Marketing for tradies: what to do first, what it costs, and what works

Most tradies build their business on referrals, and for a while that's enough. Then a big job finishes, the phone goes quiet, and you're back to waiting for the next recommendation. Marketing closes that gap. The difficult part is knowing where to start, because every platform, directory, and agency has something to sell you.

Here's the short answer on marketing for tradies. Start with a complete Google Business Profile and a steady flow of reviews, because that's where local customers look first. Then make sure your website turns visitors into calls. After that, add Google Ads for jobs you need now and SEO for jobs that keep coming without paying for every click.

This guide covers the order to do it in, what each channel costs, example budgets, and how to tell whether your marketing is bringing in work.

Why marketing matters more for tradies now

Competition in the trades keeps growing. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that construction saw 76,414 new businesses, the highest number of any industry. Every one of them wants the same local jobs you do.

Customers have also changed how they choose a tradie. In our work with Australian trade businesses, we regularly see referred customers search the business name, compare the reviews, and check the website before they ever pick up the phone. If they find nothing, or a profile with two old reviews, many will call the next tradie in the list instead.

Marketing doesn't replace referrals. It makes your business easy to find and easy to trust, so more referrals turn into bookings, and new customers find you as well.

The order to do it in

Most marketing advice for tradies is a list of channels with no particular order. That's how many tradies end up paying for advertising that sends expensive clicks to a website that doesn't convert. The order matters because each step makes the next one more profitable.

1. Google Business Profile. It's free, and it's what shows in the map results.
2. Reviews. They decide who gets the call once customers find you.
3. Website. Ads and SEO both send people here, so it has to work first.
4. Google Ads. The fastest way to bring in enquiries when you need them.
5. SEO. Slower, but it builds enquiries you don't pay for per click.
6. Social, email, and SMS. Keep past customers coming back and referring you.

Step 1: Complete your Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is your free listing on Google Search and Maps. For most local searches, like "plumber near me" or "electrician Penrith", the map results with three businesses show up before anything else.

Google says its local ranking comes down to three things: relevance, distance, and prominence. Relevance is how well your profile matches the search. Distance is how far you are from the person searching. Prominence is how well known your business is, which includes your reviews.

You can't change distance, but you can control the rest:

• Choose the most accurate primary category, like "Plumber" or "Electrician", and add secondary categories for your other services.
• List every service you offer, and the suburbs you actually cover.
• Add real photos of your work, your team, and your vehicles. Add new ones every month.
• Keep your hours, phone number, and website link up to date.
• Post updates about recent jobs and seasonal services.

Our local SEO guide covers the profile setup step by step.

Step 2: Build a steady flow of reviews

Reviews are often what wins the call. 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, according to BrightLocal's local consumer review survey. Google's own guidance adds that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.

The trick is a simple process, so asking becomes part of finishing the job:

1. Ask at the right moment. When the job's done and the customer is happy, ask them in person.
2. Make it one tap. Send a text with your direct review link straight after you leave.
3. Reply to every review. Thank people by name, and answer a bad review calmly and briefly.
4. Mention the job. A review that says "fixed our hot water system in Blacktown the same day" helps more than "great service".

A crew that asks after every job can build dozens of reviews a year without spending a dollar.

Step 3: Make your website win calls

Your website has one main job: turning people who found you into phone calls and quote requests. Google Ads and SEO both send potential customers there, which means a slow or confusing site wastes the money you spend on both.

A tradie website that wins calls has:

• Click to call at the top of every page on mobile.
• A page for each main service, so "blocked drain plumber" lands on a page about blocked drains.
• The suburbs you cover, named clearly.
• Real photos of real jobs, not stock images.
• Trust signals: your licence number, insurance, years in business, and reviews.
• A short quote form that asks only for what you need.

Most tradie websites cost $3,500 to $8,000 to build properly. Our guide to website cost in Australia breaks down what's included at each price.

Step 4: Add Google Ads for jobs you need now

Google Ads is Google's paid advertising platform, and it puts your business at the top of the search results within days. You pay only when someone clicks, so it suits tradies who need more work quickly or want to fill quiet periods between larger projects.

Work out your budget from the jobs you want, not a number that feels comfortable:

1. Work out what a typical job is worth to you.
2. Decide what you can afford to pay for one enquiry.
3. Multiply that by the number of enquiries you want each month.

For example, a plumber who wants 20 extra enquiries a month at about $80 each needs roughly $1,600 a month in ad spend. Keep the campaign running for about three months before judging it, because it needs data to settle.

Ad spend is paid to Google. Management is separate: our Basic plan is $750 setup plus $1,000 a month (prices include GST). Our Google Ads guide covers setup and the mistakes that waste money.

Step 5: Invest in SEO for jobs that keep coming

Local SEO is the work that earns your business a place in the free search results and the map results for searches in your area. It takes longer than ads, usually three to six months before you see steady results, but you don't pay for each click once you rank.

For tradies, SEO mostly means local SEO: service pages for each job type, location pages for the areas you cover, a strong Google Business Profile, and reviews. Our SEO plans start at $500 setup plus $1,000 a month.

Most established tradies do best running both: ads for jobs now, SEO for the long term. Our comparison of Google Ads vs SEO explains how to split a budget between them.

Step 6: Use social, email, and SMS for repeat work

Social media rarely brings emergency jobs, but it showcases your workmanship and keeps your business in mind. Before and after photos, a short video of a finished job, and a post when you hire someone new all build credibility over time. Choose one platform you can keep up with and post consistently.

Email and SMS work best for past customers: service reminders, seasonal checks, and a thank you that asks for a referral. In Australia, the Spam Act sets the rules. According to business.gov.au's guide to promoting your business by email or text, you must:

• Have the customer's permission before you send marketing messages, and keep a record of when and how they agreed.
• Give a clear way to unsubscribe, and keep it working for at least 30 days after each message.
• Remove anyone who unsubscribes within five working days.

How much should a tradie spend on marketing?

There's no single correct number for every trade business. The more useful question is what one new job is worth to you, and how much you can comfortably afford to pay to win it.

Cost per job is what you spend on marketing divided by the jobs it brings in. If you spend $2,000 in a month and win 10 jobs from it, each job cost you $200. If your average job is worth $1,500, that's a good trade.

As a guide, here's how spending often grows:

• Getting started: a complete Google Business Profile, a review process, and a website that works. Mostly time, plus the one-off website cost.
• Growing: add Google Ads. For example, $1,000 to $2,000 a month in ad spend plus management.
• Established: run Google Ads and SEO together, with ads covering busy periods and SEO building enquiries you don't pay for per click.

These are examples, not quotes. Your trade, area, and competition all change the numbers.

How to tell if your marketing is working

You don't need complicated software to measure marketing. You need to know, consistently, where each enquiry and each job came from.

1. Ask every caller "How did you hear about us?" and write it down.
2. Track calls and forms from your website and Google Ads, so Google can tell you which clicks turned into enquiries.
3. Count jobs, not just enquiries. Ten enquiries that become two jobs is worse than five that become four.
4. Work out cost per job for each channel every month, then put more money into the ones that win work.

Common marketing mistakes tradies make

• Paying for ads before the website works. You pay for every click, even when the visitor leaves.
• Ignoring the Google Business Profile. It's free and often brings the most local calls.
• Not asking for reviews. Happy customers rarely leave one unless you ask.
• Trying every platform at once. One channel done well beats five done badly.
• Not tracking where jobs come from. Without it, you can't tell what's worth paying for.
• Stopping too soon. Ads need about three months and SEO longer. Judge results, not the first few weeks.

Should you hire someone to do your marketing?

Plenty of tradies handle the basics themselves, because setting up a Google Business Profile and asking for reviews takes time rather than money.

Hiring help makes sense when you're running Google Ads or SEO, because both need weekly attention and specialist knowledge to avoid wasted spend. It also makes sense when your time is more valuable on the tools. In our experience, the accounts that waste the most money are the ones nobody checks each week. A good agency should explain what it will do, what it costs, and how you'll measure the results in jobs, not just clicks.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best marketing for tradies?

For most tradies, a complete Google Business Profile and a steady flow of reviews bring the best return, because that's where local customers look first. After that, a website that wins calls, Google Ads for jobs now, and SEO for the long term.

How much should a tradie spend on marketing?

Work it out from what a new job is worth to you. Decide what you can afford to pay to win one job, then multiply by the number of extra jobs you want. Many established tradies spend $1,000 to $2,000 a month on Google Ads, plus management, once their website and profile are working.

Is social media worth it for tradies?

It helps, but it rarely brings urgent jobs. Use it to show your work and stay in mind for repeat customers and referrals. People who need a tradie today usually search Google.

How long does tradie marketing take to work?

Google Ads can bring enquiries within days. A Google Business Profile and reviews improve over weeks. SEO usually takes three to six months to build steady results.

Should tradies use a marketing agency?

It depends on your time and your goals. The basics are easy to do yourself. For Google Ads and SEO, an agency can save wasted spend, as long as it reports results in enquiries and jobs.

The bottom line

Marketing for tradies works best in order. Get found with a complete Google Business Profile, win the call with reviews, turn visitors into enquiries with a website that works, then grow with Google Ads and SEO. Track where every job comes from, and spend more on what wins work.

Not sure where your business stands? Our free digital audit checks your Google Business Profile, your reviews, your website, and your local competition, then tells you what to fix first. Book your free digital audit, or see how our Google Ads management, SEO services, and Webflow web design work for tradies.