Most tradie websites are either non-existent or built five years ago and forgotten. The problem is that your competitors who do have a decent website are getting calls that should be going to you. Here is what a tradie website actually needs to work - no fluff, just the essentials.
Mobile-first, no exceptions
Over 70% of local searches happen on a phone. If your website does not look good and load fast on mobile, you are losing more than half your potential customers before they even see your work.
Mobile-first means the phone experience is designed first, then scaled up for desktop - not the other way around. This affects everything from button sizes (big enough to tap with a thumb) to how your phone number is displayed (clickable, always).
Click-to-call on every page
Your phone number should be tappable on mobile and visible in the header on desktop. Not buried in the footer. Not on a "Contact" page only. On every single page.
When a homeowner has a burst pipe or a sparking outlet, they are not going to fill out a form and wait. They want to call someone right now. Make it as easy as possible.
Service area pages
If you serve multiple suburbs or cities, create a page for each area. "Plumber in Ipswich" is a different search from "plumber in Brisbane" and Google treats them differently.
These pages should not be carbon copies with just the suburb name swapped out. Include something specific about each area - the types of homes you work on there, common issues you see, or how far it is from your base. Google rewards genuine local content.
Specific service pages
Do not lump all your services on one page. If you are an electrician who does residential rewiring, smoke alarm installation, and switchboard upgrades, each of those should be its own page with its own description.
This helps in two ways: Google can match your pages to specific search queries, and customers can see that you actually specialise in what they need rather than being a jack of all trades.
Google reviews front and centre
Your website should display your Google reviews prominently - ideally on the homepage and service pages. Social proof is the single most effective trust signal for trades. If you have a 4.8-star rating across 50 reviews, that should be one of the first things visitors see.
Do not just show a star rating. Show actual review text. "Fixed our hot water system same day, great communication" is worth more than any marketing copy you could write.
Photos of your actual work
Stock photos of a smiling tradie in a hard hat do nothing. Before-and-after photos of your actual work do everything. They prove you are real, show the quality of your work, and give potential customers confidence.
Take photos on every job. It takes 30 seconds and builds a library of proof that no competitor can copy.
Fast load time
If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you lose roughly half your visitors. For tradies, this is often caused by oversized images (photos straight from a phone that have not been compressed) or cheap hosting.
Optimise your images, use decent hosting, and keep the design clean. A fast, simple site will outperform a slow, flashy one every time.
The essentials checklist
Before you launch or update your tradie website, make sure you have:
- Clickable phone number on every page - Clear list of services with individual pages - Service area information - Google reviews displayed on the homepage - Real photos of your work (not stock) - Mobile-friendly design that loads in under 3 seconds - Your ABN, licence number, and insurance details in the footer - A Google Business Profile linked to your website - Basic SEO setup (title tags, meta descriptions, headings) - SSL certificate (HTTPS)
If you tick every box on this list, you will have a better website than 90% of your local competitors.