Facebook or website Facebook page or website: which one in Mauritius?
In Mauritius, many businesses start on Facebook and Instagram, and it makes sense: it is free and your customers are already there. The real question isn't “one or the other”, but what each one does for you, and what it will never do.
By Mathieu, Quartz · Updated · 3 min read
What Facebook does very well
- It is free, and it takes ten minutes to set up.
- Your customers are already there. They follow you, share your posts and message you on Messenger.
- It is made for news: today's special, a new collection, a promotion, photos taken that very morning.
What Facebook will never do for you
- Get you found by new customers on Google. A Facebook page sometimes shows up when people type your name. It rarely shows up when someone searches for a type of business and a place, and that is exactly where the customers who don't know you yet are.
- Belong to you. The page depends on Facebook's rules. One hacked or suspended account, and you lose your followers, photos and reviews at once, with nobody to call.
- Reach all your followers. Facebook only shows each post to part of them. To go further, you have to pay for ads, campaign after campaign.
- Keep your information within reach. Your prices, services or terms get buried in the feed, under months of posts. A customer in a hurry won't find them.
- Be readable by everyone. Without an account, Facebook quickly asks people to log in. Tourists, companies and older customers don't all have an account, or don't want to use it for this.
Facebook and a website, side by side
| Criterion | Facebook page | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, plus ads to be seen | Built once, then the domain name each year |
| Found on Google when people search for your business type | Rarely | Yes, if it is well built |
| You own it | No | Yes |
| Readable without an account | Not always | Always |
| Prices, services, opening hours | Buried in the feed | Organised and up to date |
| News, conversations with customers | Excellent | Less suited |
So, which one?
- You are starting out on a tight budget: a Facebook or Instagram page, plus a Google profile, both free. The guide to getting your business on Google explains how to fill it in.
- You want customers who don't know you yet, through Google, among tourists or companies: you need a website.
- The best choice is both, connected. The website is your shop window, the one you own. Facebook and Instagram are the loudspeaker that sends people to it. Every post points to the site, and the site shows your social accounts.
Mistakes to avoid
- A neglected website. Wrong opening hours or two-year-old prices do more harm than having no site at all. If you can't keep it up to date, keep it short.
- A website you don't own. Some "free website" offers are paid every month, and the site disappears when you stop. It is the same trap as Facebook, except you pay. The price guide lists the questions to ask before you sign.
- Conflicting details between your website, your Google profile and your Facebook page. The same name, phone number and opening hours everywhere: customers and Google can then make sense of it.
And at Quartz?
Every website I deliver is connected to your social accounts and your Google profile, with a WhatsApp button so people can message you in one tap. You own everything from day one: the domain name, the code and the logins. The price is fixed and shown on the offers page, and the mockup is free, before you decide anything.
Frequently asked questions
Does a website replace my Facebook page?
No, the two work together. Keep Facebook and Instagram for news and conversations, and make every post point to your website, which holds the information that lasts: services, prices, opening hours, contact.
Is Instagram enough to sell?
To show your products, Instagram is excellent. To be found by someone who doesn't follow you yet, or to let a customer find your prices and terms without scrolling through months of posts, you still need a website.
Facebook is free and a website costs money: why pay?
Facebook is free, but it only shows each post to part of your followers, and reaching more people means paying for ads, campaign after campaign. A website is paid once when it is built, then only the domain name each year, and it belongs to you.