What Facebook does well
Let's be fair to it. A Facebook page is free. Meta says so in its own help pages. It takes minutes to set one up. You can post from your phone between jobs.
It's where a lot of local chat happens. Community groups, 'can anyone recommend a plumber?' posts and neighbours tagging each other. If you do good work and people like you, Facebook spreads that quickly.
It's also good for showing work as it happens. Before and after photos, a quick video of a finished job, a post saying you've had a cancellation on Thursday. Customers can message you directly and leave a recommendation.
- Free to set up and run
- Easy to post photos from your phone
- Local groups and word of mouth
- Customers can message you
- Shows you're active and working
Where a Facebook page falls short
You don't own it. Your page sits on Meta's platform under Meta's rules. Its terms say it can remove content and can suspend or permanently disable accounts. Most businesses never have a problem. But if your page is your only presence online and you lose access to it, for whatever reason, your photos, your history and your recommendations go with it.
Not everyone uses Facebook. Some customers don't have an account and some won't log in just to look at a business. A website opens for everyone, on any phone, with no account needed.
Information gets buried. Your services, your prices, the areas you cover and your Gas Safe or NICEIC details end up scattered through old posts. A customer comparing three firms wants to see that in one place, quickly.
It's harder to look established. For a small repair it might not matter. For a new kitchen or an extension, customers often want to see a proper site, a business email address and clear contact details before they invite you round to quote.
What about Google?
Plenty of customers look for a trade on Google. Google shows a mix of results. There's the map with local businesses, which comes from Google Business Profiles. There are websites. Sometimes there are Facebook pages and directory listings too.
A Google Business Profile is free and it's what can put you on the map. You don't need a website to have one, but the profile has space for your website link. A site gives Google more to go on about what you do and where. A Facebook page tends to be one page about everything. A website can have a page for each service and for the main towns you cover.
None of that guarantees a position. Nobody can honestly promise you a spot on Google. But a site built around the searches your customers actually make gives you more of a chance than a Facebook page on its own.
Facebook, Google and a website side by side
| Facebook page | Google Business Profile | Your own website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, ads cost extra | Free | From £39 a month with us, plus £199 setup |
| Who controls it | Meta | You, with the domain in your name | |
| Shows on the Google map | No | Yes | Not directly. Your profile links to it |
| Room for services, prices and areas | Limited, gets buried in posts | Some | As much as you need |
| Business email address | No | No | Yes, like info@yourbusiness.co.uk |
| Reviews | Facebook recommendations | Google reviews | Can show your Google reviews |
| Good for | Local chat, photos, messages | Being found on the map | Trust, detail and quotes for bigger jobs |
Facebook and Google costs from their own help pages, October 2026. Our prices from our prices page.
When Facebook on its own is enough
Sometimes it is. We'd rather say so. If you're booked up months ahead from word of mouth, you work for a handful of regular customers or you're just starting out and testing the water, a good Facebook page and a Google Business Profile may do the job for now.
The time to think again is when you want more of a certain kind of work, want to cover a new area, are quoting for bigger jobs or keep hearing 'I couldn't find you'.
What a customer is looking for
Think about how you pick a trade yourself. You want to know quickly whether they do the job you need, whether they cover your area, roughly what it costs and whether they're any good. Then you want an easy way to get in touch.
A Facebook page can answer some of that if someone scrolls far enough. A website can answer it on a single page and keep answering it at 10pm when you're not checking messages.
- What you do, in plain words, with photos of real jobs
- The towns and villages you cover
- Your accreditations and insurance, such as Gas Safe, NICEIC or a trade body
- Reviews from real customers
- A phone number they can tap and a simple way to send an enquiry
Questions to ask yourself
- When someone hears about me, where do they go to check me out?
- Could a new customer find my services, areas and contact details in under a minute?
- What would I lose if I couldn't get into my Facebook account tomorrow?
- Am I quoting for bigger jobs where looking established matters?
How to use both without doubling the work
You don't have to choose. The simplest setup for most trades looks like this.
- A website with your services, the areas you cover, your accreditations and how to get in touch. It stays put and doesn't need daily attention.
- A Google Business Profile linked to the website, with photos and reviews.
- Facebook for the everyday stuff: job photos, quick updates and replying to messages.
- Your website linked from your Facebook page details, with a link back to Facebook on your website.
What we do
With us, the website side is done for you. We write the words, set up your Google Business Profile and make changes when you send them. If your photos are already on Facebook or Instagram, just send us the link and we'll use them. You carry on posting on Facebook as you do now.
Our plans are £39, £69 or £99 a month plus £199 setup, with a 12-month minimum, then 30 days' notice. Your domain is in your name from day one. A standard domain costing up to £20 a year is included. Every plan includes an email address on your domain that forwards to the email you already use.
If you'd rather pay once, a one-off site is from £695, then £20 a month for hosting and support.