It's one of the most common questions I hear from small shops and trades around Chillicothe and Ross County. You already have a Facebook page. People message you there, you post photos of your work, and it costs nothing. So why pay for a website?
It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that Facebook is a good tool, but it works best alongside a website, not instead of one. Here's why, in plain terms.
What Facebook does well
Let's give Facebook its due. A business page is free and fast to set up. It's a good place to post photos of jobs, share updates, announce a sale, and stay in touch with people who already know you. Messages and comments make it easy for customers to reach out, and a lot of folks in a small community already spend time there.
If you have a Facebook page that people use, keep it. Nothing here says you should drop it.
Where Facebook falls short
You don't own it
Your Facebook page lives on someone else's platform, under their rules. They can change how pages work, how many people see your posts, or what features you get, and you have no say. If your account gets locked or hacked, your business presence can disappear with it. A website on your own domain is something you control.
Not everyone uses Facebook
Plenty of your future customers don't have an account, don't check it, or don't want to log in just to see your hours. When they look you up, a website opens for anyone, on any phone or computer, with no login.
It's hard to find the basics
On a Facebook page, your phone number, service area, and list of services can get buried under posts. A customer who just wants to know "Do they do this, do they come out to my town, and how do I call?" has to scroll and dig. A good website puts those answers on the first screen.
Search is built around websites
When someone searches Google for something like "electrician near me" or "auto repair Chillicothe," Google pulls from websites and Google Business Profiles. A Facebook page can show up, but a clear website with your services and service area spelled out gives Google a lot more to work with. It also gives your Google Business Profile a solid place to link to.
Old posts fall away
That great photo of a finished kitchen from last spring is buried under months of posts. On a website, your best work can live on a page that stays put, organized by service, so a new customer sees it right away.
It can look less established
Rightly or not, some customers see a Facebook only business as smaller or less settled. A simple, clean website with your own domain and an email like you@yourbusiness.com tells people you're serious and here to stay.
How the two work together
The best setup for most local businesses is simple:
- Your website is home base. It says what you do, where you work, how to reach you, and shows your best work. You own it.
- Your Google Business Profile helps people find you in local searches and on the map, and links to your website.
- Your Facebook page keeps you in front of people who already know you, and links to your website too.
Each one points back to the website, and your phone number, hours, and services match everywhere. That way, no matter where someone finds you, they get the same clear answer.
What a small business website really needs
You don't need a big, complicated site. For most shops and trades, a few pages do the job:
- A home page that says what you do and where, with a tap to call button near the top
- A services page that lists what you actually offer
- Photos of real work
- Your service area by town or county
- A simple contact page or form
- Your hours and phone number on every page
It should load fast on a phone, because that's where most people will look you up.
What it costs with Mahoney Digital
If you already have an old site that needs help, a Refresh is $499. If you're starting from scratch, a New site is $999. If paying up front is hard, the No Money Down option is $179 a month with a 12 month minimum, and it includes the build plus Standard Care. You can see the full menu on the Monthly Care page.
The bottom line
Keep your Facebook page. It's a good way to stay in touch. But give your customers, and Google, a place you own that answers their questions fast. That's what a website is for.
If you want to talk it over, call or text (740) 530-8790, or send a message. I'm happy to look at what you have now and tell you what I'd do.