Frank's Web Studio
Do you need a website if you have a Google Business Profile?
A lot of owners I talk to say the same thing: "I get my calls from Google, why would I pay for a website?" It's a fair question. Here's the honest answer, including when you can skip it for now.
I build websites for local businesses in Chicagoland, so you'd expect me to say everyone needs one. Not quite. A Google Business Profile is free, it shows up in the map results, and for some businesses it brings in most of the calls. But it does a different job than a website, and leaning on it alone has real limits.
What your Google Business Profile does well
Your profile is what people see when they search for a service near them and the map pops up. It shows your hours, phone number, reviews, photos and directions. For a quick "who's open and close by" search, it's often all a customer looks at before they call.
Keep it accurate and active no matter what. If yours is getting views but not calls, start with my post on why a Google Business Profile isn't getting calls.
What a profile can't do
- Explain your services in depth. Someone comparing three roofers wants to know what you do, how you price, and how the job works. A profile has room for a short description and a list of services, not the answers that win the job.
- Rank for every search you want. The map shows a few businesses, and distance plays a big part. A website gives Google more pages to match to searches like "boiler repair Oak Park" or "how much does a new furnace cost."
- Belong to you. Google controls the layout, the features and the rules. Your website is yours.
Google already took one shortcut away
Google used to let businesses build a simple website right inside the Business Profile. In March 2024 it turned those sites off. Visitors were sent to the profile for a few months, and after June 10, 2024 the old links stopped working. Owners who had relied on them had to build a site somewhere else, sometimes after their links had already broken.
That's the risk in short: when you only have a profile, someone else decides what you get to keep.
When a profile alone is enough, for now
I'll be straight with you. If all of these are true, you can probably wait:
- You're booked out most weeks from referrals and your profile.
- You do one simple service in a small area.
- Your customers rarely ask questions before they call.
- You don't plan to raise prices, add services or hire soon.
If that's you, spend the time on reviews and photos instead.
When you're losing jobs without one
A website starts paying for itself when:
- You want bigger jobs. People spending thousands look you up more than once before they call.
- You serve several towns and want to be found in each one.
- Customers keep asking the same questions on the phone: pricing, how long it takes, what's included.
- You want booking requests or quote forms coming in while you're on a job.
- A competitor with a clean site keeps winning the jobs you quote.
A Chicago example
Picture a tuckpointing company in Berwyn with 40 good reviews and no website. A homeowner in La Grange searches "tuckpointing near me." The Berwyn company shows up on the map, but so do two others with websites. One of those sites shows before-and-after photos of a brick two-flat, explains how they price chimney work, and lists La Grange as a service area. Even with fewer reviews, that company often gets the call, because the homeowner can see the work and the answers before picking up the phone.
How the two work together
- Your profile gets you seen in the map.
- The "Website" button sends people to a page that answers their questions.
- That page has a tap-to-call button at the top, so the call happens anyway.
- Your name, address and phone match exactly on both.
Run the 60-second phone test on whatever page your profile links to. If it fails, that link is losing you calls.
What it costs
A simple, fast site doesn't have to be a big project. My Starter package is $399 setup and $49 a month, and Local Growth, with service and area pages, is $699 setup and $99 a month. You can see what each one includes on my website cost page.
Not sure if you need one yet? Book a free call. I'll look at your profile with you and tell you honestly whether a website would help right now.
Common questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Google sells ads separately, but you don't need them to have a profile.
Can I still build a website inside Google Business Profile?
No. Google turned off websites made with Business Profiles in March 2024, and the old links stopped redirecting after June 10, 2024. You need a site hosted somewhere else.
Will a website help my Google map ranking?
It can help, because Google uses relevance and prominence and a good site gives it more to go on. No one can honestly guarantee a ranking, though, and distance still matters a lot.
Want me to check your site?
Book a free call and I'll look at your website on a phone with you and tell you what I'd fix first. No pressure, no long contracts.
Keep reading
- Plumber Website Checklist for Frozen Pipe Season in Chicago
- How to Get More Google Reviews Without Breaking the Rules
Frank's Web Studio · Serving Chicagoland and the Midwest · (773) 474-4780 · [email protected]
Home · Blog · Websites for contractors · What a website costs · Privacy policy