Website vs Facebook Page: Does a Tradie Really Need a Website?
What a Facebook page does well, what only a website can do, and why most trades end up needing both.
Plenty of tradies run a busy business off a Facebook page alone and do perfectly well. The question isn't whether social media works — it's what it can't do, and whether those gaps matter to you.
What a Facebook page genuinely does well
- Free and quick to start. You can be posting job photos this afternoon.
- Great for recent work. Short, frequent updates suit trades perfectly.
- Word of mouth spreads. Local community groups still send a lot of trade work.
- Messaging is familiar. Plenty of customers would rather message than ring.
- Reviews and recommendations. Social proof from people in the same area carries weight.
None of that is worth throwing away. If your page brings you work, keep it running.
Where a Facebook page runs out of road
- Search. When someone searches "blocked drain [suburb]", Google mostly shows websites and map listings. A social page rarely competes for that.
- Structure. There's no clean way to have a proper page for each service, with the detail someone needs before they commit to a job.
- Your best work disappears. A post from eight months ago is effectively gone. A gallery page isn't.
- You don't own the platform. Reach changes, accounts get locked, rules change. You can't move your followers somewhere else.
- Perceived professionalism. For bigger jobs — commercial work, builders, strata, insurance work — a website is often what gets you taken seriously.
| Job to be done | Facebook page | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Being found by strangers searching Google | Limited | Yes — this is its main job |
| Showing recent work to existing followers | Excellent | Good, via a gallery |
| A detailed page per service | No | Yes |
| You control it | No | Yes |
| Quoting and enquiry forms | Basic messaging | Structured enquiries |
| Looking credible for larger jobs | Sometimes | Usually |
The real difference: warm audience vs cold demand
Social media reaches people who already follow you — a warm audience. Search reaches people with a problem right now who have no idea you exist. Those are different sources of work, and most trade businesses need both.
A hot water system fails on a Saturday morning. That customer isn't scrolling; they're searching. If nothing of yours appears, the job goes to whoever does appear.
How to run them together properly
- Put your website link in your page bio, and in posts where it makes sense.
- Post the job photos socially, then add the best ones to your website gallery so they last.
- Point big enquiries to the website's enquiry form, so you get the details you need in writing.
- Keep a Google Business Profile as well — that's what feeds the map results.
- Reuse review text from social posts on your website, with permission and unchanged.
When a Facebook page really is enough
If you're fully booked from referrals, you're not chasing new customer types, and you don't want to grow — a page can genuinely be enough. Be honest about that rather than building a website you'll ignore.
If you want to be found by people who don't know you yet, a website is the tool for the job. That's what the Tradie Website Design package is built for — $299 setup then $45/week, with hosting, your domain and a monthly update included.
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Common questions
- Can I just use a Google Business Profile instead of a website?
- A Google Business Profile is important for map results, but it's limited — you can't build proper service pages on it. See ranking with and without a Google Business Profile.
- Will a website stop my social media working?
- No. They feed each other — a website gives your social posts somewhere to send people, and your social posts keep the website's gallery stocked with fresh work.
Written by Mike — Web Guy Mike
I build and look after websites for Australian tradies and small service businesses. Every site is built by me — no outsourcing, no account managers. More about Mike.