Think customers just Google you and hit call? Not anymore. Before someone picks up the phone, they’ve already done a quiet little background check on you — and most tradespeople have no idea it’s happening.
Here’s what they’re actually looking at.
1 – Google Reviews And How You Respond to Them
Reviews are the first thing people look at, and star rating alone isn’t enough. Customers want to see volume, recency, and whether you actually bother responding.
A plumber with 12 reviews from two years ago looks like someone who’s either gone quiet or stopped caring. The one with 40 reviews, a few from last month, and replies like “Thanks John, glad we got that sorted for you” — that’s who gets the call.
I’ve seen from personal experience where a seemingly well-established business was dominating places search results, got too comfy and stopped collecting reviews, and were dethroned by a competitor who actively managed their Google Business profile with a continuous stream of customer reviews and consistent replies.
Review volume certainly has an impact but review velocity is probably more important. Think about it. If you had 100 5-star reviews but your last one was 8-9 months ago, Google is clever enough to question – ‘has something changed with this business?’
Did You Know?
70% of consumers won't visit or contact a business they're unfamiliar with until they've checked them out online first. If your website lets you down, most people won't give you a second chance.
2 – Your Website: Does It Look Like You’re Still in Business?
A website that hasn’t been touched since 2019 sends a message, and it’s not a good one. Customers use your site to figure out if you’re legit, what areas you cover, and whether you do the specific job they need done.
No website at all is even worse. People assume you’re either too small to bother, or too busy to care. Neither is great. Another thing I might add here – having a regular gmail for your business is actively working against you – customers are far less likely to trust bobspaintersanddecorators23334@gmail.com, as opposed to info@bobs.ie.
If you’re a plumber, electrician, roofer, painter – whatever the trade – a clean, professional website built around what you actually do makes a bigger difference than most people realise. We’ve put together industry-specific pages for electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters, carpenters and more – worth a look if you want to see what a decent trades site actually needs.
Helpful tip: the amount of trades websites I see that DON’T offer a contact form is wild. I get that you may not be arsed sending emails etc, but given that most of your competitors think the same, actively having a contact form and responding to queries gives you a big advantage over your competitors. You can even have these automated – e.g. if someone fills in a form, you can send an auto-reply to acknowledge their email (really important), then create template responses so that you’re not writing up new emails each time.
3 -Your Google Business Profile: Is It Actually Filled Out?
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing someone sees before they even click on your website. It shows your hours, your location, your photos, your reviews – and whether you’ve claimed and updated it, or just left it sitting there half-empty.
If your hours say “permanently closed” because you never set them up properly, that’s a problem. If you’ve no website, that’s a problem. If your website link is expired and goes to a dodgy website. Problem. If there are no photos, no description, and a phone number that goes to voicemail – someone else is getting that job.
Your Google business profile is really valuable and again, if you’re busy most of the day with customers, it’s understandable that you don’t have time to be messing around with updates. But saying that, Google heavily favours up to date, well-managed profiles.
Helpful tip: We’ve actually created a free checklist to help optimise your Google Business profile – free to download or read at your own leisure.
4 – Photos of Your Actual Work
Before and afters. Finished jobs. Even a shot of you on site. People want to see that you’re real, that you’re good, and that you’ve done this before.
Stock images don’t cut it. Customers can spot them a mile off, and it immediately makes you feel less trustworthy. Your own photos, even taken on a phone, do more for your credibility than any fancy design element.
This is one of the most overlooked things on trades websites. A carpenter with a gallery of fitted kitchens and wardrobes will always beat one with no photos. Same goes for kitchen installers, painters, roofers — any trade where the end result is visual.
Helpful tip: Although it’s not vital, having your own branded workwear goes a long way to building your professional rep – if you can get your branding into your work photos (e.g. a branded work T-Shirt) it helps to build trust and professionalism.
5 – How Easy It Is to Actually Contact You
This one’s simple and surprisingly easy to get wrong. If someone has to hunt for a phone number, fill out a clunky form, or navigate three pages to find out how to reach you – they’re gone.
A click-to-call button. WhatsApp. A clear email address on every page (a proper business email). That’s what people want. Fast and friction-free.
As mentioned above, having a well-built contact form can give you a real edge on competitors, as long as you actually reply. Once a form comes through to you, that considered a lead – from here you have the chance to close in on another client. Please, for the love of god, take it.
The Long And Short Of It.
Most of these aren’t big jobs. A few photos, a proper Google listing, some fresh reviews, and a website that doesn’t look like it was built during the Celtic Tiger – that’s enough to put you ahead of a lot of the competition.
If you’re not sure where your own online presence stands, get in touch and we’ll have a look for you. No hard sell, just an honest take.
