Website vs Facebook Page — Why Social Media Alone Isn't Enough for UK Tradespeople

"I've got a Facebook page — I don't need a website."

We hear this a lot. It makes sense on the surface. You've got photos of your work, a phone number, reviews from happy customers, and the odd share from someone in a local group. It feels like everything's covered.

And for a while, it might work. But at some point it stops scaling — and the reasons why are worth understanding, because they're not obvious until you hit the wall.

Facebook works until it doesn't

Let's start with what Facebook does well. It's free. It's familiar. It gives you a way to post photos, collect reviews, and respond to messages. For a brand-new trade business with no budget and no online presence, a Facebook page is a perfectly reasonable first step.

The problem is when it becomes the only step.

Facebook is a social platform. It's designed to keep people scrolling inside Facebook — not to send them somewhere useful. When someone searches Google for "plumber near me" or "electrician in Northampton," Facebook pages occasionally appear. But they rank poorly compared to actual websites, especially for local search terms that matter to tradespeople.

The people searching Google are the ones with the highest intent. They need a service now. They're comparing options. They're ready to call someone. If you don't have a website, you're invisible to them — no matter how good your Facebook page looks.

You don't own your Facebook page

This is the part most people don't think about until it's too late.

Facebook controls the rules. They decide how many of your followers see your posts (spoiler: it's a fraction). They decide the layout. They can change the algorithm, suspend your page, or require you to pay for reach at any time — and there's nothing you can do about it.

It happens more often than you'd think. Pages get flagged by mistake. Account access gets lost. A policy change reduces your visibility overnight. Businesses that built everything on Facebook wake up one morning with no way to reach their audience.

Your website is yours. You control what it says, how it looks, and where it ranks. Nobody can take it away from you or throttle your visibility because you didn't boost a post.

Google can't do much with a Facebook page

When someone types "roofer in Kettering" into Google, here's what Google wants to show: a business with a proper website, an optimised Google Business Profile, consistent contact details, and content that demonstrates expertise in that area.

A Facebook page gives Google almost none of that.

There's no way to add structured data, optimise page titles for specific services, or create dedicated pages targeting different areas or service types. You can't control your meta descriptions. You can't install Google Search Console or track which searches bring people to you. You can't improve your page speed or mobile experience — you're stuck with whatever Facebook gives you.

A website lets you build a page for every service you offer and every area you cover. Each one is a potential entry point from Google — a way for a new customer to find you through a search they're already making. A Facebook page is one page. One URL. One chance.

The trust gap is real

Put yourself in a customer's shoes. You need a bathroom fitted. You search online and find two businesses:

• Business A has a professional website with project photos, clear pricing guidance, testimonials with names and locations, a visible phone number, and pages for the specific service you need.
• Business B has a Facebook page with some photos, a few recommendations, and a "Message us" button.

Both might do equally good work. But Business A looks more established, more trustworthy, and more professional. That perception matters — especially when someone is about to spend hundreds or thousands of pounds.

A website signals that you've invested in your business. It's the digital equivalent of a sign-written van, branded workwear, and a printed card. People judge on appearances before they judge on ability.

"But I get all my work through Facebook groups"

This is the strongest argument for going Facebook-only, and it's a fair one. Local Facebook groups — "Northampton Recommendations," "Milton Keynes Trades," etc. — do generate real leads for tradespeople. Someone posts asking for a plasterer, three people tag you, job done.

The issue isn't that this doesn't work. It's that it's reactive and unpredictable. You're dependent on someone else posting, on being tagged, on the group not having rules against self-promotion, on the algorithm showing your comment to the right people at the right time.

A website with proper local SEO works the other way around. It brings people to you — consistently, every day, without you posting anything. It works while you're on a job, while you're asleep, while you're on holiday.

The best approach isn't one or the other. It's both. Use Facebook groups and your page for social proof and community visibility. Use your website to capture the people who search Google — which, in the UK, is still where the majority of high-intent local searches happen.

What a basic trade website actually needs

You don't need something complex. A website for a trade business that actually generates leads needs:

• A clear homepage saying what you do and where you do it
• A way to get in touch — phone number, contact form, maybe WhatsApp
• Photos of your actual work
• A few testimonials from real customers
• Basic local SEO so Google knows where you operate

That's it. Five pages. No blog required (though it helps over time). No e-commerce. No fancy animations. Just a clear, fast, mobile-friendly site that tells people what you do, shows them you're good at it, and makes it easy to get in touch.

The cost of a proper website is far less than most tradespeople assume. And the return — in calls, enquiries, and customers who found you through Google rather than a Facebook comment — pays for itself quickly.

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The short version

Facebook is a tool. A website is a foundation. You can run a business without a website — but you're leaving a significant chunk of potential customers on the table, especially the ones who search Google first.

The tradespeople who are consistently busy aren't choosing between Facebook and a website. They have both — and each one does a different job.