Having an active Facebook page can be great for promoting your small business, and it might even generate a number of leads. But if you don’t also have an updated website, you are missing out on several marketing opportunities that will help your business grow.

Facebook is an attractive place to begin your online branding. It’s easy to set up a business page and creates an opportunity to connect with prospective customers through social media. But even though it may require some additional steps, starting a small business website is a necessary complement to your social media engagement. Website development is now more affordable than ever, and if you don’t invest in a sustainable site you risk the chances of falling behind your competition.

Below are some of the top reasons why you should consider launching a website for your business even if your Facebook page is currently successful.

1.) Not everyone uses Facebook

Your small business might be missing out on a large percentage of your target demographic because Facebook is still not used by everyone. A recent survey found that 71 percent of adults who use the internet use Facebook, leaving a whole 29 percent that you are missing out on when you don’t have a website (source).

Some of your customers will want to find out information about your company without having to navigate to your Facebook page, and having a website in place allows you to access these customers who otherwise might not find you.

2.) You will have better SEO with a website

A website offers a better opportunity for higher SEO rankings with the proper development and optimization. Although Google and other search engines rank Facebook content and pages very well, having a website gives you much more control over your SEO efforts and more opportunities to rank for other keywords.

Although it’s very important to maintain your Facebook page for your current rankings, you can also get higher rankings for your target keywords by blogging on your website (source). Optimizing your website’s internal pages for your target keywords will also help increase website traffic, and there are dozens of other opportunities for search marketing with a website that aren’t available on Facebook.

3.) Your competitors probably have a website

To stay competitive in your small business you need to be keeping pace with the competition. The chances are that at least one of your main competitors has an established website, along with their Facebook page, and if that’s the case you need to have one of your own.

If your competitors have a website and are spending the time and money to expand it, they are likely getting leads from that site. If you don’t have one, you’re undoubtedly losing those leads who could’ve just as easily stumbled upon your website, products and services instead.

4.) Websites offer more ownership

Facebook doesn’t offer you total ownership over your business’s page. There are limitations to the type of promotions that you can run, the type of files that you can upload, and things along those lines. Meanwhile, there are no limitations with your own website, and you get total ownership over it.

Facebook offers you a free platform to expand your social media presence, but it shouldn’t be the headquarters of your online business presence. Facebook remains one of the biggest websites in the world, but as we’ve seen in the past that can quickly change.

As long as you pay for your hosting, your website will be on the internet indefinitely. You can customize it exactly as you wish, with your own merchant services and content. It gives you a lot more control over your online brand and it’s a must-have for any serious business that wants to compete in the modern digital marketplace.