How Real Reviews Turn Website Visitors into Phone Calls

Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Are Leaving Money on the Table

I see it every single week. A local tradie or a shop owner in suburbs like Chermside or Coorparoo spends thousands on a shiny new website, only to wonder why the phone isn't ringing. They’ve got the photos, they’ve got the list of services, and they’ve even got a contact form.

But there is one massive thing missing: Proof.

In 2024, nobody cares what you say about your business. They care what your customers say. If you aren't showing off your reviews properly, you are essentially asking a stranger to hand over their hard-earned money based on your word alone. In a world of scammers and dodgy operators, that just doesn't happen anymore.

At Local Marketing Group, we’ve worked with everyone from residential plumbers to high-end lawyers across South East Queensland. The difference between a site that sits there doing nothing and one that generates five enquiries a day usually comes down to how you handle your reputation on the page.

This isn't about "web design" in a technical sense. It’s about building enough trust so that a person feels safe enough to call you. Here is exactly how to display your reviews to win more jobs, what’s changing in the local market, and why your current "Testimonials" page is probably a waste of space.

The Death of the "Testimonials Page"

If your website has a single page tucked away in the menu called "Testimonials," you are doing it wrong.

Think about how people use the internet. They are busy, they are likely on their phone, and they want an answer now. They aren't going to go hunting through your menu to find a page of nice things people said about you. They want to see that proof exactly at the moment they are deciding whether to hire you.

I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses bury their best reviews on a page that nobody visits. It’s like keeping your best trophies in the attic instead of the shop window.

The Trend: In 2024 and beyond, the most successful businesses are moving away from dedicated testimonial pages and instead "sprinkling" proof throughout the entire site.

What to do instead: You need to put your best reviews on your home page, your service pages, and even near your contact form. When you turn your service pages into sales machines, you ensure that no matter where a visitor lands, they see a local person praising your work. If you’re a roofer, put roofing reviews on the roofing page. Don't make the customer go looking for them.

People Trust Photos More Than Text

Anyone can type "Great service, five stars! - John S." onto a website. Because it’s so easy to fake, customers have become cynical. They’ve been burnt before.

If you want to stand out from the bloke down the road who is undercutting your prices, you need to show that your reviews are from real, local people.

The "Face" Factor

The Google Integration

Where to Put Reviews for Maximum Profit

Location matters. If you put your reviews at the very bottom of a long page, most people will never see them.

I’ve found that for most Brisbane service businesses, there are three "Hot Zones" where a review will actually help you make money:

1. Right under the main heading: When someone lands on your site, they should see a 5-star rating and a note saying "Over 100 5-star reviews from Brisbane locals" before they even start scrolling. 2. Next to the "Call Now" button: This is the moment of truth. They are hovering over the button but feeling a bit nervous. Seeing a review that says "Arrived on time and cleaned up afterwards" is often the final nudge they need. 3. The Footer: While many think of this as dead space, the bottom of your website is actually a great place to reinforce trust. If they’ve scrolled all the way to the end, they are looking for a reason to trust you. Don't let them down.

Video Reviews: The Gold Standard (and Why They Are Worth the Effort)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand phone calls.

I know what you’re thinking: "I can’t get my customers to go on camera!"

You’d be surprised. If you’ve done a cracking job for someone, they are usually happy to help. It doesn't need to be a Hollywood production. A 30-second clip filmed on an iPhone where the customer says, "Hey, I’m Sarah from Indooroopilly, and the team at XYZ Plumbing were fantastic," is worth more than $10,000 in advertising.

Why it works: You can't fake the tone of voice or the look in someone's eyes. It proves you are a real business with real customers in the local area.

The Cost: This costs you $0. It just takes the courage to ask.

The Timeline: You can start doing this tomorrow. If you get one video review a month, by the end of the year, you will have a sales tool that your competitors can’t touch.

Stop Hiding Your Flaws

This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but a website with 500 "perfect" 5-star reviews looks fake. Everyone knows that in business, things occasionally go wrong. Maybe a part didn't arrive on time, or the weather delayed a job.

Research shows that customers actually trust a business more if they have a 4.8 or 4.9 rating rather than a perfect 5.0.

The Secret: It’s not about the bad review; it’s about how you responded. If you show a review where a customer had a minor issue and you replied publicly saying, "Sorry about that, we’ve come back and fixed it for free," that shows you are a man of your word. It shows you won't disappear if there's a problem. In many ways, that’s more valuable than a glowing praise.

Mobile Users Are Different

In Brisbane, about 60-70% of your traffic is likely coming from someone on a smartphone. They might be sitting in traffic, on their lunch break, or standing in their kitchen looking at a leaking tap.

If your reviews are displayed in a way that’s hard to read on a phone—like a tiny slider that requires them to click small arrows—they will leave. You need to make sure your phone visitors become customers by making reviews easy to scroll through with a thumb.

Pro Tip: Avoid "carousels" where the reviews slide automatically. People find them annoying because the text disappears before they finish reading. Use a simple list or a "grid" that stacks nicely on a phone screen.

The "Local" Advantage

If you are a local business, your reviews should scream "LOCAL."

Instead of just a name, include the suburb. - "Great job!" - Mark - VS - "Best electrician we've used in Ascot. Arrived 10 minutes early." - Mark, Ascot

When a potential customer from Hamilton sees a review from someone in Ascot, they know you work in their area. It builds an immediate connection. It proves you aren't some national franchise with a call centre in another country; you’re a local operator who knows the neighbourhood.

What’s a Waste of Money?

I’m always honest with my clients about where to spend their budget. Here is what is a total waste of money when it comes to reviews:

1. Buying Fake Reviews: Don't do it. Google is incredibly smart and will eventually catch you. When they do, they will remove your business listing entirely, and your website will vanish from search results. It’s a death sentence for a local business. 2. Expensive "Review Management" Software: You’ll see companies charging $300 a month just to send a text message to your customers asking for a review. You can do that yourself for free. Unless you are doing 50 jobs a day, you don't need fancy software. You just need a process. 3. Over-Designed Widgets: Some web designers will try to sell you fancy, animated review sections that take forever to load. If it slows down your site, it’s hurting your business. Simple and fast wins every time.

How Long Until You See Results?

If you take your existing reviews and move them from a hidden page to your homepage and service pages today, you will likely see an increase in phone calls within a week.

It’s not magic; it’s just psychology. You are giving people the information they need to trust you at the exact moment they are looking for it.

If you don't have many reviews yet, make it your mission to get one a week. In three months, you’ll have 12 solid pieces of proof. That’s enough to start outperforming competitors who have been in business for years but haven't bothered to update their website since 2015.

Your Action Plan

You don't need a degree in marketing to get this right. Follow these steps this week:

1. Audit your site: Go to your website on your phone. Can you see a review within 5 seconds? If not, you’re losing money. 2. Move the best ones: Pick your three best Google reviews and put them on your homepage, right near your contact details. 3. Add the suburbs: Update the names to include the Brisbane suburb where the work was done. 4. Ask for a video: Next time a customer tells you you’ve done a great job, ask if you can record a 20-second clip of them saying that on your phone.

Need a Hand Getting More From Your Website?

Most business owners are too busy running their business to worry about where a review sits on a page or how to link it to Google. I get it—you’ve got jobs to quote and staff to manage.

At Local Marketing Group, we specialise in making websites work harder for Brisbane small businesses. We don't care about awards or "pretty" designs that don't convert; we care about making your phone ring.

If you want a website that actually brings in more leads and shows off your hard-earned reputation the right way, let's have a chat. We can look at your current site and tell you exactly what’s stopping people from calling you.

Ready to grow? Contact us today and let’s get your business the attention it deserves.