Do you need a website if you have Instagram?

Plenty of businesses around the DMV run on Instagram and a Google profile alone. A barber in Silver Spring with a full chair every Saturday doesn't need anything else to stay busy. So the honest answer is maybe not. It depends on how people find you and what they need to know before they reach out.

When Instagram is enough

Most of your customers come from people you already know or from walking past. Your work is visual and your feed shows it well. You answer DMs fast. You're happy with how busy you are.

If that's you, a website can wait. Keep your Google profile filled in, since that's where strangers look first.

Where it starts to fall short

Instagram is built for scrolling, not for finding things. Your hours, prices and address end up buried in a bio, a highlight or a post from last spring. People who want a quick answer often give up and try the next place.

Some people don't use Instagram at all, or won't message a business there. Older customers, office managers and anyone booking for a company tend to look for a website and an email address.

You also don't own your account. Platforms change what they show, accounts get locked and reach goes up and down without warning. If most of your business runs through one app, that's a risk worth thinking about.

What a website adds

A website is the one place where everything is in order and nothing is buried. What you do, where you are, what it costs and how to reach you. It also gives Google more to work with. Your profile can link to it, and a page that says "Brow studio in Arlington" helps you show up when people search for that.

It doesn't have to be big. One good page often does the job.

A simple way to decide

Look at the messages you get. If a lot of them ask the same things, like your hours, your prices or whether you serve their area, a website would answer those before people have to ask. If you're losing jobs to places that just look more established online, that's another sign.

If neither is true, put your energy into your feed and your Google profile for now. When you do build a site, link it from both and keep the details the same everywhere.