SEO, Google Ads, and everything in between — the complete guide.
Free organic traffic that compounds over time. This is where to start.
Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile — For plumbers, GBP is often the first thing a customer checks before calling. Make sure your hours, service area, and photos are up to date. Respond to every review — good and bad.
Get Reviews After Every Job — Reviews are the #1 local ranking factor for plumbers. The best time to ask is right after you finish the job while the customer is happy. Even a text message with a link works.
Create a Page for Each Service Area You Cover — If you service five suburbs, create a page for each. 'Plumber Parramatta', 'Plumber Penrith' etc. These rank for local searches and cost nothing beyond the initial setup.
Already running Google Ads? These are the warning signs that your spend might be wasted.
Paying for Clicks on 'How to Fix a Leaky Tap' — These are DIY searchers who want to fix it themselves, not call a plumber. Add 'how to', 'DIY', 'fix myself' as negative keywords before you spend another dollar.
Running Ads Nationally When You Serve a 30km Radius — Plumbing is hyperlocal. If your targeting covers your whole state, you're burning most of your budget on people you'll never drive to.
No Call Tracking — No Idea Which Ads Bring Phone Calls — Plumbing calls are your most valuable lead type. If you're not tracking which keywords generate calls, you can't optimise your campaign and you're flying completely blind.
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Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Facebook and Instagram work well for brand awareness, especially for visual trades. Not a replacement for Google Ads if you want immediate job leads.
Word of mouth is your cheapest channel. A simple referral reward — $50 off their next job — can generate consistent leads.
Hipages, ServiceSeeking, and Google Business Profile. Keep them updated and collect reviews — they rank well locally.
Targeting the wrong keywords — bidding on 'plumbing supplies' and 'DIY plumbing' burns budget on people who will never call you.
No Google Business Profile reviews — plumbing is trust-sensitive. A profile with zero reviews looks suspicious. Five recent reviews change everything.
One generic website page for all services — 'emergency plumber', 'blocked drain', 'hot water system' are different searches. Each deserves its own page.
Ignoring mobile — most plumbing calls come from mobile searches. A slow mobile page or missing call button loses the job before it starts.
Not tracking where leads come from — if you can't tell whether jobs came from Google Ads, GBP, or a directory, you can't make smart decisions about where to spend.
You need call tracking tied back to specific keywords. If a job lead calls, you should know which keyword triggered that ad. Without it, you're guessing. That's exactly what the FounderM8 check looks for — whether your tracking is set up correctly.
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