Most tradies I talk to don’t care about SEO. Fair enough. They care about the phone ringing. But here’s the thing. These days the phone rings because somebody typed “bricklayer near me” into Google, and three names came up. If yours wasn’t one of them, that job went to someone else. Simple as that.
I’ve spent a fair bit of time working on the online side of trade businesses in New Zealand. Builders, movers, chauffeurs, and lately a brick and block laying company in Auckland. And honestly, the same handful of things keep making the difference. None of it is fancy. Most of it is just doing the boring stuff properly.
Start With Your Google Business Profile
If you only fix one thing, fix this. Your Google Business Profile is the box that shows up with the map, the star rating and the “Call” button. For local trades, it’s often worth more than your whole website.
Fill in every field. Your real business name, not a keyword-stuffed version. Your service area. Opening hours. And photos. Lots of photos. A bricklayer has a massive advantage here, because the work is so visual. A finished retaining wall or a clean brick veneer says more than any paragraph ever could.
Then keep it alive. Post an update every week or two. A job you just finished, a before-and-after, a quick tip. Google notices profiles that look active.
Reviews Matter More Than You Think
People trust other people. A homeowner comparing two bricklayers will nearly always pick the one with forty reviews over the one with four, even if the prices are close.
So ask. Every single job. The best time is right when the client’s standing there admiring the work. Send them the review link by text that afternoon, while they’re still happy. And reply to every review, good or bad. A calm, polite reply to a grumpy review can actually win you work, because it shows future customers how you deal with problems.
Give Each Service Its Own Page
This one gets missed all the time. A lot of trade websites have one “Services” page with a list of ten things on it. Google has no idea what to rank that page for.
Instead, give each main service its own page. Retaining walls get a page. Residential brickwork gets a page. Plastering gets a page. Each one should explain what you actually do, roughly how the job goes, the areas you cover and what people usually ask. When someone searches “retaining wall builders Auckland”, you want a page that’s clearly about exactly that.
Mr Singh Brick & Block Laying is a decent example. Their site splits brick and block work, retaining walls, residential brickwork and plastering into separate pages, so each one has a fair shot at ranking for its own search.
Show Your Licences and Proof
In New Zealand, a lot of building work has to be done or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. Homeowners are getting smarter about this, and some will check. If you’re an LBP, say so on your site, on your Google profile, everywhere. It builds trust before anyone’s even picked up the phone.
The same goes for project photos with real locations. “Brick boundary wall in Pukekohe” is far more convincing than a stock photo of somebody else’s house.
Get Mentioned on Other Sites
Links from other websites still count. Think of them like word-of-mouth for Google. But quality beats quantity every time.
Good places to start:
- Local business directories that are actually used in your area.
- Suppliers you buy from, who sometimes list trusted installers.
- Builders and architects you work with regularly.
- Guest articles on relevant blogs, like home improvement or property sites.
- Local news or community pages when you do something worth talking about.
Skip the cheap packages promising “500 backlinks for $20”. They’re usually junk links on spammy sites, and they can do more harm than good.
Make It Dead Easy to Contact You
You’d be amazed how many trade sites hide the phone number. Put it at the top of every page. Make it clickable on mobile, because most of your visitors are on their phones, probably standing in their backyard looking at a crumbling wall.
A short quote form helps too. Name, phone, suburb, what they need, and a spot to upload a photo. That’s it. Every extra field you add loses you a few enquiries.
Write Content People Actually Want
You don’t need to blog every week. But a few genuinely useful articles go a long way. Think about the questions clients ask you on site. Do I need consent for this wall? Brick or block? How long will it take? Write the answer down, put it on your site, and you’ve got content that matches real searches.
Keep it honest and in your own voice. Google is getting much better at spotting thin, generic content, and customers can smell it from a mile off.
Track What’s Working
Set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics. They’re free. Check them once a month. Which pages get visits? Which searches bring people in? Where do people drop off? You’ll quickly see what’s worth doing more of.
And track your calls. If you can, use a call tracking number on the website, so you know which enquiries came from online and which came from the van signage.
The Bottom Line
Local SEO for tradies isn’t magic. It’s a tidy Google profile, a steady stream of reviews, clear service pages, a few good links and a website that makes calling you easy. Do those well and keep at it, and the phone does start ringing more.
If you want to see how a trade business lays all this out, have a look at the site for Mr Singh Brick & Block Laying, an LBP bricklaying company in Auckland. It’s a good reminder that the basics, done properly, are usually enough.