If you run a small business in Nepal, there is a good chance someone told you to "just make a Facebook page." It is free, takes twenty minutes, and half of Nepal is already scrolling through it. For many businesses, a Facebook page is where the online presence begins and, for some, it is where it ends.
But there is a real difference between a Facebook page and a website, and understanding that difference will save you money and missed opportunities.
Honestly, quite a lot. A Facebook business page lets you post photos and videos, respond to messages, collect reviews, and show your address and opening hours. It is free. Customers in Nepal are comfortable with it. For very local businesses, such as a neighbourhood salon or a tiffin service in one ward, it can be enough to start.
The problem comes when you start asking more of it.
When someone types "web developer in Kathmandu" or "hotel in Pokhara with pool" into Google, they are not looking at Facebook. Google's search results show websites, Google Business profiles, and directories. A Facebook page rarely appears near the top for specific business searches, and when it does, it shows limited information. If your only online presence is Facebook, you are invisible to a large part of the people who are actively looking for what you sell.
This is the part most people do not think about until it is too late. Facebook owns the platform. They set the rules. Your page can be restricted, reported by a competitor, or caught in an automated takedown with no warning and no clear appeal process. There are real businesses in Nepal that have lost years of posts, followers, and customer messages overnight because of a policy decision they had no say in. A website, properly registered in your name, cannot be taken from you.
Facebook decides what your posts show to your followers and in what order. Reach on Facebook pages has dropped every year since 2014. Many pages find that only 3 to 5 percent of their followers actually see any given post unless they pay to boost it. On your own website, every page you create is there, in full, for every visitor.
You can put a phone number on a Facebook page, but you cannot build a proper contact form, a booking calendar, a payment page, or a client portal. These are the tools that turn a visitor into a paying customer without you having to be online at that exact moment.
Nepal's internet use is growing fast. According to NTA data, more than half the country now uses the internet, and the majority of that access is through mobile phones. When those people search for something on Google, they click on websites. A study across Asia consistently shows that users trust a business with a website more than one that only has a social media page, especially for any purchase above NPR 1,000.
A website also lets you appear in Google's local results, which show a map, your phone number, and your hours directly in the search results. This is separate from having a Google Business Profile, though both work together. You can set up a Google Business Profile for free, and we have a separate guide on that. But the profile works far better when it points to a real, fast website.
The same logic applies. These platforms are useful for reaching people who are browsing and discovering, not for capturing people who are already searching for your specific service. Instagram and TikTok are discovery tools. Google and your website are closing tools. A serious buyer who finds you on Instagram will very often then Google your name before calling. If nothing comes up, or if what comes up looks unprofessional, you lose that customer.
Think of social media platforms as rented land. You can farm on it, but the landlord sets the rules and can change them at any time. A website is land you own. You control the design, the content, the data, and the experience from start to finish. This matters more as your business grows and as you start collecting customer emails, running promotions, or trying to measure what is actually working.
The answer is not to abandon Facebook. In Nepal especially, Facebook Messenger is still how many customers prefer to make enquiries. The answer is to use Facebook as a channel that points toward a destination you own. Your website becomes the centre of your online presence, and Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp become the roads that lead people to it.
A good website does not need to be expensive. A clean, fast, five-page business website typically costs between NPR 25,000 and NPR 50,000, and that is a one-time cost. Your Facebook page will eventually ask you to pay to reach your own audience. Over three to five years, a website almost always works out cheaper, more reliable, and more effective.
If your business is less than six months old and you are still testing your product or service, starting with Facebook and Google Maps is fine. Get your offering right first. Build the website once you know what to say on it. A good website built on a clear, proven business is worth ten times more than a rushed website built on a half-formed idea.
But if you have been running for a year or more and you are still Facebook-only, every month without a website is a month of Google searches going to your competitors.
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