Every website builder in the world will tell you that your business needs a website. So let's do the opposite: start by acknowledging when you don't, then explain why most NZ businesses actually do.
When you don't need a website
Some businesses genuinely don't need one. A sole trader who's been fully booked through word of mouth for years, has no interest in scaling, and isn't looking for new customers they don't already know — that person doesn't need a website.
A hobby business you run on the side without wanting it to grow. A market stall with a fixed spot and a regular crowd. A contractor who works exclusively with one long-term client.
If you're genuinely not trying to reach new customers and your current customers already know how to find you, you can get by without one. That's the honest answer.
When you do need a website
If any of these are true, a website will make a direct difference to your business:
- You want more customers than you currently have
- You want to look professional when someone checks you out before deciding to hire or buy
- You want Google to send you customers who are searching for what you offer
- You're tired of relying on platforms you don't control (Facebook, Instagram, Neighbourly)
- You want something that works while you're asleep, on a job, or on holiday
That describes most NZ business owners.
What happens when someone Googles your business and finds nothing
This scenario plays out thousands of times a day across New Zealand. Someone hears about a business — from a friend, a Facebook post, a sign on a van — and Googles the name to get the phone number, check the hours, or see what they do.
If nothing comes up, two things happen. First, the person isn't sure they've got the right business. Second, they see a competitor in the Google results and go there instead. You didn't lose to a better business. You lost to one that had a website.
The same thing happens when someone searches "electrician in Nelson" or "cafe near me" or "dog groomer Hamilton." Google shows websites. If yours isn't there, you don't exist in those results.
The cost comparison
The most common objection to getting a website is the cost. That objection made more sense ten years ago, when a basic business website cost $3,000 to $8,000.
A website from Site Sorted costs $299. One payment. No monthly fees. Hosting included. Built for local search.
The cost of not having a website is harder to quantify, but it's real. If your type of business gets found through Google — and most service businesses do — every month without a website is a month of missed enquiries. For a tradie turning away a $1,500 job because they were found by a competitor, that's five months of Site Sorted paid for by one job.
Even if a website only brings in one extra customer per month, at any normal ticket price for a NZ business, the return is well ahead of the cost.
"I'll just use Facebook"
A Facebook page is better than nothing. It gives you somewhere to point people and a place to post updates. But it has real limits.
Facebook pages don't rank well in Google for service searches. When someone searches "plumber Wellington," they get websites. Facebook pages appear occasionally in branded searches — when someone already knows your business name — but not for general local searches.
You don't own your Facebook page. Meta can suspend it, restrict its reach, or change the rules at any time. NZ businesses have had pages with years of content and thousands of followers removed with no recourse. Read more about this in our piece on website vs social media for NZ businesses.
A Facebook page also doesn't tell the full story of your business the way a website does. There's no space for a proper services page, a gallery, a booking form, or pricing. You're working within a template designed for Facebook, not for your business.
Your website works 24/7
This is the argument that doesn't get said enough. A website answers questions at 11pm when someone is deciding whether to call you in the morning. It lets someone book while you're on a job. It shows up in Google while you're asleep.
You don't have to do anything after it's set up. It just works. No one has to remember to post. No algorithm decides who sees it. No platform owns it.
For a one-off cost of $299, that's a reasonable trade.
What a good NZ business website actually needs
It doesn't need to be complicated. Read our guide to what a NZ small business website actually needs for the specifics — but the short version is: who you are, what you do, where you are, and how to contact you.
Mobile-first design, because 75% of NZ searches happen on a phone. Clear contact details. A short description of your services. Some evidence you're real — a photo, a review, a short about section.
That's enough to rank, convert, and give your business a proper presence online.
Get started
If you've been putting it off, the barrier is lower than you think. Build a free preview of your website before you pay anything — answer a few questions about your business and see what your site would look like.
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