Many small business owners ask this question after setting up a Google Business Profile: "It shows my phone number, hours and photos. Why would I pay for a website too?" It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on your business. Here's how to decide.
What a Google Business Profile does well
- It's where local searches happen. When someone searches "dentist near me" or a business name on a phone, the profile with the map, rating and call button is often what they see first.
- It's free and quick to set up. A basic profile can be live in a day, after verification.
- It carries your reviews. Reviews are a major reason people choose one local business over another, and they live on the profile.
- It makes contact easy. Call, directions, website and, in some categories, booking or ordering links are one tap away.
What a profile can't do
- You don't control the page. Google decides the layout and which features exist. Features come and go, and a profile can be suspended, edited by others or affected by a listing mix-up.
- There's little room to explain. You get a short description, a few categories and photos. If you offer several services, each with its own details, process and pricing, a profile can't tell the whole story.
- It doesn't build your own audience. Visits happen on Google's site. A website lets you collect inquiries directly, link from social media and take bookings or orders on your terms.
- It can't show everything you want to prove. Detailed before-and-after photos, case studies, team bios, menus with descriptions and FAQs fit better on your own pages.
What a website does that nothing else does
A website is the home you own. You decide what it says, how it looks and how it handles inquiries, and no platform can reorganize it overnight. It can answer the questions that make a customer comfortable enough to call: what you charge, how you work, what happens next, what areas you serve and what your policies are. It also gives search engines a fuller picture of what you do, with a page for each service. See our comparison with Facebook pages for the same reasoning applied to social media.
When a profile alone might be enough
There are cases where it's reasonable to start with just a profile: a very new business testing demand, a business that takes most work through word of mouth and has no need to explain much, or a seasonal or side business with a single, simple offer. Even then, we'd suggest a one-page site as soon as you can, because customers often look for one.
When you really should have a website
- You offer multiple services that need explanation or different pricing.
- You compete with businesses that already have strong sites.
- You serve several cities or neighborhoods.
- You want online booking, quotes, orders or lead capture that you control.
- You advertise or run social media and need a place to send people.
- You want to show your work, team, certifications or menu in detail.
How the two work together
The best setup treats them as a pair. The profile catches people searching on Google and Maps, and the website gives them the detail to decide. Keep the name, address, phone number and hours identical on both, link the website from the profile, and link to your reviews from the site. Use our Google Business Profile checklist to get the profile right, and our small business website checklist for the site.
What about cost?
A profile is free. A website ranges from a do-it-yourself builder to custom design; we break down typical ranges in website costs by industry. If you'd rather see yours first, we can build a free demo with no card required, and our one-time packages let you own the site. Prefer us to handle the profile, reviews and updates? See managed plans.
No matter which way you go, avoid shortcuts that promise rankings. Accurate information, real photos, honest reviews and a site that loads quickly are the dependable foundation.
A simple decision guide
- You're opening soon and have nothing online: set up the profile this week; publish a simple one-page site as soon as you can.
- You have a profile but customers keep asking basic questions: put the answers on a website, such as prices, process, policies and service areas, and link to it from the profile.
- You have a site but no profile: set up and verify a profile so you can appear on Google Maps. Make sure the information matches your site.
- You have both but they disagree: fix the differences first. Conflicting hours or phone numbers cost more customers than a missing feature.
Measuring both
Use the profile's performance section to see calls, direction requests and website clicks, and use Google Search Console and your site's analytics to see which pages visitors view and which queries brought them. Together they show how people move from searching to contacting you. Review the numbers monthly, look for changes after you update photos, prices or pages, and be cautious about drawing big conclusions from a few weeks of data.
General information, not legal advice. Platform policies change; check the platform's current rules before acting. We don't guarantee rankings, reviews or revenue.