Local Marketing
Marketing for Tradies: Get More Local Jobs (Real Prices)
Build a tradie marketing plan with realistic Australian prices for websites, local SEO and Google Ads. Learn what wins local jobs, then book a free call.
Three weeks flat-out, then scrambling for the next job. That feast-or-famine cycle isn’t your trade letting you down. It’s marketing for tradies done badly, or not at all: your Google listing, your website, your reviews, your ads and your follow-up, all pulling in different directions instead of one.
This is a trades-only playbook with the real Aussie prices most guides leave out. No vanity metrics, no “enquire for pricing”. Chris spent years as a pipefitter and boilermaker before moving into Google Ads, so this comes from someone who’s read the same job sheets you have.
Want to skip straight to a plan? Book a free 15-minute strategy call. No lock-in, real prices.
What “marketing for tradies” actually means
It’s everything that gets a local customer to call you instead of the other bloke: your Google listing, your site, your reviews, your ads and your follow-up. The goal is a fuller diary of well-paid local jobs. Not likes, not “brand awareness”. Jobs.
Generic small-business advice fails here because a tradie business runs on different rules. You compete inside a suburb, not nationwide. Customers ring the first trustworthy-looking business the moment a pipe leaks, they don’t browse for months. Demand swings hard by season, aircon in summer, roofers after storms, landscapers in spring. And because you’re working in someone’s home, trust does most of the selling before you’ve said a word.
The fastest path to leads
Start with your Google Business Profile. It’s free, and for most trades it’s the No. 1 lead source: when someone searches “electrician near me”, the three listings in Google’s map pack are pulled straight from it. Claim it, fill every field, add real job photos, and keep reviews coming in. That’s the highest-return hour you’ll spend on marketing all year.
From there, layer on Local Services Ads, which charge per lead rather than per click and carry the Google Guaranteed badge once you pass licence and insurance checks; ideal for plumbers, sparkies and anyone chasing “need someone today” work. Add Google Search Ads with tight suburb targeting, budgeted around $1,000 to $2,000 a month for a single trade in a few suburbs. Meta comes last, useful for visual trades like landscaping or renovations where a before-and-after photo earns a scroll-stop, weak for emergency call-outs. Lead-resale apps like hipages sit at the bottom: they sell the same lead to three or four competitors, so every dollar there builds their business, not yours.
A website that books jobs
A tradie site earns its keep by loading in under three seconds, working cleanly on a phone, putting a click-to-call button front and centre, and running a short quote form (name, suburb, job, photo). Stack real job photos, your licence, insurance and Google review count on top, and a stranger becomes a booking.
| Package | Build | Monthly | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Toolkit | $2,500 | $95/mo | Getting found fast |
| The Workshop ★ | $5,900 | $149/mo | Most popular: more pages, lead capture |
| The Worksite | from $13,500 | $299/mo | Multi-location, e-commerce |
No lock-in, billed weekly. Full breakdown on the website design page.
SEO: get found without paying for every click
Local SEO means ranking for searches like “electrician Penrith” or “roof repairs Geelong” so you’re not paying for every click. It rests on three things: pages built for each suburb and service, a steady flow of Google reviews with consistent business details across the web, and content that answers real questions before someone’s ready to book.
Expect 3 to 6 months for real movement in a competitive metro suburb, 6 to 10 weeks in a quieter regional town. Worth the wait: the keyword “seo for tradies” costs roughly $46 per click on Google Ads, so every organic customer is one you didn’t pay $46 to reach. Our local SEO runs $950 one-off, $500 if bundled with a website, plus a variable monthly retainer priced to your trade and suburb. Details on the SEO page.
Google Ads that don’t burn your money
Run Local Services Ads first if your trade qualifies, Search Ads next to catch “[trade] near me” searches, then Meta as a supporting act for visual trades. Two numbers matter: ad spend (what Google charges) and management fee (the work that stops that spend going to waste).
| Package | Management | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Starter | $650/mo + ad spend | Free | One trade, a few suburbs |
| Growth ★ | $1,100/mo + ad spend | $495 | Scaling across more areas |
| E-commerce | from $650/mo + ad spend | $795 | Selling products online |
Ad spend is never marked up. What Google charges, you pay, in full. See the Google Ads page.
Turn leads into booked jobs
Half of tradie calls go unanswered. A missed-call text-back (“Sorry I missed you, what do you need a hand with?”) recovers a chunk of those before the customer rings the next bloke. Most jobs close on the second contact, not the first, so a simple two-text quote follow-up lifts your close rate. A one-tap review link texted to happy customers keeps reviews flowing, and even a basic CRM stops a quote falling through the cracks.
Marketing by trade
A roofer’s marketing looks nothing like a carpet cleaner’s. Electricians lean on Local Services Ads and same-day urgency. Plumbers live and die by after-hours capture. Roofers chase the post-storm surge, and air conditioning businesses build everything toward the summer spike. We cover all 19 trades on the industries page, each with its own playbook.
Real prices, all in one table
| Service | Package | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Website | The Toolkit | $2,500 build + $95/mo |
| Website | The Workshop ★ | $5,900 build + $149/mo |
| Website | The Worksite | from $13,500 build + $299/mo |
| Google Ads | Local Starter | $650/mo + ad spend |
| Google Ads | Growth ★ | $1,100/mo + ad spend |
| SEO | Local SEO | $950 one-off ($500 bundled) + retainer |
No lock-in. Billed weekly. On a tight budget, start with Google Business Profile and reviews (free), then a website, then SEO, then Google Ads once the foundations are in.
Red flags when choosing an agency
Watch for lock-in contracts, “enquire for pricing”, lead resale to your competitors, and vanity reports that talk about impressions but never mention jobs booked. An agency juggling dentists and cafés doesn’t know your trade’s seasons. We only work with tradies.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get more leads as a tradie? Start free: claim your Google Business Profile and get reviews flowing, which alone lifts most tradies into the map pack. Add a fast, mobile website, then SEO or Google Ads depending on how fast you need the phone ringing.
How much should a tradie spend on marketing? A rough rule is 5 to 10% of revenue, though it’s smarter to think in jobs: spend enough that each channel returns more in booked work than it costs. Many tradies start around $1,000 to $2,000 a month across a website plus ads.
When’s the best time to ramp up? Search demand climbs into the September to October spring rush. Set up in mid-winter so your site, SEO and ads are ready before everyone else starts searching.
Ready for more local jobs?
We only work with tradies, so we speak your language. Book a free 15-minute strategy call. No lock-in, no jargon, real prices.
