An Instagram profile and a website do not do the same job. Instagram brings attention to people who already follow you; a website catches people who are searching for you — on Google, at the moment they need what you offer. A small business usually needs both, but if you have to choose, the website is the one that turns strangers into clients.
What Instagram does well
There is no point pretending Instagram does not matter. For salons, photographers, cafés and anything sold visually, it is the best way to show work and stay in the minds of people who already know you. It is free, it is fast, and the clients are there.
The problem is not what Instagram does. The problem is what it cannot do.
What Instagram cannot do
- Nobody can find you unless they already know you. Someone in Cazin types "hair salon Cazin" into Google. Your Instagram does not appear. Your competitor's website does.
- Older work disappears. Work from three months ago is buried under a hundred newer posts. On a website it is organised by type and always in the same place.
- You have no address. "Find us on Instagram" on a business card does not work. People want a link they open and immediately see who you are, what you do and how to reach you.
- You have no control. The algorithm decides who sees a post. Accounts get blocked. The rules change. A website is yours.
- It does not look serious to the clients who pay more. A company choosing a contractor for a bigger job will check the website. If there is none, you are already out of the running.
When Instagram alone is enough
Honestly: if you are at the very beginning, clients come purely by referral, and you are not yet sure exactly what you offer — do not spend money on a website. Fill Instagram with work, see what people ask for, then decide.
But the moment someone says "send me a link", or the moment you realise people are googling you — it is time.
An example from practice
Danin films weddings and events and had an excellent Instagram. But every enquiry started by sending a profile, work disappeared down the feed, and he had nothing to put on a business card. A website gave him an address, galleries by event type and a contact form — Instagram is still there, it just is no longer the only thing he has.
What next
If you are at the "send me a link" point, see what building a site involves or send me a message. A small-business site with me starts at 800 KM and is done in 2–4 weeks.
Frequently asked
Can I connect Instagram to the website? Yes. It is usual for the site to link to the profile and, if you want, show your latest posts. It works in both directions.
What if I do not have good photos? For a website, five good ones beat fifty average ones. If you do not have them, I help organise a shoot, or we work with what you have until they are ready.