It's a fair question, and one we hear a lot, particularly from newer businesses, makers, cafés, salons, personal trainers and creative freelancers. You've built a following on Instagram. People message you there. Customers find you through Reels and tags. Why would you spend money on a website when you already have somewhere online that works?
We'll be honest: for some businesses, at some stages, social media genuinely is enough. But for most, relying on it alone carries risks that aren't obvious until something goes wrong. Here's a balanced look at both sides.
When social media alone can be enough
Let's start with the case against a website, because it's real.
If you're just starting out and testing whether there's demand for what you do, a well-run Instagram account costs nothing and gets you in front of people immediately. You can post your work, build an audience and take enquiries through direct messages, all without spending a penny on design or hosting.
Social-first can also work well if:
- Your business is highly visual and your customers are very active on one platform
- You sell mostly through markets, events or in person, and Instagram is really just a portfolio
- Nearly all your business comes from word of mouth, and people just want a way to see your work
- You're a hobby business or side project without big growth plans
If that's you, it may be sensible to put your energy into your social presence for now, and revisit the website question once the business has grown.
But even in these cases, there are some good reasons to think ahead.
The problem: you don't own your Instagram account
This is the most important point, so it's worth being direct about it. When you build your business on a social media platform, you're building on rented land.
The platform can change its rules at any time, and it often does. Accounts get hacked, suspended or disabled, sometimes by mistake, and getting them back can take weeks or be impossible. We've all heard stories of businesses that lost years of followers overnight.
Beyond that, the algorithm decides who sees your posts. Organic reach on social platforms has declined significantly over the years. You might have 5,000 followers, but only a fraction of them will see any given post unless you pay to promote it.
With a website, you own the domain, the content and the relationship with your visitors. Nobody can switch it off because an algorithm flagged something incorrectly.
Google doesn't really search Instagram
Think about how people look for a business when they need something. Many of them don't go to Instagram. They go to Google.
"Wedding florist near me." "Dog groomer [town]." "Handmade silver rings UK." "Best brunch in [town]." These are searches with real buying intent, and your Instagram profile is unlikely to show up for most of them.
A website, properly set up, can. With pages for your services, clear information about where you're based, and some useful content, you give Google something to rank. That opens you up to customers who've never heard of you and aren't following anyone in your niche.
This is often the biggest missed opportunity for social-first businesses. They're great at keeping an existing audience engaged, but they're invisible to people actively searching for exactly what they sell.
A website makes you look more established
Rightly or wrongly, many people see a website as a sign of a legitimate, established business. This is especially true if:
- You sell to other businesses, where buyers often check your website before getting in touch
- You're charging higher prices, where customers need more reassurance before committing
- You want press coverage, partnerships or stockists, who will almost certainly look for a website
- Customers are going to pay you money online
A professional website with your own domain name (and a matching email address like hello@yourbusiness.co.uk rather than a Gmail address) sends a clear signal that you're serious and here to stay.
Social media is bad at the "boring" questions
Instagram is brilliant for showing your work, your personality and what's new. It's not very good at answering practical questions.
What are your prices? Where exactly are you? What are your opening hours? Do you deliver to my area? How does the booking process work? What's your returns policy? Do you do gift vouchers?
On Instagram, this information either gets buried in old posts and highlights, or customers have to message you to ask. That means you spend your evenings answering the same questions in your DMs, and some people simply won't bother asking. They'll go somewhere that makes it easy.
A website puts all of that in one clear place, available at any time, without you having to reply to anyone.
Selling and booking is easier on a website
If you sell products or services, a website lets people buy or book instantly, without waiting for you to respond to a message.
Every step between "I want this" and "I've paid" is a chance for someone to change their mind. Taking orders through DMs, sending payment links manually and arranging bookings back and forth works when you're small, but it doesn't scale, and it loses sales from people who want to buy at 11pm and don't want to wait.
A simple online shop or booking system on your website can take orders while you sleep.
Email is still the channel you own
One of the most valuable things a website can do is collect email addresses. A newsletter sign-up with a small incentive, such as a discount code, early access or a useful guide, lets you build a list of people you can contact directly.
Unlike followers, your email list belongs to you. If a platform disappears or your account is lost, your list comes with you. Email also tends to drive far more sales than an equivalent number of social followers, because it lands directly in someone's inbox rather than competing with an endless feed.
It's not either/or
The best approach for most businesses isn't choosing between a website and social media. It's using both, each for what it does best.
Social media is great for: building an audience, showing personality, sharing what's new, starting conversations, and staying front-of-mind.
Your website is great for: being found on Google, answering questions, building trust, converting interest into bookings and sales, and owning your customer relationships.
Think of social media as the shop window and your website as the shop. Your posts get people interested; your website is where they go to find out more and take action.
In practice, that means:
- Link to your website in your bio, and link to specific pages (a product, a booking page, a blog post) from relevant posts and stories
- Embed your Instagram feed on your website so it always feels fresh
- Use your website to capture email addresses from social followers
- Repurpose your best social content into longer website content, like a blog post or case study
Five questions to help you decide
Still on the fence? Answer these honestly.
1. If your Instagram account disappeared tomorrow, how much business would you lose? If the answer is "most of it", that's a significant risk to be carrying, and a website is a relatively cheap insurance policy.
2. How much time do you spend answering the same questions in your DMs? If it's more than a few minutes a day, a website with clear information and FAQs could give you that time back.
3. Are you trying to reach new customers, or mostly serving existing ones? Social media is strong for staying connected with people who already know you. Search is where you find people who don't, yet.
4. Do your prices or clients justify a more professional presence? The higher your prices, or the bigger your clients, the more a credible website matters.
5. Do you want to grow? If your plan is to stay small and local and you're happy with where things are, you may not need a website yet. If you want to grow, it's hard to do without one.
If you answered "yes" or "a lot" to two or more of these, it's probably time.
What kind of website do you actually need?
If you've been getting by with just social media, you probably don't need a huge, complicated website. A small, focused site can do a lot. For many businesses, something like this covers it:
- Homepage: who you are, what you do, and your best work
- Services or shop: clear information, pricing and a way to book or buy
- About: your story and a real photo of you
- Reviews or portfolio: proof that others love what you do
- Contact: how to get in touch, where you are, and your hours
- FAQs: answers to the questions you currently answer by DM
It should look as good as your Instagram, be easy for you to update, and work beautifully on a phone, because that's where your social visitors will be coming from.
The bottom line
If you're just starting out, social media can absolutely be enough to get going. But as your business grows, relying on it alone means you're invisible to people searching on Google, dependent on an algorithm for reach, and one hacked account away from losing your main shop front.
A website doesn't replace your social presence. It gives it somewhere to point, and it gives your business a foundation that's genuinely yours.
Thinking about taking the next step?
We work with plenty of businesses making the jump from social-first to having their own website. We'll help you build something that feels as authentically you as your feed, and that actually brings in customers.
[Let's chat about your website →]