Local Marketing
Marketing for Tradies: A Practical Plan With Real Prices
Build a tradie marketing plan with realistic Australian prices for websites, local SEO and Google Ads, 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 practical Australian playbook with published pricing context. It focuses on the parts that can be measured: visibility, calls, forms, qualified enquiries and booked work where attribution is available.
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 is often an important local discovery channel: when someone searches “electrician near me”, Google’s map pack draws on Business Profile information. Claim it, fill every relevant field, add real job photos and build a steady process for requesting honest reviews.
From there, consider Google Search Ads with tight suburb targeting and a test budget based on current auction data, margins and capacity. Local Services Ads eligibility changes by country and category, so check the current Google signup flow before treating them as an option. Meta can support visual trades such as landscaping or renovations, while Search may be a better fit for urgent service intent. Lead-resale marketplaces are another option, but check how many businesses receive each lead, the fee model and who owns the customer relationship.
A website built for clear enquiries
A tradie site should load quickly, work cleanly on a phone, put a click-to-call button front and centre, and use a short quote form (name, suburb, job, photo). Real job photos, licence and insurance details, and genuine reviews can strengthen trust while clear contact options make the next step easier.
| Package | Build | Monthly | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Toolkit | $2,500 | $95/mo | Getting found fast |
| The Workshop | $5,900 | $149/mo | Broader content and lead capture |
| The Worksite | from $13,500 | $299/mo | Multi-location, e-commerce |
The final quote confirms scope, payment cadence, GST, ownership, exclusions and handover terms. See the 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.
Assess SEO over months rather than days. Timing varies with your starting point, competition and location, and rankings can move in both directions. Our local SEO runs $950 one-off, $500 if bundled with a website, plus an ongoing retainer quoted to the work required for your trade and service area. Details on the SEO page.
Google Ads that don’t burn your money
Search Ads can be used to test “[trade] near me” searches, with Meta as a possible supporting channel for visual trades. Local Services Ads should only be considered where Google’s current country and category checks show the business is eligible. Two costs need to stay separate: ad spend paid to Google and the management fee paid for campaign work.
| 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.
Give enquiries a clear follow-up path
If a call goes unanswered, a prompt text-back (“Sorry I missed you, what do you need a hand with?”) gives the customer another way to respond. A consistent quote follow-up process, a one-tap review link for customers and even a basic CRM can reduce missed messages and make the outcome of each enquiry easier to track.
Marketing by trade
A roofer’s marketing looks nothing like a carpet cleaner’s. Electricians lean on tightly targeted Search 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 |
On a tight budget, start with an accurate Google Business Profile and a process for requesting genuine reviews, then assess a website, SEO and Google Ads against your market, margins and capacity.
Red flags when choosing an agency
Ask every agency to explain contract length, ownership, lead sharing, reporting, exclusions and handover. Impressions can be useful context, but they should sit alongside calls, forms, qualified enquiries and booked revenue where those outcomes can be tracked. Our core focus is Australian trade and field-service businesses.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get more leads as a tradie? Start free: claim your Google Business Profile, complete it accurately and build a process for requesting genuine reviews. Add a fast mobile website, then consider SEO or Google Ads based on your timeframe, market and budget. No single step guarantees Maps placement or lead volume.
How much should a tradie spend on marketing? Work backwards from your margins, capacity and the value of a completed job. Set a test budget you can sustain, track calls, enquiries and booked revenue where possible, then decide whether the evidence supports increasing, reducing or reallocating it.
When’s the best time to ramp up? Review your own seasonal enquiry and search data, then prepare campaigns before the periods that historically matter to your trade. Seasonality differs by service and location.
Ready for more local jobs?
Our core focus is Australian trade and field-service businesses. Request a project review and we will confirm the useful next step, scope and pricing in plain English.
