Why auto repair shops need a website, not just a Facebook page

We have heard auto repair shop owners tell us, “We don’t need a website, we are on Facebook.” If you have all the business you’ll ever need from current customers and have gotten all of your customers to follow you on Facebook, then that statement might be true.

But for the vast majority of auto repair shops a Facebook profile will be a very poor substitute for a website. Here’s why:

Consumers use Google to find auto repair shops

In a 2020 survey from BrightLocal, 93 percent of consumers said they use the internet to find local businesses. The first place people go when they want to find local service businesses is Google — by a very large margin. A website is going to give you the best chance to be found on Google by those potential customers. That’s because they are used to typing the name of the service they want into the search bar and then looking at the organic search results for options they want to consider.

That’s not how Facebook works. Unless somebody searches for your auto repair shop by name, potential customers are not going to find you on Facebook. The only place you’ll be seen on Facebook is in the news feed of people who already follow you when you make posts. You are significantly limiting your audience by substituting a Facebook profile for a website.

And as you can see in the screen shot of the organic search results above, Facebook profiles very rarely show up in the organic results. In fact, in that search there was not a single Facebook profile that showed up in the first 10 search engine results pages.

Facebook doesn’t like to show business posts in the news feed

Facebook’s algorithm determines what posts a user will see in their news feed. Facebook’s goal is to give the user more of what they want so that they will stay on Facebook as long as possible. People interact more with posts from friends and family so Facebook is more likely to show those posts than they are the posts that are coming from your business. Plus, they would rather make you pay for advertising to be seen in the news feed.

Regardless, you still want to be sure that you are posting consistently. Remember, your only chance to be seen is by posting frequently. Contrast that with a website, which you do want to keep updated but you certainly don’t have to remember to update every day or every other day.

Consumers expect credible auto repair shops to have a website

Right or wrong, perception is reality. While consumers may be willing to buy a t-shirt directly from Instagram, they expect more from a business that they are trusting to maintain or repair their vehicle. Credibility is extremely important for auto repair shops. Your website can provide that credibility.

When consumers can’t find a website for a repair shop they are going to think twice about calling them. They’ll question the credibility or just assume the shop is closed. Then you’ve lost them before you even had a shot to win their business.

You control your website, Facebook has all the control on Facebook

Whether you build and manage your own website, or you work with a service provider like us, you get to make the decisions on the images, content, design, etc. You have a very high level of control over the messages and pictures people see when they go to your website.

You have no such control on Facebook. Facebook is going to do what’s best for Facebook. Just like they control their users’ news feeds, they control what you are able to do with your profile. So, while you may like the “control” you feel you have over your Facebook profile today, that could change pretty quickly tomorrow.

Facebook is a good forum for engaging customers and building your brand but a Facebook profile does not provide the benefits a website does when it comes to attracting new customers and building credibility.