A client said to me recently, "but I've got a Facebook page, isn't that enough?" I get why people think that. It's free, it's easy, and you can post a photo of the office and call it marketing. But I want to walk through why that's a risky place to have your entire online presence sitting.
You don't own it
Here's the uncomfortable bit: your Facebook page, your Instagram, your LinkedIn — none of it is yours. It's rented space on someone else's platform, and they can change the rules whenever they like. Reach drops overnight because of an algorithm change. An account gets flagged or restricted for no clear reason and support goes quiet for weeks. It happens more than people realise, and when it does, your entire "online presence" disappears with it.
A website is different. It's yours. Nobody can throttle it, ban it, or bury it under an algorithm update designed to sell more ads.
Google barely sees social media
When someone searches "psychologist near me" or "accountant for small business Johannesburg," Google is mostly showing websites, not Facebook pages. If all your presence lives on social platforms, you're invisible to the exact moment someone is actively looking for what you do — which, frankly, is the most valuable moment in marketing.
It's a trust thing
Think about your own habits. If you're choosing between two professionals and one only has a Facebook page while the other has a proper website with clear information, credentials, and a way to book — who do you trust more? Fair or not, a website still reads as "established." A Facebook page reads as "getting started."
So what's the actual answer?
Not "delete your socials." They're genuinely useful for staying visible and building familiarity. The point is: social media should point people back to something you own. A website that explains what you do, builds trust, and makes it dead simple to get in touch or book — with your socials feeding traffic into it, not replacing it.
If your entire online presence right now is a Facebook page and word of mouth, that's not a failure — it's just the next thing on the list. Happy to talk through what a proper foundation would actually look like for your practice.