A lot of tradespeople didn't get into the game to spend half the day doing marketing. You started your business because you're good at what you do — not because you wanted a career in digital advertising.
The reality is: being great at your trade won't fill your schedule on its own anymore. Word of mouth still matters, but it dries up - mostly when the market slows.
What are the busy tradies doing differently? Here are some practical moves that shift the needle - no thousands of dollars.
Set Up a Proper Online Footprint
If a homeowner Googles "plumber near me" - can they find you? A surprising number of owner-operators haven't set up even a basic website.
You don't need a $10k custom site. A straightforward website that has real job photos, mentions the suburbs you operate in, and has a clear way to get in touch - that's where you start.
A basic landing page that covers the essentials outperforms most of your competition.
Your Google Listing - Free and Underrated
If you haven't claimed your Google Maps listing, you're invisible to local searchers. It costs nothing.
Those three local results that pops up before everything else when people look for local
services - those spots get the most calls. Ranking in the map pack is mostly about filling out your listing properly.
- Upload real photos - not stock images
- Ask satisfied customers for reviews - people read these before they call
- Respond to reviews, good and bad - Google notices and so do customers
- Make sure your phone number and service area are correct
These small things adds up month after month. Blokes who put 20 minutes a month into this end up above the ones who set and forget.
Facebook and Instagram - It's Not Rocket source Science
Nobody's asking you to be a content creator. The tradies who get results from social media aren't doing anything fancy.
Grab a shot when you finish a job. Side-by-side comparisons perform better than anything. A new deck or pergola - that's content.
Post it with a short caption and you're sorted. Consistency helps but don't stress about a schedule. All of it builds your credibility.
People trust actual results over polished ads. An honest before-and-after outperforms a professionally designed ad campaign - because it's real.
Google Ads - Worth It If Done Right
Running Google Ads gets results when it's set up properly - but it's not a set-and-forget situation. Where most people waste their budget is paying for clicks that go to a dodgy website with no clear call to action.
Before putting budget behind anything: ensure there's a clear way for people to contact you when they click through. There's no point driving traffic if your site looks like it was built in 2005.
Test with a modest spend. Measure results, not just impressions. Put more behind what works and kill the duds quickly.
Customer Reviews - More Powerful Than Any Ad
A fact a lot of tradies underestimate: the majority of homeowners checks reviews before making contact. A tradie with 50 genuine reviews beats the competition over someone with zero social proof - regardless of price.
Build it into your process to follow up with a review request. People generally don't mind - they just don't think of it. Make it as easy as possible and the reviews will stack up faster than you'd expect.
Don't ignore or argue with bad feedback - your response to complaints tells potential customers as much about you as the good reviews do.
Wrapping It Up
Growing a trade business doesn't have to be a second full-time job. The tradies who stay booked haven't cracked some secret code - they've just covered the basics and stayed consistent.
Get your online profile in order. Post your work. Collect reviews. And if you go the paid route, be strategic about where the budget goes.
The quality of your work speaks for itself - getting found online just needs a bit of attention to start working for you.