Do you have a Facebook page for your business? Great! But can you stop there? Is your Facebook page enough as a web presence for your business? While, yes you should be on Facebook and you should be engaging with your existing clientele on Facebook, here are a few reasons, why that should just be one part of your online presence.

Limited View

Did you know that the majority of users don’t ever see your posts? If you look at your Facebook page, you should see a table with a column called “Total Reach”. This is the number of people who have “seen” your post on their wall. You might be surprised by the number, as it’s usually a fraction of your users only. Do you also see the link to the right of it that says “Boost Post”? This is because Facebook would rather you pay for exposure instead of giving it away for free. Facebook is a business with its own interest in mind, not yours.

Along the same lines, you don’t own your Facebook page or even have full control over the content you upload. Facebook can at any time change the rules or settings and there is nothing you can do about it. They can change the algorithms (and do) without regard to how that would effect your business.

Facebook page as small business website

Limited Searching

Have you ever tried to search for something on Facebook? Without a direct link it can be really complicated to find someone on facebook. There isn’t really the ability to search like you would on google. For example, if you had a coffee shop in Winter Park Colorado named All about Coffee, you would be searchable by that term only. You couldn’t search “Coffee shop in Winter Park Colorado” and be found. This limits your reach to people who already know about you and know exactly what the name of your company is, limiting you to new and loyal followers only (which you have already won over).

Facebook is perceived as less professional.

It’s free. It’s easy to set up. And let’s face it: minimal investment often equals less professional. In this day and age where the internet is such an integral part of life, a business without a website is not taken seriously.

Facebook page as small business website

Less control over branding and SEO

Limited SEO capability, limited branding capability, limited content. Obviously if you have a Facebook page, you have to play by Facebook’s rules. You get one small square image and a large banner image. While you can edit descriptions, you can only do limited search engine optimization on the page.

Facebook can be integral part of social media marketing. But it should be one path to funnel traffic to your website, which is the final stop. It should not be the only path available.