DIY vs Professional Website: What's Best for Trade Businesses in NZ?

So, How Do You Choose?

Here's the bottom line: You're a tradie, not a web developer.

If you're just starting out and genuinely have hours of free time every week (spoiler: you probably don't), then maybe a DIY platform makes sense. But here's what most tradies realize after wasting 20 hours on Squarespace: your time is worth more than that.

You should be spending your time on quoting and pricing – that's what makes you money. Building a website is a completely different skill set, and trying to learn it while running a business is a recipe for frustration.

What You Actually Need

If you're a builder, plumber, electrician, or any other tradie, here's what you really need:

• A place for people to find you – A professional website they can visit from your business card, flyer, or Google search
• To show up on Google Maps – This is where most of your enquiries will come from. People search "Plumber near me" on Google Maps and pick the closest person. If you're not on that map, you're invisible.
• A connected Google Business Profile – You can set this up without a website, but connecting it to a professional website and optimizing it properly is what gets you found.

That's it. You don't need fancy animations, complex booking systems, or a site that looks like it was built for a tech startup. You need simple, fast, and professional.

The Cost vs. Value Reality Check

Here's What Most Tradies Get Wrong

They think they need to rank #1 for "Auckland Builder" to get work. The truth? Most of your enquiries will come from Google Maps, not broad Google searches.

When someone needs a sparkie urgently, they're not scrolling through 10 pages of Google results. They're opening Google Maps, searching "Electrician near me," and calling the first few that pop up.

To show up on that map, you need:

1. A Google Business Profile (free to set up)
2. A website connected to that profile
3. Proper local SEO optimization

We handle all of that in our packages. No monthly fees. No hidden costs. Just a professional setup that gets you found.

If You Want to Dominate Broad Searches

Now, if you do want to rank #1 for "Auckland Builder" and dominate those broad, competitive keywords, that's a different game. That requires serious, ongoing SEO work – thousands of dollars per month, professional content creation, link building, the whole deal.

We can help with that, but we won't promise miracles. SEO takes time and money, and there are no guarantees. If someone's promising you #1 rankings for $500/month, run.

The Decision You're Really Making

This isn't just about choosing a website provider. The decisions you make about who you contract and how you present your business define who you are as a business.

A professional website sends a message: I'm legitimate. I'm established. I'm not a side-job operation.

Even referrals will Google you before they call. If they find nothing – or worse, find a dodgy-looking DIY site – you've lost trust before the first conversation.

Final Thought

Too many tradies are paying monthly subscriptions for things they don't need. Every month, there's another $30 here, $50 there, and it adds up fast.

We built Groundwork Digital to give you a different option: pay once, own it forever, no ongoing costs. If you need updates, you pay for them. If you don't, you don't.

Simple. Transparent. Professional.