Facebook is a social media website with a global audience. Facebook is free to use and many businesses and organizations use Facebook as their primary means to reach new and existing customers.

When you signup for Facebook, it creates a personal profile. As the name implies, a Facebook profile is for personal use and lacks important features needed for marketing a business or organization.

For any commercial use, you should create a Facebook Page. Pages are intended for businesses and organizations. Government agencies and nonprofit groups are also better served by using a Facebook Page. Retail stores, restaurants, online stores and service businesses are better served with a Facebook Page.

Professional Mode for Profiles

Note: For artists, influencers, bloggers or anyone interested in monetizing their Facebook profile, Facebook offers a Professional Mode for Profiles.

Professional Mode for Profiles is recommended for creators, public figures and politicians. Professional Mode is designed to build a personal brand.

While Professional Mode for Profiles offers you more tools than a standard user Profile, it also lacks many important advertising, marketing and analysis features that a Page offers.

A Page also allows you to run ads. Other features a Facebook Page offers include a Dashboard, Ads Manager, Business Manager and the Meta Business Suite. A Page also lets you create Groups and Events. You can setup a shop to sell directly on Facebook, too.

But You Still Need a Website

With all the features Facebook and other social media sites offer, why do you need a website?

Facebook is Limited

While this post is focused on Facebook, the following list of cons apply to other social media sites as well:

• Facebook controls the data
• Facebook controls the algorithms
• Facebook doesn’t offer personal support
• Platform dependency and over-reliance
• Your competition also uses Facebook

Facebook Controls the Data

When your business uses Facebook or any other social media site, they own the data. The users are their users, not yours.

Facebook Controls the Algorithms

An algorithm is a set of rules a computer program uses to make decisions. Facebook uses secret algorithms to choose what content to display to users.

The algorithms are known only to Facebook and can frequently change. An unexpected change in the algorithms can affect your business in unexpected ways.

After an algorithm change, you may find a sudden, steep drop-off in visitors to your page. You might also find your Facebook ads are no longer working as well as they used to.

Facebook uses algorithms to police for content that violates their terms and conditions. Should you post something Facebook doesn’t like, you might find yourself locked out or even banned from Facebook.

Facebook Doesn’t Offer Personal Support

If you have an issue with Facebook, who can you call? Facebook support is automated and their system doesn’t handle unanticipated problems well.

Suppose you find your account locked out of Facebook or your Page’s activity suspended. Where do you appeal? How timely is the response? You likely can’t afford to wait hours or days for your problem to work its way through Facebook’s system.

Platform Dependency and Over-Reliance

Your business or organization can’t afford to depend solely on a third-party site like Facebook. Your business is at risk if you depend upon a single sales or marketing channel for the bulk of your sales. If Facebook ever goes down, all your data is lost and there is no easy way to create a backup.

Your Competition Also Uses Facebook

Because of the many features, benefits and advantages, your competition also uses Facebook. It’s hard to stand out and get noticed.

Benefits of Owning Your Own Website

A custom website from 573 Web Solutions fixes the above issues.

• You own the data
• You own the customers
• You control the content
• We offer prompt, professional, personalized support
• A professional website shows credibility in a way that social media sites cannot