Loading…
Everything you need to grow your trade business — from getting found on Google to running ads that actually pay for themselves. Written in plain English by a bloke who gets it.
Let's be honest: most tradies know they need marketing but have no idea where to start. You're great at your trade — plumbing, electrical, building, landscaping, whatever it is — but nobody taught you how to run Google Ads or get more reviews.
This playbook is the step-by-step guide we wish someone had given us when we started. No fluff, no buzzwords, no 50-page marketing degree required. Just the six things every tradie needs to do to consistently win more jobs — and how to do each one properly.
Whether you're a one-man operation or running a crew of 20, these steps work. You can do them yourself, get a system to automate most of it, or hand it all off to someone who'll run it for you. Whatever suits your business.
Word of mouth used to be enough. Your old man could build a business on handshakes and referrals. But the game has changed.
of customers check Google before hiring a tradie
of jobs go to the first business that responds
of homeowners won't hire a tradie with fewer than 10 reviews
is the maximum response time before a lead goes cold
Here's what's happening: a homeowner's tap starts leaking. They pick up their phone, search "plumber near me," and call the top two or three results. If you don't pick up, they call the next bloke. If you don't have reviews, they skip right past you. If your website looks like it was built in 2014, they don't trust you.
Word of mouth still matters — but it's moved online. The "recommendation" now comes from Google Reviews, not from a chat over the back fence. The tradies who understand this are winning. The ones who don't are wondering why the phone isn't ringing like it used to. If you want to see how your business stacks up, check out our trades industry page.
Google Business Profile + Local SEO
Before you spend a cent on ads, you need to make sure people can actually find you. For tradies, that starts with two things: your Google Business Profile (GBP) and basic local SEO.
This is the box that shows up when someone searches "electrician near me" on Google Maps. If you haven't claimed yours, do it today — it's free and takes 15 minutes. Here's what to get right:
SEO sounds complicated but for tradies, it's actually pretty simple. You're not competing with Amazon. You're competing with 10-20 other local tradies. Here's what moves the needle:
Want to go deeper on SEO? Check out our SEO Growth service — we handle all of this for you as part of the package.
Website Forms, Missed-Call Text-Back, Webchat
Getting found is only half the battle. The other half is making sure that when someone contacts you, their enquiry actually lands somewhere — and gets a response fast enough that they don't call the next bloke.
Your website needs a simple contact form that asks for name, phone, and what they need help with. That's it. Don't ask for their life story. When they submit it, the enquiry should land in your business system instantly — not in an email you check once a day.
This is the single most impactful thing you can set up. When you miss a call (and you will — you're on a job), the system sends the caller an automatic text within seconds: "Hey, sorry I missed your call. I'm on a job right now. What can I help you with?"
That text keeps them engaged instead of calling the next tradie on Google. It's the difference between losing a $2,000 job and booking it.
A lot of people prefer to message rather than call. A webchat widget on your website lets them ask a quick question without picking up the phone. If you've got an AI assistant handling the chat, it can answer common questions and book jobs even at midnight.
Learn more about how missed-call text-back works and why it's the number one feature tradies rave about.
Nurture Sequences, Quote Follow-Up, Speed to Lead
Here's a stat that should terrify you: 80% of sales require at least five follow-ups, but most tradies stop after one. You send the quote, the customer doesn't reply immediately, and you get busy with other jobs. Two weeks later, they've booked someone else.
The problem isn't that you're lazy. It's that you're too busy doing the work to also play salesperson. That's where automated follow-up changes everything.
Instant
Lead comes in. They get an immediate text or email: "Thanks for your enquiry. We'll be in touch shortly."
1 Hour Later
If you haven't personally responded yet, the system sends a more detailed message with your services and reviews.
Next Day
A follow-up: "Just checking in — did you still need help with [their enquiry]?"
3 Days Later
After you've sent a quote: "Just following up on the quote we sent through. Happy to answer any questions."
1 Week Later
Final nudge: "We'd love to help with your project. Let us know if you'd like to go ahead or have any questions."
All of this happens in the background while you're on site. You don't have to remember to follow up. You don't have to write the messages. The system does it for you — and it does it consistently, every single time.
For a deeper dive on setting this up, read our guide on how to automate lead follow-up. And if you want to see how it fits into the bigger picture, check out marketing automation for tradies.
Google Reviews, How to Ask, Automation
Google Reviews are the new word of mouth. When someone searches for a tradie, they look at two things: how many reviews you have, and what the rating is. If you've got 12 reviews at 4.3 stars and the other bloke has 87 reviews at 4.8 stars — they're calling him. Every time.
The good news? Most tradies do great work. Their customers would leave a review — they just need to be asked. The problem is that asking feels awkward, and you keep meaning to do it but never get around to it.
Businesses using automated review requests typically see their review count double within 90 days. That's not a typo. When you ask every customer automatically, the reviews stack up fast — and so does your Google ranking.
One of our trade clients went from 23 reviews to over 100 in four months — without asking a single customer manually. The system did it all.
For the full breakdown, read our Google Reviews guide for tradies. And to see how the automation works under the hood, check out our reputation management feature.
Google Ads vs Facebook Ads — When to Use Each
Once you've got your foundation sorted (Google Profile, lead capture, follow-up, reviews), it's time to turn up the volume. Advertising is the accelerant — it doesn't replace the fundamentals, but it supercharges them.
Best for: capturing people who are actively searching for your service right now.
Higher cost per click, but the leads are hot. They're searching because they need you now.
Best for: staying top of mind and reaching people before they need you.
Lower cost per click, but the leads need more nurturing. Great for building your brand.
If you're a tradie with a limited budget, start with Google Ads. The leads are more expensive but they're actively looking for your service, so they convert at a much higher rate. Once you're consistently booking jobs from Google, add Facebook to build long-term brand awareness.
The catch: advertising without a system to capture and follow up on leads is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. Sort out Steps 1-4 first, then add advertising on top. Otherwise you're paying for leads that go nowhere.
Don't want to manage ads yourself? Our Ad Boost service handles Google and Meta ads for a flat $497/month — no commissions, no hidden fees. We build the campaigns, optimise them, and feed the leads straight into your business system.
For a deeper comparison, read our guide on Google Ads vs Facebook Ads for tradies. And if you're currently using hipages, check out our alternatives to hipages guide.
What to Track, What Good Looks Like
You wouldn't run a job without checking your measurements. Same goes for marketing. If you're not tracking what's working and what's not, you're guessing — and guessing is expensive.
How many enquiries are you getting? From where? A good business system tracks every lead source — Google, Facebook, website form, phone call — so you know exactly where your customers are coming from.
Of the leads that come in, how many become paying customers? If you're getting 50 enquiries a month and only booking 10, that's a 20% conversion rate. There's room to improve — and the follow-up systems in Step 3 are usually the fix.
How much are you paying to acquire each lead? If you're spending $1,500/month on Google Ads and getting 30 leads, that's $50 per lead. If your average job is $1,500, you're getting a 30:1 return. That's a good day at the office.
Response Time
Under 5 minutes
Lead-to-Job Conversion
25-40%
Google Reviews (12 months)
50+ reviews
Cost per Lead (Google Ads)
$30-$80
Missed Call Recovery
30-50% recovered
Return on Ad Spend
5x-15x
If your numbers are below these benchmarks, don't stress — that's exactly what the free Brand Health Audit is for. We'll show you where the gaps are and what to fix first.
Here's a summary of what you need at each stage — and which plan covers it.
| Stage | What You Need | Covered By |
|---|---|---|
Get Found | Google Business Profile, basic website, local SEO | Starter ($197/mo) |
Capture Leads | Missed-call text-back, webchat, lead forms | Starter ($197/mo) |
Follow Up | Auto-responses, nurture sequences, AI assistant | Pro ($397/mo) |
Build Reputation | Review automation, reputation monitoring | Starter ($197/mo) |
Advertise | Google Ads, Facebook Ads, landing pages | Ad Boost addon ($497/mo) |
Measure & Grow | Reporting dashboard, lead attribution, ROI tracking | Pro ($397/mo) |
Not sure which plan? Compare MDG vs ServiceM8
Take our free Brand Health Audit and find out exactly where your trade business stands — and what to tackle first.