The short answer
You need to be findable when a local customer is actively looking for your trade, and you need it to be effortless for them to contact you. A website plus a Google Business Profile does both. Facebook and Instagram mostly reach people who already know you — useful, but a different job. So get the website first, add one social channel if you enjoy it, and skip the rest.
What a website actually does for you
A website is the only one of the three that you own outright. It loads instantly, says exactly what you do and which towns you cover, and sends a ready-to-book customer straight to a WhatsApp or email button. When someone Googles "electrician near me" or asks an AI assistant to recommend a local trade, your website is what backs you up and makes you look like a real, settled business.
It also does not change its rules overnight, hide your posts unless you pay, or disappear if an account gets locked. If you are still weighing it up, we cover it honestly here: do tradespeople really need a website?
What Facebook is good for (and not)
Facebook is brilliant at one thing: staying in front of people who already know you. Past customers, neighbours, and local community groups can see your updates, recommend you in "can anyone recommend a plumber?" threads, and message you directly. Local Facebook groups genuinely do generate word-of-mouth work.
What it is not good at is being found by a stranger searching for your trade. Facebook pages rarely rank in Google, you do not control how many of your followers see a post, and a customer who finds you there still has to dig around to work out what you do and how to contact you. Treat it as a referral and reminder channel — not your shop window.
What Instagram is good for (and not)
Instagram earns its place for visual trades. If you are a builder, gardener, roofer or tiler, before-and-after photos are your best sales tool, and Instagram is a tidy place to keep them. A few strong shots build trust fast.
But almost nobody searches Instagram to hire a tradesperson, and the app pushes you to post constantly to stay visible. For most trades it is a nice-to-have, not a source of new enquiries. The smart move is to take good job photos anyway and put them on your website's gallery, where they help you win work — then re-use them on Instagram if you fancy it.
So where should your time go?
Most tradespeople are short on time, so spend it where the jobs actually come from. In rough order of payback:
- Google Business Profile — free, and the biggest driver of "near me" enquiries. Here is the full walkthrough: how to set up a Google Business Profile for your trade business.
- A simple website you own — your shop window and the thing that turns a search into a message.
- Reviews — they reassure new customers and help you rank. See how to get more 5-star reviews for your trade business.
- One social channel, lightly — Facebook for referrals or Instagram for photos, whichever you'll actually keep up.
Notice what is not at the top: posting on social media every day. It feels productive, but it rarely puts you in front of someone who is ready to book right now.
Do they work better together?
Yes — when the website is the hub. The pattern that works is simple: your website holds your services, area, photos and contact buttons; your Google Business Profile points people to it; and your social pages link back to it too. Every channel funnels a customer to the one place where they can see everything and tap to message you.
Without that hub, social media just scatters your details across platforms you don't control. With it, every photo you post and every recommendation you get has somewhere solid to send people. It's also why a good trade website puts contact front and centre rather than burying it.
What this costs
Facebook and Instagram are free to set up. A website is the only paid part — but it doesn't have to be expensive or come with monthly fees. A clean one page site is a one-off cost, not a subscription. We break the numbers down here: how much should a trade website cost? The honest version is that you can have the website-plus-profile foundation in place for a small one-off outlay and nothing ongoing.
The bottom line
You don't need Facebook, Instagram and a website. You need to be easy to find and easy to contact. Get a simple website you own and a complete Google Business Profile first — that's where new local work comes from. Then pick the one social channel that suits your trade and keep it ticking over. That's the whole answer, minus the hype.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Facebook page enough for a trade business, or do I need a website?
A Facebook page is fine as an extra, but it is not enough on its own. It is great for staying in touch with people who already follow you, but it is hard to find in Google, you do not own it, and it rarely shows when someone searches for a tradesperson near them. A simple website you own plus a Google Business Profile will win you far more new local work, with Facebook as a bonus.
Should a tradesperson use Instagram or a website first?
Get the website (and Google Business Profile) sorted first, then add Instagram if you have a visual trade. A website is where ready-to-book customers land when they search for you and decide whether to make contact. Instagram is good for showing off finished work to people who already follow you, but most customers do not go looking for a plumber or builder on Instagram. Use it to feed photos to your website, not instead of one.
Do I need to post on social media every day to get trade work?
No. Daily posting is not where your jobs come from, and chasing it usually just eats time you do not have. A few genuine before-and-after photos a month is plenty. Your time is far better spent keeping your Google Business Profile updated, asking happy customers for reviews, and replying to enquiries quickly.
Want the website part sorted for you?
We build clean, fast one page websites for UK trades that make it effortless for local customers to contact you — £299 one-off, no monthly fees.
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