No, a Facebook page is no longer enough. It remains a useful contact channel, but it replaces neither visibility on Google, nor the credibility of a professional presence, nor control over your customer data. The real question isn't “Facebook or website”, but “what do you lose each month by depending entirely on a platform you don't control”.

The figures speak for themselves: according to Social Status, the average organic reach of a Facebook page post fell to 1.37% in 2024, compared with around 16% in 2012 according to data compiled by HubSpot. Out of 1,000 followers, your post reaches around ten people.

What a Facebook page does well, and where it stops

Let's be honest: a well-kept Facebook page has value. It humanizes your business, announces a change of hours, shares a finished project. For many tradespeople, it's the first digital reflex.

The problem isn't what Facebook does. It's what it will never do.

Has your reach collapsed? It's not you, it's the algorithm. Meta's Widely Viewed Content report for the second quarter of 2024 confirms it: the news feed favours content from friends, groups and recommendations, not from followed pages. You don't own your audience: you rent it.

And what if the platform goes down, or cuts you off? On 5 March 2024, Facebook and Instagram were inaccessible for two hours worldwide; a page blocked by mistake can stay weeks with no recourse. A website is yours: domain name, content, contact database — everything is transferable.

Credibility: your prospects' first reflex

The reflex of a prospect hesitating between two suppliers? They type the name into Google. If they find only a Facebook page, doubt sets in. The Stanford Web Credibility Project documented it: 75% of users judge a company's credibility on the basis of its website.

A Facebook page lives in the moment: one post chases away the next. A website accumulates: each page attracts visitors years after going live. That's the difference between a megaphone and an asset.

Data, conversion, Google: three levers out of a Facebook page's reach

On Facebook, you know almost nothing about your visitors and can't reach them again elsewhere. With a site, every completed form feeds a database that's yours, GDPR-compliant, intact even if the algorithm changes tomorrow.

A Facebook page generates attention; a website turns it into revenue. Structured quote, online booking, direct sale: according to the FPS Economy, 28.77% of Belgian companies' turnover already came from e-commerce in 2024.

Google doesn't index your page the way it indexes a site

Appearing on Google when a customer types “electrician Wavre” or “accountant Brussels” requires structured pages, optimized titles and substantial content. A Facebook page may show up for your exact name, never for those trade queries that bring in new customers. That's the role of professional website creation in Belgium: occupying those queries ahead of your competitors.

The winning strategy: combine the two

It's not about deleting your Facebook page, but about putting each tool back in its place:

• The website is the foundation. It hosts your services, your work, your customer reviews and your forms: it's what Google indexes and what your prospects judge.

• Facebook becomes an amplifier. Every post links to a page of the site: the platform brings traffic, the site converts it.

• The Google Business Profile completes the setup. It displays hours, reviews and directions for local searches, and points to your site.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't a free Facebook page enough to get started?

To test an idea for a few weeks, yes. As soon as the business takes off, the absence of a site costs more than it brings in: prospects lost on Google, an amateur image, dependence on an algorithm.

Should I delete my Facebook page once my site is live?

No. Keep it active as a channel for closeness and visibility. Just change its function: every post should lead back to your site, where conversion happens and where the data is yours.

Is a showcase site of a few pages enough?

For most freelancers and service SMEs, yes: a clear homepage, your services, your work, a contact page. The essentials: fast, mobile-friendly, structured for SEO.

Priority action plan

1. Reserve your .be domain name right now: it protects your brand and your future email addresses.

2. Create a showcase site of 4 to 6 pages focused on your services and your service areas.

3. Connect your Google Business Profile to the site and collect customer reviews there.

4. Redirect every Facebook post to a page of the site: offer, project, contact form.

A Facebook page is a showcase rented on someone else's high street; a website is an asset you build. Combining the two turns the social audience into identified customers, without fearing the next algorithm change.

If you're considering complementing your Facebook page with a site that's yours, our approach to website creation in Belgium is designed for freelancers and SMEs.