There are more than 15 million Facebook Pages, which reflects how many companies believe their use is a great way to access the more than 700 million users around the world.

One of the realities of Facebook Pages is they are easy to create, which means many companies launch Facebook Pages even if they have no strategic or tactical plans on how to effectively use them.

As a result, many Facebook Pages exist but, for all intents and purposes, they are going through the motions as opposed to being dynamic and engaging ways to attract and build relationships with new and potential customers.

The evidence of this tepid approach are Facebook Pages that sadly sport a small number of “Likes” and content that simply consists of updates about new blog posts or tweets and, perhaps, an occasional photo.

It raises the question about whether many of these Facebook Pages are necessary. While it’s difficult to resist the temptation of not having a Facebook Page, it doesn’t make sense to have one if it is not being used effectively.

As much as anyone wants to concede a Facebook Page isn’t their cup of tea, it may make complete sense to invest the time, effort and resources on other social media services such as Twitter or a blog, or perhaps other marketing and sales activities.

The creation of Facebook Pages that probably shouldn’t exist reflects the bandwagon-jumping nature of social media. When everyone else is doing it, it can be difficult to go against the grain.

But should be more important to more companies is not using social media because it’s trendy but deciding whether it is relevant and makes sense as a way to support their communications, sales and marketing activities.

The bottom line is that unless a company is committed to doing a good job with a Facebook Page – creating content, engaging with users, etc. – it doesn’t make sense to have Facebook Page.

I was approached earlier this week by reporter looking at the growing number of companies embracing Facebook Pages. As we did a back and forth Q&A via e-mail, I couldn’t help but get the impression the angle for the story was how the value or need for a Web site is disappearing.

It’s an interesting idea but it is not a path a company should pursue. There are many benefits to having a Facebook Page but it is not a replacement for a Web site. The biggest reason is a Facebook Page and Web site fill different roles. Together, they form a powerful one-two punch to distribute information and content, and serve target audiences in different ways.

Facebook Pages are sexy, dynamic and a platform to actively engage with consumers; Web sites are solid citizens that provide companies with consistency and a place to deliver information that likely wouldn’t see much reception from Facebook users.

Here’s the biggest reasons why Web sites still matter:

1. Companies don’t own their Facebook Pages. They create them and spend money to enhance and operate them, but at the end of the day, Facebook Pages are owned by Facebook. If Facebook wants to change the rules, the interface or the features, they can do it even if a company wants to keep its Facebook Page as is.

2. Web sites are corporate assets they manage and control. Regardless of what happens to Facebook or the whim of Mark Zuckerberg, a Web site serves the needs of a company and provides it with a way to serves it target audiences, not Facebook’s.

3. Web sites can also be social and sexy. There’s no reason why good design and the integration of social media can’t make a Web site more engaging and interesting. A Web site may not have the social appeal as Facebook but it can be a lot more than a place to see senior executive bios and financial reports.

4. A Web site is a content machine, particularly those that have blogs. One of the fundamental pillars of social media is being able to use different services to distribute content. This is where a Web site offers huge value as a resource companies can use to direct people to different content via social media.

5. Simply because Facebook has 600 million users doesn’t mean it will be around for ever or that it serves the needs of everyone. It’s highly unlikely but Facebook could fall out of favour. At the same time, there are Facebook users who may not want to look at corporate information on a Facebook Page. And there are people not on Facebook – as difficult as it may be to believe.

Bottom line: Facebook Pages are wonderful and useful but they complement a corporate Web site, not replace it.

For more thoughts on the Facebook Page vs. Web site issue, check out Stephen Shankland’s DeepTech column.

On the weekend, I was watching the National Football League playoff game between the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. Aside from the action on the field, one thing that caught my attention was a commercial from Sears that ended with a suggestion that people visit Sears’ Facebook Page rather than sears.com.

The promotion of a corporate Facebook Page is not new but seeing a high-profile company put the spotlight on Facebook rather than its corporate Web site was, nevertheless, interesting.

It wasn’t that long ago that having a Web site was the core of a company’s digital presence. And while Web sites are still important and essential, Facebook has changed the digital dynamic.

The focus on the Facebook Page, particularly for consumer-facing companies, makes sense because Facebook Pages are dynamic and offer a variety of ways to engage with consumers. Meanwhile, Web sites are fairly static and provide information as opposed to content that can be consumed and shared.

The dynamic/static landscape has encouraged many companies to use their Web site and Facebook Page as a one-two digital punch. The Web site is the corporate workhorse, while the Facebook Page is sleek and sexy. Both are valuable but have different roles.

The key question is whether the growing love affair with Facebook Pages will damage the role of corporate Web sites. If companies become so enamoured with Facebook Pages as a way to engage with consumers, you have to wonder if it have a negative impact on their Web sites, which could be seen as less important.

Perhaps the biggest danger that companies face with Facebook Pages is they manage but don’t own them. When a key corporate asset isn’t owned, it could leave a company vulnerable to changes made by Facebook.

A few months ago, for example, Facebook stopped letting companies customize the left-hand sidebar of their Facebook Pages. With little notice, the features and functionality that companies had spent time and money to create suddenly disappeared.

This provides a lesson to companies that while a Facebook Page can offer a lot of value, there are risks. To mitigate these risks, companies should ensure their Web sites are kept vibrant and fresh, including the integration of social media services such as Facebook.

In other words, companies should love their Web sites as much as their Facebook Pages.