Short answer: a Facebook page on its own can work if most of your work comes from word of mouth in a small area. But it leaves you invisible to anyone who searches Google, and that’s a lot of people. A Google Business Profile plus a simple website covers the gap for not much money.

Where Facebook works

Facebook is brilliant for local recommendations. Someone asks in a village group if anyone knows a good roofer, three people tag you, and the person asking clicks your name. If your page is active, with recent jobs and reviews, there’s a fair chance they’ll phone.

It’s also where your past customers see your work and remember you. That’s worth a lot.

Where Facebook falls short

  • Google doesn’t really show Facebook pages for local searches. Search ‘joiner Hamilton’ and you’ll see the map and websites, not Facebook pages.
  • Not everyone’s on Facebook. Younger homeowners in particular often aren’t.
  • You don’t own it. Facebook can change the rules, restrict your page or bury your posts.
  • It’s messy to browse. Customers can’t easily see what you do, where you work and how to get a price.

What actually brings in work from Google

For local searches, Google mostly shows the map first. The businesses in that map box are picked from their Google Business Profiles, based on how relevant they are, how close they are and how well regarded they look, which mostly means reviews.

Your website backs that up. Google reads it to understand what you do and which towns you cover. Customers click through to it to check you out. A profile with no website looks thinner than one with.

The cheapest setup that covers everything

  • A Google Business Profile, filled in properly. Free.
  • A Facebook page that posts real jobs a couple of times a week.
  • A simple website. Even one page, with your services, towns, photos and phone number.
  • A habit of asking every customer for a review.

That’s it. You don’t need a big site or an agency on retainer. You need the basics done properly and kept up.

Quick answers

Can I just use Facebook for my trade business?

You can, but you’ll miss customers who search Google. A Google Business Profile and a simple website fill that gap.

Does Google show Facebook pages in local search?

Rarely for local trade searches. Google mostly shows its map listings and websites.

What’s the minimum website a trade needs?

One page with what you do, where you work, real photos, reviews and a tap-to-call number.

Written by Tony Flynn, who runs Toflin from Carluke and works with trades across Lanarkshire. Want a hand with any of this? Call 01698 598763 or see the prices.