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Writing // Article

Writing // No. 03

Does a small business need a website in 2026?

// By  // 3 min read

For most small businesses, yes. Not the big brochure site people picture, though. What you need is a place you control that answers a customer's questions and shows up when they search for what you do. For some businesses that is a single page. For a few, a social media presence really is enough for now.

Website or Facebook

What a website does that a Facebook page cannot

  • You own it. A change to an app's rules or a locked account cannot take it away. Your site stays exactly where it is.
  • It shows up in Google, including "near me" searches and Google Maps. A social profile rarely does, and never with your own pages behind it.
  • It answers the practical questions. Opening hours, the area you cover, rough prices, how to book. All in one place, no scrolling a feed or starting a message thread.
  • It is the same for everyone. Nobody needs a login to see it, and no algorithm decides who sees it or buries it under last week's posts.
  • It is where everything points. Your Google Business Profile, review sites and directory listings all want a website to link to.

Exceptions

When social media alone is enough

It can be enough if:

  • You are very early and still testing whether the idea works.
  • Your work is entirely word of mouth and you are already at capacity.
  • Your customers only find you through one platform, which is true for some makers and some trades.

The catch is that you are renting that audience. Reach on the free platforms keeps drifting down, and the day you want more work, you are starting from nothing you own.

Size

When one page is enough

If you are a sole trader with a simple offer, you may only need a single page: what you do, the area you cover, a few photos of real work, and a way to get in touch. That is quicker and cheaper to build than a full site, and you can add to it later. It still does the important jobs: it is yours, and it shows up in search.

A one-page site is at the lower end of the range in what a small business website costs.

Cost

The cost of not having one

  • People search, find a competitor with a website, and call them instead.
  • You look less established next to businesses that have one.
  • Your reviews and search presence have no independent home to build on.

None of this shows up as a bill, which is why it is easy to ignore. It still costs you work.

Questions

Common questions

  1. Is a Google Business Profile enough instead of a website?

    A complete Google Business Profile does a lot of the local-search job, and every business should have one. But you cannot control much of how it looks, it cannot hold detailed pages, and it still expects to link to a website. Have both.

  2. Do I need a website if I am fully booked?

    Maybe not this month. It is insurance for the month you are not. A quiet spell arrives faster than a new site can be built and start ranking, so most people build before they need it.

  3. How small can a website be?

    One page. Who you are, what you do, where you work, how to reach you. If that covers your business, do not let anyone talk you into five pages you will never update.