Do Tradies Need a Website or Is Facebook Enough? (2026)

A Facebook page is enough to get started if most of your work comes from word of mouth and you’re already busy. If you want new customers who don’t know you yet, you need a website and a Google Business Profile, because that’s where people look when something breaks. Facebook is good for showing off finished jobs to people who already know you. It’s poor at being found by strangers searching for a tradie.

Updated November 2026.

Website vs Facebook page: what each one does for a tradie

Where do tradie enquiries actually come from?

In our Tradie Lead Cost Report 2026, we counted 1,266 enquiries across 14 trade and home service businesses from May to October 2026. Search engines brought in 38%, Google Business Profile 33%, and Google Ads 11%. Social media brought in about 3%.

Read that with three caveats. First, these are businesses that hired us, and most of our work for them is on Google, so it leans that way. Second, it counts enquiries made through the website and calls from the Google listing. A message sent straight to a Facebook page isn’t in it. A tradie who posts every day in local Facebook groups could see a very different split. Third, the Google Business Profile figure counts taps on the call button, and one person can tap more than once.

What it does show is that for these businesses, people searching Google and other search engines brought in most of the work. A Facebook page alone isn’t set up to catch that.

Facebook still matters. The ACMA found 78% of Australian adults used Facebook in the first half of 2025, more than any other platform. That’s why it works well for referrals and local groups. People are there to catch up, though, not to search for a tradie.

When is a Facebook page enough?

• You’re already booked out weeks ahead.
• Most of your work comes from builders or other trades, not the public.
• Nearly every job comes from a referral, and people just want to see some photos before they call.
• You’re just starting out and can’t spend anything yet. In that case, set up your Google Business Profile at the same time. It’s free.

When do you need a website?

• You want work from people who don’t know you yet.
• You want to show up for searches like “locksmith Ringwood” or “hot water repairs near me”.
• You want to run Google Ads. Ads need somewhere to send people, and in our experience a page built for one service turns more clicks into calls than a Facebook page.
• You want customers to see your licence, your service areas and your reviews in one place before they ring.

The risk of relying on Facebook alone

Your Facebook page sits on Meta’s platform. Meta’s Terms of Service say it can remove or restrict content that breaks its rules, and suspend or disable accounts. If your page is restricted or your personal account gets locked, your reviews, photos and messages can go with it until it’s sorted.

A website on a domain registered in your business name is yours. If you change who builds it, you take the domain with you. Whoever you use, make sure the domain is in your name and you have the login.

What should a tradie set up first?

1. Google Business Profile. Free, and it puts you on Google Maps. Our guide on how to rank on Google Maps covers the setup.
2. A simple website. A page for each main service, the suburbs you cover, real job photos, your reviews and a phone number you can tap. See what a tradie website costs.
3. A Facebook page. Post finished jobs and link to your website and Google profile. Keep it if it brings work. It doesn’t need to be your main shop front.

If you’d like a hand, our Spark plan is $100 a week plus GST and includes a website built and hosted for you, plus your Google Business Profile looked after. Because we build the site without charging up front, it stays ours until you’ve made 26 weekly payments, then it’s yours. Details are on our pricing page.