Do I Need a Website If I Have Instagram? (Mobile Beauty, PTs, Photographers)
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If almost all your clients come from people who already follow you, Instagram can be enough for now. A simple website starts to pay off when you want to be found by people who don't follow you yet, searching Google for "mobile makeup artist Werribee" or "PT Caroline Springs", and when you want a place you control for prices, bookings and enquiries.
When is Instagram enough?
- You're fully booked from followers and referrals
- Your work sells on visuals alone and clients book by DM
- You're testing a new business and aren't ready to spend
- Your clients are mostly repeat clients
When does a website start to pay off?
| Situation | Why a website helps |
|---|---|
| You want new clients from Google | Instagram profiles rarely rank for local service searches; a website and Google profile can |
| People keep asking the same questions in DMs | A services and prices page answers them once |
| You want online booking or deposits | A booking link on your own site looks more professional and is easy to find |
| You work with businesses or venues | Corporate clients and venues expect a website to check before they book |
| You worry about losing your account | A website and email list are yours; a social account can be hacked or restricted |
What's the smallest website that works?
One to three pages is enough to start:
- Home: what you do, where, a few best photos, and a Book or Enquire button
- Services and prices: each service, how long it takes, the price or starting price
- About and contact: who you are, service area, hours, an enquiry form and your Instagram
See the new business website checklist for the basics.
How does a Google Business Profile fit in?
A Google Business Profile is free and lets you appear on Google Maps. If you travel to clients, hide your home address and set a service area (Google). Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, and reviews and links from other websites count towards prominence (Google). A website gives your profile somewhere to link to, which helps both.
How do Instagram and the website work together?
- Put your website link in your Instagram bio and story highlights
- Embed or link your Instagram gallery on the website so it stays fresh
- Use the same business name, suburb and phone number everywhere
- Send DM enquiries to a booking or enquiry link so nothing gets lost
- Collect Google reviews, not just Instagram comments, so new clients can see them in search
What do mobile beauty, PTs and photographers each need?
| Business | Must-have on the site |
|---|---|
| Mobile beauty and makeup | Service area, travel fees, bridal packages, deposit and cancellation policy |
| Personal trainers | Where you train (gym, park, home, online), session types, prices, qualifications and insurance |
| Photographers | Portfolio by type, packages, turnaround times, how to book a date |
What should the services and prices page say?
This is the page that saves you the most time, because it answers the questions that fill your DMs. Keep each service to a few lines:
| Part | Example for a mobile makeup artist |
|---|---|
| Service name | Bridal makeup (on location) |
| What's included | Trial session, makeup on the day, lashes, touch-up kit |
| How long it takes | [time] per person on the day |
| Price | From [price], plus travel outside [area] |
| How to book | Check your date, then pay a deposit to hold it |
| Policy | One line on deposits, cancellations and changes |
Fill in your own prices and area; the brackets are placeholders. If you'd rather not publish exact prices, a "from" price still filters out people who aren't a fit, as long as it's honest. The ACCC expects the price you advertise to be one people can actually get (ACCC).
How do you move enquiries out of DMs?
DMs are easy to start and easy to lose. Messages get buried, details are spread across several chats, and nothing is backed up. The aim isn't to stop DMs; it's to move serious enquiries somewhere you can manage them.
- Set up a saved reply: "Thanks for reaching out! To check availability and send a quote, please fill in this short form: [link]"
- Make the form ask what you always need: date, suburb, service and number of people
- Send booking confirmations by email or text, so both of you have a record
- Pin a post or story highlight that explains how to book
See which form fields cost you leads for how long the form should be.
What business details should the website show?
A website is also where clients, venues and businesses check that you're a real, registered business. Show the basics in the footer or on the contact page:
- Your business name, exactly as registered
- Your ABN, if you have one; you apply for it through the Australian Business Register (ABR)
- Your service area and how to contact you
- Insurance and qualifications, where they matter to clients, such as for PTs
If you trade under a name that isn't your own personal name, you generally need to register it as a business name with ASIC (ASIC). Your Instagram handle and your registered business name don't have to match, but it helps clients if they're close.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Do you need your own domain and email?
You can start without them, but they're cheap and they make a difference to how you come across, especially to venues, businesses and wedding clients.
- A domain, such as yourname.com.au, gives you an address you keep even if you change website platforms
- An email on that domain looks more established than a free webmail address on a quote
- Put the domain on your Instagram bio, business cards and invoices so people learn it
- Keep the logins for your domain somewhere safe; losing access to a domain is a slow, painful fix
If you already use a free email address with clients, you don't have to switch overnight. Set up the new one and move clients over gradually as you send new quotes.
Related reading. setting up email on your own domain.
Which photos should go on the website?
Your Instagram grid shows everything. Your website should show a careful selection, chosen for the clients you want more of.
- Six to twelve of your best recent pieces of work for each main service
- A clear photo of you, so clients know who is arriving or who they'll meet
- Photos that match your prices: if you want bridal bookings, show bridal work first
- Permission from every client whose face appears
Resize photos before you upload them, so the site stays quick on a phone. Swap in new work every few months so returning visitors see something fresh.
How do you get Google reviews from Instagram clients?
Instagram comments and DMs of thanks don't show up when a stranger searches Google. Reviews on your Google profile do, and Google counts them towards how prominent your business is (Google).
- Send your Google review link in the thank-you message after each booking
- Save the link as a quick reply so it takes seconds
- Never offer a discount or freebie in exchange; Google's policy doesn't allow rewards for reviews (Google)
Give it a few months, and compare where your new clients come from before and after.
- Ask every new client how they found you, and write it down: Instagram, Google, referral, other
- Set your enquiry form and booking clicks as key events in Google Analytics (Google Analytics Help). See Google Analytics 4 for business owners
- Check your Google Business Profile performance report each month. See reading your performance report
- Count how many DMs you still answer about prices and availability
If new clients start arriving from Google, and you spend less time answering the same questions, the site is doing its job.
Morphic builds simple websites and Google profiles for Instagram-first businesses in Melbourne, linked to your booking and your feed. Get a free quote, or book a 30-minute call.
Related services: websites for new businesses and Google Business Profile management.
Related reading: DIY Website vs Web Designer, Barber and Salon Websites and How Often Should a Small Business Post on Social Media?.
Title 15 and Main Content 15: leave empty.
Related reading. small-business website design.
Key Takeaways
Instagram can be enough if your clients already follow you.
A website pays off when you want new clients from Google, fewer repeat DMs, or a place you control.
Start small: home, services and prices, about and contact.
Add a free Google Business Profile with a service area if you travel to clients.
Link Instagram, the website and Google so each sends people to the others.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
