Website or social media: why Instagram is not enough for your business

"Why do I need a website if I already have Instagram?" It is a fair question: social media is free, full of people and easy to use. But it serves a different purpose from a website, and relying on it alone carries risks worth knowing.

What social media does well

• Showing your day-to-day and your work with photos and video.
• Staying in touch with people who already know you.
• Reaching new people if the content takes off.

What social media does not do

People do not find you on Google

When someone searches for "physiotherapist near me" or "English lessons for kids", Google shows websites and the map, almost never Instagram profiles. And AI assistants recommending businesses rely on websites, reviews and directories.

It is not yours

The platform decides who sees your posts, changes the rules whenever it likes and can suspend an account by mistake. Your website and your domain are yours.

Information gets lost

Meanwhile, your prices, hours or services end up buried between posts. After all, nobody scrolls through fifty photos to find out if you open on Saturdays.

It leaves out some of your clients

Besides, not everyone has Instagram, and many people distrust a business that only exists there.

It does not convert as well

On a website you can have a booking button, a form, a calculator, your location and FAQs in one place, designed to get the client to act.

What a website adds to social media

• Trust: your own website shows the business is serious and stable.
• Organised information: services, prices, hours, directions.
• Being found: on Google, on Google Maps (linked from your profile) and in AI answers.
• Actions: book, request a quote, message on WhatsApp.

How to combine a website and social media

In practice, the best strategy is to use each for what it is good at:

1. Social media attracts and keeps the relationship going.
2. Your Instagram bio links to your website.
3. The website closes the deal: it explains, answers questions and leads to action.
4. The website links to your social profiles for anyone wanting more.

For example, a hair salon can post its work on Instagram and keep prices and a booking calendar on the website; the bio link goes straight to booking. More in the website for hair and beauty salons page.

What if I have no budget?

A simple one-page website may be enough to start: who you are, what you do, prices, hours and contact. At Nueva Página it costs €349 + VAT where applicable, as a one-off payment. See which fits you in the cost calculator.

Website vs social media: what to do first

If you are just starting and can only manage one thing, set up your Google Business Profile and one social network you already use. They are free and give you a presence from day one. Then, as soon as you can, build a simple website: even one page with who you are, what you do, prices and contact.

Also think about where your clients are. A restaurant or a hair salon lives largely on Instagram; a law firm or a clinic, by contrast, depends more on Google. DataReportal publishes yearly figures on internet and social media use by country, if you want to see how people behave in yours. And so you do not lose clients along the way, always link the website from your bio, as explained in the WhatsApp button on your website. Social media attracts; the website converts.

Frequently asked questions

Doesn't Google Maps replace a website?

It helps hugely, but a profile has little room to explain. The website completes what the profile cannot say, and Google considers it for the map.

Does a Linktree count as a website?

It organises links, but it does not rank on Google or explain your business.

Do I need to post on my website as often as on social media?

No. The website can change little; social media is for the day-to-day.

How much is a simple website to complement Instagram?

At Nueva Página, a one-page website costs €349 + VAT where applicable as a one-off payment, with no fees. See which fits in the cost calculator.