Facebook vs Website: which is better?

Our clients often ask: what is better - a Facebook page or a website? In general, these two differ like second hand and brand new clothes. Facebook is a platform, where people post and discuss content produced by other sources, which lowers its ranking results, since search engines favor original texts. Put simply, Google considers Facebook content unworthy, non-professional and unreliable.

1. What is easier to find?

A website. To find a Facebook page, you need to know its exact name and add “Facebook” to the query. Otherwise, you will get nothing. Check it out yourself: try to google any phrase, e.g. “buy food”. How many Facebook pages are shown in results?

2. What takes more effort?

Both Facebook and websites require regular updates to keep the traffic high. Though the process is quite similar, a social media account wins in the number of stages. To update Facebook:

1. Log in.
2. Select “Upload Photo / Video”.
3. Pick the file on the hard drive.
4. Enter the text.
5. Press “Post”.

To update a website:

1. Log in.
2. Press “Create an article”.
3. Select “Upload Photo / Video”.
4. Pick the file on the hard drive.
5. Enter the text.
6. Press “Save”.

3. What is really yours?

No Facebook page belongs to its owner. According to Mark Zuckerberg, it is just a small area of a huge homestead owned by someone else. This means you cannot control your account. Here is a vivid example: millions of companies spent years investing in customization of their pages. But then bang – Facebook removes all customs, so that pages would look exactly the same. So much money wasted… Unlike a Facebook account, a website is a private property. Once you register a domain name, it cannot be changed or retaken by a third-party. The owner gets full control over the website.

4. What is cheaper?

Obviously, Facebook. In fact, creating an account costs nothing. However, you still pay Facebook with two things – your time and intellectual property. The service gets a huge audience plus free content. Facebook monetizes our texts and presence without any guarantees of profit for us. In addition, it often requires integration with other services and resources. For instance, to receive immediate Facebook notifications via e-mail or SMS, one might need a template or a “bridge” program.

5. Maybe both?

Most companies refuse to choose. They create a website and sign up to Facebook. The first is used as a head office, the second – as a global market, where you can distribute corporate flyers: some will work, but these are too few to count. Note that only 26,1% of Europeans are logged in Facebook. Compare this to 70% of Internet users in the region. A significant difference, right? Summary So let us digest all advantages and disadvantages of each in a comparative table.

Can be found in the Internet	Facebook	Website
	–	+
Needs constant update	+	+
Less stages	+	–
A private property	–	+
Lower costs	+	–
More users	–	+

The choice is still yours, but, hopefully, now you have the full picture. Just remember: to make anything work – either a website or a Facebook account – one has to work on it. How? That is another story, best told personally, for each particular case. Contact us to get more information!