How a customer finds a plumber at 9pm

Picture a burst pipe on a weeknight. The homeowner doesn't reach for a directory or wait for a friend's recommendation. They search "emergency plumber near me" on their phone, look at the first few businesses on the map, and call the one that seems reliable and picks up.

More and more, they also just ask: "Who's a good plumber in Coogee?" They might ask Google, which now often answers with an AI summary at the top of the page. Or they ask ChatGPT, Siri or Gemini, and get back two or three names.

That's the shift. Customers used to search and then compare a page of links. Now they increasingly get a shortlist, picked for them by Google's map or by an AI assistant. If you're not on that shortlist, you don't get a chance to quote.

The good news: the businesses that make the shortlist aren't the biggest or the ones spending the most on ads. They're the ones that give Google and AI tools the clearest, most consistent picture of what they do, where they work and what customers say about them. That's something any tradie can fix, and this guide shows you how.

The three places customers look for a tradie now

Most customers touch more than one of these before they call. They find you on the map, check your website, and maybe ask an AI assistant whether you're any good. Each one needs to tell the same story.

1. Google Maps: where most local calls start

For "near me" searches, Google shows a map with a short list of businesses before any websites. Plenty of customers call straight from there without ever opening a website.

Google says three things decide who appears there (source):

• Relevance: how well your profile matches what they searched. Complete, detailed information helps.

• Distance: how close you are to the person searching, or to the area they named.

• Prominence: how well known you are. The number and rating of your Google reviews count here, along with links from other websites.

You can't change where your yard is. But relevance and prominence are almost entirely in your hands, and Google is clear that you can't pay for a better local ranking.

2. Google search: where they check you out

If they don't call from the map, they tap through to your website to decide. This is where you win or lose the job. They want to see, in a few seconds on their phone: that you do this exact job, that you cover their suburb, that other people trust you, and how to get hold of you.

A website with one generic "Services" page and a contact form at the bottom loses here, even if your work is better than the competition's.

3. AI assistants: the new shortlist

Ask ChatGPT "who's a good electrician in Cronulla?" and it won't give you a page of links. It gives you a shortlist of three or four names, each with a rating, a phone number and a one-line reason to call them. Google's AI summaries, Siri and Gemini work the same way.

Notice what it based its picks on: customer reviews and location. Those are the same signals that decide who shows up on Google Maps, which is why the fixes below work for both.

These tools don't have a secret list of tradies. They read what's already on the web about local businesses and pick the ones they can describe with confidence. The next section explains what that means for you.

How AI assistants decide which tradie to recommend

An AI assistant is a bit like a new neighbour asking around. It recommends the businesses it keeps hearing the same good things about, from sources it trusts. Four things make the biggest difference.

1. Your details match everywhere. Your business name, phone number, service area and trading hours should be identical on your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook page and any directories. If one says "Harbourline Plumbing Pty Ltd" with an old mobile number and another says "Harbourline Plumbing & Gas", the AI is less sure they're the same business, and less likely to name you.

2. Your website says exactly what you do and where. "We do all plumbing" gives an AI nothing to work with. "Licensed plumber in Coogee, Randwick and Maroubra. Blocked drains, hot water and gas fitting, 24/7 emergency call-outs" gives it a sentence it can repeat. That's also why a separate page for each main service and area helps so much.

3. Customers describe your work in reviews. AI tools read review text, not just the star rating. A review that says "fixed our hot water system in Bondi the same day" tells the AI what you do, where, and how well. Ask happy customers to mention the job and the suburb.

4. Your website is easy for machines to read. Key details should be written as text on the page, not buried in an image or a PDF. Behind the scenes, a small block of code called structured data (or schema) labels your business type, service areas, hours and reviews in a format search engines and AI tools understand. Customers never see it, but the tools reading your site do.

One more thing worth knowing: AI assistants don't all use Google. ChatGPT's search draws heavily on Bing, and Siri leans on Apple Maps. A free Bing Places listing and an Apple Business Connect listing take about 20 minutes each and widen the net.

Five things to fix this month

You don't need to do everything at once. Start here, in this order. The first three you can do from your phone.

1. Claim and fill in your Google Business Profile. Pick the most specific main category ("Plumber", not "Contractor"), add every service you offer, set your service area to the suburbs you actually want work in, and keep your hours right, including public holidays.

2. Get more Google reviews, and reply to all of them. Send a short text with your review link straight after a job, while the customer is happy. Ask them to mention what you did and where. Reply to every review, good or bad, in a sentence or two.

3. Add real job photos every month. Before-and-after shots from your phone are perfect. Profiles with fresh photos look active, and customers trust real work over stock images.

4. Make your website answer the 10-second test. On a phone, a customer should see within seconds: what you do, which suburbs you cover, your licence number, your reviews, and a button to call. Add a quote form that lets them send a photo of the job.

5. Make your details match everywhere. Check your name, phone, service area and hours on your website, Google, Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and any directories you're listed on. Fix anything that doesn't match exactly.

Want the step-by-step version? Download The Tradie's Local Search Checklist: a free 2-page checklist covering every setting, a review request text you can copy and paste, and the 10-second website test. Download the free checklist →

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay to show up first on Google Maps?

Not in the regular map results. Google states there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. You can pay for ads that appear above the map, marked as sponsored, but the regular results come down to relevance, distance and prominence.

Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my business?

No. AI assistants build their answers from what's already published about local businesses: websites, reviews and listings. The way in is making sure that information is clear, complete and consistent.

Do I still need a website if I'm on Google Maps and hipages?

Yes. Your profile and directory listings get you noticed, but your website is where customers decide and where AI tools find the detail they need to describe you. It's also the only place where enquiries come to you without a per-lead fee.

How many Google reviews do I need?

There's no magic number. What matters is having more recent, detailed reviews than the other tradies in your area, and replying to them. A steady few each month beats a burst of 30 and then nothing.

How long does it take to see results?

Fixing your Google Business Profile and listings can make a difference within a few weeks. Website and review improvements build over months. The earlier you start, the further ahead of local competitors you'll be.

I don't have time for any of this. What's the minimum?

Do the first two items on the list: fill in your Google Business Profile properly and ask every happy customer for a review. Those two alone put you ahead of most tradies in your area.

The short version

Customers still find tradies through search, but the search now hands them a shortlist. Google's map picks a few names, and AI assistants pick two or three. The tradies on that list are the ones whose profile, website and reviews all tell the same clear story.

If you'd rather be on the tools than fiddling with settings, that's exactly what we're here for. Studio Vora builds websites for trades and home services businesses across Australia and looks after them afterwards. Send us a photo of a finished job or a price change on WhatsApp, and we'll update your site, keep your Google profile in shape and handle the technical side. You don't need to understand tech. We handle it, ongoing.

Start with the free checklist. See how we build websites for tradies →

Sources

• How to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help