Plenty of trade businesses get by without a website, living off referrals and a phone number on the ute. But when someone does get your name from a neighbour, the first thing they usually do is look you up. A simple website that loads fast on a phone and answers their questions can be the difference between a call and a quick scroll to the next tradie.
This guide covers what a tradie website needs, what to leave off, and the legal basics in Australia. It's written for sole traders and small crews who want a site that wins work, not an award.
Fewer trade businesses have one than you might think
The ABS asks businesses each year whether they have their own website or app. In 2024–25, only 39.8% of construction businesses did, against 55.1% of all businesses. Size makes a big difference: fewer than half of businesses with 0–4 people had a website, compared with about nine in ten businesses with 20 or more.
Businesses with their own website or app, by size and industry
The smallest businesses are the least likely to have a website: 44.6% of businesses with 0–4 people did in 2024–25, and 39.8% of construction businesses.
Show the figures as a table
| Business size or industry | Own website or app |
|---|---|
| 0–4 persons | 44.6% |
| 5–19 persons | 68.7% |
| 20–199 persons | 90.1% |
| 200 or more persons | 88.7% |
| Construction (all sizes) | 39.8% |
| All businesses | 55.1% |
The ABS doesn't measure whether websites win work, and we won't pretend to know your local market. What the figures do show is that in many trades and towns, a clear, professional website still isn't the norm, which makes it a way to stand out.
What your home page must answer in ten seconds
Most visitors arrive on a phone, often while standing in the problem: a leaking tap, a tripped switch or a backyard that needs sorting. Your home page should answer four questions without scrolling far:
- What do you do? For example, "Licensed electrician: switchboards, lighting, power points and EV chargers".
- Where do you work? Name the suburbs or region you service.
- Can I trust you? Show your licence number, ABN, real photos and genuine reviews.
- How do I get a quote? Add a tap-to-call button and a short quote request form.
Put your phone number at the top of every page as a link people can tap to call. Don't hide it behind a contact page.
Build trust with the details customers check
Your licence number and ABN
Show your licence number on the site, and your ABN in the footer. In some states it's not just good practice. In NSW, building trade advertising, including on the internet, must show the licensee's name and licence number with the right category of work. In Queensland, the QBCC requires licensees to include their licensed name and QBCC licence number in advertising, which it says includes websites and social media. Check your own regulator's rules.
Real photos of your work
Use photos of jobs you actually did, ideally with a line on what the job was and the suburb. Stock photos of smiling models in spotless overalls don't convince anyone. Get the customer's OK before using photos of their home, and crop out house numbers, faces and number plates.
Genuine reviews
Link to your Google reviews, or show genuine reviews with their source. The ACCC is clear that testimonials must be genuine: it fined a removalist that copied testimonials from an unrelated site and changed them. The ACCC also suggests showing how many reviews a star rating is based on. Our guide to getting Google reviews covers the rules.
Only claims you can back up
Australian Consumer Law applies to your website just as it does to any ad. Avoid "cheapest", "best" or "guaranteed" unless you can prove it and explain it. Only list licences, memberships and insurance you actually hold.
Pages worth having
A small site with a handful of good pages is plenty:
- Home: the four answers above, plus a few photos.
- Services: a short page for each main service you want more of. Describe the job, what's included, and the areas you cover.
- Areas: the suburbs or towns you service, in plain words.
- Our work: recent jobs with photos.
- About: who you are, your licence and how long you've been in the trade, if that helps.
- Contact or quote: your phone number, your email, the quote form and your hours.
If you show prices, the ACCC's price display rules apply. A price shown to consumers must be the total price, including GST and any unavoidable fees, as a single figure. "From" prices should be genuinely available.
Make it fast and easy on a phone
A slow site loses people before they see anything. Keep it light:
- Compress photos. Resize them for the web instead of uploading full-size camera files.
- Use big, readable text and buttons that are easy to tap with a thumb.
- Keep it simple. Avoid pop-ups, autoplay video and anything that covers the phone number.
- Test it yourself on your own phone, over mobile data, not just on the office Wi-Fi.
The quote form: short beats clever
The form only needs a few things: name, phone or email, suburb, the type of job and a message. Optional photo uploads help with some trades. Every extra question loses a few people.
Reply quickly. The fastest response often wins the job.
If you use Tradie Business, you can switch on an enquiry form and an online booking page and embed both on your website. Enquiries land in your Leads inbox alongside those from Tradie Guide, and bookings go straight into your diary. From an enquiry you can start a quote in a couple of taps.
Privacy and marketing consent
If your site collects names, phone numbers and addresses, think about privacy. The OAIC says most small businesses (annual turnover of $3 million or less) aren't covered by the Privacy Act, but some are, and it has a checklist to work out whether you are. Either way, a short privacy statement saying what you collect and why is good practice. Collect only what you need to quote the job.
If you want to send marketing emails or texts to people who fill in your form, add a separate, unticked consent box. The Spam Act requires consent, and the ACMA says you should keep a record of who gave it, when and how. See the ACMA's guide to avoiding spam.
Domain, email and who owns it
Register your own domain name and use a matching email address. It looks more professional than a free webmail address, and it's yours if you change providers. business.gov.au lists getting an Australian (.au) domain name among the things your ABN lets you do.
Whoever builds the site, make sure the domain is registered in your name or your business's name, and that you have the logins. Plenty of tradies have lost a site, or the email address on their vehicles, when a web designer stopped answering the phone.
Connect it to the rest of your marketing
Your website works best as part of a small set of things that point to each other. Link it from your Google Business Profile, put the address on your vehicle and quotes, and list it on directories such as Tradie Guide, where claiming a listing is free. Our guide to marketing for tradies covers the rest.
Tradie website checklist
- Tap-to-call phone number at the top of every page.
- What you do and where you work, in the first screen.
- Licence number and ABN shown, in line with your state's advertising rules.
- Real photos of your own work, with the customer's permission.
- Genuine reviews or a link to them.
- A short quote form, with a separate marketing consent box if you'll market to people.
- Fast on mobile data and easy to use with a thumb.
- A domain registered in your name, with logins you control.
- Prices, if shown, as a total including GST.
- A short privacy statement.
Tradie Business doesn't build websites, but it handles what happens after someone gets in touch: enquiries, quotes, invoices and job scheduling. See the pricing and how it suits electricians, tilers and other trades.
