Tradespeople have always relied on word of mouth. That has not changed. What has changed is where the "mouth" is. When a homeowner needs a plumber in a hurry or wants three quotes for a bathroom reno, they do not ask a neighbour anymore. They search Google. If your business does not show up, or looks thin compared to the sparky down the road, you are invisible to the people most ready to hire.
This is not about becoming a marketing expert. It is about making sure the work you already do gets seen by the people looking for it. MarketBase tracks the dimensions that matter most for trades and shows you where you sit against other tradespeople in your area.
In this article
- 1. How customers actually find tradespeople now
- 2. The three dimensions that matter most for trades
- 3. Why reviews are your new word of mouth
- 4. Whether you actually need a website (and what kind)
- 5. A concrete action plan you can start today
The phone book is dead. Google is the new referral.
Ten years ago, a builder in Hamilton could fill their diary through word of mouth and repeat customers. That still works for some, but the pool shrinks every year. Most people now start with a search. "Electrician Tauranga." "Plumber near me." "Roofing company Christchurch reviews."
Google decides which businesses to show for these searches. It looks at profiles, reviews, websites, and other signals. The businesses that show up get the calls. The ones that do not, don't.
This is true for emergencies and planned work alike. A burst pipe on Sunday night means someone is searching "emergency plumber" and calling the first credible result. A kitchen renovation means comparing three or four businesses online before picking up the phone. Your digital presence determines whether you make the shortlist.
Three dimensions that matter most for trades
MarketBase measures nine marketing dimensions for every business. For trades, three of them do most of the heavy lifting: your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and your Maps visibility. Get these three right and you are ahead of most tradespeople in your area. Neglect them and it does not matter how good your work is on the job site.
These three dimensions are tightly connected. A strong Google Business Profile helps your Maps ranking. More reviews improve your profile. Better Maps visibility brings in more customers, who leave more reviews. It is a flywheel, and the hardest part is getting it spinning.
Key point
You do not need to be great at everything. A plumber who dominates GBP, Reviews, and Maps will win more work than one with a flashy website but a half-empty Google profile. Focus on what moves the needle for your trade.
Reviews are your new word of mouth
Every tradesperson knows the value of a good recommendation. "My mate used this builder and the work was excellent" has been closing deals for decades. Google reviews are the digital version of that conversation, and they are visible to hundreds of potential customers, not just one.
Three things matter with reviews: volume, recency, and whether you respond to them.
Volume builds credibility. A plumber with 47 reviews looks more established than one with three. Recency shows you are still active. A business whose reviews are all from two years ago looks like it might have gone downhill. And responding to reviews, especially negative ones, shows professionalism. A calm reply to a complaint tells future customers more about your character than 10 five-star ratings.
The biggest mistake tradespeople make with reviews is never asking for them. Most happy customers will leave a review if you make it easy. Send a text after the job with a direct link to your Google review page. Keep it simple: "Thanks for choosing us. If you were happy with the work, a quick Google review would really help us out." That is all it takes.
Tip
Time your review request carefully. Ask when the customer is happiest, usually right after the job is finished and they can see the result. A text sent three days later is far less likely to get a response than one sent while they are still admiring the new bathroom tiles.
Your Google Business Profile is your shopfront
Most tradespeople do not have a physical shop. No signage on a busy street, no foot traffic. Your Google Business Profile fills that role. It is the first thing most potential customers see, and it needs to make a strong impression in about five seconds.
A complete profile includes your correct phone number, your service area, your hours (including whether you do after-hours work), photos of your actual work, and a clear description of what you do. It sounds obvious, but MarketBase data shows that a surprising number of trade profiles are missing at least two of these.
Photos matter more than you might expect. Before-and-after shots of completed jobs are gold for trades. A rewired switchboard, a freshly painted exterior, a tidy bathroom reno. These tell customers what to expect. Aim for 10 to 15 photos and add new ones as you complete jobs.
If you have not claimed and verified your profile, Google may have created a basic listing from public information with wrong hours and no photos. Claiming takes 10 minutes. It is the single most impactful thing you can do for your online visibility.
Maps visibility: being found for "near me" searches
When someone searches "plumber near me" on their phone, Google shows a map with three businesses underneath it. That is the Maps Pack, and for trades, it is where most leads come from. Customers searching with "near me" are ready to hire. They have a problem, they want it solved, and they are looking for someone close.
Your Maps visibility depends on several factors: how complete your profile is, how many reviews you have, how close you are to the searcher, and how well your profile matches what they searched for. You cannot control your physical location, but you can control everything else.
Make sure your categories are specific. "Plumber" beats "Home Services." "Electrician" beats "Contractor." If you do multiple trades, add secondary categories. And ensure your service area is correct. If you cover all of Christchurch but your profile only shows one suburb, you are missing searches from the rest of the city.
Picture this
Dave runs a painting business in Dunedin. He has 60 five-star reviews and great photos of completed jobs, but his Google category was set to "Contractor" and his service area only listed South Dunedin.
After checking MarketBase, he changed his category to "Painter" and expanded his service area to cover all of Dunedin. His Maps visibility improved within a fortnight.
Small details like categories and service areas are invisible to you but critical to how Google decides who to show. MarketBase makes them visible.
Do you even need a website?
Many tradespeople do fine without one. If your Google Business Profile is strong, your reviews are solid, and you show up in Maps, a website is a bonus. Plenty of successful plumbers and electricians in New Zealand have never had one.
That said, a simple website helps. It gives Google another signal that your business is legitimate and lets you rank for searches that Maps does not cover. It does not need to be fancy. A single page with your services, service area, phone number, and photos of completed work is enough. Just make sure it loads fast on phones and that your contact details match your Google profile exactly.
Your digital presence determines whether you make the shortlist. The work you do on the tools earns repeat customers. The work you do online earns new ones.
Your action plan
10 minutes today
- Search your business name on Google and check your profile is claimed and verified
- Confirm your phone number, hours, and service area are correct
- Check your primary category is specific to your trade ("Plumber" not "Home Services")
30 minutes this week
- Upload 10 photos of completed jobs, your van, and your team at work
- Write a profile description mentioning your location, specialties, and years of experience
- Text your last five happy customers a direct link to leave a Google review
Ongoing this month
- Build a review habit: send a review request text after every completed job
- Respond to every review within 48 hours, including the negative ones
- Add fresh photos each month as you complete new jobs
Where MarketBase fits in
Everything in this article you can do on your own. But doing it without knowing where you stand is like quoting a job without seeing the site. MarketBase shows you how your profile, reviews, and Maps visibility compare to every other tradesperson in your market. You see your scores, your rank, and the specific actions that will make the biggest difference.
Your scores update as new data comes in, so you can track whether the work you are putting in is actually moving the needle. Fix the gaps, watch your position improve, and know that every improvement brings you closer to being the first name customers see when they search for your trade.