Here is the honest case for each, and where a page on its own quietly costs you work.
What a Facebook page does well
It is free, it is quick, and your customers already know how to use it. You can post a photo of a finished job, people can message you, and a recommendation from a mate carries real weight. For a brand-new side gig, that is a perfectly good start, and I am not going to tell you to bin it.
Where it falls short
Most people looking for a tradie do not search Facebook. They open Google and type "tiler near me", and a Facebook page rarely turns up there in any useful way. So the customers who do not already know you, the ones you actually want, never find you. You stay visible to the people you already have and invisible to everyone else.
You do not own the audience
This is the one that bites. The followers, the photos, the years of reviews all live on Facebook's platform under Facebook's rules. They change what shows in the feed whenever they like, and an account can be locked or lost with no warning and nobody to call. Your own site, on your own domain, cannot be switched off by someone else. I make the longer version of that argument in why you should own your website.
The sensible setup
You do not have to choose. Keep the Facebook page for the people who like it, and put a simple website underneath as the thing that gets found on Google and that you own outright. The page feeds the site, the site catches the strangers, and you are not betting the whole business on one company's app.
Common questions
Do I need a website if I already have a Facebook page?
If the business is real and you want work from people who do not already know you, yes. Most people searching for a tradie open Google, not Facebook, and a page rarely turns up there. A page keeps you visible to the people you already have and invisible to everyone else.
Can I just use Facebook instead of a website?
For a brand-new side gig, a page is a fine start. The trouble is you do not own the audience: the followers, photos and reviews live under Facebook's rules and an account can be locked with no warning. Your own site on your own domain cannot be switched off by someone else.
What is the best setup, a website or Facebook?
Both. Keep the page for the people who like it, and put a simple website underneath as the thing that gets found on Google and that you own outright. The page feeds the site, the site catches the strangers.
If you have outgrown the Facebook-only stage and want a site that brings in people who have never heard of you, tell me about your business and I will tell you what it would take.