Short answer: yes — and the data on how people actually search for local businesses in 2026 makes the case clearly.
Almost Everyone Checks Online Before Visiting
According to a 2026 industry review citing Wiser Review data, 98% of consumers now search online before visiting a local business, up from 90% in 2019. Separately, a local SEO industry analysis found that 97% of people check out a company's online presence before visiting a location or making a purchase. That search overwhelmingly happens on Google, not exclusively inside social apps.
People Specifically Look for Your Website, Not Just Your Social Page
Research from Uberall's 2026 local marketing study found that when consumers research a local business, 51% read reviews first — but 42% specifically visit the business's own website as part of that same research process. A website and social media aren't competing for the same moment; they're both expected to exist.
You Don't Actually Own Your Facebook Page
Your Facebook or Instagram page can be restricted, suspended, or have its reach reduced by algorithm changes at any time — for reasons entirely outside your control. A website is something you actually control, permanently.
The Features You Like Don't Have to Disappear
A common worry is losing what actually works well about a Facebook or Instagram page — an easy photo gallery, visible reviews, quick updates. None of that has to go away. A custom-built website can include a real photo gallery, an embedded reviews section, a simple news or updates page, and even online booking — the same functionality your customers already enjoy, just on a page you actually control instead of one a platform controls for you.
A Website-Free Business Is Largely Invisible on Google Search
Nearly half of all Google searches carry local intent, according to a 2026 local search data review — meaning people are actively searching for businesses like yours, nearby, right now. Without a real website, that entire category of search traffic has no page of yours to find.
Social Media Reach Is Limited Even to Your Own Followers
Facebook and Instagram show posts to a limited percentage of your own followers unless you pay to boost them. A website has no such limit — anyone who finds it sees the same full information, every time, for free.
The Real Answer: Use Both, Not One or the Other
This isn't really an either/or decision. Social platforms are genuinely useful for engagement and discovery, and the data shows a real share of local customers do use them during their research. But the same data shows they work best as a supplement to a real website, not a replacement for one — the website is what you actually own and control; social media is what you rent.