It’s one of the questions we get asked most. You’ve set up your Google Business Profile, customers can find your phone number, and the odd enquiry comes in. So do you really need a website as well?
The short answer: your Google profile helps people find you, and a website helps you win the work. Most small businesses do best with both. But if you can only do one thing right now, start with your Google profile.
Here’s why, in plain English.
What your Google profile does well
Your Google Business Profile is the box that appears on Google and Google Maps when someone searches for your business, or for something like “plumber near me”. It’s free, and for local businesses it’s often the first thing a customer sees.
A good profile shows your phone number, opening hours, location or service area, photos and reviews, all in one place. Customers can call you, get directions or read what others say in a couple of taps. For a lot of quick, local searches, that’s exactly what people want.
What a Google profile can’t do
For all its strengths, a Google profile has limits:
- You don’t own it. Google decides how it looks, what it shows and what changes next. Profiles can also be suspended, sometimes for reasons that take weeks to sort out.
- Your competitors are right next to you. Google shows other local businesses alongside yours, so a customer is always one tap away from someone else.
- There’s only so much room. It’s hard to properly explain the work you do, the areas you cover, your experience or what makes you different in a few short boxes.
- It can look a bit thin on its own. Plenty of customers check for a website before they call, especially for bigger jobs. If there isn’t one, some will simply move on to a business that looks more established.
What a website adds
A website fills in the gaps your Google profile leaves:
- It builds trust. A clean, up-to-date site tells customers you’re a proper, established business, not someone who might not turn up.
- It has room to explain. Your services, the areas you cover, photos of real jobs, your qualifications and what customers say, all laid out clearly.
- It’s yours. You decide what it says and how it looks, and it doesn’t disappear if something changes on Google.
- It makes contacting you easy. Tap-to-call, WhatsApp and a short enquiry form, so customers can get in touch in whatever way suits them.
How the two work together
Think of your Google profile as your shop sign and your website as the shop window. The sign gets people to stop; the window convinces them to come in.
In practice, a customer often finds you on Google, taps the Website button on your profile to check you out, then calls. If that button is missing, or leads to an old, broken site, you can lose the job at the last step.
A website also helps Google understand your business. When your profile links to a site that clearly explains what you do and where, it gives Google more to go on when deciding who to show for local searches.
When a Google profile alone might be enough
To be fair, not everyone needs a website straight away. If you’re fully booked through word of mouth, only do small, quick jobs, or are just testing the water with a new business, a well-kept Google profile might do the job for now.
If you go down that route, make the profile count: fill in every section, add real photos, keep your hours up to date and ask happy customers for reviews.
What a simple website needs
A website for a local business doesn’t need to be big or complicated. A single, well-made page is often plenty, as long as it covers:
- What you do, in plain words, near the top
- The areas you cover
- Photos of real work
- Reviews or comments from customers
- A phone number you can tap to call, plus WhatsApp or a short form
- Your business details, matching your Google profile exactly
It also needs looking after. An out-of-date site, with old prices, the wrong number or broken pages, can put people off more than having no site at all.
The bottom line
Your Google profile gets you found. Your website helps you get chosen. Together, they make it easy for local customers to trust you and get in touch.
If you’d rather not deal with any of it yourself, that’s exactly what we do at Catchlio. Our Website Only plan gives you a one-page site, looked after for you, for £299 setup and then £25 a month. Our Presence plans add your Google profile and listings on top. You can see everything on our pricing page, find out more about what we do, or check whether we work with your trade.
Not sure what you need? Get in touch and we’ll give you a straight answer, with no pressure.