As a web design company and social media agency in the Middle East, many small and medium enterprises ask us the following question: "If we have a Facebook page, why should we have a website?" This question has been asked to us many times and in many ways, but this didn’t change our reply. Our answer has always been "A Facebook page does NOT replace your website" and here’s why:

Facebook is popular today, but what about tomorrow? People might switch their interests from the Facebook trend to another emerging social network. We witnessed such cases few years ago with Hi5 and Myspace. After reaching a peak of 76 million users, Myspace experienced a horrible fall in 2008 to the favor of Facebook. Today, the former social network has around 35 million users against 1.3 billion for Facebook. What will happen to your business’s online presence if the same happens to Facebook?! All you have invested to create an interesting Facebook page would be a loss.

Facebook is uncontrollable: Facebook is like Chuck Norris, you can’t control him, he controls you. Hundreds of updates have been made since 2004, the year Facebook was born. Every time this unstable social network makes a change, you will have to review your whole online marketing strategy and adapt. As for your website, you are his Chuck Norris.

Facebook is distracting: people come to Facebook to get updates on what’s happening around them, and they bump into your business. They rarely refer to Facebook to have more information about your company. And, just like they bump into your brand while stalking other people, they might get distracted by a specific comment, picture or news, which makes them leave and forget about your page. On the other hand, people are in a different state of mind when checking the content of your website; they intend to, so they won’t leave until they have found what they are looking for.

Facebook is a social network after all: Facebook’s purpose is to socialize with your fans and keep them entertained. Facebook is a way to bring more traffic to your website and not the place to make your visitors complete an action like buying a product or requesting a service. In contrast, your website is where the serious things happen. It’s where all your business’s information and services are crafted in details. Your site is the official virtual representation of you. It’s the place where, no matter how fun you look, your visitors will always take you seriously when it comes to converting, buying, or getting in contact.

Your website’s analytics are more important: Facebook, just like your website, provides you with some page analytics. These insights show you how popular you are being on social networks with the numbers of people engaged or likes for your content. The website’s insights, given by Google Analytics tool for example, gives you better visibility on how visitors are interested in your product or service. With such tracking tools you can weight the number of conversions you are having in relation to how many visits your website hits. This will help you leverage your services, focus on top selling items, and cater for the needs of your market.

In conclusion, given these 5 reasons, a Facebook page is not a substitute for a website they are rather complementary. Nowadays, and with this social media booming, it is undeniable that creating a Facebook page and building a website are a must. Still not convinced? Maybe we should have a talk.