Do I actually need a website for my small business?

I build websites for a living, so you would expect me to say yes every time. I am not going to. Some businesses genuinely do not need one yet. Most do.

When you probably do not need one

• You are fully booked from word of mouth and you are not trying to grow.
• You sell entirely through a marketplace like Etsy or eBay and that is the whole plan.
• You are testing an idea and want to see if anyone bites before spending anything.

In those cases a tidy Google Business Profile and an active social account will hold you for a while. Save your money.

When you do need one

The moment you want people who have never heard of you to find you and trust you, you need a website. That is really what it comes down to.

People check before they buy. Someone gets your name from a friend, then searches it. If nothing comes up, or the only thing that comes up is a Facebook page last updated in 2023, that hesitation costs you the job. It is not fair, but it is how people behave.

What a website does that social media cannot

You own it

Your Instagram account is rented. Accounts get hacked, suspended or throttled and there is no phone number to ring. If your entire business lives on someone else's platform, one bad morning can wipe it out. Your own site is yours.

It shows up in search

When someone types 'emergency electrician Rugby' into Google, they are ready to spend money right now. A website can show up for that. A social post almost never does, which is the whole reason a page about web design in Rugby is worth having at all.

It answers questions while you work

Prices, areas covered, what you do and do not take on, how quickly you reply. A good site filters out the wrong enquiries before they reach your phone. That is hours back every week.

It makes you look like a proper business

Fair or not, a business with a real site and a real email address gets taken more seriously than one with a Gmail address and a mobile number. It matters most when you are quoting for bigger jobs.

But my customers all come from Facebook

Great. Keep doing that. A website is not a replacement for social, it is the place you send people to. Social gets attention. The site turns attention into an enquiry. They do different jobs.

How small can you start?

Smaller than most people think. A single well written page with what you do, where you do it, some photos of real work and an easy way to get in touch will out perform a bloated ten page site every time. You can add to it later.

Start with one page. Get it live. See what people ask you, then build the answers into the site.

If you are weighing it up and want a straight opinion on whether it is worth it for your business, send me a message. I will tell you if I think you should wait.