"Do I need a website for my business?" is a fair question when customers already find you on Google Maps, message you on Facebook or book you through a marketplace app. Those channels are free or cheap, and some businesses run well on them for years.
This guide is for owners who don't have a website yet, or who have one they never touch and wonder whether it's worth keeping. It explains what a website is in plain terms, what it does that a profile can't, and when a profile alone is fine for now.
By the end, you'll know which camp you're in, what the minimum small business website needs to include, and what it costs you to go without one. No scare statistics, just how each channel works.
Do I need a website for my business? The short answer
For most small businesses, yes, eventually. Not because every business needs a big site, but because a website is the one place online that you control. Everything else you use to get found is a listing on someone else's platform.
Some plain definitions first, since the terms get mixed up:
- Website: pages at your own address (your domain, like yourbusiness.com.au), that anyone can open in a browser and search engines can read.
- Google Business Profile: your free listing on Google Search and Maps, with your address, hours, photos and reviews.
- Facebook page: your business presence on Facebook, run under Meta's rules.
- Marketplace listing: your profile on a platform such as a booking, quote or delivery app, where the platform controls the page and often the customer relationship.
These work best together. The profile gets you seen in local results, and the website gives people somewhere to land, learn more and get in touch on your terms.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile is the first thing to set up, and Google says you can add or claim your business at no charge. If you haven't done it, start with our guide on how to set up a Google Business Profile.
But a profile is a listing, not a home. Google decides the layout, the features and the rules. A few things to know:
- Google can change what it offers. Google used to give businesses a free basic website made from their profile. Those sites were turned off in March 2024, and visitors were redirected to the profile until 10 June 2024. Owners who relied on them had to find a new home.
- A suspended profile disappears. Google's help pages say that when a profile is suspended, the public can't go to it and the owner can't act on it. If that's your only presence, you're invisible until it's sorted.
- Your website helps your profile. Google says prominence, how well known a business is, takes into account how many websites link to your business. A website gives other sites something to link to, and gives your profile a link to send people to.
Do I need a website or just a Facebook page?
A Facebook page is good for updates, photos and messages from people who already follow you. It's a weaker tool for strangers who are searching for a service right now.
- Meta sets the rules. Meta's terms say that if it decides you've clearly, seriously or repeatedly breached its terms or policies, it may suspend or permanently disable your access. The decision is Meta's, made under its own policies.
- Posts move down and out of sight. Your key details, like services, prices and service area, sit among posts rather than on pages built to answer a customer's questions.
- You can't shape it around your business. The layout, the buttons and what sits around your content all belong to the platform.
The same goes for marketplace listings. They can bring in work, but the platform owns the page, sets the fees and often sits between you and the customer. Keep using them if they work. Just don't let them be the only place your business exists online.
What a website does that a profile can't
Four things set a website apart from every listing:
- You own it. Your domain and your content stay yours, whichever platform rises or falls. If you register your own .com.au, see our guide to buying a .com.au domain name.
- It's searchable on your terms. Google says most sites in its results are found and added automatically once they're published. Each service page you write can match a different search, which a single profile can't.
- It takes enquiries and bookings directly. A form, a booking page or a tap-to-call button sends the customer to you, not to a platform that also shows them your competitors.
- AI assistants can read it. Google says a page that is indexed and eligible to show with a snippet can appear as a supporting link in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with no extra requirements. OpenAI says its OAI-SearchBot crawler is used to surface websites in ChatGPT's search features. A clear website gives these tools accurate facts about you.
Our guide to getting found by Google and AI assistants explains how to make the most of that last point.
When a profile alone is enough for now
A website isn't urgent for everyone. A well kept Google Business Profile can carry a business for a while if most of these are true:
- You're just testing an idea and aren't sure the business will last past a few months.
- Your work comes almost entirely from referrals, and people call you directly from a friend's recommendation.
- You're booked out and can't take more work, so more enquiries wouldn't help yet.
- You offer one simple service that a profile's description, photos and reviews explain fully.
If that's you, put the effort into your profile. Keep your hours, photos and services current, and work on getting more Google reviews. Plan the website for when you want to grow, add services or rely less on one platform.
What's the minimum a small business website needs?
Your first website doesn't need dozens of pages. A small, clear site does most of the work:
- A homepage that says what you do and where, with one clear call to action. Our list of what to put on a small business homepage covers the details.
- A page for each main service, in the words customers search for.
- An about section with real photos of you, your team or your work.
- Contact details: a tappable phone number, a short enquiry form, your hours and your service area, matching your Business Profile.
- Your own domain and reliable hosting. Hosting is the service that keeps your site online; our guide to what website hosting is explains it in plain terms.
- Fast loading on a phone, since that's where many local searches happen.
If you're weighing up a page builder against a site built for you, our comparison of AI website builders and custom websites sets out the trade-offs. For timing, see how long it takes to build a website.
Is a website worth it for a small business?
The cost of not having one is hard to see, because it's made of things that never happen. Think through these honestly:
- The customer who wanted more detail. They found your profile, wanted to see your services or prices, found nothing more, and called the next business that had a website.
- The enquiry outside business hours. With no form or booking page, someone searching at 10pm has no way to reach you except a missed call.
- The platform change you didn't choose. A suspended profile, a disabled page or a changed fee, and your only presence is gone or costs more.
- The question an AI assistant can't answer. If there's little about you online, these tools have less to go on when someone asks for a recommendation.
Against that, a small business website is a modest, predictable cost. Our guide to how much a website costs in Australia breaks down the options, and our FAQ covers how we work.
Key takeaways
- (01)
A Google Business Profile and a Facebook page are useful, but they're listings on platforms you don't control.
- (02)
A website is the one place online you own, and it can take enquiries and bookings directly.
- (03)
A well kept profile can be enough for now if you're testing an idea, fully referred or booked out.
- (04)
A first website only needs a clear homepage, service pages, real photos, contact details and fast mobile loading.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Google Business Profile replace a website?
For a while, for some businesses. It shows your hours, location, photos and reviews for free. But Google controls it, it has no room for detailed service pages, and if it's suspended the public can't see it. Most businesses do best with both.
Is a Facebook page enough for a small business?
It's useful for updates and messages, but it's a weak replacement for a website. Meta can suspend or disable access under its terms, and your key details sit among posts rather than on pages built to answer customers' questions.
Do I need a website if I get all my work from word of mouth?
Not urgently. But people who hear about you often look you up before they call. A simple site with your services, photos and contact details confirms you're real and makes that call easier.
What's the cheapest way to get a business website?
Building it yourself on a page builder costs the least in cash but the most in time. A small site built for you can still be affordable. Compare total cost, including hosting and edits, not just the build price.
More answers on price, hosting and timing in our FAQ.