Your Website is a Salesman, Not a Business Card
I see it every single day across Brisbane. A local sparky or plumber spends three grand on a website, waits six months, and then complains that "the internet doesn't work for my business."
When I look at their site, I see the problem immediately. It looks like a digital brochure from 2012. It’s got a picture of a generic toolbox, a list of services like "Residential & Commercial," and a contact form that looks like a tax return.
If you hired a salesman who sat in the corner of your office, never spoke to customers, and didn't ask for the sale, you’d sack him in a week. So why are you keeping a website that does the same thing?
Most tradie websites don't get phone calls because they aren't built to sell. They are built to exist. In this guide, I’m going to break down exactly why your site is failing and give you the quick wins that will actually turn visitors into customers.
1. The "Where Do I Click?" Problem
Most business owners think their website needs to be a library of everything they’ve ever done. It doesn’t. When a homeowner in Chermside has a burst pipe at 8:00 PM, they don't want to read your "About Us" page or see a photo of your dog. They want to know three things:
1. Do you fix my specific problem? 2. Do you service my area? 3. How do I get you here right now?
If your phone number isn't at the very top of the screen in big, bold text, you are losing money. On a mobile phone, that number should be a button they can click with their thumb. If they have to highlight, copy, and paste your number into their dialler, they’ll just hit the 'back' button and call the next guy on Google.
The Quick Win: Put your phone number in the top right corner of every page. Make it big. Make it a different colour. Make it so a five-year-old could find it in two seconds.
2. You’re Selling Features, Not Solutions
I’ve looked at hundreds of Brisbane tradie sites, and 90% of them make the same mistake: they talk about themselves.
"We have 20 years experience." "We use the latest tools."
- "We are family owned."
When you focus on the outcome the customer wants, they feel understood. This is how you win better jobs without having to be the cheapest quote in the pile. If you look and sound like an expert who solves problems, you can charge expert prices.
3. The "Invisible Man" Syndrome (Google Visibility)
If your website is on page 3 of Google, it might as well not exist. Most tradies rely on word of mouth, which is great until it dries up. To get consistent phone calls, you need to show up when people search for your trade in your specific suburb.
Google likes websites that are clear about what they do. If you're an electrician in Coorparoo, your website needs to say "Electrician Coorparoo" in the main heading. It’s not about "the algorithm"—it’s about being relevant. If someone searches for a service and your site says you do that service in their area, Google will show your site to them.
Many tradies waste thousands on "lead generation" sites that sell the same lead to five different people. It’s a race to the bottom on price. Instead, you should focus on how to own your local market so the leads come directly to you, and only you.
4. Your Site Doesn't Work on Phones
Over 70% of people looking for a tradie are doing it on a mobile phone—often while standing in a dark kitchen or a wet laundry.
If your website takes ten seconds to load, or if the text is so small they have to pinch and zoom to read it, they will leave. Google actually penalises sites that don't work well on phones.
The Test: Open your website on your own phone right now. Try to click your phone number. Try to fill out your contact form. If it’s frustrating for you, imagine how an annoyed customer feels.
5. No Social Proof (The Trust Factor)
In Brisbane, reputation is everything. People are terrified of being ripped off by a dodgy contractor. If your website doesn't have photos of your actual work, your actual team, and actual reviews from local customers, you look like a faceless corporation or, worse, a scammer.
Stop using stock photos of guys in pristine white hardhats who have never seen a day of sun in their lives. Take a photo of your branded ute in front of a house in Ascot. Take a photo of your team in their uniforms.
Show your Google reviews directly on your site. If Mrs. Jones from Morningside says you showed up on time and cleaned up after yourself, that is worth more than any marketing slogan you could ever write.
How Much Does Fixing This Cost?
You don't need a $20,000 website. For most local tradies, a high-performing site that actually generates calls will cost between $3,000 and $7,000. Anything cheaper is usually a DIY job that will look like it, and anything more expensive is usually overkill unless you're running a massive multi-state operation.
In terms of timing, you can see a difference in call volume within weeks of making these changes. If you fix your phone number and make the site fast, the people already visiting will start calling immediately.
What Should You Do First?
1. Check your speed: If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load on a phone, call your web guy and tell him to fix it. 2. Fix your header: Put a "Call Now" button at the top of every page. 3. Update your photos: Delete the stock photos and put real pictures of your work and your ute on there. 4. Stop buying junk leads: Shift your budget from paying for shared leads to building your own brand. You can learn more about why you should stop chasing cheap leads and start building a list of customers who actually know your name.
Most of what you read about digital marketing is rubbish designed to make things sound complicated so agencies can charge you more. It’s actually quite simple: be where people are looking, show them you can solve their problem, and make it incredibly easy for them to contact you.
If you're tired of having a website that just sits there doing nothing, we should talk. At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about "impressions" or "engagement"—we care about how many times your phone rings.
Contact Local Marketing Group today and let's get your business growing.