Social media or Google: where should a small business start?

If you run a small business in Johannesburg, you have probably been told you need to be on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Google, with a website as well. Few owners have the time or budget for all of it at once. The useful question is which one to do first, and the answer depends on how your customers find businesses like yours.

Start with Google if people search for what you do

When someone needs a plumber, a panel beater or a dentist, they search for one, usually with a place name or “near me”. If your service is something people look for at the moment they need it, your first job is to appear in those results.

Begin with a free Google Business Profile. Add your correct name, phone number, hours, services and photos, and ask happy customers to leave reviews. This is what puts you on Google Maps and in the local results. A simple, fast website that describes each service on its own page comes next.

Start with social media if people need to see it to want it

Restaurants, fashion, beauty, events and anything visual sell through attention and appetite. People are not searching for your new menu item; they see it, want it and come in. For these businesses a well-run Instagram or Facebook page, with good photos and regular posts, does more than a search listing.

Why most businesses end up needing both

The two work together. A customer sees your post, then searches your name on Google to find your number and read your reviews. If either side is missing or looks neglected, you lose them. The aim is to start where your customers are, then build the other side once the first is running smoothly.

A simple way to decide

Ask your last ten customers how they found you.
If most say they searched, put Google first.
If most say they saw you online or a friend shared a post, put social media first.
Whichever you choose, keep your name, phone number and branding identical everywhere.

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