Trades and construction marketing
SEO for
tradies.
SEO for a tradie means showing up in Google's ordinary results, under the map, when people search the job and the area: 'hot water system replacement Newcastle', 'switchboard upgrade cost'. The work is mostly pages: one for each job you want more of, an honest guide to what it costs, real photos of real jobs, and your licence and areas in plain text. Add local business structured data so Google reads your details reliably, and link it all to your Google Business Profile.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.A page for every job
you want more of.
People don't search 'plumber services'. They search the job: 'blocked drain', 'gas heater service', 'hot water system replacement'. Each of those is a page that can rank, with its own heading, a short explanation, photos, typical timing, and the phone number at the top.
Start with the jobs you'd most like more of, not every job you could do. Five strong pages beat twenty thin ones.
Answer the
price question.
People search 'how much does it cost to...' before they ring, and many trade websites won't answer it. A page that gives an honest range, explains what moves it, and shows a few real examples meets the customer where they are, and does part of the quoting for you.
It also sets the anchor. The first number someone sees tends to become their yardstick, which is anchoring. Better it comes from you than from a horror story on a forum.
Price guide planner
Answer the question
they ask first.
People search 'how much does it cost to...' before they ring a tradie, and many trade websites won't answer it. Put in a job and a realistic range, and it drafts the page that does.
Page heading
Outline
Real jobs,
real photos.
Short write-ups of real jobs, with a couple of photos, the suburb and what you did, give Google and customers something no competitor can copy. Five minutes after each good job adds up to a site full of proof.
What doesn't work is a page for every suburb with the name swapped. Google treats pages built only to target places, all leading to the same thing, as doorway pages. Write about areas where you've genuinely done work instead.
Google's own image advice points the same way. It says high-quality photos appeal to users more than blurry, unclear images, and asks for images placed near the text they relate to, with short, descriptive file names and alt text. 'hot-water-replacement-gorokan.jpg' tells Google something. 'IMG_4471.jpg' doesn't.
The technical
basics.
Add local business structured data to the site: code that tells Google your business name, address, phone and opening hours in a format it reads directly. Keep it consistent with your Google Business Profile.
Make sure the site loads fast on a phone, the number is tap-to-call text, and your licence number is on every page. Many trade customers find you on a phone, often while standing next to the problem.
In NSW the licence number isn't only good practice. Fair Trading says the licensee's name and licence number must be shown in all advertising, internet ads included, and the same page says you can't state a price that is only part of the cost unless the single total price is also clearly stated. Keep that in mind on price guide pages: a range for the whole job is safer than a 'from' figure that leaves out the call-out fee. The advertising rules for tradies page covers the other states.
What I see most often
Where tradie websites
miss out.
- 1
One 'Services' page with a list
Six jobs in bullet points, so none of them can rank on its own.
- 2
No prices anywhere
Not even a range or what affects it, so the customer goes to a site that answers the question.
- 3
Stock photos of someone else's van
Google and customers both learn nothing about the real business.
- 4
Suburb pages from a template
Thirty near-identical pages that rarely rank and can count against the site.
The honest bit. SEO is the slow channel for a tradie. Pages take months to climb. If you need work this month, your Google profile and ads come first, and the website pays off over the year.
Questions
people ask.
Is SEO worth it for tradies?
Usually, over a year or more. Good pages keep bringing calls without paying per click. Start with the jobs you want most, and a page that answers what they cost.
Should tradies put prices on their website?
A guide range and what moves it, yes, for most jobs. It answers the question people search first, and filters out people who were never going to pay your price. Make clear it's a guide, not a quote.
Do I need a page for every suburb?
No. Google treats pages built to target places that all funnel to the same thing as doorway pages. Write about areas where you've done real jobs instead.
What is local business structured data?
Code on your website that tells Google your business details in a format it reads directly. Google's documentation explains how to add it.
Related
Keep
going.
Get a free
search audit.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.