Word of mouth is great, but it goes quiet just when you need work. This guide shows how to get more customers for a trade business using free tools: a Google Business Profile, local search (local SEO), reviews and a few simple habits. It works for tradies and contractors in any country.
Start with a Google Business Profile
When someone types “plumber near me” or “builder in my town”, Google often shows a map with three businesses under it. Those come from Google Business Profiles. Setting one up is free.
- Go to Google Business Profile and add your business
- Pick the main category that fits best, such as Electrician, Roofing contractor or Painter. You can add a few more
- If you work from home and visit clients, set it up as a service-area business. You list the towns or areas you cover, and your home address can stay hidden
- Google will ask you to verify that the business is real. Follow the steps it gives you
- Use your real business name. Don’t stuff extra words into it, as that can get the profile suspended
Fill in every part of the profile
A half-empty profile looks like a half-run business. Fill in:
- Phone number, website and opening hours
- Services, with a short line about each one
- A plain description: what you do, where, and who for
- Photos of real jobs, your van and your team. Add new ones every month or two
- Before and after photos, which people love to look at
Post a short update now and then, such as a job you have just finished. It shows the business is active.
Get reviews, steadily
Reviews are one of the biggest things people look at before they call. They also help you show up in the map results.
- Ask every happy client, right when the job is finished and they are pleased
- Send them a direct review link by text or email, so it takes one tap
- Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly
- Never buy reviews or write fake ones. Google can remove them and suspend your profile
Our guide to getting more reviews and referrals has the wording to use and how to handle a bad review.
Make your website work for local search
You don’t need a fancy website. You need a clear one.
- Put your trade and your area in the page titles, such as “Electrician in Hamilton and Waikato”
- Make a page for each main service, like hot water repairs, switchboards or heat pumps
- Show your phone number at the top of every page, and make it tappable on a phone
- Add real photos and a few short project stories
- Keep your business name, address and phone number exactly the same on your website, your Google profile and any directories
Speed matters. Most people search on their phone, often standing in the problem. If your site is slow, they go to the next one.
Answer fast and quote well
Getting the enquiry is only half the job. Many tradies lose work simply by not getting back to people.
- Reply to every enquiry the same day, even if it is just “Got it, I will call tomorrow morning”
- Turn up when you say you will
- Send a clear, tidy quote quickly. See how to write a quote that wins the job
- Follow up once or twice, politely, if you don’t hear back
Other low-cost ways to find customers
- Local directories: list your business on the main free trade and local directories in your country. Keep the details the same everywhere
- Your van: clear signwriting with your name, trade and phone number works every day you drive
- Other trades: builders, plumbers, electricians and painters pass work to each other. Be the one who turns up and is easy to work with
- Past clients: a short message once a year, such as a reminder for a service or check-up, brings back repeat work
- Community groups: local social media groups often ask for recommendations. Happy clients can tag you
A simple example
A painter with a new van and no online presence sets up a Google Business Profile as a service-area business. He adds 20 photos of real jobs, lists his services and asks his last 10 clients for a review. Within a couple of months he has 12 reviews and starts showing up in the map for “painter” in his area. He replies to every enquiry within a few hours and books more quotes than before, without spending money on ads.
Quick checklist
- Google Business Profile set up and verified
- Right category, service areas and every field filled in
- New photos every month or two
- A review asked for after every good job, and every review answered
- Website with your trade, area and phone number on every page
- Same business name, address and phone everywhere
- Every enquiry answered the same day
- Quotes sent fast, with a polite follow-up