One page or several?
A one-page site suits a sole trader with one main service and a clear area. It can cover what you do, where you work, a few photos and a quote form. My one-page package starts at $790.
A multi-page site makes sense once you offer several distinct services, such as switchboard upgrades, lighting and solar, or decks, pergolas and renovations. Each service gets its own page, which helps customers find the right information and gives Google a clearer picture of what you do. My multi-page packages start at $1,290 for up to 3 pages.
If you’re not sure, start smaller. A site can grow later, and adding pages to a well-built site is much cheaper than starting again.
What a trade website needs
A trade site is mostly used on a phone, often by someone with a problem they want fixed. The basics matter more than clever design.
- A click-to-call phone number that is easy to find on every page
- A quote form that asks for the job details (photo uploads can be added and are quoted separately)
- A clear list of the suburbs and towns you actually service
- Your licence or registration details, where your trade requires them in advertising
- Plain descriptions of the jobs you do and the jobs you don’t
- Fast loading on mobile data, not just on office Wi-Fi
Licence details and honest claims
Some trades in Victoria must show a licence or registration number when they advertise. The rules vary by trade, so check with the regulator for yours. I’ll put the details wherever you need them, but you’re responsible for confirming what’s required.
Keep claims accurate. If you’re insured, say so. Don’t list services you don’t offer or areas you rarely travel to. Customers notice, and it wastes your time on calls that go nowhere.
Tie it in with your Google Business Profile
For a lot of tradies, the Google Business Profile brings in more calls than the website does. The two work best together. The profile gets you seen in Maps and local results, and the website gives customers the detail they need before they ring.
Use the same business name, phone number and service areas on both. If you’d like help, I can assist with profile setup from $220. You verify and own the profile.
Use your own job photos
Real photos of your own work do more for trust than any stock image. A tidy finished bathroom, a neat switchboard or a before-and-after of a fence tells a customer far more than a paragraph of text.
Only use photos of jobs you did, and get the customer’s permission if their home or property is recognisable. Phone photos are fine if they’re well lit and in focus. A simple gallery of up to twenty supplied photos starts at $190.
One-off costs and ongoing costs
Keep the build price separate from the running costs when you budget. The build is paid once. The rest recurs.
Hosting can sit on an account you own and pay for directly, with no monthly fee from me. If you’d rather not deal with it, my care plans start at $29 a month. Email on your own domain is a separate subscription with an email provider.
- One-off: design and build, any extra pages or forms, copywriting and logo work
- Yearly: domain name renewal
- Monthly or yearly: hosting or a care plan
- Monthly: business email on your own domain, if you want it
- Optional: paid advertising, which has its own budget
Own your domain and your files
Register the domain in your own business name, on an account you control. If a provider registers it for you in their name, moving later can be slow and stressful.
Ask who owns the website files, the content and the photos. With me, you own your domain and your content, and you can move to another provider if you choose.
My published starting prices
These are starting prices using content you supply. Small sites (one to three pages) are often ready within 1–2 weeks once the content is ready, and larger sites usually take 2–4 weeks. I’m not registered for GST, so no GST is added. Extra service-area pages start at $150 each, and a self-editing system is not included in the packages but can be quoted on request.
- Simple One-Pager: one page, from $790
- Custom Landing Page: one page, from $1,050
- Starter Website: up to 3 pages, from $1,290
- Business Website: up to 5 pages, from $1,550
- Growing Business: up to 8 pages, from $2,290
- Established Business: up to 10 pages, from $2,790
- Larger Business Website: up to 12 pages, from $3,290