“I don’t need a website, I’ve got a Facebook page.” We hear it most weeks, and for some tradies it’s true. Plenty of good trade businesses have been built on a Facebook page, a phone number and a reputation in the local community groups.
But a Facebook page and a website do different jobs. One is where your existing customers and their friends find you. The other is where strangers find you when they search Google for your trade. If you only have the first, you’re invisible to the second, and you’re building your business on something you don’t own.
Here’s what Facebook does well, what it can’t do, when it’s enough on its own, and the smallest website worth having.
The short answer
- You don’t strictly need a website if referrals and Facebook keep you busy all year.
- You do need a free Google Business Profile, website or not. It’s what shows when someone searches “plumber near me”.
- You need a website when you want work from people who don’t already know you, when you want to choose which jobs you get more of, or when you want something you own.
- The smallest useful website is a handful of pages, not a big project.
What Facebook does well for tradies
It’s worth being fair to Facebook, because for a lot of trades it’s doing real work.
- Community group recommendations. “Can anyone recommend a sparky in Taradale?” posts get answered in local groups every day, and a tag from a happy customer is as warm as a lead gets.
- Messages. Lots of customers would rather send a Messenger message than ring. It’s quick, and they can send photos of the problem.
- Photos of your work. A page full of recent jobs is good proof, and it’s easy to keep updated from your phone on site.
- Reviews and recommendations. People do check them.
- Ads. Facebook and Instagram ads can collect enquiries through a form inside Facebook, without a website. We cover what that costs in Facebook ads cost NZ and what works in Facebook ads for tradies.
- It’s free and quick to set up.
If your phone’s full from that, you’re doing well.
What a Facebook page can’t do
Show up when strangers search Google
When someone searches “electrician Hamilton” or “blocked drain Napier”, Google shows ads, the map pack (the three businesses on the map) and then websites. A Facebook page rarely appears for those searches. It might come up when someone searches your business name, but that only helps people who already know who you are.
That’s the biggest gap. The customer with a problem right now, who doesn’t know any tradies, goes to Google, and a Facebook-only business isn’t in the running.
Belong to you
Your Facebook page lives on Meta’s platform, under Meta’s rules. If your account is hacked, restricted or caught by an automated check, your page can disappear overnight, and getting it back is out of your hands. Your photos, reviews and messages go with it.
It’s not just Facebook. In March 2024 Google switched off the free websites it used to build from Business Profiles, and businesses relying on them had a few months to move. Free platforms can change the deal at any time. A website on your own domain is the one piece of your online presence nobody can switch off for you.
Reach everyone who follows you
Posting on your page doesn’t mean your followers see it. Facebook decides what shows in people’s feeds, and business pages are competing with friends, family and everything else. Many tradies notice their posts reach far fewer people than they used to, unless they pay.
Reach people who aren’t on Facebook
Not every customer uses Facebook, and some who do won’t contact a business through it. A landlord, a property manager or a commercial client is more likely to search Google and look for a proper website and email address before ringing.
Give you control
On Facebook, Meta decides the layout. You can’t give each service its own page, you can’t choose what someone sees first, and you can’t tell easily which enquiry came from where. On a website you decide all of that.
When Facebook alone is enough
Being straight about it, a Facebook page on its own can be enough if:
- Referrals and community group recommendations keep you booked all year.
- You’re a one-person business at capacity and don’t want more work.
- You only work in a small area where everyone knows everyone.
Even then, set up the free step below. And keep in mind that “enough” can change quickly: a new competitor moves into town, a big builder you subcontract for slows down, or the referrals dry up after a quiet winter. A website takes a few weeks to set up and months to build up on Google, so it’s worth having before you need it.
Signs you’ve outgrown a Facebook-only setup
- You want more of a particular job, like switchboard upgrades or bathroom renos, and you’re getting whatever comes in instead.
- You’re quoting for people who found you through someone else, but never for people who searched for your trade.
- Customers ask for your website or your email address, and you send them a Facebook link.
- You want to run Google Ads. Google’s ads need a landing page, and sending paid clicks to a Facebook page throws away a lot of what you paid for.
- You’ve hired, or want to, and need a steady flow of work to keep the crew busy.
- You’ve been locked out of Facebook before, or know someone who has.
If two or more of those sound familiar, it’s time.
The free step most Facebook-only tradies skip
Whatever you decide about a website, set up your Google Business Profile. It’s free, and it’s what puts you in the map pack when someone nearby searches for your trade. You can add your services, area, hours, photos and reviews, and you can put your Facebook page in as your link until you have a website.
For a Facebook-only tradie, this one step often makes more difference than anything else. Our Google Business Profile checklist walks you through it, and how to ask for Google reviews helps you fill it up.
The smallest website worth having
If you decide to get a website, it doesn’t have to be a big project. The smallest useful version for a trade business:
- A home page that says your trade and area in plain words, with a number they can tap.
- A page for each main service you want more of, with your own photos.
- A page showing your work and reviews.
- A contact page with a short quote form.
- Your own domain, registered in your business’s name. (See .nz vs .co.nz for the checks.)
- An instant reply to every enquiry, so people hear back while you’re on the tools.
That’s it to start. You can add pages as the business grows. We go through what each page needs in what a tradie website needs, and what it costs in how much a website costs in NZ.
Running both together
The best setup isn’t Facebook or a website, it’s both, each doing its own job:
- Facebook for community, recommendations, messages and showing recent jobs.
- Your Google Business Profile for the map pack and reviews.
- Your website for Google searches, detail on each service, and the enquiry form.
Link them to each other. Put your website on your Facebook page and Google profile, and link your Facebook page and reviews from your website. When someone sees you recommended in a community group and checks you out, every path leads to a way to get in touch.
Website vs Facebook page FAQ
Can a Facebook page be my website?
It can be your online presence, and for some tradies that’s enough. But it isn’t a website: it won’t rank for your trade on Google, you don’t control it, and you don’t own it.
What’s the difference between a website and a Facebook page?
A Facebook page is a profile on Meta’s platform, best for community, messages and updates. A website is yours, on your own domain, and it’s what Google shows when people search for your trade and area.
Do tradies really need a website?
If you want work from people who don’t already know you, yes. If referrals and Facebook keep you booked all year, you can get by without one for now, as long as you have a Google Business Profile.
Is a website worth it for a small trade business?
It’s worth it when it brings in jobs you wouldn’t otherwise get. A small site with a page per service, real photos and an instant reply to enquiries usually pays for itself with a handful of extra jobs. A site nobody can find doesn’t.
Can I run Facebook ads without a website?
Yes. Facebook and Instagram ads can collect enquiries through a form inside Facebook. A website still helps people check you out before they get in touch.
Facebook-only right now? That’s fine. Our free leads audit works off your Facebook page too: 20 minutes with Ryan or Matt, looking at where your work comes from and what to do next, no obligation. When you’re ready for a website, see how we build them for trade businesses.