Your Facebook Page Isn’t a Website (And It’s Costing You Jobs

The Uncomfortable Truth About Your Online Presence

Look, I get it. You’re a busy tradie. You’ve got a Facebook page, you post a few photos of your work, and the odd lead trickles in. You figure, “She’ll be right.” But what if I told you that relying on Facebook is like building your house on rented land? You’re leaving a ton of money on the table, and you don’t even realise it.

Word-of-mouth is great, and a solid reputation is gold. But in 2026, the first thing a potential customer does when they hear your name — or find you on a lead platform — is Google you. If they can’t find a professional website, their trust in your business takes a nosedive. They start to wonder if you’re a legitimate, long-term operation or just a bloke with a Ute and a mobile number. Fair or not, that’s the reality.

The stats back this up. The vast majority of consumers research a business online before making a decision. If all they find is a Facebook page with a few random posts and a profile picture of your dog, they’re going to move on to the next bloke who looks more professional.

Why Your Facebook Page Is a Liability, Not an Asset

Your Facebook page is not your asset. You don’t own it. Meta does. They can change the algorithm tomorrow and your reach could disappear overnight. They can suspend your account for no clear reason, and all your photos, reviews, and contacts are gone in a flash. It’s happened to plenty of businesses. Beyond the ownership issue, Facebook pages are terrible at converting visitors into leads.

There’s no clear call to action, no structured layout to guide someone from “I’m interested” to “I’m calling now.” Your posts are buried in a feed alongside cat videos and political arguments. It’s not exactly a professional sales environment. A professional website, on the other hand, is yours. You control the message, you own the leads, and it’s an asset that builds value for your business over time. It’s designed with one purpose: to turn a visitor into a customer.

5 Reasons a Real Website Gets You More Work

If you’re serious about growing your trade business, a website isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ — it’s an essential tool. Here’s why it makes a real difference.

1. It Builds Instant Trust and Credibility

A clean, professional website shows you take your business seriously. It tells customers you’re not a fly-by-nighter. It’s your digital storefront, and it gives them the confidence to pick up the phone. Think about it from their perspective: they’re about to let someone into their home or trust them with a major renovation. They want to know you’re the real deal.

2. You Own Your Leads

When someone fills out a contact form on your website, that lead is yours and yours alone. You’re not competing with five other tradies who bought the same lead from a platform like HiPages. You’re not in a race to the bottom on price. You can build a real customer database that you control, and you can follow up on your terms.

3. You Can Showcase Your Best Work Properly

A website is the ultimate portfolio. You can create detailed galleries of your best projects, share video walkthroughs, and display testimonials from happy clients. Forget blurry, compressed Facebook photos that get lost in a feed — a website lets you display your work in high resolution, organised by project type, so potential clients can see exactly the kind of work you do.

4. You Get Found on Google

When people need a tradie, they don’t search on Facebook. They search on Google. Terms like “electrician in Ballarat” or “plumber Eastern suburbs Melbourne” are typed into Google thousands of times a day. Without a website, you have zero chance of showing up in those results. With a properly optimised website, you can start appearing for the exact searches your ideal customers are making.

5. It Works For You 24 ⁄7 , 365 Days a Year

Your website is your hardest-working employee. It’s available around the clock, answering questions, showcasing your work, and capturing leads while you’re on the tools, with your family, or asleep. A customer can find you at 11pm on a Sunday night, browse your work, and submit an enquiry — all without you lifting a finger.

What Makes a Good Tradie Website?

It doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, simpler is better. A great tradie website needs just four things. First, it must be mobile-friendly, because most people will find you on their phone. Second, it must be fast — if it takes more than a few seconds to load, they’re gone. Third, your phone number must be easy to find, ideally at the top of every page and as a clickable button on mobile. And fourth, it must have great photos of your actual work. Stock photos of smiling tradies don’t cut it. Show your real projects.

Stop Renting, Start Owning

Your business deserves a permanent home online, not a temporary spot on someone else’s platform. A professional website is the single best investment you can make in the long-term growth and stability of your trade business. It’s the foundation everything else — your ads, your SEO, your content — is built on.

Ready to get a website that actually gets you work? At Shift Tech Media, we build highconverting websites for Aussie tradies for $999 upfront, with no ongoing costs for the first 12 months. No fluff, just results?

[Book a free, no-BS 15-minute chat with us today.]