Can A Facebook Page Be A Substitute For A Business Website?

There are companies that do business without a website.  The owners of these companies may not see the value in building and maintaining a website.  Some businesses have set up a Facebook page as an alternative to creating a website. Why not?  I mean Facebook is the largest social media platform. It is easy to promote by adding “Follow us on Facebook” to marketing material.  Creating a Facebook Page is an excellent way for businesses to interact with their customers. Additionally, Facebook Pages now offer free business tools including creating events and booking appointments.

Reasons A Facebook Page Should Complement Your Website (And Not A Substitute).

No Blog. A Facebook Page allows businesses to share content by creating posts.  However, these are not blog or article posts that are standard on business websites.  Facebook Pages should be used to promote content from your website.  To illustrate, a company that maintains a website and blog will share selected blog posts on its Facebook Page.

Organic Search Traffic. A Business Facebook page will appear in search engine results.  However, the organic search traffic is usually limited to searches for the “name of business” or “name of business + facebook.”  On the other hand with a business website, each page can rank for various keywords.

Not everyone is on Facebook.  A Facebook page may be viewed without having a Facebook account. However, it is a negative experience as Facebook will bombard the viewer with pop-ups to join Facebook. Therefore, it is better to have people who searched for your business or brand to visit your website.

Rented Land (Analogy).  It may not be wise for businesses to spend substantial time and resources to build a following on Facebook since the businesses does not own the page and is subject to Facebook changing the terms and conditions at any time. It is better to invest in a website you own than investing in a page [rented] on a platform owned by Facebook.

Integration. A Facebook page feed can be embedded onto your website.

Conclusion. A business may surely benefit from having a Facebook page.  However, a Facebook page is no substitute for the business having a website.