How to get found on Google for your trade

You do great work, but when someone in your area types “electrician near me” or “plumber central coast” into Google, you’re nowhere. It’s not that your site is bad - it’s that a few quiet signals Google looks for are missing. Here are the ones that matter most, cheapest first. None of this costs a cent.

First: understand the two ways people find you

• The map (the “map pack”) - the three businesses with the little map at the top. This is your Google Business Profile, and it’s the single biggest lever for a local trade. Start here.
• The blue links below it - that’s your website ranking. Titles, headings and content decide this.

Most local jobs come from the map. So do that first.

Fix 1: Your Google Business Profile (the biggest win)

If you do one thing, do this. Search your business name on Google - if a panel comes up on the right, claim it (there’s a “Own this business?” link). If nothing comes up, create one free at google.com/business.

Then fill in everything:

• Every service you offer (don’t be shy - list them all)
• Your service areas (each suburb you cover)
• Real photos of your work, not stock images
• Your hours, phone, and website

And the part most tradies skip: ask every happy customer for a review. A business with 30 reviews beats one with 3, almost every time. Just text them the link after the job.

Fix 2: Your page titles

This is the single most overlooked website fix. Your page title is what Google reads first to decide what you rank for - and most trade sites just say the business name.

• Weak: RB Electrical
• Strong: Electrician Central Coast | RB Electrical

See the difference? The second one tells Google exactly the trade and the place you want to be found for. Set a title like that on every page, matching the page - your home page gets your main trade and area, a service page gets that service.

On Squarespace, Wix or most builders, this is in each page’s SEO settings - no rebuild needed.

Fix 3: A real heading on every page (your H1)

Every page should have one clear main heading - what the pros call an H1 - that says what the page is about. Google leans on it heavily.

Your home page heading should be something like “Electrician on the Central Coast” - not a slogan like “We make bright ideas come to life”. Save the clever line for underneath; lead with the plain one that says what you do and where.

Fix 4: The description under your search result

When you show up in Google, there’s a line of text under the link. If you haven’t set it, Google either guesses or shows leftover placeholder text (a surprising number of sites still show “Use this space to add a description” - don’t be one).

Write one plain sentence per page: what you do, where, and why someone’d call you. Same SEO settings area as the title.

Fix 5: Name your photos

Google can’t “see” a photo - it reads the alt text, the label attached to each image. Blank alt text is a missed chance to show up in image searches.

Give each photo a short, honest description: garden deck lighting, Avoca Beach beats IMG_4821. Every website builder has an alt-text box on each image.

The order that matters

1. Google Business Profile - claim it, fill it, get reviews. Biggest win.
2. Page titles with your trade + area.
3. One clear heading per page.
4. Descriptions for each page.
5. Alt text on your photos.

Do them in that order and you’ll move the needle without spending a dollar. It won’t happen overnight - Google takes a few weeks to catch up - but these are the foundations every findable trade site is built on.