To get the attention of your potential customer, a trade website is usually the first place the Tradie will look, and it should offer service information, demonstrate your experience, provide positive reviews and project examples, and make it easy to reach out to the business. From people who need repairs now to those who are comparing tradesmen for a project they plan to undertake in the near future, websites for Tradies should have a variety of features to suit the needs of each customer at every stage of the customer journey – services available, areas of service, past work completed, methods of getting a quote or contacting the Tradie.

Provide clear information on your services.

Don't risk your potential customer's investment by letting him or her wonder what your business is.

The principal services of your company should be apparent from the outset. You shouldn't require the visitor to plow through several pages before determining if you can do their project.

For example, a painting contractor might offer interior painting, exterior painting, commercial painting and cabinet painting. An electrician can offer electrical repairs, new lighting installation, switch board upgrades and new installations.

There should be sufficient information for each of these critical services to enable customers to understand what they are.

Describe service from the customer's point of view

Rather than just writing:

“That's our job here, to supply professional electrical services.”

The customer should be informed what to expect.

A helpful service page should include:

What does the service provide?

The properties/situations in which it is suitable

It can solve common problems such as:

·       Any preparation that may be needed

·       What information does the estimator require for an estimate?

·       How customers can arrange the next step

This is a more effective way of conveying the message than with a page full of buzzwords about quality.

When customers continually return with the same questions while talking with us on the phone or when visiting our site, these questions are great ideas for a website.

Make it Easy to Order a quote

Even though a visitor might be interested in your service but might not contact you if they feel their way is hard.

You need to make the next step clear on your website.

Call to actions may vary from project to project, and from trade to trade, but may include:

•            Get a Quote

•            Request an Estimate

•            Call Now

•            Book a Service

•            Request a Callback

•            Send an Enquiry

What is important, is the action is in line with the customer's situation.

If you are using a service that is required for emergencies, a large phone number might be suitable. A quote form can be used to give customers helpful information before they call for a quote on a renovation or larger project.

Continue to use enquiry forms in a way that is practical.

A form doesn't have to include all possible information.

Ask for information that is really necessary to grasp the inquiry, such as:

•            Name

•            Contact details

•            Service required

•            Property type

•            General project details

•            Preferred contact method

If photographs are a helpful way to evaluate a project, give a suitable means for users to submit them.

The objective is to minimize friction, not add another hindrance.

Design with Mobile Users in mind

A site might be superb on a desktop computer and yet be more of an ordeal on your smartphone.

With many customers, searching starts with their phone. They can be in the comfort of their own homes searching for a contractor or be looking at businesses while they are on lunch break, or rush to call someone after they find a problem.

The most important information should be easily available in a mobile friendly website.

Run on your own site!

Log in your website from your mobile and behave like a new customer.

Try to:

1.      Look for the service you require.

2.      See if your business is located in your area.

3.      View previous projects.

4.      Determine the telephone number.

5.      Request a quote.

If the steps don't seem too hard to follow, the website may be in need of improvement.

Text should not need to be zoomed to be read, menus should be easy to navigate and buttons should be easy to press.

For service businesses where the telephone is an integral part of the process, having a click-to-call phone number may also be of great benefit.

Display Relevant Reviews and Trust Signals

There's a level of trust involved in picking the right Tradie.

Customers may be permitting access to their property, be it a home, workplace, an investment property or a commercial property. They are looking for security that the business is legitimate, capable and reliable.

There is documented evidence that supports that decision that a website can provide.

Some useful trust signals could be:

•            Authentic customer reviews

•            Testimonials

•            Relevant licenses

•            Qualifications

•            Certifications

•            Industry memberships

•            Appropriate insurance information

•            Years of experience

•            Business history

Specific details will be determined by the trade and local needs.

Maintain trust signals in a truthful manner.

Don't use over-ambitious statements which are unsupported.

The statement ‘we are the best Tradie in the area' is not an adequate piece of evidence. Review written by a real customer who talks about what the company actually did is much more informative.

This is also true of testimonials.

Don't make up stories about customers or post fake reviews.

It is often a sign of responsibility to respond to criticism professionally, especially if it has been received. Customers aren't always expecting everything to be perfect. They wish to know their concerns are taken seriously.

Evidence and transparency are key to trust.

Use Real Project Photos and Case Studies.

Trade work is something that is visual.

A potential customer can learn a lot by viewing what the contractor has done.

Original project photos are more useful than generic stock photos for this reason.

For the painter, a finished room and exterior project may be displayed. A landscaper can have finished gardens to exhibit. A builder can show proof of finished renovations. An electrician is able to demonstrate appropriate and safe installation where photography is suitable.

Provide context to the photographs

Don't just put together a collection of photos with no explanation.

Explain the project.

An example of a useful project could include:

·       The customer's requirement: What did the customer need?

·       The challenge: Did the problem or some other project factor exist?

·       The approach: How was the work planned?

·       The work completed: What services were provided?

·       The result: How did it turn out?

This can be helpful evidence of experience without using generalizations.

Only describe genuine projects and real outcomes. If photos are part of a specific project, then indicate that.

Clearly mark the areas served by the local services that are available.

The majority of Tradies work in a particular geographic area.

If a customer is looking for an electrician, painter or landscaper in their area, he or she should find out if the company in question has any real activity in the area.

Your website needs to therefore clearly convey areas of service.

This might include:

•            Cities

•            Suburbs

•            Towns

•            Regions

•            Residential service areas

•            Commercial service areas

Information about businesses should also be correct and repeatable on the relevant online platforms.

Don't avoid location pages for rankings sake!

Local pages may be beneficial if they offer authentic details for customers in that area.

But making dozens of pages with virtually the same content that only have different names for the suburb does not necessarily make for a better experience.

A helpful location page can include real-life project examples, services provided in the area, customer inquiries or info related to real-life experiences servicing the location.

The rule should be easy to follow:

Don't create a location page simply because another keyword is available, do it because customers want it.

This people-first strategy aligns with Google's advice on developing content that is beneficial to readers rather than content that's optimized for search engines. Google's spam policies also cover those low value low-quality “doorway” pages that are designed to get to certain places without offering any value.

How the eight elements work harmoniously together.

These can work best when they are a single, continuous experience for the customer.

A potential customer could go through the following:

To answer any queries, follow the steps below: Search → Website Visit → Service Information → Trust → Project Evidence → Contact → Enquiry

Local visibility is a good way for people to find the business.

They can judge whether the firm is able to resolve their issue if they can see the service information.

Evidence is provided through reviews, credentials and project examples.

They have an easy direction to proceed with a simple contact process.

That's why it's important that the Website shouldn't be judged based on its appearance alone.

A pretty site that causes customers to search for services or contact information isn't doing any good.

Similarly, a website that is getting traffic but not many relevant enquiries may require changes to its content, trust signals or the conversion process, not just more traffic.

There are some common website errors that you should stay clear of as a Tradie.

First, try to spot some of the basic issues before you invest in a complete redesign.

No service information found.

When visitors can't easily find out what you provide, they might go to another business.

Difficult contact options

Don't make customers search for a phone number or contact form.

Generic stock photography

Photos of real projects offer more convincing proof of real-life experience.

Excessive keyword targeting

Content needs to be written to assist the customer, not just to include a string of search terms.

Copy-and-paste location pages

Content for location should be meaningful locally.

Overcomplicated navigation

When it comes to important information, no one wants to make more than one click.

Ignoring mobile users

A site should be tested on the devices that customers use.

Frequently Asked Questions

·       What is required on a Tradie website?

There should be clear information on services provided, the areas where they serve and what and how to contact the professional trade website. They also have real reviews, project samples, commensurate credentials, beneficial customer information, and distinct calls to activity.

·       What are some ways a Tradie website can get more enquiries?

A website will be able to answer enquiries by drawing in visitors, communicating services clearly, showing trust and providing ease of contact. No single website feature is guaranteed to create more leads; it is the total customer journey that counts.

·       Would it be better to have individual pages for each trade service?

Not necessarily. Individual pages are helpful when services vary, and customers require different information. Unnecessary pages that are just added for keyword variations can make a website redundant and not more useful.

·       Are customer reviews important for Tradies?

Real reviews can assist prospective customers comprehend previous experiences and offer more context when generating comparisons to other contractors. They must always be a true reflection of customer feedback.

·       So, should all Tradies have blogs?

No. If you can answer questions for customers, or offer some useful expertise, a blog can be valuable. It's not about churning out generic content to get to the top of the search engine. It's not about mass producing content to please the search engine for the sake of being in the top spot.

Conclusion

A trade website ought to make a business look professional but it should do more than that.

It should assist a potential customer to grasp the service, assess the business and find proof of past work, build trust and move forward.

That's what sets apart a website for Tradies from a conventional online brochure.

The best way to go is to create a website based on real customer needs: be clear about your services, make inquiries easy to find, be mobile-friendly, include a list of genuine reviews, include real projects, communicate service areas, be technically up to scratch and give useful answers to enquiries.

Most significantly, leverage the business's own knowledge.

The usefulness of a website can be significantly enhanced by real-world experience, real photos, real customer feedback, and real practical trade experience.

But do not make an additional page because you discovered another key word. Don't make a testimonial just because you think everyone does. Don't overstate your skills when they are not supported by the business.

Rather, demonstrate the work you do, and provide information that will help customers make an educated choice.

If a website is really helping people, then it is a lot more than a site. It is a part of the customer journey that becomes useful, and a better base for generating customer-relevant enquiries.