Do I need a website if I am already on Yelp, DoorDash, or Thumbtack?
Not always. If those platforms already bring you enough customers and you're fine paying their fees, you may not need a website yet. You'll want one when you're paying high per-order or per-lead costs, when you want repeat customers to book you directly, or when you want a presence you actually own instead of renting. For many owners, a free Google Business Profile plus one platform is enough to start.
What Yelp, DoorDash, and Thumbtack actually do for you
These platforms are discovery and transaction tools. They put you in front of people who are already searching or ready to buy, handle a lot of the plumbing (reviews, ordering, payments, lead matching), and can send real business your way from day one. For a brand-new business with no audience, that reach is valuable.
But each one solves a narrow job. Yelp is mainly reviews and local discovery. DoorDash is food ordering and delivery. Thumbtack is lead generation for service pros. None of them is a place a customer goes to learn who you are, see your full range of services, or come back to book you directly next time. They are storefronts inside someone else's mall: good for foot traffic, not for building your own relationship with a customer.
The two real costs: fees and ownership
The first cost is money per transaction. DoorDash charges restaurants a commission on each order: 15%, 25%, or 30% on delivery depending on the plan you pick (Basic, Plus, or Premier), per its merchant pricing. Thumbtack charges service pros per lead, so you pay whether or not the lead turns into a paying job. Yelp's business page is free, but visibility and ad placement are paid, and Yelp can show competitors' ads on your own page unless you buy advertising. These are ongoing costs that scale with your success, not one-time fees.
The second cost is control. On a platform, you don't own the customer relationship, the page, the reviews, or the ranking rules. The platform can change its fees, adjust how you're ranked, run a competitor's ad next to your listing, or suspend your account, and you have little recourse. A website you own, on your own domain, is the one place where you set the rules, keep the customer relationship, and can't be de-ranked overnight. Both models have a place; the honest framing is renting reach versus owning a home base.
When you probably don't need a website yet
It's fine to skip a website, or wait, if the platforms are genuinely working for you and the math holds up.
A free Google Business Profile is often one of the highest-value things a local business can set up, and for some owners it's enough on its own to show up in local search and Google Maps.
- You're brand new, testing whether there's demand, and don't want any fixed cost yet.
- One platform already brings in as much work as you can handle, and the fees still leave you a healthy margin.
- Your business is almost entirely walk-in or word-of-mouth, and customers rarely search for you by name.
- You've claimed a free Google Business Profile and a listing or two, and that's covering discovery for now.
When a website starts to earn its place
A website tends to pay off once the platform fees, or the lack of a direct channel, start costing you more than a site would.
The common tipping points are financial and strategic: you're handing over a meaningful cut of every sale, or you have repeat customers who would happily book you directly if there were an easy way to do it. Being findable beyond a single app matters too: 98% of consumers used the internet to find information about local businesses in 2022, per BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey.
- You're paying 15%-30% commission on lots of orders, and moving even a fraction of them to direct booking would save more than a site costs.
- Customers ask 'do you have a website?' or try to look you up and find only a thin listing.
- You want repeat customers to book or reorder directly instead of paying a fee every time.
- You offer services or details the platform can't show well (portfolio, full menu, service area, your story).
- You want to run your own promotions, collect emails, or manage your reputation instead of living entirely inside a platform's algorithm.
If you decide to build one, weigh the options honestly
A website doesn't have to be expensive or slow, and you have several fair choices depending on how much you want to do yourself.
One thing worth comparing across every option is how changes get handled after launch, because most sites need updates (new prices, hours, photos, services), and that's where ongoing cost and hassle tend to hide.
- DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy): low monthly cost and full control, but you design, write, and update everything yourself. Good if you enjoy the work and have the time.
- Freelancer or agency: a custom, hands-off result, but you usually pay per change or by the hour afterward, so small edits add up over time.
- Google Business Profile or Instagram only: free and simple, but you're back to not owning the platform or the ranking rules.
- Done-for-you services (for example, fivedaylaunch builds hand-designed small-business sites from $25/mo or $1,499 to own it, live in about 5 days, with hosting, booking, and unlimited edits included, so you send the change instead of doing it yourself or paying per edit): a middle path if you want it built and maintained for you. Compare it against DIY and freelancers on total cost, ownership, and who does the updates, not on the launch price alone.
Frequently asked
Isn't a Yelp or DoorDash page basically the same as a website?
No. Those pages are good for discovery and transactions, but they only show what the platform allows, they rank you by the platform's rules, and you don't own them. A website is a place you control where customers can learn about you and book you directly, often without a per-order or per-lead fee attached.
Can I just use a free Google Business Profile instead of a website?
For many local businesses, yes, at least to start. A free Google Business Profile helps you show up in Google Search and Maps, collect reviews, and share hours and contact info at no cost. It's one of the highest-value free tools available. You'd add a website when you want direct booking, a fuller presentation, or a channel you fully own.
Will a website actually save me money versus platform fees?
It depends on your volume. If you're paying 15%-30% commission per order or a fee per lead, moving even a portion of repeat customers to direct booking on your own site can offset the cost of the site. If you only get a handful of orders a month, the fees may be cheaper than maintaining a website for now. Do the arithmetic on your own numbers.
If I get a website, what does it cost to keep it updated?
That varies a lot by provider, and it's worth asking before you commit. DIY builders make you do every edit yourself. Many freelancers and agencies charge per change or by the hour. Some done-for-you services include unlimited edits in the monthly price, so you send the change and they handle it. Ongoing edit cost often matters more than the upfront price, since prices, hours, and photos change frequently.
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