When I first started helping tradesmen with their online presence, I worked with a plumber in Stockport called Dave. He'd been running his business for 18 years, had more work than he could handle through word of mouth. Then his main referrer retired, and his phone stopped ringing.
Google Business Profile is where most leads come from
Your Google Business Profile (the box that shows up on Maps when someone searches for a plumber) is responsible for roughly 60% of local enquiry calls. Dave had claimed his listing years ago but never filled it out properly.
We added 15 photos of his recent work, got his service area set correctly, and made sure his opening hours were listed. That alone pushed him from page two of the Maps results to the top three for his area.
Your website needs to say what you do and where you do it
A lot of plumber websites look nice but say almost nothing useful. If your homepage just says "Professional Plumbing Services" with a stock photo of a wrench, Google has no idea what you actually offer.
Make sure every page on your site mentions your specific services (boiler repairs, bathroom installations, leak detection) and your areas (Stockport, South Manchester, Didsbury, Chorlton).
Reviews are not optional
Dave was nervous about asking customers for reviews. But here's the thing: 87% of people read online reviews for local tradesmen before picking up the phone. If you've got three reviews and your competitor has 40, you're losing work.
We set up a simple system. After every job, Dave sends a text with a direct link to his Google review page. He now gets about five new reviews a month. His average is 4.9 stars.
Stop ignoring your phone
One of our clients in Droylsden missed 40% of his incoming calls because he was on tools all day. We added a call-answering service for £80 a month, and his conversion rate from enquiry to booked job went from about 30% to 55%. That's real money.
What this costs
Getting set up properly doesn't need to cost a fortune. A basic website that's done right, a fully optimised Google Business Profile, and a review system will run you a few hundred pounds to set up and maybe £150 to £300 a month to maintain.
Dave's first month after we finished the work, he got 14 enquiries and booked 8 of them. At an average job value of £250, that's £2,000 from a £300 monthly spend. The maths works.
Where to start
Claim your Google Business Profile. Fill out every field. Add photos from your last 10 jobs. Ask your next five customers for reviews. Then look at your website and ask yourself: does this page tell someone what I do and where I do it?
If you want someone to sort this out for you, that's what we do at SEO 4 Tradesmen. Get in touch with Martin, and we'll have a look at where you're at now and what it'll take to get your phone ringing again.