Where your next customer actually looks
Your Facebook followers already know you. They're friends, past customers and people from the village. Lovely for repeat work and recommendations.
But a stranger with a leaking roof, a broken boiler or a wedding next Saturday doesn't start on Facebook. They search Google for the job and their town, look at the businesses it shows them, and ring one. If Google doesn't show you, you weren't even in the running.
What Google sees when it looks at a Facebook page
A Facebook page is built for scrolling, not for search. You might have posted about boiler servicing, flat roofs and gutter cleaning over the last three years, but it's buried in an old feed, not laid out as clear pages about each job and each town you cover.
So when someone searches "gutter cleaning in Wakefield", there's nothing that clearly says you do gutter cleaning in Wakefield. There's a page with your name on it, and a lot of posts Google has no reason to show for that search.
And you don't own it
- ●Facebook sets the rules. It decides how many of your followers see each post, and that can change overnight.
- ●The menus keep moving. Even we spent ages hunting for the setting that gives a page a proper web address. Small things become a nightmare to find.
- ●Accounts get restricted. If something goes wrong with your account, your shop window can disappear until it's sorted.
- ●Your posts sink. Last month's best job is already a long way down the feed.
The answer isn't Facebook OR a website. It's both, joined up
Keep your Facebook page. It's great for showing off work, staying in touch with past customers and looking active. Just don't let it be the only place you exist.
A proper website gives Google a page for every service and every town you cover, so you can show up for the searches that bring new customers. Then you link the two together: your website shows your Facebook page, and your Facebook page sends people to your website. Google sees one real, consistent business in both places.
That's how we build every site, from websites for tradesmen to websites for small businesses: 40+ pages Google can read, your social pages linked in, and automatic Google review requests so the stars keep coming. It's all in the Complete Business Package.
Not sure what Google sees when it looks for you?
Search for your trade and your town on Google now, and check whether you appear at all. Then search your business name. If all you find is your Facebook page, you're missing most of the people looking for exactly what you do.
Start with a free report on your business and we'll show you what Google sees today and what would get the phone ringing.
Common questions
Is a Facebook page enough for a small business?
It's a useful extra, but not enough on its own. People looking for a new tradesperson or local service mostly search Google, and a website with a page for each service and area gives you a far better chance of showing up.
Does a Facebook page help you show up on Google?
Your page can appear when people search your business name, but it rarely shows up for searches like "plumber in Leeds". A website built around your services and towns is what Google shows for those.
Should I stop using Facebook if I get a website?
No. Keep posting your work on Facebook and link it to your website, and link your website back to Facebook. Having both, with the same details, makes your business look established and consistent.
What should a small business website have that a Facebook page doesn't?
A page for each service and each town you cover, your Google reviews on show, clear contact details on every page, and words Google can read straight away.