Straight answer

Do you actually need a website in 2026?

A web studio should say 'yes, obviously.' The honest answer is 'usually — but not always, and not for the reason you think.' Here's the test.

When you genuinely don't need one

If you're fully booked from referrals, sell exclusively through a marketplace that owns your traffic anyway, or run a personal-network business where every client shakes your hand first — a Google Business Profile and an active Instagram may honestly be enough. Don't let anyone sell you a website as a talisman. It's a tool, and tools need a job.

The three jobs only a website does

Verification: people who hear about you check whether you're real; social profiles reassure less than a domain of your own. Search capture: Instagram doesn't rank for 'wedding photographer near me' — pages do, and that traffic has intent money follows. Ownership: every platform audience is rented; algorithms change, accounts get locked, reach gets throttled. A website is the only marketing asset that can't be taken from you — assuming you actually own it, which most builder subscriptions quietly prevent.

If the answer is yes, don't rent one

The trap isn't skipping a website — it's paying forever for one. Builder plans run $200–700 a year for a template; agencies bolt on retainers. The alternative: pay once for a site you own outright, hosted for $0/month on modern edge infrastructure. Ours start at $2,950, live in about a week — and the first step is free: we remake your homepage (or build one from your Instagram) so you can see the answer before spending anything.

Find out what yours would look like — free

Send us your Instagram, your Google profile, or nothing but your business name. We'll send back a homepage.

Get the free remake