Campaign website vs Facebook page: you need both
Facebook is where your neighbors scroll. Your website is where they land when they want to know who you are. One rents attention; the other is yours.
A lot of first-time candidates ask the same question: "Everybody in my county is on Facebook. Why would I pay for a website?" It is a fair question. Facebook is free, your supporters are already there, and a post about a pothole on a county road can get more comments than anything else you do all month.
But Facebook and your website do different jobs. Most local campaigns that run well use both, and they connect them on purpose.
What Facebook does well
Facebook is good at reach and conversation. In many rural and suburban counties, local news now moves through community groups, church pages and neighborhood swap pages as much as through the newspaper.
- Your posts can be shared by supporters into groups you are not part of.
- You can post quickly from your phone after a meeting.
- Voters can ask questions and get a fast answer.
- Event invitations and photos travel well.
Keep doing all of that. Nothing here says to drop Facebook.
Facebook also tells you what people care about. If a post about a drainage ditch gets forty comments and a post about your economic plan gets four, that is useful information. Write your next issue page about the ditch. Read the comments, answer the honest questions, and do not argue with every critic. Neighbors are watching how you handle the hard ones.
What you own and what you rent
Your Facebook page lives on someone else's property. The platform decides who sees your posts, what you can say in ads, when political content gets labeled or slowed down, and whether your page stays up after a report. Those rules change, sometimes in the middle of an election season.
Your website is yours. You choose the domain, you control what is on every page, and nothing shows a stranger's ad or a competitor's post next to your bio. If a platform changes its algorithm the week before early voting, your website still says exactly what you put there.
| Facebook page | Campaign website | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to post; ads cost extra | Setup plus a monthly fee |
| Who controls reach | The platform's algorithm | You, through links and search |
| Shows up in name searches | Sometimes | Usually, when built well |
| Best for | Quick updates, events, conversation | Bio, issues, endorsements, donations, signups |
| Who owns the content | Subject to platform terms | Your campaign |
Search results: what voters find when they look you up
When a voter hears your name at a candidate forum and searches it later, what comes up first matters. A clean website with your name in the domain gives search engines a clear, authoritative page to show. Without one, the top result might be an old news story, a court record that belongs to someone with the same name, or your opponent's attack page.
A website also catches searches Facebook usually does not, like "District 6 county council candidates" or "school board election Berkeley County." Issue pages written in plain language help here. See our guide to writing issue pages for how to make them useful to both voters and search engines.
Credibility with reporters, endorsers and donors
The people who can move a local race often check your website before they call you back.
- Reporters want your bio, a usable headshot, your positions and a contact email in one place. A website saves them digging through months of posts.
- Endorsers, such as a firefighters' association, a former mayor or a pastor, want to see what they are putting their name next to.
- Donors want a proper donation page with a clear disclaimer. A link to WinRed, ActBlue or Anedot from a real campaign site feels more trustworthy than a link dropped in a comment thread.
A candidate with only a Facebook page can look like someone still deciding whether to run. A candidate with a clean site looks ready. Our guide to what every campaign website needs covers the pages that matter most to those readers.
Link from every post back to your site
The two work best as a pair. Use Facebook to start the conversation and your website to finish it.
- Post about a rezoning vote, and link to your issue page on growth
- Post a door-knocking photo, and link to your volunteer form
- Post an endorsement, and link to your endorsements page
- Post a fundraising ask, and link to your donate page
- Put your website address in the page's about section and your profile intro
- Pin a post at the top that links to your homepage
Over a few months, this builds a habit: people who see you on Facebook know where to go for the full story. It also gives you a list of supporters through your signup forms that does not depend on any platform. See volunteer and yard sign signups for how to set those up.
Algorithms change; your domain does not
Platforms change how they treat political content. Organic reach can rise or fall, ad rules for political advertisers can tighten, and verification steps can take time you do not have in October. Check each platform's current rules before you plan around ads.
Your domain stays the same through all of it. Print it on your push cards, yard signs and mailers. It works in 2026 and still works if you run again in 2028. Our domain name guide explains how to pick one that lasts.
Getting both going without extra work
You do not have time to run two full content operations. You do not need to. Write the long version once, on your website, where it stays put. Then post short versions on Facebook that link back. When something changes, update the website and let the post point to it.
Our Full Season package includes a matching Facebook header and graphics, so your page and your site look like the same campaign. Every package includes a domain, donate and volunteer links, and a site live in 7 days. Compare options on the packages page, or start your site.
Common questions
Is a Facebook page enough for a local campaign?
It is a good start but rarely enough. A website shows up when people search your name, gives reporters and endorsers a place to check your positions, and stays under your control if a platform changes its rules.
Should every Facebook post link to my website?
Most should. Link to the issue page, event or volunteer form the post is about. That way people who want more detail land on a page you control.
Do I need a separate Facebook page from my personal profile?
Most campaigns use a separate public page. It keeps campaign posts apart from family life and is easier to manage with volunteers. Check the platform's current rules for political pages and ads.