If you want customers who search for what you do, yes, you need a website. A Facebook page is rented space on a platform whose rules, reach and uptime you do not control, and it is largely invisible to the roughly 88% of New Zealand searches that happen on Google. Keep the page: it is still where most of New Zealand's social media traffic comes from. But make it point at something you own.
We hear this question from tradies, salons, cafés and sole operators every week, usually phrased as "my Facebook page works fine, why would I pay for a website?" It is a fair question, and the honest answer has three parts: what a page cannot do, what it is still good for, and what the smallest useful website actually costs.
What a Facebook page cannot do for your business
It does not show up when people search for your service
When someone in Hamilton needs an electrician, they do not scroll Facebook; they search Google. StatCounter puts Google at 88.33% of New Zealand search traffic in August 2026, with Bing at just over 8%. Facebook pages do get indexed by Google, but they tend to surface for your business name, not for "electrician Hamilton". Service searches return websites and Google Business Profiles. If you have neither, you are not in the running for the customer who does not already know your name.
You do not own it, and Meta says so in writing
Meta's terms of service state that Meta "can remove or restrict access to content that is in violation of these provisions", that it may suspend or permanently disable your access if it determines you have breached its terms or policies, and that its products are provided "as is" with no guarantee they will function without disruptions. Most business pages never hit these clauses. Some do, through a mistaken flag, a hacked admin account or a change in advertising policy, and there is no phone number to call. When your only online presence is a page, that risk is your whole business.
When Facebook goes down, so do you
On 4 October 2021 a configuration change on Meta's backbone routers took all of its platforms offline. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger were unavailable worldwide for six to seven hours. Every business whose bookings, menu and contact details lived only on those apps vanished for an afternoon. A website on your own domain does not care what Meta is doing.
Your reach depends on an algorithm you cannot see
A page post reaches whatever fraction of your followers Facebook's ranking decides to show it to, and that fraction changes without notice. There is no reliable public figure for organic page reach, which is precisely the point: you cannot plan around a number you are not given. A page on your website ranks on signals you can see in Google Search Console and improve deliberately.
AI assistants look for a website
A growing share of "who should I use?" questions are now asked of ChatGPT, Google's AI Mode and similar tools. They build their answer from what they can read and verify: your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews and mentions of you elsewhere. A Facebook page, much of which is only visible when logged in, gives them very little to work with. Our guide to getting recommended by AI search explains what they do look for.
Free platform websites get switched off
If you are tempted by the free "website" some platforms generate for you, note what happened to Google's version. Websites built inside Google Business Profile, the business.site addresses, were turned off in March 2024, and businesses were told to build a site elsewhere and update the link. A platform can retire a free product whenever it likes. A domain you register and a site you control cannot be retired by anyone but you.
What a Facebook page is still good for
None of this means delete the page. Facebook accounted for roughly 70% of New Zealand's social-media-referred web traffic in August 2026 by StatCounter's measure (a share of page views arriving from social networks, not a count of users), far ahead of any other platform. For an NZ small business it remains useful for:
- Local community groups, where a recommendation from a neighbour still carries weight
- Showing recent work and being visibly active, which reassures people who have already found you
- Events, specials and short-notice updates
- Messenger for quick questions from existing customers
- Paid Meta ads, which can be targeted by suburb and interest
The pattern that works is Facebook for conversation and reach, website for search and conversion, each linking to the other.
When is a Facebook page alone genuinely enough?
We would be overselling if we said everyone needs a website. A page alone is reasonable when:
- The business is a hobby or side income and you are not trying to grow it
- You are fully booked through referrals and turning work away
- You are testing an idea for a few months before committing to it
- You trade at markets or pop-ups where the page is mainly a noticeboard for "where we are this weekend"
If you recognise yourself in that list, save your money for now. The moment you want customers who do not already know you, come back to this article.
What does the smallest useful website look like?
Not a ten-page brochure. One well-built page that tells Google and a stranger the same five things:
- What you do, in the words customers use: not "solutions", but "gas fitting", "lash extensions", "small-batch roasting"
- Where you do it: suburbs, regions or "all of Auckland"
- How to reach you, with a phone number that dials on tap and a form that emails you
- Proof: a few real photos of your work and your Google reviews
- Hours, prices or "from" prices where you can, and a link to your Facebook page
Behind the page: your own domain name (a .co.nz registered in your name, not your web designer's), an SSL certificate so browsers do not flag the site as insecure, a claimed Google Business Profile linking to it, and the technical basics so Google can index it. That is the entire brief for our $49 a month Starter plan: one page, hosting and SSL included, $0 upfront, and your domain stays yours. Our straight answers page sets out exactly what we do and do not include, and our website cost guide compares the alternatives if you would rather build it another way.
How do you make Facebook and a website work together?
- Put the website address in the page's Website field and in the About section
- Link to the site from posts about services, not just to the homepage: "read what a rewire involves" beats "visit our website"
- Use the same business name, phone number and hours on the page, the site and your Google Business Profile
- Add a link to your Facebook page from the site, so people who prefer to message you can
- Point Meta ads at a page on your site with a form, so the enquiry lands in your inbox and your analytics, not only in Messenger
Do this today
- Search Google for your main service plus your suburb, and note whether your business appears at all
- Check whether your business name is available as a .co.nz domain and register it in your own name, even before you build anything
- Claim your Google Business Profile; it is free and works alongside a page
- Write the five things above in a plain document; that is your website content
- Decide honestly whether you are in the "page alone is enough" list
Where we come in
If you have the five things written down, the rest is a build. Our Starter plan turns them into a one-page site for $49 a month with nothing upfront, and the Growth plan adds the pages, the Business Profile setup and the monthly report that a business trying to grow will want. We will show you a free mock-up before you commit to anything. And if you already have a site that is not pulling its weight next to your Facebook page, the free website audit will tell you why in about a minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a Facebook page instead of a website?
For a hobby, a fully booked referral business or a short-term test, yes. For a business that wants customers who search for its services, no. Most New Zealand searches happen on Google, service searches return websites and Google Business Profiles rather than Facebook posts, and a page can be restricted, disabled or taken offline by Meta at any time.
Is a Facebook page free while a website costs money?
A page is free to create, and that is its main appeal. A website costs a domain registration in your name, plus either your own time on a DIY builder or a monthly fee to have it built and hosted. What the money buys is ownership, visibility in Google search and control over your own contact details and leads. Go Digital's Starter plan is $49 a month with $0 upfront.
Do customers trust a website more than a Facebook page?
A website on your own domain, with clear contact details, real photos of your work and your Google reviews, gives a stranger more to check than a page does, and it works for people who do not use Facebook at all. Trust comes from the details being consistent and easy to verify, so keep the name, phone number and hours identical across the site, the page and your Google Business Profile.
Does a website help me show up on Google Maps?
Google Maps results come from your Google Business Profile, which is free and separate from your website. A website supports the profile by giving Google more evidence of what you do and where, and it is what ranks in the regular search results below the map. The strongest position is a completed profile linked to a website that says the same things.
How much does a basic website cost in New Zealand?
It ranges from a DIY builder subscription and your own weekends, through a one-off freelancer or agency build, to a subscription plan like Go Digital's Starter at $49 a month with $0 upfront. The useful comparison is the total over a few years including hosting, maintenance and changes, which our website cost guide walks through.
The bottom line
Keep the Facebook page; it earns its place. But it is somebody else's land, and it does not show up when a stranger searches for what you do. One page you own, on a domain you own, fixes both. If you would like to see what that page would look like for your business, request a free mock-up. It costs nothing, and you keep the domain either way.