How to get found on Google as a tradie

Most tradies I speak to say the same thing: the phone rings from word of mouth, but a lot of the best jobs are going to someone else who simply showed up on Google first. You don’t need to become a marketing expert to fix that. You need to get a handful of things right and keep them that way.

Here’s how people actually find tradies online, and what to do about it, whether you’re a sparky in Penrith, a plumber in Preston or a landscaper on the Sunshine Coast.

How people search for a tradie

Customers usually search in one of three ways:

• “Near me” searches on a phone, such as “electrician near me” or “emergency plumber”. Google answers these mainly with the map results at the top, and those depend heavily on your Google Business Profile.
• Service plus suburb searches, such as “blocked drain Brunswick” or “roof repairs Penrith”. These can be answered by map results, website pages or both.
• Research searches from people planning a bigger job: “how long does a bathroom renovation take” or “cost of rewiring a house”. These are answered by websites and are great for building trust before anyone picks up the phone.

You don’t need to win all three. Start with the first two, because those are the ones that lead to calls this week.

Step 1: set up your Google Business Profile properly

This is the biggest single thing you can do. A tradie with a complete, active Google Business Profile often appears above competitors with much bigger websites.

• Choose the right primary category, such as Plumber, Electrician or Landscaper. Add secondary categories for related work.
• Set it up as a service-area business if you travel to customers. Hide your home address and list the suburbs you actually cover.
• Add your phone number, website, hours and a short description of what you do.
• Add real photos of your work, your van and your team. Customers are looking for proof you’re the real thing.
• List your services individually, in plain words.

Don’t add keywords to your business name. If your business is “Jones Plumbing”, call it “Jones Plumbing”. Google can suspend profiles for keyword stuffing.

Step 2: get reviews from real customers

Reviews do two jobs. They help you appear higher in the map results, and they help a stranger decide to call you instead of the next name down. Ask every happy customer, ideally while you’re still on site or by text that afternoon. Send a direct link so it takes ten seconds.

Never pay for reviews or offer a discount for one, and don’t write your own. Google’s rules prohibit it, and customers can usually tell. See my guide to getting Google reviews the right way for a simple script and process.

Step 3: build a website that’s made to be called

When a customer taps through to your website, it should answer three questions on the first screen: do you do the job I need, do you work in my area and how do I contact you?

A good trade website includes:

• Your trade and main area in the headline
• A tap-to-call button that stays visible on a phone
• A short quote form that asks for name, phone, suburb and a line about the job
• A separate page for each main service
• Real photos of finished jobs
• Your licence number and insurance details where your state expects them
• The suburbs you serve, written naturally

Skip the stock photos of smiling people in hard hats. A genuine picture of your own work is better every time. I’ve put together more on this in my page on web design for tradies.

Step 4: one page for each main service

If you do blocked drains, hot water and gas fitting, create three pages, not one page called “Services”. Each page should explain the problem, how you fix it, how a job runs and which areas you cover, in plain language. This helps Google match you to specific searches and helps customers see that you do exactly what they need.

Aim for a few paragraphs of useful, honest writing rather than a wall of repeated keywords. Write like you’d explain it to a customer standing in their kitchen.

Step 5: make it fast and easy on a phone

Most tradie traffic is mobile. If your site takes ages to load, people hit the back button. Resize photos before uploading, keep the page light and test it on your own phone on mobile data, not just on Wi-Fi. Put the phone number at the top and make sure it’s a real tap-to-call link.

Step 6: keep your details consistent

Your business name, phone number and suburb should match across your website, Google profile, Facebook page, Instagram and any directories like True Local, Yellow Pages and industry associations. If you’ve changed numbers or names over the years, update them everywhere. Inconsistent details make it harder for Google to trust the listing.

Step 7: use your own photos and stories

A short before-and-after post on your website or profile, with a couple of lines on what was done, tells customers more than a slogan ever will. Ask permission from customers before posting photos of their home, and don’t show addresses.

Step 8: don’t chase every trick

You’ll see offers promising “page one in 7 days” or hundreds of directory listings for a small fee. Be careful. Nobody can honestly guarantee rankings. The reliable path is slower: an accurate Google profile, genuine reviews, a quick, clear website and regular small updates.

What I’d do first if I were in your boots

1. Claim or fix your Google Business Profile this week
2. Ask your last ten happy customers for a review
3. Make sure your website has a tap-to-call button, a short form and a page for each main service
4. Check it on your phone and fix anything slow or awkward
5. Look at Google Search Console once a month

If you want a hand, I build Wix websites for tradies across Australia, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Send me your current site for a free audit and I’ll tell you what to fix first, or book a free 15-minute call.