You don't have to choose. A Google Business Profile is free and puts you on the map, so set it up first. Instagram is good for showing your work and staying in touch with regulars. A website is the one place you own and control, where your prices, hours, booking and contact details live in full. The profile and Instagram should both point to it.
In 2025, 91% of Dutch people aged 16 to 74 used the internet to look up goods and services, well above the EU average of 72%. So the question isn’t whether to be online. It’s where.
What each one does
| Google Business Profile | Website | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | From a few euros a month to a few thousand to build |
| Shows up on Google Maps | ✓ | Through your profile | |
| Shows your work in photos | Some | ✓ | ✓ |
| Prices, menu, full service list | Limited | Hard to find | ✓ |
| Booking and contact form | Links out | Links out | ✓ |
| You control the layout and content | Partly | No | ✓ |
| Works without an account or app | ✓ | Limited | ✓ |
Google Business Profile: set this up first
When someone searches “barber near me”, the map with three businesses under it comes from Google Business Profiles. It’s free, and it shows your hours, phone number, photos and reviews. If you do only one thing this week, claim yours.
Its limit is that Google decides how it looks and what fits. A full price list, a menu or a clear explanation of what makes you different doesn’t fit well.
Instagram: show your work
Instagram is great for before-and-after photos, new dishes or the car that just came in. Regulars follow you and see what’s new.
But it’s rented space. The algorithm decides who sees your posts, people without an account see only part of your profile, and your prices and opening hours end up buried between posts.
A website: the one place you own
Your website is the only one of the three where you decide everything: what’s on it, in what order and how it looks. It’s where people go when they’re ready to act, to check the price, book or call. It also lives on your own domain, so it stays yours if a platform changes its rules.
How they work together
The best set-up is all three, each doing its own job:
- Google Business Profile gets you found on the map and links to your website.
- Instagram shows your work and links to your website in the bio.
- Your website has the full story: services, prices, hours, booking and contact.
Every site I build is linked to your Google Business Profile at launch. If you don’t have a website yet, the Launch plan gets you one in a week.
Questions
Is a Google Business Profile really free?
Yes. Creating and managing the profile costs nothing. Google may offer paid ads alongside it, but you don't need them.
Can Instagram replace a website?
Not well. People without an account see limited content, you can't control how your page looks, and the algorithm decides who sees your posts. Use it to show your work and point people to your site.
Which one should I set up first?
Your Google Business Profile. It's free, takes an hour and puts you on Google Maps. Then a website, so the profile has somewhere to send people.
Sources
- Eurostat, "Individuals – internet activities" (isoc_ci_ac_i), 2025. Share of people aged 16–74 who used the internet to find information about goods and services in the last three months.
- CBS, Digitalisering en kenniseconomie 2025. 80% of Dutch people aged 12 and over bought something online in the three months before the survey.
- Google Business Profile. Google's free listing for businesses on Search and Maps.
- Instagram for Business
Prices and figures change over time. Last checked 11 November 2026.