of users search the web for local businesses and 70% of users visit local businesses because of what they’ve seen online. Launching a professional website can help you to capture this audience and boost your income from local sources.

5. It’s evidence of your success

You can use a professional website to show off some of your best work and showcase positive testimonials from previous clients. You can also do this on sites like Yelp or even your Facebook page and Google Business page, but on your own website you can curate testimonials to make sure they’re a fair representation of your services and the quality of your work. Got a glowing review from a high-profile client? You can make it front and centre on your website.

6. It adds value to your business for years to come

Unlike many investments, such as when you invest in an online marketing campaign, a website is a permanent web presence that will bring value to your business for years to come. Fill your website with evergreen content that won’t go out of date next month and you can reap the rewards of your hard work for many years. Whilst it’s impossible to build a site that won’t go out of date or look dated in the future, engaging a web designer who builds with timeless design principles will ensure you get the most out of your initial site build.

7. It’s easier than you think

If you’re worried about the process, cost, or complexity of creating your own professional website, you needn’t be. We can build your professional website for an affordable price and show you how to use it so that you can update and edit content whenever you want without any ongoing management costs. You won’t have to do any coding yourself and it’s easy even for non-technical people without any development experience.

8. It’s all within your control

When you build a website, you’re in control of everything that you post to your site and the way it looks. The websites that we build for our clients are extremely easy to update and we provide full training to ensure that you know how to update and delete content, edit posts, write new content and make any changes you might want to make to your website in the future.

Reasons why your business doesn’t need a website

It’s possible that your business is one of the few small and medium businesses that really doesn’t require a website, although if you’re looking to find new work, expand your customer base, or build your brand, a website is definitely necessary. Here are three reasons why your business might not need a website.

1. You don’t want to grow your business

If you’re not looking to grow your business and you’re already satisfied with the amount of revenue your business makes, creating a professional website may not be right for you at this time. A website is effective at bringing in new customers, but if you’re already working at capacity and you can’t take on any more customers, a website may not be what your business needs.

2. You’ve got enough customer leads

If you feel that you already gain enough new customer leads, either through word of mouth or other sales techniques, then you might not need a professional website to increase your reach. However, do bear in mind that just because your business has a lot of leads at the moment it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always be inundated with new work. A website could help you to weather ebbs in interest if your business experiences them.

3. You’ve got no competition

Most businesses are competing with rival businesses for the same customers. In this case, a website is necessary to showcase your skills and make your business stand out from the competition. If you’re operating in a monopoly and you have no real competition from other businesses targeting your audience, then you might not need a website to differentiate yourself. Your customers have no other options if they’re looking for a business offering your services and social media pages and word-of-mouth marketing might be enough to keep you busy.

How we can help

We are a web design agency based in Canberra, Australia. We offer affordable, professional website design services for small businesses across Australia. Read more about our web design services here.

If you want to create a professional website to increase your reach and expand your business, we can help. Get in touch with us today for a free quote and consultation about your new website.