Do I Need a Website for My Small Business? The Honest Checklist
Do I need a website for my small business? Yes if new customers find you by searching, comparing quotes, or checking you out before they call. No if referrals and repeat work genuinely keep you booked and you intend to stay that size. That is the whole test. Most businesses that sell to the public fail the "no" half of it: about 17% of small businesses still run without a website, which means the other 83% are what your customers compare you against.
- Yes, you need one if people search for what you sell ("gutter cleaning near me"), if you quote jobs and want to look legitimate while the customer decides, or if your only presence lives on someone else's platform.
- You can skip it if your calendar fills from a fixed set of clients or contracts, if you sub for companies that bring the customers, or if the business is winding down rather than growing.
What you can use instead, honestly
- A Google Business Profile alone. Free, and you should have one regardless; it puts you in Maps for nearby searches. The limits: one listing has to represent every service you offer, and the Website button sits empty. Google shut down the free websites it generated from Business Profiles in March 2024, so the profile no longer comes with one.
- A Facebook page. Free and social, but weak in Google searches and Meta decides who sees your posts. The full tradeoff is in Facebook page vs website for business.
- Lead platforms. Thumbtack, Angi, and the like send real work, and you pay per lead, every time, for customers who mostly never learn your business name.
All three are fine supplements. The catch they share is that none of them is yours, and none of them gives Google a page about each service you offer, which is where the searches you are missing actually land.
If the answer is yes
A small business website does not need to be big: one page per service, your reviews, your service area, and a phone number that works on mobile. The cost depends on who builds it: your own hours on a DIY builder, $500 to $3,000 for a freelancer, or a done-for-you monthly service. Ours builds the whole thing from the Google Business Profile you already keep current, in minutes, and if the answer is yes it runs $75 a month with design, hosting, a custom domain, and edits included.