Yes, but it is not the first thing to do. Start with a verified Google Business Profile and real reviews, because that is where most local jobs come from. Then add a simple website that says what you do and which suburbs you cover, because customers with bigger jobs check for one before they call, and Google and AI Search use it to decide who to show.
If you want it done for you: websites for Melbourne tradies and local businesses
The same question comes up every few weeks in the trade and small business forums, and the answers land in roughly the same place. A flashy website on its own does not bring in work. Reviews on Google do. Local Facebook groups and word of mouth do.
One cleaning business owner put it plainly: they paid a few thousand dollars for a nice looking site and it did not move the needle, and what actually worked was keeping their Google Business Profile up to date. That is a fair lesson, but notice what failed. It was a site nobody could find, not the idea of a website.
The other point that comes up again and again is that the older clients, the ones with the bigger jobs, want to see a website before they ring. A Facebook page alone reads as a side hustle to them, fairly or not.
First, a verified Google Business Profile with the right categories, your service area, real photos of your work and your hours. This costs nothing and it is what shows up in the map when someone searches for your trade near them.
Second, reviews. Ask every happy customer, and ask them to mention the job and the suburb. A review that says great bathroom renovation in Ringwood does more for you than one that just says great guy.
Third, a simple website. One page per service and a clear list of the suburbs you cover is enough. It does not need to be flashy. It needs to load fast on a phone, show your number at the top, and say plainly what you do and where.
Facebook and Instagram are worth keeping for photos of finished jobs, but they sit on top of the above, not instead of it.
More people now ask ChatGPT or Google AI Mode for a recommended plumber or electrician instead of scrolling results. Those tools pull from websites, reviews and directories to decide who to name. A tradie with only a Facebook page gives them almost nothing to work with, so they name someone else.
Your website is also the one thing you own. Facebook can change what it shows, and a directory can charge you to be listed. Your own site and your Google Business Profile keep working whatever the platforms decide.
It helps, but it is not enough on its own. Google rarely shows Facebook pages for searches like electrician near me, customers with bigger jobs often want a proper website, and AI Search tools have little to go on. Keep Facebook for photos of your work and pair it with a Google Business Profile and a simple site.
Your phone number at the top of every page, one page for each service, the suburbs you cover, photos of real jobs, your licence details where they apply, and a few reviews. It should load quickly on a phone. Most tradie sites need no more than that.
A freelancer typically charges $1,500 to $5,000 up front and an agency far more. DIY builders are $15 to $50 a month but you do the work. I charge $225 a month with no build fee, which covers the site, changes and the search work.
Not urgently. If your diary is full, a Google Business Profile with good reviews may be all you need for now. A website matters once you want to choose your jobs, lift your prices or grow past referrals, because that is when strangers need a reason to trust you.
I build websites for Melbourne businesses and do the search work as part of it. $225 per month, no build fee.
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