Do I Really Need a Website If I Already Have Social Media?

Short answer: yes — especially if you're a service business like a plumber or dentist.

When someone Googles “plumber near me,” they’re not scrolling Instagram—they’re acting fast. In fact, 76% of mobile users who conduct a local search visit a business within 24 hours, and 28% complete a purchase in that timeframe *.

Most searchers aren’t browsing galleries—they want to call, text, or submit a quick form right away. A mobile-friendly site makes that possible: 88% of mobile local searchers either call or visit a business within 24 hours *, and 61% are more likely to contact a business if its site works well on mobile *.

Plus, SEO results take time. Most small businesses need 3–6 months to see traction—or even up to a year for new sites—so launching your website now starts the clock *.

In other words: social media gets your brand noticed, but a website is your conversion-ready, always-on business hub.---

Why a Website Still Matters (Even If You’re Active on Social)

1) Customers expect to find you on Google

Most discovery starts in search—especially for local businesses. BrightLocal’s recent research shows Google dominates local business discovery and review reading; their 2025 summary cites that 83% of consumers use Google to find local business reviews, with Instagram and TikTok as secondary sources. That means if you’re not showing up with a proper website, you’re missing intent-driven traffic. *

2) Social reach keeps shrinking

Relying on organic social alone is tough. Benchmarks across 2024–2025 put average Facebook reach around ~1–2% of followers and Instagram reach near ~3–10% depending on format. If you have 1,000 followers, a typical post may be seen by only a small slice of them without paid boosts. * * *

3) Outages and lockouts are real

When Meta apps go down, businesses lose access to audiences instantly—no inbox, no posts, no DMs. Recent outages (2024–2025) locked out users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, leaving small businesses stuck. A website gives you a reliable place to post updates, take inquiries, and direct customers during platform hiccups. * * *

4) Control, credibility, and conversion

Your site controls the branding, messaging, and calls-to-action—not an algorithm. Industry roundups show the majority of small businesses now have a website (≈71–73%), reflecting that even very small firms see credibility gains and better conversion when they own a site. * *

5) It doesn’t have to be complex or expensive

A simple “digital business card” site (hours, services, contact, map, basic forms) covers the basics—and can be fast, secure, and low maintenance. You can still use social for reach and community; your website becomes the trustworthy hub you link back to.

“But I Get All My Leads from Social…”

That’s awesome—keep doing what works. The point isn’t to replace social; it’s to de-risk it:

  • Own your domain + email so customers can always reach you.
  • Publish key info (menu, services, pricing ranges, booking links) so Google can index it.
  • Capture leads with a contact form that doesn’t depend on a platform inbox.

Think of social as the party—and your website as home base.

A Quick Reality Check on Social-Only Strategies

  • Algorithm shifts can drop your organic reach overnight. Pay-to-play dynamics force boosts even to reach existing followers. * *
  • Platform policy changes can suddenly limit links, promotions, or content types.
  • Outages/suspensions temporarily (or permanently) cut off your audience and sales channels. * *

A website insulates you from all three.

What a Minimal Site Should Include (and Yes—we always include these in our builds)

We believe every small business site should be one clear, clean unit that means business:

  • Your domain — a memorable URL that reinforces your brand, because 97% of consumers search online for local businesses and rely on easy, trustworthy sites *.
  • About & Services — what you do and where you serve should be front-and-center.
  • Hours & Contact — click-to-call, email forwarding, and a map make it painless for customers to reach you.
  • Fast, Mobile-First HTML — no clunky plugins, just lean code. Sites that load in under 3 seconds see significantly lower bounce rates and higher rankings *.
  • Basic Analytics — you need to know what’s working. Minimalist sites give you the data without the noise ([BizBudding – EyeQuant study on clean design and user retention]).

Minimalism isn’t just for aesthetic—it’s about clarity, speed, and impact. We always build this baseline into Marshland sites because it gets results—fast.

The Marshland Approach (Built for Small Businesses)

We specialize in simple, fast HTML sites with transparent pricing:

  • Hosting that includes SSL + domain and two quick edits per year
  • Human support that speaks plain English
  • Start small, grow when you’re ready

Social is great. Owning your home base is better.

👉 Ready for a simple website that works? Get in touch

Sources

  • BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey (2024–2025): Google leads local discovery; consumers rely on Google reviews. *
  • Organic reach benchmarks (2024–2025): Facebook ≈1–2%; Instagram ≈3–10% depending on content type. * * *
  • Social platform outages impacting small businesses (2024–2025). * * *
  • Share of small businesses with websites ≈71–73%. * *