So, you’ve just gotten a fantastic, brand-new tradie website built for your business. It’s sleek, loads fast and it’s going to get the phone calls and jobs rolling in.
Your site goes live… and there’s just one problem: namely, your site isn’t getting any traction whatsoever. Phone calls aren’t coming in, and you aren’t making your money back fast enough for your liking.
That’s because while a strong website is a crucial part of an effective tradie digital marketing strategy, it isn’t enough on its own!
Why’s that? We’re glad you asked…
What good is a fantastic website if nobody can see it?
It’s like that old saying about the tree falling in the forest; if you have a great website but nobody sees it, is it really helping you or is it an unnecessary money sink?
While your website might be great at converting customers and reflect well on your skills as a tradie, unless potential callers are finding it, it isn’t much use!
That’s why tradie digital marketing strategies need to account for more than just websites – a good tradie marketing strategy focuses on:
- Increasing your visibility
- Getting you found
- Directing visitors to your website
And that’s exactly what our tradie marketing strategies do.
There are a range of strategies we employ to achieve that goal, including tradie-focused SEO strategies, as well as PPC and remarketing campaigns.
How tradie marketing can increase site visibility
If you haven’t heard of search engine optimisation (SEO) before, here’s the rundown. Unlike what some (including members of the US Congress) believe, Google’s search results aren’t determined with any human input whatsoever, but instead entirely by algorithms.
In essence, SEO is all about modifying and optimising your website in such a way that makes it the preferred result for these algorithms – essentially, it’s all about gaming the system.
We’ll also use pay-per click (PPC) advertising like Google ads, Facebook ads and even remarketing ads (those creepy banner ads that stalk you).
Websites need to be fast
Your website may be a huge step up from your previous site that looked like it was last updated in late 90’s.
However, appearance and web design aren’t the only areas in which websites have developed over the last decade or two – websites have also gotten heaps faster too (remember this unforgettable sound?)
The time it takes your website to load may be insignificant, but it can have a serious effect on the visitor and their willingness to stick around.
Nowadays, we’re too accustomed to short loading times – approximately 40% of people will click away from a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load!
Needless to say, that’s a lot of potential callers not even sticking around long enough to see your website.
What can slow down websites for tradies?
There are a lot of factors that can slow down a website:
- Bad hosting
- Messy code
- Outdated plugins
- Files that are too large
During our site audit, we’ll take a look into the back-end of your site to identify issues such as these, and fix them before they drive away any other potential callers.
Your tradie website needs to speak to a specific audience
Many tradies prefer working with specific jobs or customers:
- Certain jobs may make more money
- Others may be faster to complete
- Perhaps it’s a niche service few competitors offer
- Some target specific regions to reduce travel time and stay close to their young kids
For example, one of our current clients is a locksmith. While he can perform a wide range of locksmith services, he prefers auto jobs like lockouts since they’re straightforward, quick jobs that have a higher profit.
As such, we’ve tailored his website to focus primarily on automotive locksmithing services.
The result? Over the last year or two, he’s seen massive increase in calls from stranded motorists.
There’s nothing wrong with targeting specific jobs – the problem arises from not accounting for this in your website.
Tradie digital marketing that understands your target market
At iformat, each of our tradie marketing strategies begins with an in-depth discussion of your needs. This allows us to figure out who you’re speaking to, and to build a site and SEO strategy around this.
Using this information, we’ll select keywords and searches for you, choosing targets that align with your preferred job or customer.
We’ll talk to you about what types of jobs you do, what you specialise in, and what sort of clients you prefer. This allows us to get you more calls for the jobs that you actually want.
How mobile-friendly is your website?
What device are you reading this on? Chances are, it isn’t a desktop – more likely than not it’s your phone!
This isn’t just a case of tradies working in places where a desktop computer wouldn’t fit – rather, this is a trend across demographics. In fact, mobile has accounted for the majority of internet usage ever since 2016.
And search engines like Google has started to take notice.
To accommodate for this seismic shift in the web, Google’s search algorithm has started preferencing websites that are mobile friendly over those that aren’t – something that directly impacts your visibility.
Not to mention, it’ll also drive the people who do find your website away!
Say you’re on your phone and you tap a link, only to be greeted by a site where:
- Font doesn’t scale up for mobile screens
- The layout is broken and confusing
- You have to constantly swipe to see everything
You wouldn’t stick around – so why should your customers?
Your site needs to be backed by a steady stream of ongoing content
In our experience, digital marketing isn’t a once-and-done thing – it’s something that requires frequent ongoing work.
And that includes a regular, ongoing stream of original content.
This can take the form of frequent site updates or a regularly-updated blog – the choice is yours.
No matter what form it takes, however, a steady stream of content is essential.
Why is content such a big deal?
That’s because good content serves 3 purposes.
For starters, it forms the basis of most SEO strategies. Google’s algorithm is more advanced nowadays – it looks for indicators that you know what you’re talking about. And a regular stream of quality, original content is one of these indicators.
Secondly, ongoing content also creates more potential points of entry to your website. For example, say you’re a plumber – some of your customers may find you from Googling tips to fix leaky toilets (assuming you have content relating to that, of course).
And finally, ongoing content demonstrates your skill and know-how. Say you’re a sparkie, and you run a blog that covers changes in electrical standards and regulations. All of this makes you look like you’re up-to-date and switched on.
Call iformat for tradie digital marketing that WORKS
Don’t get us wrong, a good website is incredibly important. However, it doesn’t work in isolation – rather, it’s just one part of a larger digital marketing strategy.
This strategy needs to make special considerations for the unique requirements of tradie businesses like yours. You can’t just take the exact same approach that you would with a retail store and expect it to work.
Luckily for you, that’s exactly what we offer.
Working closely with tradies of all stripes, the tradie marketing team at iformat works hard to get you more calls for the jobs you want.
We’ll:
- Make you visible to the customers you want
- Inspire confidence and trust in your skills
- Guarantee sustained, long-term results
Learn more about how our tradie marketing strategies can get you found – give us a call today on 1300 88 64 50, or click here to contact us online.
You can also visit us for website for tradies in Melbourne: pop into our office at 105D Carpenter Street, Brighton 3186 VIC.
