If you're already active on Instagram or Facebook and getting some engagement, it's a completely reasonable question. Here's the honest breakdown of what each one actually does for you.

What social media is genuinely great at

Staying visible to people who already know you, showing your personality, posting real work as you do it, building a following over time. If you're good about posting, it's one of the cheapest ways to stay top of mind with existing and past customers.

What it can't do

Show up when a stranger searches "plumber near me" or "hair salon in San Jose" on Google. Social posts almost never rank in a search engine, and that's a massive chunk of how people actually find a new business they've never heard of before — see what actually gets you found on Google.

It also isn't yours. Your account lives on a platform you don't control. Algorithm changes, account issues, even the platform's own decisions can affect who sees your posts, and none of that is up to you. A website is the one piece of your online presence you actually own outright.

And it's not built to be a home base. A profile page can't really show your full pricing, a real booking calendar, a proper contact form, or the kind of detailed service breakdown a customer needs before they decide to call. It's built for quick posts, not for closing the decision.

The honest answer: you want both, doing different jobs

Social media brings in people who already sort of know you and keeps you in front of them. A website is where a stranger who found you through Google, a referral, or a business card actually decides you're legit and reaches out. Neither one replaces the other.

Where this leaves you

If you're only on social media right now, you're leaving the entire "someone Googled me and I wasn't there" group of customers on the table. That's not a small group, and it's worth knowing what a real site actually costs before assuming it's out of reach. If you want to see what a real site would actually look like for your business, we'll build one, free, before you spend a dollar.