Free tips for trades owners

A website for a trades business in Canada can cost anything from about $170 a year if you build it yourself to $8,000 or more from an agency. Here's what you get at each level, what it costs to keep running, and how to choose without overpaying.

Homeowners find trades in a lot of places: a neighbour's recommendation, a Facebook group, a Kijiji search, a review site. The trick is to be where your kind of customer actually looks, and not waste money on the rest.

Most of your customers are on Facebook every day. A good business page and a simple posting habit can bring in jobs without spending a dollar. Ads can add more when you're ready.

People on Kijiji are ready to hire, and they compare ads quickly. A clear, honest ad with real photos stands out from the dozens that say “cheap, fast, call now.”

Most happy customers would leave a review. They just don't think of it, or don't know where to go. Your job is to ask at the right moment and make it take 30 seconds.

Photos are the cheapest marketing you have. Profiles and ads with real, recent photos look busier and more trustworthy than ones with none. You already take most of these on your phone.

Most visitors are on a phone, often coming from a Facebook post, a Kijiji ad or a review site. They decide in seconds whether to call you or hit the back button. The top of your home page has to answer three questions: what do you do, where, and how do I reach you?

A blog gives you something useful to share on Facebook and in local groups, and it helps your website show up when people search their questions. You don't need to be a writer. You need to answer the questions you already hear every week.