For most small businesses, yes, you need a website. Not a big one, and not an expensive one, but a page you own that tells people what you do, where you are, and how to get hold of you.
There are a few exceptions, and I’ll be honest about those too. Here’s how to decide.
What a website does that nothing else does
It’s the place people check you’re real. Someone hears your name from a friend, sees your van, or finds you on Google Maps. Before they ring, they look you up. A clear, up-to-date site tells them you’re a proper business that’s still trading. No site, or one that looks abandoned, makes some of them ring someone else.
It works when you’re busy. It answers the same questions you’d answer on the phone: what you do, which areas you cover, roughly what it costs, and whether you’re open. It does it at eleven at night, while you’re on a job, and on a Sunday.
It helps you get found on Google. Your Google Business Profile gets you onto the map, but Google also reads your website to work out what you do and where. A site that clearly names your services and your town helps your profile rank too.
You own it. That’s the big one.
Isn’t a Facebook page enough?
A Facebook page is useful, and you should keep it if your customers use it. But it isn’t a replacement for a website, for three reasons:
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You don’t own it. Facebook decides who sees your posts, and it has been showing business posts to fewer people for years. If your account is locked or the rules change, it’s gone.
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Not everyone’s on it. Plenty of customers don’t use Facebook, or won’t log in to look at a business.
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Google doesn’t treat it the same. A Facebook page rarely ranks the way a proper website does for “your service plus your town”.
Think of Facebook as somewhere you talk to people, and your website as the place you send them.
What about just a Google Business Profile?
It’s free and it’s the single most useful thing a local business can set up. If you haven’t got one, do that first: here’s how to get your business on Google Maps.
But the profile has a “Website” button, and a profile with nothing behind it looks unfinished. It also can’t hold much: no proper service pages, no prices in detail, no photos of your work laid out the way you want.
When you might not need one
- You’re fully booked by word of mouth and have no plans to grow or take on different work.
- You work for one or two clients who already know you, and don’t want new ones.
- You’re winding down in the next year or two.
If none of those fits, a website will almost certainly pay for itself.
What the simplest useful website needs
It doesn’t need to be big. A one-page website can do the whole job for a lot of small businesses, as long as it has:
- What you do, in the first line, in plain words
- Where you are, or the areas you cover
- A phone number you can tap to call on a mobile
- A simple contact form or email address
- Your prices, or at least a starting price
- A few photos of your real work
- Reviews or a line from a happy customer
- Opening hours, if people visit you
And it has to work properly on a phone, because that’s where most people will see it.
The best small business websites answer the customer’s questions before they have to ask.
How much does it cost?
A simple site can cost a few hundred pounds, and a bigger one a few thousand, plus a small monthly cost for hosting. I’ve written a full breakdown in how much does a website cost in the UK?, including what I charge.
Already got a website? Run the free website check to see how it performs on a phone and what’s worth fixing. It takes about 20 seconds.
If you’d like to talk it through, get in touch. Tell me a bit about your business and I’ll tell you honestly whether you need a website, and what the smallest useful one would look like.
