Yes, most small businesses need a website, even with a busy Instagram. Instagram is where people find you; a website is where they check you're real, see your prices and book. You can start with one simple page that says what you do, what it costs and how to reach you.
The short version: Instagram is rented space. Meta can remove your posts or disable your account, and accounts do get hacked. A website is yours, it answers the questions customers keep sending you in messages, and it's what many people look for before they buy. If you're only testing an idea for a few weeks, Instagram and a free Google listing are enough for now.
Why isn't Instagram enough on its own?
Because you don't own it. Think of Instagram as a busy market stall in someone else's building. It's a great place to be seen, but the building's owner sets the rules and can close your stall.
That's in writing. Section 6 of Instagram's Terms of Use says: "We can remove any content or information you share on the Service." The same section covers disabling accounts.
Accounts also get hacked. In June 2026, attackers tricked Meta's AI support assistant into handing over Instagram accounts, including Sephora's. Meta says it fixed the problem. The same report notes the attacks failed on accounts with two-factor login turned on.
And customers look for a website anyway. In DreamHost's 2026 survey of 1,201 Americans, 58% said they often or always check a business's website to confirm what they saw on social media, Google or AI tools. It's a U.S. survey; we couldn't find a Canadian one that asks the same question.
What does a website do that Instagram can't?
It puts the answers in one place. On Instagram, your prices are in a post from March and your hours are in a story that disappeared. A website keeps them on one page that's always there.
- It answers the same questions for you. What you offer, where you work, what it costs, when you're open and how to book.
- It shows up when people search your business name on Google, and AI tools like ChatGPT can read it. Our post on getting found in ChatGPT and Google's AI answers explains how.
- It's yours. Your own web address (yourbusiness.ca) and your own business email stay with you, whatever happens to an app.
- It makes you look established to people who don't know you yet, which matters most when they're about to pay.
Instagram still does the job a website can't: putting your work in front of new people every day. Keep both, and link them to each other.
When can I skip a website for now?
If you're testing an idea, selling to friends and at markets, or still deciding whether this is a business, you can wait. For those first weeks, Instagram plus a free Google Business Profile covers the basics.
Get a website once strangers start paying you, or once you want customers beyond your followers. That's usually when the same questions start filling your messages.
How much does a simple website cost?
You can build one yourself on a website builder for a monthly fee, or pay someone to build it once. A website builder is an online service where you pick a layout, drop in your text and photos, and pay monthly to keep the site running. Our guide to small business website costs in Canada compares the options in Canadian dollars.
| Option | What you pay | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself | A monthly builder plan, plus your time | People who enjoy setting things up |
| Loud Launch Launchpad | $250 for one custom page, done for you | Getting a real site up without learning a builder |
| Loud Launch Care | $29.99 a month for hosting and up to 2 hours of edits | Keeping hours, prices and photos up to date |
What should go on my first website?
Start with the questions people already ask you in messages. One page can hold all of this:
- What you do and the area you serve, in one sentence at the top.
- Your services with prices, or "starting at" prices.
- Your hours and how to reach you: phone, email or a contact form.
- A clear button to book, order or ask for a quote.
- A few photos of your work, and a link to your Instagram.
What should I do this week?
- Turn on two-factor login on Instagram. In Accounts Center, go to Password and security, then Two-factor authentication. It's the simplest protection against a hack.
- Write down the five questions customers ask you most. Those answers are your first website page.
- Set up your free Google Business Profile if you haven't yet.
- Choose a web address with your business name, ideally ending in .ca.
- When the site is live, put its link in your Instagram bio.
If you'd like to do it yourself, a builder is a fine start. If you'd rather hand it off, that's what we do at Loud Launch: a custom page built from scratch, with your hours, prices and booking in place, from $250. Book a free call and we'll look at your Instagram together and plan the page.
Drafted with AI help from our notes and checked against the sources above.
This post is general information and our own take, not legal, financial or professional advice for your situation. Prices, features and availability change, so check the linked sources before you act. Accurate as of November 11, 2026. See our terms.
