7 Reasons Why a Facebook Business Page Cannot Replace a Website

A Facebook page might be a helpful nice-to-have for an SMB wanting to reach an audience, but it won’t do enough to help turn it into a reputable, respectable brand.

A Facebook page is a tool, not a site!

On your quest to acquire more clients, you might have come across a small business owner who claims to have struck gold using only a Facebook page as their primary online presence. They might have even told you that since they’ve been able to keep their current customers satisfied –– and also attract enough customers to keep their businesses afloat –– there’s no need to build a website for their SMB

……But in order to think that way, a business has to focus more on what’s currently working and less on what could be improved. Simply shift the focus from present successes to future opportunities, and you’ll quickly start to see what a business might be missing.

As an agency, you know that great web design can take a business to the next level. And if an SMB is serious about establishing a fantastic, conversion-driving online presence, it’s going take a lot more than ‘likes.’ A Facebook page might be a helpful nice-to-have for an SMB wanting to reach an audience, but it won’t do enough to help turn it into a reputable, respectable brand. To do that kind of heavy lifting, a website is needed for many reasons, as we’ll discuss in this blog.

Reason #1: A Facebook page is a tool, not a site

A Facebook page does have its benefits (note: we said benefits; not advantages because there is nothing that a Facebook page actually does that a website doesn’t). It’s free, easy to set up, and with a monthly active user base of over 2 billion, the social media behemoth provides business owners with the opportunity to attract numerous leads.

Facebook also provides a nice way for SMBs to engage with customers. There, they can answer questions, promote blog posts, post photos and keep customers abreast of the latest-greatest offerings that it might have. Trouble is, anything posted on a Facebook page is time sensitive. With each new post that is created, the previous post gets pushed further down the page’s timeline until it’s no longer visible. To find it again, visitors will have to do some serious scrolling. There’s no effective way to retrieve important information, and all you get in terms of search options is the standard search box that appears at the top of every page. Also, there’s no way to keep posts static, except for one post that can be pinned to the top of the page’s timeline for easy access. Not bad, if a business has only one important thing to say.

Reason #2: A Facebook page has limited SEO

Speaking of searching, a Facebook page offers very little in terms of SEO other than simply being discoverable through search engines. Since all Facebook pages follow the same template, there’s virtually nothing that can be done to tailor content and keywords for better discoverability (especially from organic searches). And even if there were a way to optimize SEO on Facebook, visitors would still need to have an account to log in, access and interact with the page beyond what you see on a SERP.

In terms of design, the options are extremely limited on a Facebook page. All a business can do is park its important info and a few design elements such as pictures and logos in their designated spots –– P.S. Don’t forget to make sure that the image file type, size and dimensions meet Facebook’s requirements and community guidelines, which are subject to change. This brings us to our next reason.

Reason #3: Facebook pages belong to Facebook

With its updates to its Business Pages, Facebook is on its way to establishing itself as a micro-web of sorts (whether they intend to or not), where any business (and customer) can occupy a space, seemingly free of charge. And while no money might be involved, there is a price: anything created on Facebook belongs to Facebook first. Whoever set up the page or profile merely rents it.

Sure, a business owner might have access to solid marketing and analytics tools along with some creative say in what goes on the business page, but ultimately what Facebook says, goes. The page is still subject to all rules, regulations and most-importantly algorithms that Facebook uses at its discretion. Consequently, no reward can be guaranteed for any efforts made to boost engagement. All a ‘like’ on a Facebook page means is that a user is interested in the page’s content. That’s it. They still have to engage with the page on a regular basis, or Facebook’s algorithm will remove its posts from their timelines.

Reason #4: Sites belong to businesses

A website, on the other hand, belongs to the business that has claimed it. It is square one; the raw material over which a designer has full, limitless creative control. You’re free to mold and shape it from scratch to meet your client’s needs, with little to no restrictions.

On a website, the business comes first. Thus, anything done with it, and any tool used on it, will be for the benefit of the business first. For every business-boosting tool (eCommerce, Marketing, Analytics) that Facebook might offer on its platform, there is a better, more-robust real-world counterpart that can easily be used for an SMB site. In fact, many agencies use these tools to offer niche services such as marketing, SEO and even social media packages to SMBs. Hard to get that with just a Facebook page. 

Say your client has special marketing materials that they would like to make available for download; they’ll need a website for that. If your client tries to do it on their Facebook page, all they’ll be able to do is create a post telling their audience where to find the special materials on their sites. There is no place on Facebook to actually house them for direct download.

Reason #5 Websites power brands

If you are in a leadership role, it’s important to remember that being compassionate and powerful are not mutually exclusive. At this stage of the game, it almost should go without saying, but if you’re using fear or intimidation tactics to get things done, you’re not really managing at all.

Reason #6: Websites tell stories

Every business has a story to tell. Perhaps it’s an inspiring tale of a beloved local business that has been the bedrock of a community for 30 years. Maybe the story is an underlying brand message (i.e. “Just do it”) that your client wants to deliver in every part of their SMB. With a website, you have the power to tell it through specially-curated designs and content.

Reason #7: Websites show experiences

Your clients deliver more than just products and services to their customers; they also create an experience with their brand. Which of these resonates more with you: a “home-repair service that does quick, good work,” or a “family-run business that always goes above and beyond the expectations of its customers; where the employees always greet you with a smile and you can rest assured that no one will ever cut corners with their services?” Customer experience is what turns a business into a brand and distinguishes it from similar service providers.

Yelp reviews are a powerful way to build a reputation for your business and generate interest. That’s why a business owner might be tempted to just park their info on a Facebook page and let Yelp do most of the work. But a stellar website can be the converting factor for many potential customers (especially those who expect all businesses to have websites). A website helps SMBs capitalize on Yelp reviews by effectively showing people why they’re receiving such acclaim. Can you put fancy images, text, and videos on a Facebook page? Yes, but without the full creative power to show what a terrific experience it delivers, an SMB runs the risk of underrepresenting itself.

In conclusion: survive on Facebook. Thrive on a website. Yes, an SMB can get by with a Facebook business page as its primary web presence. But we guarantee it will miss out on several opportunities to flourish as a business. If a brand can be great, why should it settle for being ok?