Does my small business really need a website if I'm already on Instagram and WhatsApp?

Many small businesses get customers through Instagram, WhatsApp and word of mouth, and do well. So is a website worth the money? Sometimes yes, sometimes not yet. Here is how to decide.

What social media does well

It is quick to start, free, and good for showing your work and talking to people. If your customers already find you there and message you, you are not doing anything wrong.

What it cannot do

• You do not own it. The platform can change its rules, limit who sees your posts, or lock your account. Your customers and your content sit on someone else's land.
• People who do not use that app will not find you. Many customers search on Google first, and a social profile often does not appear for the searches that matter.
• It is hard to look established. A page on a website with your services, your address and your contact details tells a new customer that you are real.
• It is hard to find the basics. Opening hours, prices and location get buried in old posts.

A website helps most when

1. People search for what you do and your area before they buy.
2. You want customers to trust you before they contact you, for example for services where people compare options.
3. You want to take bookings, orders or enquiries without answering the same questions again and again.
4. You are running ads. A good page to send people to makes the ads work harder.
5. You want something you fully own.

You can probably wait if

• Nearly all your customers come from people they know.
• You are still testing whether the business works at all.
• You cannot yet describe clearly what you offer.

In that case a simple, well-kept social profile is enough for now. Just do not wait until a competitor has the first page on Google.

Start small

A website does not have to be big. A few clear pages, a contact button that opens WhatsApp, and your address on a map already do most of the job. You can add more later. Read about what a good first website includes, or tell us what you do and we will tell you honestly whether you need one yet.