How Tradie Leads works
every feature explained

When someone searches "plumber near me" the first thing they see isn't a website — it's the Google map pack. Three businesses with their name, reviews, phone number, and a "Call" button. 60%+ of local tradie calls come from this map pack.

Here's what that actually looks like on your phone:

Google decides who shows up there partly based on how active your profile is. If you haven't posted since 2022, Google thinks you might not even be operating anymore and buries you. If you're posting regularly — job photos, tips, seasonal reminders — Google sees an active, trustworthy business and pushes you higher.

4 posts a week is the sweet spot. Google rewards consistency, not volume. A profile with 4 posts a week for 6 months will outrank one with 20 posts in one week then nothing.

Reviews are the #1 thing customers look at before calling a tradie. Not your website. Not your logo. Your reviews.

Here's the thing most tradies don't realise: a tradie with 80 reviews at 4.8 stars gets called more than one with 12 reviews at a perfect 5.0. Volume matters more than perfection. Customers trust 80 reviews because it feels real. 12 reviews could be your mates.

The problem? Tradies never ask for reviews. It's awkward standing there after a job saying "would you mind leaving me a review?" So they don't. And their review count stays stuck at 12 for three years.

Review automation fixes this completely. After every job, an automatic SMS goes to the customer: "Thanks for choosing us! If you were happy with the work, a quick Google review would mean the world." No awkwardness. The tradie doesn't have to do anything.

Google has confirmed that responding to reviews is a ranking factor. That means replying to your reviews literally helps you rank higher. But that's not even the main reason to do it.

Potential customers read your responses. A tradie who replies to every review with something genuine — "Cheers Dave, glad we could sort the switchboard out quickly" — looks professional, personal, and trustworthy.

A tradie who ignores reviews looks like they don't care. And if there's a negative review sitting there with no response? The customer reading it assumes the worst.

Speed matters on negative reviews. A fast, professional response — "Sorry to hear that, let's sort it out, give us a call" — can actually win you more customers than the negative review loses. People respect businesses that handle complaints well.

SEO sounds complicated. It's not. In plain English: it's making sure Google understands exactly what you do and where you do it.

Right now, Google might know you're an electrician. But does it know you serve Karori, Khandallah, Johnsonville, and Petone? Does it know you do switchboard upgrades, EV charger installations, and emergency callouts? Does your business name, address, and phone number match exactly between your website and your Google Business Profile?

This is what local SEO does — it tells Google all of this clearly so when someone in Karori searches "electrician near me", Google knows you serve that area and shows you in the results.

Most of your competitors have never touched their SEO. Even basic setup creates a massive gap. It's the foundation everything else sits on — without it, all the blog posts and social media in the world won't rank properly.

You're on the tools. Your phone rings. You can't answer. The customer hangs up and calls the next tradie on Google. That job is gone.

This happens more than you think. Tradies miss 40–60% of their calls because they're physically working. Every missed call is a customer who called someone else instead.

Missed call text-back fixes this. The moment you miss a call, an automatic text goes to the customer: "Hey, sorry we missed your call! We're on the tools right now. Can you flick us a text with what you need and we'll get back to you ASAP?"

Every blog post is a new page on Google that can rank for a specific search term. Think about what your customers Google before they call you:

• "How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Wellington?"
• "Do I need a building consent for a deck in NZ?"
• "Why does my hot water keep going cold?"

A blog post that answers one of these questions captures that customer at the research stage — before they're even looking for a tradie. When they finish reading and think "I need someone to do this", your name is already in their head. Your phone number is right there.

After 6 months of 4 posts per month, you have 24 pages ranking on Google. After a year, 48. Each one is pulling in customers who are searching for exactly that topic. Competitors who don't blog can't catch up. It's slow to start but compounds relentlessly.

When someone searches "electrician in Karori" they're telling Google exactly where they are and exactly what they need. If you have a page on your website specifically about electrical services in Karori, you rank for that search. If you don't, you probably won't.

Most tradies have one generic "services" page. That means they're trying to rank for one search. A tradie with suburb pages for 10 suburbs is ranking for 10 searches — covering 10x more ground with zero extra effort.

Think of each suburb page as a fishing line in the water. More pages = more lines = more calls. This is the fastest SEO win there is — results can show up within weeks, not months.

Social media doesn't directly generate phone calls the way Google does. Nobody scrolls Facebook looking for a plumber. But it does three things that matter:

1. Social proof. When a customer finds you on Google, the first thing they do is check your Facebook page. If they see regular posts of real jobs, before/after photos, and happy customers, you look legit. If your last post is from 2023, they wonder if you're still operating.
2. Brand awareness. Past customers scroll past your posts every week. When their mate asks "know a good sparky?", your name is the one in their head. You can't buy that with Google Ads.
3. Referrals. People share tradie posts with friends who need work done. A good before/after post gets shared 10–20 times. Each share is a potential customer.

3 posts a week keeps your profile alive. 5 posts a week keeps it dominant.

The first tradie to respond to an enquiry wins the job 78% of the time. That's not a guess — it's measured across thousands of businesses.

When someone fills in a contact form on your website at 2pm, and you don't see it until 9pm when you check your emails, that customer has already called two other tradies and booked one of them.

An instant notification means you know about the lead the moment it comes in. You call back within minutes. The customer is impressed. You win the job. Simple, but most tradies aren't doing it.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. In plain English: it's one place where every lead is tracked.

Without it, leads come in via phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, website forms, and WhatsApp — and some get missed. You forget to call someone back. A quote request gets buried in your inbox. A customer who enquired last month but wasn't ready yet falls off your radar.

A CRM puts every single enquiry in one list. You can see who contacted you, when, what they need, and whether you've followed up. Nothing falls through the cracks.

This is knowing what your competitors are doing — are they getting more reviews? Posting more content? Ranking higher than they used to?

It doesn't directly generate calls. But it helps you stay ahead. If a competitor suddenly launches 15 suburb pages and starts ranking above you in three suburbs, you want to know about it before you start losing jobs — not after.

This is a strategic tool for tradies who are already dominating their patch and want to make sure nobody catches them.

Google Ads are the "pay to play" version. You pay Google every time someone clicks your ad. The phone can ring tomorrow. That's the upside.

The downside? The moment you stop paying, the phone stops ringing. It's a tap you turn on and off. SEO and Google Business compound forever — once you rank, you rank. Ads don't compound.

Google Ads are best for three situations:

• Brand new businesses with no organic presence yet — ads fill the gap while SEO builds up
• Emergency trades (plumber, electrician) where people search and call immediately — the urgency makes ads convert well
• Dominating a specific suburb right now — ads let you own the top of the page for any search you choose

Reports don't generate a single call. But here's why they matter: they're the #1 reason clients stay.

A tradie who sees "your Google Business calls went from 15 to 43 this month" knows the marketing is working. They're not going anywhere. A tradie who pays for marketing and has no idea what's happening? They cancel at month 3 because it feels like money going into a black hole.

The report turns an invisible service into a visible result. Plain English, real numbers, no jargon. Every month you can see exactly what was done and what it's producing.