What social media does well
It's quick, it's free and your regulars already follow you. Posting today's specials, a new batch of stock or a room that's just come free is exactly what Instagram and Facebook are for. Keep doing it.
Where it falls short
People who don't follow you yet will struggle to find you there. Someone on holiday searching "best fish and chips Isle of Wight" is searching Google, and Google shows websites and map listings far more often than Facebook pages.
The basics get buried. Your hours, menu and prices sink under last week's posts, and a visitor has to scroll to find them. Many give up first.
Some people can't see much at all. Facebook often puts a sign-in box in front of visitors who aren't logged in, and plenty of your customers don't have an account.
You don't own the page. If an account is hacked or locked, or the rules change, years of posts and followers can go overnight. Your website and your web address belong to you.
What a website does instead
It's the one place with everything people need before they visit or buy: what you do, when you're open, where you are, what it costs and how to book. Google reads it, which helps you turn up in searches and backs up your Google Maps listing. Then your social posts can point people to it.
When you might not need one yet
If you're fully booked through word of mouth, or you trade at one market a month, a well-kept Google Business Profile and an Instagram account might be enough for now. A website starts paying for itself when you want people who've never heard of you to find you.
The easy way to find out
We design your new homepage first, for free, so you can see what a site would look like for your business before you decide anything. Tell us about your business and we'll start on it.
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