Do I need a website if I have Instagram?

If most of your customers already know you and book through DMs, Instagram alone can work for a while. But if you want new customers who don’t follow you yet, especially people searching on Google, you need a website as well.

Instagram is a shop window people walk past. A website is the shop itself: the place people go when they’ve decided they’re interested and want prices, opening hours, directions and a way to book.

The two aren’t competing. The businesses that do best online use Instagram to get noticed and a website to turn that attention into bookings, orders and calls.

It’s worth being clear about why Instagram is so useful, because a website shouldn’t try to replace it:

• Showing your work. Hair colour, nails, food, finished kitchens and garden makeovers all sell visually.
• Staying top of mind. Regular posts and stories remind existing customers you exist.
• Personality. People like to see the team, the space and behind the scenes.
• Word of mouth. Tags, shares and reposts reach friends of your customers.

If you do these well, keep doing them. A website should support your Instagram, not compete with it.

The problems start when Instagram is the only place your business lives online:

• Google doesn’t show your posts for searches like “nail salon near me” or “emergency plumber Kingston”. Those searches go to websites and Google Business Profiles.
• You don’t own it. Accounts get hacked, restricted or locked, and the algorithm decides who sees your posts. Your website and domain are yours.
• Information gets buried. Prices, opening hours and policies end up scattered across highlights, captions and old posts. Customers give up looking.
• It’s hard to book. Many people won’t send a DM to a business they don’t know. They want a button.
• Not everyone uses it. Plenty of customers, particularly older ones and business buyers, never open Instagram.
• It looks less established. For bigger jobs, such as a roof, an extension or a wedding, people check for a proper website before they trust you with their money.

You probably need a website if any of these sound familiar:

• You answer the same questions in DMs every day: prices, availability, location.
• People find you on Google Maps but your listing has no website link.
• You want to rank on Google for your service and town.
• You take deposits or bookings and want fewer no-shows.
• You’re competing with businesses that look more established online.
• You’re planning to run adverts, which work much better pointing to a focused page than to a profile.

If you only do a handful of jobs for friends and regulars, you may not need one yet. That’s a fair choice, as long as it’s a choice.

A good small business website doesn’t have to be big. For most local businesses, five pages or fewer is enough:

• Home: what you do, where, and a clear way to call, WhatsApp or book.
• Services and prices: even “from” prices help people decide.
• Work or gallery: your best photos, which can be the same ones you post on Instagram.
• About: who you are and why people should trust you, including reviews.
• Contact: address, map, opening hours and a simple form.

Add online booking or ordering if that’s how you make money. Hair salons, nail bars and restaurants usually benefit most. You can see examples on my web projects page, including Beehive Boutique, a salon in East Molesey.

The best setup links the two so each does its job:

• Put your website link in your Instagram bio, pointing straight to booking or your price list.
• Show your latest Instagram posts on your website so it always looks fresh.
• Use Instagram to announce offers, then send people to a page on your site with the details.
• Add your website to your Google Business Profile so searchers can find it.

Over time, your website collects what Instagram can’t: search traffic, enquiries from people who don’t follow you, and a record of your services that Google understands.

A simple website doesn’t need to be expensive. My website design packages start at £495 for a professional site of up to five pages, set up for Google from day one, with WhatsApp, call and contact buttons built in.

For a full breakdown of what affects the price and the ongoing costs, read how much a website costs in the UK.

Ask yourself three questions:

• Would a new customer searching on Google find me today?
• Can someone see my prices and book without messaging me?
• If my Instagram account disappeared tomorrow, could customers still find me?

If the answer to any of those is no, a website will almost certainly bring in work you’re currently missing.

Here’s how the decision usually plays out for different kinds of business:

• A mobile nail technician with a full diary of regulars may be fine with Instagram and a booking link for now.
• A salon wanting new clients needs to appear when people search “nail salon” plus their town, which means a website and a Google Business Profile.
• A builder or roofer quoting for jobs worth thousands needs a site with past projects, reviews and a quote form, because customers research before they trust.
• A café or restaurant needs a menu, opening hours and directions that are easy to find, and ideally ordering or booking.

In every case, Instagram stays useful. The question is whether it’s enough on its own.

If you decide you need a website, start small. Gather your best ten photos, write down your services and starting prices, and list the questions customers ask most often. That’s most of the content for a simple site.

Then make sure your Google Business Profile is set up and links to the new site. Our Google Business Profile guide walks you through it.