Where your next customer is actually looking
When a pipe bursts or the furnace dies, people don't scroll Facebook. They pick up their phone and search Google for things like "emergency plumber near me" or "furnace repair" plus their town. The businesses that show up are the ones with a Google Business Profile and a website that tells Google what they do and where.
A Facebook page can show up in those results now and then, but Google mostly ranks websites and Maps listings. Without a website, you're relying on people who already know your name.
What a website does that Facebook can't
Social media is great for staying in touch with past customers. A website does a different job:
- It shows up for searches. Each service and town you cover can have its own page, so you appear when someone searches for that exact job.
- It builds trust in seconds. A clean site with your licence, photos, reviews and a real phone number tells a stranger you're an established business, not a side hustle.
- You own it. Facebook can change its rules, limit your reach or lock your account. Your website and domain stay yours.
- It turns visitors into calls. One-tap calling, a short quote form and clear service areas make it easy to contact you instead of the next listing.
- It makes your Google listing stronger. Your Google Business Profile links to your website, and a good site helps the listing rank on Maps.
"But I already get enough work from referrals"
Referrals are the best leads there are, and a website helps them too. Most people who get your name from a neighbour still look you up before they call. If they find nothing, or an old Facebook post, some of them call the next name on the list.
A website also evens out the slow months. Referrals come in waves; search traffic comes in every day.
What a contractor website needs (and what it doesn't)
You don't need a huge site or a blog you'll never update. A good trade website needs a clear headline that says what you do and where, your phone number at the top of every page, a page for each main service, your service areas, real photos of your work, reviews, and a quick way to ask for a quote.
It must load fast and work perfectly on a phone, because that's where most of your visitors will be. Our contractor website checklist goes through each item.
Keep Facebook, add a website
You don't have to choose. Keep posting jobs on Facebook and keep your Marketplace listings if they bring work. Put your website link on all of them. Social media keeps past customers warm; your website and Google listing bring in new ones.