Why Your Website is Leaking Money (And How to Fix It)
If you’re running a business in Brisbane, whether you’re a plumber in Coorparoo or an accountant in the CBD, you’ve likely spent a fair bit of money on your website. You’ve probably been told that "content is king" and that you need to be posting blogs or updates constantly.
But here is the cold, hard truth: most business websites are just digital brochures. People land on them, scroll for thirty seconds, and leave. They don’t call. They don’t email. They just vanish.
In the marketing world, people call this "interactive content." I call it "giving people a reason to talk to you."
Instead of just showing people a list of your services, you should be giving them a tool that solves a problem or answers a burning question right then and there. When a potential customer actually clicks a button, moves a slider, or answers a question on your site, they stop being a passive observer and start becoming a lead.
In this guide, I’m going to break down the different ways you can use these tools to stop wasting your marketing budget and start filling your calendar with actual jobs.
The Problem: The "Tyre-Kicker" Cycle
I see this all the time with Brisbane business owners. You pay for Google ads or you spend hours on Facebook, someone clicks through to your site, looks at your "About Us" page, and then closes the tab because they weren't quite ready to pick up the phone.
They have a problem, but they aren't sure if you’re the right fit, or they aren't sure what it's going to cost. By providing a tool—like a cost calculator or a diagnostic quiz—you capture that person's interest at the exact moment they are thinking about their problem.
If you don't do this, you are effectively losing customers who aren't ready to buy yet. You've paid for the click, but you've got nothing to show for it.
Option 1: The Cost Calculator (The Gold Standard for Tradies)
If you are a tradie—a builder, electrician, or landscaper—the number one question every single customer has is: "How much is this going to cost?"
Most business owners are terrified of putting prices on their website. They say, "Every job is different!" or "I don't want to scare them off!"
I’m telling you now, that’s a mistake. People don't want an exact quote; they want a ballpark. If you give them a simple calculator where they can input their room size or the type of service they need, and it spits out an estimated range, you have done two things: 1. You’ve built instant trust. 2. You’ve filtered out the people who can’t afford you anyway.
Does it make money?
Yes. We worked with a fencing contractor in the Western Suburbs who added a "Fence Estimate Tool." Instead of spending 2 hours a day on the phone giving rough quotes to people who were just "checking prices," he only got calls from people who knew the price and were ready to book a site visit. It saved him 10 hours a week and his sales went up because he was talking to the right people.What will it cost you?
You don't need a custom software developer. There are tools like Outgrow or ConvertCalculator that cost about $30-$50 a month. You can set them up in an afternoon.Option 2: The Diagnostic Quiz (The Secret Weapon for Professional Services)
If you’re a mortgage broker, a lawyer, or a consultant, your biggest hurdle is proving you know your stuff. You want to get paid for your expertise rather than being treated like a commodity where the only thing that matters is your hourly rate.
Instead of a boring "Contact Us" form, use a quiz. - Mortgage Broker: "Which Home Loan is Right for Your Deposit Size?" - Electrician: "Is Your Switchboard a Fire Hazard? (Take the 30-Second Test)" - Property Manager: "How Much Rent are You Leaving on the Table?"
When someone finishes a quiz, they get a result that feels personalised to them. At the end, you ask for their email address to send them the full report. Now, you have a lead who already thinks you are an expert.
The Reality Check
Quizzes only work if the questions are actually helpful. If it’s just a disguised sales pitch, people will close the window. You have to give them real value before you ask for the sale.Option 3: Performance Checklists and Graders
This is great for B2B businesses or high-end home services. Let’s say you do solar panel cleaning or roof restorations. You can have a "Roof Condition Grader." The user ticks a few boxes (age of roof, visible moss, cracked tiles) and the tool gives them a "Health Score."
This creates a sense of urgency. A score of 40/100 is much more likely to trigger a phone call than a generic "We fix roofs" headline.
Why Most Small Businesses Get This Wrong
I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses try this and fail. Here is why:
1. Too many questions: If your calculator has 20 fields, nobody will finish it. Keep it to 5 or less. 2. Asking for the phone number too early: People are protective of their privacy. Give them the value first, then ask for the contact details to "save their results." 3. It doesn't work on phones: If a tradie is looking at your site on a job site or a mum is looking at it while waiting at school pick-up, it has to work perfectly on a mobile. If the buttons are too small or the text overlaps, they’re gone.
Stop Wasting Time on Things That Don't Sell
You might be thinking, "Shouldn't I just post more on Instagram?"
Look, I’ll be blunt: for 90% of local businesses, social media is a massive time-waster that produces zero actual bank deposits. You are much better off spending one day setting up a tool on your website that actually captures the people who are already looking for you. You need to stop posting and start selling by focusing on your own website, not Mark Zuckerberg’s.
How Long Until You See Results?
This isn't like SEO which takes six months to kick in. If you have traffic coming to your site today, and you put a calculator or quiz live tomorrow, you will see the difference in your inbox within 48 hours.
It’s the fastest way to increase the number of enquiries you get without spending an extra cent on advertising.
What Should You Do First?
1. Identify the #1 question you get asked. (Usually: "How much?" or "Can you help with X?") 2. Pick a simple tool. Don't overcomplicate it. A basic calculator is usually the best place to start. 3. Put it front and centre. Don't hide it on a sub-page. Put a big button on your homepage that says "Get an Instant Estimate."
Summary of Approaches
| Tool Type | Best For | Effort to Setup | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculator | Tradies, Finance, Construction | Medium | High-quality leads who know your pricing |
| Quiz | Consultants, Health, Professional Services | High | Positions you as the go-to expert |
| Checklist | Maintenance, B2B, Repairs | Low | Creates urgency and identifies problems |
Final Word
Most of your competitors in Brisbane are still using old-school, static websites. They are waiting for the phone to ring. By adding a bit of interactivity, you aren't just waiting—you're actively engaging with your customers at the moment they need you most.
If you want a website that actually works as hard as you do, stop treating it like a digital business card and start treating it like a member of your sales team.
Need help turning your website into a lead-generation machine? At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about "likes" or "engagement"—we care about your bottom line. We help Brisbane businesses get more calls and more jobs.
Contact us today and let’s get your business growing.