Does my business need a website?

For almost every business in 2026, yes — you need a website. Even if you get work through word of mouth or social media, people check you out online before they buy, and having no website (or a bad one) quietly costs you customers who assumed you weren't legitimate or couldn't find your details. A website is the one piece of your online presence you actually own and control.

Why a website still matters

• Credibility — a professional site signals you're a real, established business. No site raises doubt.
• Being found — people search Google for what you do; without a site (and a Google Business Profile), you're invisible for those searches.
• You own it — social media accounts can be restricted, hacked or change their rules overnight. Your website and audience are yours.
• It works around the clock — answering questions, showing your work and taking enquiries while you sleep.
• Control — you decide exactly what people see, rather than hoping an algorithm shows the right thing.

"But I get all my work from Facebook/Instagram"

Social media is excellent for discovery, but it's rented ground — you don't own the platform, the audience or the rules, and reach can vanish with an algorithm change. The businesses that grow most reliably use social to attract attention and a website to convert it and capture the customer. The two work best together, not one instead of the other.

The rare exceptions

If you're fully booked, take no new customers, and have no interest in growing, you can arguably skip it. For everyone else — anyone who wants to be found, look credible, and win work they aren't getting today — a website pays for itself. And at £50 a month there's no big upfront reason to put it off.

You don't need a website only if you never want another new customer. For everyone else, it's the difference between being chosen and being overlooked.