Do you need a website if you already have Instagram?
By Dominic Binotubo · · 6 min read
Short answer: not always, and not on day one. But if your business makes real money, depending only on Instagram (or TikTok, or Facebook) is like building your shop on land you're renting from someone who can lock the gate at any time, without warning, and without explaining why. Here's the honest picture.
First, what Instagram does really well
Let's be fair. Social media is excellent at some things, and a website is not a replacement for it:
- Getting discovered. Reels and the Explore page can put you in front of people who have never heard of you. A brand-new website gets almost no visitors on its own.
- Showing personality. Behind-the-scenes videos, stories and comments make people feel like they know you.
- Talking to customers quickly. DMs feel natural and personal, especially for small businesses.
- It's free to start. You can open an account today and post within minutes.
So if you're just testing a business idea, Instagram plus WhatsApp is a perfectly sensible place to start. Nobody should spend money on a website before they know people want what they sell.
The problem: you don't own your Instagram account
When you sign up for any social media app, you agree to its rules, and those rules can change whenever the company wants. Your followers, your posts, your reviews in the comments and your DMs all live on someone else's computers. That has real consequences.
1. Accounts get disabled, hacked or lost, often with no one to talk to
This isn't a rare horror story. News outlets regularly report small business owners whose Instagram accounts were hacked and held to ransom, or disabled, with only an automated help page to turn to and no human to speak with. In July 2026, the Nigerian commerce company Bumpa wrote about legitimate Nigerian businesses (skincare, fashion and jewellery sellers among them) losing their accounts even though they had done nothing wrong.
If your whole business lives in one account, losing that account means losing your shop window, your customer list and your order history overnight. Some sellers interviewed in the news said most of their income came through Instagram. When the account went, so did the income.
2. Most of your followers don't see your posts
Having 10,000 followers doesn't mean 10,000 people see each post. The app decides who sees what. Social media analytics company Socialinsider measured the average Instagram post reaching about 4.9% of an account's followers in mid-2026, and that figure was down 14% on the year before. For Facebook it was about 1.8%.
In plain English: out of every 100 followers, roughly 5 see a typical post. To reach the rest, you increasingly have to pay for ads.
3. Customers can't find you on Google
When someone searches Google for "cake shop in Lekki" or "tailor near me", Google mostly shows websites and Google Business Profiles (the business listings with a map and reviews). An Instagram page rarely shows up for those searches. That means people who are actively looking to buy, right now, can't find you.
4. It's harder to look established
Fair or not, many customers see a business with its own website and email address as more serious than one with only a social media handle. Hosting company DreamHost surveyed consumers in 2026 and found 58% check a business's website to confirm information they saw on social media or Google. That survey comes from a company that sells websites, so take the exact number with a pinch of salt, but the pattern matches what we see: people Google you before they pay you.
This matters even more if you want bigger clients: companies, foreign customers, or anyone spending serious money. "Send me your website" is a very common question, and "check my IG" is not the answer they're hoping for.
5. Selling through DMs doesn't scale
Answering "how much?" 40 times a day, sending price lists one by one, confirming bank transfers and keeping track of orders in your chats all work when you're small. Once you're busy, things fall through the cracks. A website can show prices, take orders and payments, and answer common questions while you sleep.
What a website gives you that social media can't
- Ownership. Your domain name (like yourbusiness.com) and your website are yours. Nobody can disable them because an algorithm made a mistake.
- A permanent home. If an app disappears, changes or bans you, customers still know where to find you.
- Google visibility. A properly built website can show up when people search for what you sell.
- Everything in one place. Prices, services, delivery details, reviews, FAQs and how to pay, without a customer scrolling through 300 posts.
- Your own customer list. You can collect emails or phone numbers (with permission) so you can reach customers directly, not through an algorithm.
- Payments. Customers can pay by card or transfer through services like Paystack, Flutterwave or Stripe, with automatic receipts.
The raw truth about websites, too
A website is not magic, and anyone who tells you it is wants your money.
- A website doesn't bring customers by itself. If nobody knows it exists, nobody visits. You still need to share it, put it in your bio, and work on being found on Google.
- It costs money to keep running. At minimum, a domain name every year and usually hosting (the service that keeps your website online). See our website cost breakdown.
- An outdated website can hurt you. Old prices, a broken WhatsApp link or "© 2019" at the bottom make people wonder if you're still in business.
So, which do you need?
Here's an honest rule of thumb:
- Just starting or testing an idea? Instagram, WhatsApp Business and a free Google Business Profile are enough for now.
- Making steady sales, or most of your income comes from one social account? Get a simple website now. It's your insurance policy if the account disappears.
- Want bigger clients, foreign customers or corporate work? You need a website. It's often the first thing they check.
- Selling lots of products or taking bookings? A website with online ordering or booking will save you hours every week.
The best setup for most businesses isn't "website or Instagram". It's both: use social media to get attention, and send people to your website to learn more, trust you and buy.
Protect your social accounts either way
- Turn on two-factor authentication (an extra code sent to your phone or an app when you log in). It stops most hacks.
- Use a strong password you don't use anywhere else.
- Make sure the email and phone number on the account are ones you still control.
- Keep your own list of your best customers' contacts, outside the app.
Ready for a home of your own? See website design or pricing, or tell me about your business.