Do you need a website if you have Instagram?

If all your customers find you through Instagram, it can be enough for now. If you want people who don't follow you yet to find you, you need a website too.

Instagram is where people see your work. A website is where they decide to book you, and where new customers land when they search Google. They work best together, with your website link in your bio.

What Instagram does well

• Showing your work. Photos and videos of your nails, food, events, or finished jobs are the best advert there is.
• Staying top of mind. Stories and posts remind your followers you exist.
• Word of mouth. Tags, shares, and DMs spread your name to friends of customers.

It's free and your customers are already there. Keep using it.

Where Instagram falls short

New customers can't find you on Google

When someone searches "braids near me" or "birthday cakes in [your area]", Google shows maps and websites, not Instagram posts. If you only exist on Instagram, you miss everyone who searches instead of scrolling.

Your important information gets buried

Stories disappear after 24 hours and posts get pushed down your grid. Your prices, services, and how to book end up scattered across highlights and captions. A new customer has to dig for them, or DM you and wait.

You don't own your account

Instagram decides who sees your posts, and that can change overnight. Accounts get hacked or suspended. If Instagram is your only home online, your business goes with it.

Not everyone is on Instagram

Venues, offices, older customers, and bigger clients often aren't, or won't message a business through it. A website is something anyone can open, with no app or account needed.

A real example

Vann is a DJ who relied on Instagram. The problem was that promoters had to piece together her music, gigs, and contact details from stories and posts. She built a website over WhatsApp with her mixes, upcoming gigs, and booking info in one place, and now she shares one link. Read Vann's story.

When Instagram alone is enough

• Most of your customers already follow you.
• You're fully booked and not looking for new customers.
• You're just testing an idea and not ready to take bookings yet.

When you need a website too

• You want people searching Google to find you.
• You're answering "how much?" and "where are you?" in DMs every day.
• You want to pitch to venues, companies, or clients who expect a website.
• You want your business to survive an algorithm change or a hacked account.

How to use both together

1. Put your website link in your Instagram bio.
2. Keep posting your work on Instagram to stay in front of followers.
3. Put your prices, services, hours, and booking button on your website.
4. End captions and stories with "Book through the link in my bio".

Wondering whether a link-in-bio page is enough instead? Here's how they compare.

Get a website without a laptop

Most Instagram businesses run entirely from a phone, so a website builder that needs a computer is a non-starter. With Clawfront you describe your business on WhatsApp, send a few photos (your best Instagram ones work well), and get a live site in minutes. Here's how building a website on your phone works.

See examples for nail and beauty, DJs, fitness trainers, and side hustles. It's free for 7 days, then $4.99/month.