The short answer
Not always on day one, but most businesses need one sooner than they think. Facebook and WhatsApp Business are great for talking to people who already know you. A website is what strangers find on Google, what you own outright, and where your prices, services and hours live. The best setup is both, linked together.
Keep using Facebook and WhatsApp
Let me be clear first: I'm not telling you to stop. In South Africa, this is where customers already talk to businesses. DataReportal counted 29.1 million social media user identities in the country in October 2025, and Meta's own tools put Facebook's ad reach at 27.9 million people.
WhatsApp is how most of us book a plumber, order a cake or ask if a shop is open. It is quick, it is personal and it works on any phone. If customers message you there, answer them there.
The question isn't social media or a website. It's what happens when your whole business lives on platforms that belong to someone else.
What you rent and what you own
A Facebook page and a WhatsApp Business account are rented. They cost nothing in rands, but Meta owns the space and sets the rules. A website on your own domain (your address on the internet, like yourbusiness.co.za) is owned. Pick one below and compare the same six questions.
Facebook pageRented from Meta
- Who controls it?
- Meta. Meta sets the rules, the layout and how many people see each post. You work inside that.
- Can strangers find you on Google?
- Sometimes. Your page can show up when someone searches your exact business name. It is far less likely to show for “plumber near me”.
- Can you show prices and services clearly?
- Partly. There is room for services and a shop, but new posts get the attention and older details get buried.
- Can you get an email address on your name?
- No. You get a page link, not an email address.
- What if the account is suspended?
- Limited or gone. Meta can restrict or disable accounts that break its rules, sometimes by mistake. You appeal to Meta and wait.
- What does it cost?
- Free. Free to set up. Reaching more people than your followers usually means paying for ads.
Suspensions are rarer than people fear, but they do happen. Meta restricts and disables accounts that break its rules, and WhatsApp says you can't open your chat history while a number is banned. If every customer conversation and every photo of your work lives in one account, that is a lot to lose.
What a website adds
- Something you own
- Your domain and your site are yours. A change in Facebook’s rules, or a locked account, does not take them away.
- Customers who don’t follow you yet
- People search Google for “electrician in Durbanville” or ask an AI assistant for a recommendation. Both lean heavily on websites to answer.
- One place to send people
- Services, prices, hours, area, photos of your work. One link answers the questions you otherwise type out ten times a day.
- Credibility
- People often look a business up before they phone. A clean, current site tells them you are real and still trading.
- Your own email address
- info@yourbusiness.co.za on a quote or invoice looks more established than a Gmail address, and it stays yours if staff leave.
When social media is enough, and when you've outgrown it
Social media alone is fine for now if
- You are just starting and still testing what sells.
- Nearly all your work comes from word of mouth and repeat customers.
- You serve a small area where people already know you.
- You have no time to keep anything else up to date right now.
Signs you've outgrown it
- You answer the same questions about prices, hours and area every day.
- People ask if you have a website, or a bigger client wants one before they sign.
- You want work from people outside your followers and your area.
- A post with your prices from last year keeps getting shared.
- Losing your Facebook page or WhatsApp number tomorrow would really hurt.
If two or more of those sound familiar, start small. A single page with your services, area, hours and a WhatsApp button does most of the work. Our Launch Page is exactly that, for R999 once-off.
How to link them together, starting today
The goal is one loop: people find you on Google, land on your site, and tap through to WhatsApp. People who find you on Facebook can click through to the site for the details.
- Put your website link in your Facebook page’s details and in your WhatsApp Business profile.
- Add a WhatsApp button to your website, so visitors can message you in one tap.
- Put your prices, services, hours and area on the website, then reply to common questions with the link.
- Keep your business name, phone number and address exactly the same everywhere.
- Set up your free Google Business Profile and link it to the website. We can help you set it up.
My take
I like WhatsApp. Most of my own quotes start there. But I wouldn't build a business only on someone else's platform. Use Facebook and WhatsApp for the conversation, and own the one place that tells people who you are, what you do and what it costs.
Kris, founder of TechOnEdge
Quick questions
Can a Facebook page replace a website?
For some very small or brand-new businesses, for a while. A Facebook page is good for updates and conversations, but you don’t own it, it rarely shows up when strangers search Google for what you do, and it gives you no business email address.
Is WhatsApp Business enough for a small business?
WhatsApp Business is excellent for talking to customers who already have your number. It doesn’t help new customers find you on Google. Most businesses do best with both: a website that people find, and a WhatsApp button on it that starts the conversation.
What is the cheapest way to get a website in South Africa?
A one-page site is the simplest start. Ours, the Launch Page, is R999 once-off, with WhatsApp and social links built in, plus a monthly plan from R249/month for hosting and email.