The short answer: for most established businesses, yes. A Google Business Profile gets you found, but a website is where comparing customers choose you — and it's the only online property you actually own. If you're brand new and money is tight, a well-run Google Business Profile plus a social page is a legitimate first step; a website is the second move, not an optional one.
It's a fair question. You've got a Facebook page, maybe an Instagram, and a Google Business Profile that shows up on the map. Customers find you. So why pay for a website on top of all that?
Here's the honest answer: for most Kamloops businesses, yes — but not for the reason you'd expect, and not always first.
What your Google and Facebook pages do well
Let's give them credit. A Google Business Profile gets you on the map, shows your hours and reviews, and drives calls and directions — it's genuinely one of the highest-value things a local business can have. Facebook and Instagram keep you in front of people who already follow you.
If you're just starting out and money is tight, a well-run Google Business Profile plus a social page is a legitimate place to begin. I'll say that plainly, because a lot of people won't.
Where they fall short
The catch is that you don't own any of it. You're renting space on someone else's platform, on their terms:
- You don't control the experience. A Google or Facebook page looks like every other Google or Facebook page. You can't shape how you're presented, what you emphasise, or how you stand out from the competitor listed right next to you.
- You're at the mercy of the algorithm. Reach changes, rules change, features disappear. A platform can deprioritise you overnight and you have no recourse.
- You can't really sell or book. Beyond a phone number, these pages aren't built to explain a complex service, capture a detailed enquiry, take a booking, or run a store.
- It's where comparison happens. When a customer is deciding between you and two competitors, they often go looking for a "real" website. Not having one can quietly cost you the job — they read it as a signal.
The way to think about it
Your Google Business Profile gets you found. Your website is where you win the customer — where someone who's comparing options sees who you really are, what you've done, and why to choose you, on your terms instead of a template's.
The two work best together: the profile feeds the website, the website reinforces the profile, and each helps the other rank. A site that just sits there won't help — but here's what makes one actually generate leads.
So do you need one?
- If you have nothing but a phone and word of mouth: start with a Google Business Profile. It's the highest-return first move.
- If you're established and competing for customers who shop around: yes, you need a website — and probably needed it a while ago.
- If you have a website but it's slow, dated, or never brings you anything: that's not "having a website," and a rebuild usually pays for itself.
Not sure which camp you're in? The free review gives you a straight answer for your specific situation — including "you don't need to spend money on this yet," if that's the truth. And if cost is the worry, here's what a website actually costs in Kamloops.