Website or Facebook page: what a painting business needs

Plenty of painters run their business from a Facebook page. It's free, you can post a photo from the job in seconds, and past customers see what you're up to. So is a website worth having as well?

For most painting businesses, yes, and not because Facebook is bad. The two do different jobs. Facebook is good at keeping people who already know you up to date. A website is better at persuading people who don't know you yet, and at turning that interest into a quote request with the details you need. This article compares them honestly, so you can decide what your business needs next.

What a Facebook page does well

• It's quick. Snap a finished room, add a line, post. No logins to a website system, no waiting for someone else.
• It reaches people who already follow you. Past customers, friends and local community groups see your work, which keeps you in mind for their next job or a referral.
• It's where some customers message. People who live on Facebook find it natural to send a message.
• It costs nothing to start. For a brand-new business testing the waters, that matters.

Where a Facebook page falls short

Your best work gets buried

A feed is organised by date, not by job type. The exterior repaint you're proudest of was posted eighteen months ago, under a stack of newer posts. A homeowner planning an exterior job won't scroll that far.

Messages don't ask the right questions

"Hi, how much to paint my house?" is the typical first message. You then need the house type, cladding, storeys, suburb and timing, which means several rounds of back and forth. A website quote form collects those details upfront.

Not everyone uses it

Some customers don't have Facebook, don't want to message a business from their personal account, or simply search Google instead. Commercial clients, property managers and builders are more likely to look for a website.

You don't control it

Facebook decides how your page looks, who sees your posts, what gets shown next to your business, and what the rules are. Those can change at any time, and if your page has a problem, you have limited ways to fix it.

It isn't built for search

A Facebook page gives search engines very little to work with compared with a website that has a clear page for each service and area. When someone searches "wallpaper hanger Dunedin", a page about exactly that has a better chance of matching.

A Facebook page and a website, side by side

Here is how a Facebook page, a website and a Google Business Profile compare on the jobs a painter needs done online.

What each option is good at, for a painting business

Job to be done	Facebook page	Website	Google Business Profile
Being found by people searching Google for a painter	Limited	Built for it	Built for it
Showing finished work in an organised gallery	Posts sink in the feed	Yes, by job type	Photos, unsorted
A quote form with painting questions	Messages only	Yes	No
Explaining services, areas and process in detail	Short About section	A page for each	Short description
Posting quick updates from a job	Very easy	Via edits	Photos and updates
Reaching people who already follow you	Yes	No	No
Control over layout, rules and what sits beside you	None	Full	Google decides

Where Google fits in

When a customer searches for a painter, the local map results come from Google Business Profiles, and the ordinary results below them are mostly websites. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence ¹ . A website with clear pages about your services supports relevance, because it gives Google more to understand about what you do.

Be patient with any new site. Google's starter guide notes that changes can take a few hours to several months ² to show an effect, and that nothing guarantees a site is indexed. A website is a long-term asset, not a switch you flip on a Monday to get calls on Tuesday.

Our guide to Google Business Profile for painters covers the profile side.

Using them together

You don't have to choose. The setup that suits most painting businesses looks like this:

1. A website as the home base: services, areas, gallery, how you work and a quote form.
2. A Google Business Profile that links to the website, so you appear in local map results.
3. Facebook or Instagram for quick job photos, with a link to your website's quote form in your bio and in replies to "how much?" messages.

Show the steps as a list

1. Hears your name or searches. A neighbour recommends you, or they search for a painter nearby.
2. Sees your Business Profile. Map listing: reviews, photos, service area, website link.
3. Opens your website. Checks the gallery, the areas you cover and how you work.
4. Sends the quote form. Job type, house details, suburb, timing and photos in one go.
5. Follows you on Facebook. After the job, they see new work and may refer a friend.

When someone messages on Facebook asking for a price, reply with a friendly note and your quote form link. You get the details you need, and the enquiry lands in the same place as all the others.

Setting up Facebook so it supports your website

If you keep a Facebook page, a few small changes make it send work to your website instead of competing with it:

• Put your website address in the About section and the page button. Set the button to link to your quote form rather than "Send message", if that's how you prefer to receive enquiries.
• Match the details. Business name, phone number, service areas and hours should be the same on Facebook, your website and your Google Business Profile. Mismatched details make people wonder which is current.
• Post finished jobs, then add the best to your website. Facebook is a good place to try photos out. The ones people respond to belong in your website gallery, where they stay easy to find.
• Pin a post that explains how to get a quote. A pinned post at the top of your page with a link to your quote form saves a lot of "how much?" messages.
• Don't run the business from your personal profile. Use a business page, so customers aren't adding you as a friend, and so you can hand the page over to a staff member if you need to.

The same thinking applies to Instagram. It suits painters and decorators with strong visual work, especially interiors and wallpaper, but it's even harder to organise by job type than Facebook. Use it to show off, and your website to explain and take enquiries.

Which to do first if time is short

Fix the gap that is costing you work now:

• If people can't find you on Google at all, set up a Business Profile first. It's free and quick.
• If people find you but don't get in touch, you need a website that shows your work and makes asking for a quote easy.
• If you have a website that never changes, update it before posting more on Facebook, because that's where careful customers check you out.

If you mainly work for builders, a website matters even more, because builders look you up to confirm a recommendation. The new-build painters page explains what those sites need.

Common questions

Can my website show my Facebook posts?

It can link to your page. We usually recommend against embedding a live feed, because it slows the page and shows whatever you posted last, related to painting or not. Picking your best photos for the gallery works better.

Do I still need Facebook if I have a website?

Not necessarily. If your customers use it and you enjoy posting, keep it. If it's a chore, a website plus a Business Profile covers the essentials.

What does a website cost compared with Facebook?

Facebook costs time rather than money. The cost of a website depends on the route you take; our article on what a painter website costs in NZ sets out the options.

The short answer

A Facebook page is a useful noticeboard for people who already know you. A website is where strangers decide whether to trust you and ask for a quote. Most painting businesses need both, plus a Google Business Profile. If you want the website part done for you, see what the plan includes and pricing.