Word of mouth used to be enough. It is not anymore.
Fifteen years ago, being a good tradesman with a reputation in your local area was enough to keep your diary full. Your customers would tell their neighbours, you would get a call, and the work would come in.
That world has changed. Today, when someone needs a plumber, electrician, or builder, the first thing they do is reach for their phone and search Google. They type "plumber near me" or "electrician [their town]" — and the businesses that show up on page one get the call.
If your business is not there, you do not exist to that customer.
The numbers do not lie
Over 90% of people searching for local trade services click on one of the first three results on Google. Less than 1% make it to page two. If your competitor has a website and you do not — or if their website ranks higher than yours — they are getting every single one of those leads.
Research consistently shows that over 70% of local searches on Google result in a contact or visit within 24 hours. These are not browsers. These are buyers.
What a website actually does for you
A well-built, properly optimised website works for your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even when you are on a job. It:
- ›Shows up when someone searches for your trade in your area
- ›Tells the customer who you are, what you do, and how to contact you
- ›Builds trust before they even pick up the phone
- ›Lets you receive enquiries and booking requests at any time
The cost of not having one
Every month without a proper website is a month where local customers searching for your trade are going to your competitors. If your local area has 200 searches a month for your trade, and your competitor gets 80% of those because they rank on page one, that could be 160 potential customers a month who never even know you exist.
What to do next
Getting a professional website built and optimised for local search does not have to be expensive or complicated. Climbwise builds websites specifically for UK trade businesses, handles all the local SEO every month, and gets you live within 5 working days for £115/month with no contract.
The question is not whether you can afford to have a website. It is whether you can afford not to.