Using a Facebook page as your business website? Here’s why that’s a bad idea.
If you run a company, service or a brand, you can’t get around having a Facebook business page.
With nearly 2.4 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one social media platform that is integral to any business’ online presence. Whether you love it or love to hate it, Facebook’s business pages are actually pretty valuable. You get robust analytics and powerful page-building tools — all for free!
That last little detail is what lures a number of business owners into skipping out on a dedicated website altogether:
“If I can get all of my business information and connect with my customers for free, why the heck would I pay for a website?”
Understandable! We at Integritive would agree that it’s better to at least have a Facebook business page than nothing at all! However, there are a number of problems your business and customers will run into when you rely on Facebook as a replacement for your company's website.
1 :: Not Everyone Has Facebook
Even with well over 2 billion monthly active users, there are still plenty of people who don’t use Facebook.
This includes both older demographics and, increasingly, younger age brackets. Ask someone under the age of 25 if they have a Facebook profile and you just may get a dramatic eye roll.
When a non-Facebook user clicks on your business page, this is what they will see after scrolling down a bit.
- Facebook will want them to login or create an account
- Liking and commenting will be disabled
- They won’t be able to message you (unless they have Facebook messenger enabled separately)
- They won’t be able to make an appointment
All of these limitations effectively render your business “website” useless to a potential customer.
What happens then? They look somewhere else.
RELATED: What Social Media Accounts Should My Business Have?
2 :: You’ll Have to Pay to Play
Back in 2014, Facebook started reducing reach for business pages. Like Google, Facebook wants to keep users’ feeds relevant to their interests by serving quality content by real people, not brands. A Facebook algorithm change in 2018 further reduced audience reach for business pages.
In a way, these changes are good. Facebook is cracking down on inflated reach numbers and encouraging everyone to create quality content. Media junk such as “engagement bait” posts (“Like if you agree!” “Type Amen and share!”) will feel the squeeze, too. It also forces business and brands to create meaningful content that viewers want to read, talk about and share.
On the other hand, it means you may have to add a Facebook budget to your marketing strategy via paid ads or boosted posts to reach more customers.
3 :: You’re Not Totally In Control
You can customize your cover photo, choose which tabs you want on your page and even tailor your Facebook ads with incredibly granular detail.
But you’re never going to be fully in control of your Facebook business page. You know who will be?
Facebook.
And how many times does Facebook change its features, layout and, most importantly, search algorithms?
The answer is: all the time.
If you want to be 100% in control of your online presence, you need to have your own website.
4 :: Your SEO Options are Seriously Limited
Great news! Your Facebook business page will be indexed at or near the top of Google search results for your company. You didn’t even have to know anything about search engine optimization (SEO) to get there!
The downside: That’s all you get.
Google is likely only going to index your main business page. If you want to optimize for a specific product, sale or service, you won’t be able to do so.
In contrast, a dedicated website has endless options for ranking and appearing in search engine results. You can customize and update every single page, seek valuable backlinks to specific pages, create landing pages for special promotions and so much more.
RELATED: What Is SEO?
5 :: You Can’t Fully Brand Your Page
Your company’s branding covers a spectrum of important details: colors, fonts, logo, copywriting guidelines and a brand voice. These details aren’t just for show; they build brand trust and recognition, two things customers need to feel assured they’re making a good choice when they choose you.
While Facebook allows you to upload a logo, choose your own cover photo, and write (almost) anything you want, you’re still stuck with Facebook blue for everything else.
When You’re Ready to Grow Beyond Facebook
A dedicated website demonstrates that you care enough about your company to invest in it.
For any company that is ready to scale their business, it’s time to make the leap. You’ll have 100% control over every aspect of your site, from colors to copy, and know that you’re meeting your target customers with your best foot forward.
Ready to get started? Contact us for a free consultation. The Integritive team will work with you to bring your website vision to life and help you maintain and grow it right along with your business.