Website vs Facebook Page: What Irish Businesses Need
If you can only have one, have the website. A Facebook page is a good place to show recent work and chat to customers, but it is rented space on someone else’s platform. A website is the one online asset you own, control and can point Google at. The best setup for most Irish small businesses is both, with the website as the base and Facebook feeding people towards it.
TL;DR
- A Facebook page is quick, free and good for showing recent work. A website is what lets strangers find you on Google and trust you before they get in touch.
- You do not own your Facebook page’s audience, reach or rules. You own your website, your domain and your email address.
- Start with a free Google Business Profile, then add a simple website. Keep Facebook for updates and conversations.
- A first Irish business website does not need a big budget. Ours start at €499 one-off.
- A website brings a few legal duties, mainly cookie consent and a privacy policy. They are manageable if you set them up at the start.
Table of Contents
- What each one is actually for
- Side by side
- Where a Facebook page lets you down
- What Facebook still does well
- The order that works for a new Irish business
- Which situation are you in?
- Our perspective
- What a website costs with us
- The legal side of having a website
- Common objections
- FAQ
- Sources
What each one is actually for
People compare the two as if they do the same job. They don’t.
A Facebook page is a social channel. You post, people react, and some of your existing followers see it. It suits day-to-day updates, photos of finished jobs, special offers and quick messages from customers who already know you.
A website is your business’s home online. It explains what you do, where you work, what it costs or how to find out, and how to contact you. It is there when someone searches at 11pm for a plumber, an accountant or a dog groomer in their town.
The GetResponse comparison puts the same idea in terms of owned and rented space. Your website is the owned hub where people convert. Facebook is a rented channel that builds awareness and sends traffic back to the hub. That framing is the most useful way to think about the choice.
Side by side
| Facebook page | Website | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free | One-off build cost, then small yearly or monthly running costs |
| Who controls it | Meta, which can change reach, layout and rules | You |
| Found through Google | Sometimes, but weakly and not for your key services | Yes, if built and set up for local search |
| First impression | Social and informal | Professional and in your own branding |
| Best at | Updates, community, quick chat | Credibility, enquiries, explaining services |
| Your web address | A Facebook URL | Your own domain and matching email |
| Tracking enquiries | Limited | Forms, calls and WhatsApp clicks you can measure |
Where a Facebook page lets you down
You don’t control the rules
Facebook decides how many of your followers see each post, what your page looks like and what is allowed. Reach for business pages has fallen over the years as Meta has leaned on paid advertising, which is a point Irish agency System Setter makes in its own guide. If an algorithm change or a locked account cuts you off, you have no fallback and no email list to rebuild from.
It is a weak answer to a Google search
A customer typing “electrician near me” or “bookkeeper in Galway” is ready to hire. A Facebook page can appear, but a clear page about that exact service in that exact area has a far better chance. The Go Digital, Grow Strong guide from the National Enterprise Hub says the first step for every SME is making sure the business can be found online. It points to a Google Business Profile as a free way to show up in search results even without a website or social media.
Some customers read it as a stopgap
For trades and local services, a Facebook page is often fine. For professional services such as legal and accounting, the same guide notes that a Facebook-only presence is often seen as less established. If your customers are cautious about who they hire, or are comparing three firms at once, a website with clear services and contact details settles doubts that a feed of posts cannot.
It is hard to turn visitors into enquiries
On Facebook, your customer is one tap from a friend’s holiday photos. On your own site, you decide what they see: the services, the proof, the price guidance and one obvious way to ask for a quote. A form, a click-to-call button or a WhatsApp button turns browsing into an enquiry, and you can see which ones work.
What Facebook still does well
None of this means abandoning Facebook. It remains good for:
- Showing fresh work. Before-and-after photos, a finished extension, a new menu.
- Local word of mouth. Community groups and recommendations still drive a lot of Irish custom, and your page gives people something to tag.
- Quick conversations. Many customers prefer messaging to filling in a form.
- Low-cost promotion. Seasonal offers and events reach people who already like you.
The mistake is treating it as your only address. The Space Ads guide to managing a Facebook page describes a page as a public presence for your business, which is true, but it is one channel among several rather than the whole shop.
The order that works for a new Irish business
If you are starting from nothing, this is the sequence we would follow.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is free to create and lets you appear on Google Search and Maps with your hours, photos and reviews. If you want a hand, we cover this on our Google Business Profile setup page.
- Build a simple website on your own domain. Even a handful of pages is enough: home, services, about, contact. Add an email address that matches your domain, such as info@yourbusiness.ie.
- Link everything together. Put your website address on your Google profile, your Facebook page, your van, your invoices and your email signature.
- Use Facebook to feed the site. Post your work, and send people to the relevant page on your website for details and a quote.
- Add local pages as you grow. A page per service or area you cover helps you appear for those searches. Our local SEO page explains what that involves.
Which situation are you in?
You are a tradesperson with plenty of word-of-mouth work
You may feel you don’t need a website. But people who get your name from a friend still check you out, and they often compare you with another recommended trader. A page showing your services, the areas you cover and real jobs makes you the easier one to call. See our page on website design for tradesmen in Ireland.
You offer a professional service
Solicitors, accountants, consultants and advisers are chosen on trust. A Facebook page alone can look thin next to a competitor with a clear website. We have written about this on our page for professional services websites in Ireland.
You are only just starting
You don’t need everything on day one. Set up Facebook and your Google profile this week, and launch a simple site as soon as you can describe your services and have a few photos. Our guide for new business websites in Ireland walks through what is worth including first.
You have a website, but it isn’t producing enquiries
Then the choice isn’t website or Facebook, it is whether the site is doing its job. Common causes include slow loading on phones, unclear calls to action and thin service pages. We list nine of them in Website Not Getting Enquiries?. If the site is simply dated, a redesign is usually quicker than patching it.
Our perspective
We talk to new owners every week who are sure they must pick one. Usually they have been told that websites are expensive, complicated and full of jargon, and that Facebook is “good enough”. We understand why. For years, that was close to true.
It isn’t now. A clear, mobile-friendly site on your own domain is realistic for a sole trader or a new company, and it changes how people treat you. They find you on Google, they see the same branding as on your van, and they have a form or a WhatsApp button that takes seconds to use.
What we see work best is simple. The website holds the facts: what you do, where, and how to reach you. Facebook holds the personality: the jobs you finished this week. Neither tries to be the other.
We also think owners should be able to talk to the person building the site, get a fixed quote and know what they will pay each month. That is how we run things, and it is why we publish our prices.
— niall
What a website costs with us
We publish our prices on the pricing page, so you can compare before you speak to anyone.
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| Launch Website | €499 one-off |
| Business Website | €799 one-off |
| Growth Website | from €1,295 one-off |
Ongoing care covers hosting, technical upkeep and updates. Website Care is €29 per month, Business Growth Care is €49 per month, and Website Care + SEO Growth is €99 per month.
If you are choosing between a Facebook page and a first website, the Launch Website is built for that moment. It gives you a professional home to link from your Facebook page, your Google profile and your business cards. You can see what a finished site looks like on our Our Work page, or read more on small business website design in Ireland. If you already know you want enquiries to be the focus, look at our lead generation websites.
The legal side of having a website
A Facebook page leaves most of the data protection work to Meta. Your own website puts some of it on you, so it is worth knowing before you launch.
- Cookies and analytics. In Ireland, the ePrivacy Regulations (S.I. No. 336/2011) and GDPR require clear, informed consent before non-essential cookies or tracking are used. That includes most analytics tools. If your site only uses essential cookies, the burden is lighter, but check what your forms, maps and plugins load.
- Privacy policy. If you collect names, emails or phone numbers through a form, say what you do with them. Our post on privacy policies for small businesses covers the details, from forms to CCTV. For a sense of how a clear policy page is laid out, you can look at this example privacy policy.
- Keep it proportionate. A small brochure site with a contact form is a long way from a data-heavy platform. The aim is to be honest and tidy, not to drown visitors in banners.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you handle sensitive data, such as health or financial details, speak to a solicitor or the Data Protection Commission’s guidance before launch.
Common objections
“My customers are all on Facebook.” Many are, and they will still search Google when they need something new. A website catches the people who have never heard of you.
“I don’t have time to update a website.” You don’t have to. Keep posting on Facebook, and let the site carry the stable information. A care plan can look after hosting and technical upkeep.
“A website is too expensive.” Compare it with what a lost enquiry costs you. A single extra job a month can cover a Launch Website and monthly care well within the first year, although results depend on your trade, area and how you promote the site.
“Facebook is free.” The page is free to open. The cost is the time spent posting and the risk of building everything on ground you don’t own.
FAQ
Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?
In most cases, yes. A Facebook page works for updates and chat, but a website gives you your own domain, better visibility on Google and a more established look. If you only have the budget for one this month, start with a Google Business Profile, then add a simple website soon after.
Can a Facebook page replace a website?
For a very small, word-of-mouth business, a page can carry you for a while. It is a weak long-term replacement because you don’t control reach, layout or the account itself. Treat it as a channel that points to your site.
Is a website or a Facebook page better for getting found on Google?
A website is better for targeted searches such as a service in your town, because you can build pages around exactly what people type. A free Google Business Profile helps with Maps and local results alongside it.
Is Facebook a website?
Facebook is a website, but your business page on it is not your own website. It lives inside Facebook’s site under Facebook’s rules. Your own website sits on your domain, and you decide how it looks and works.
Do I need to worry about GDPR if I have a website?
Yes, to a reasonable degree. If you use analytics or other non-essential cookies, you need consent before they run, and you should have a privacy policy if you collect personal details. Get this set up at launch rather than later.
Sources
- Go digital, grow strong: A practical guide for Irish businesses, National Enterprise Hub
- Facebook Page vs. Website: Which One Should You Pick?, GetResponse
- Do I Need a Website for My Small Business in Ireland 2026?, System Setter
- Get Listed on Google, Google Business Profile
- How to Create and Manage a Facebook Page, Space Ads
- Ireland Data Privacy Comparative Guide, Mondaq