Of all the businesses I speak to across South Wales, the ones I think are most underserved online are barbers and pubs. Not because they're struggling businesses — plenty of them are doing well. But because they're almost entirely invisible on Google, and most of them don't realise what that's costing them.
The social media trap
The pattern I see is consistent. A barber opens up, sets up an Instagram account, posts some photos of haircuts, and builds a following. A pub runs their Facebook page, posts their events and specials, and gets decent engagement. Both businesses conclude that social media is working, so they don't need a website.
Here's the problem: social media and Google search are two completely different things.
Someone who already knows your barber shop exists might follow you on Instagram. But someone new to the area, or someone who just moved nearby and is looking for a local barber? They're typing "barber near me" or "barbers in Merthyr Tydfil" into Google. If you don't have a website, you're almost certainly not appearing in those results — and that potential customer is going to whoever does.
The same goes for pubs. Someone visiting an area looking for a Sunday lunch, a place to watch the match, or a function venue isn't scrolling through Facebook pages. They're searching on Google.
What you're missing without a website
Social media gives you visibility with your existing audience. A website gives you visibility with people who don't know you yet.
That's a different and often more valuable kind of reach — because those are people actively looking for what you offer, right now. The intent is already there. You just need to be findable.
A basic website with clear information — your location, opening hours, services, photos — combined with a properly set up Google Business Profile puts you in front of that audience. Without it, you're handing those searches to competitors who bothered to show up.
It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive
I'm not suggesting every barber shop needs a ten-page website with a blog. A well-built, properly hosted site with the right foundations can be relatively straightforward — and it'll be working for you around the clock in a way that a Facebook post from last Tuesday isn't.
Our managed starter website service was specifically designed for businesses like this — a professional site, properly hosted, with SEO foundations in place, without a large upfront cost.
If you run a local business in South Wales and you're relying entirely on social media, get in touch and I'll give you an honest assessment of what you're missing on Google.