Articles / Getting found
Do I need a new website first?
The short version
Usually not. Most tradie sites are fine underneath — they’re just missing the pages that would rank. A new site is worth it in two cases: it’s slow or broken on a phone, or it won’t let you add pages. Otherwise you’ll get further, sooner, by fixing and adding to what you have.
It’s a fair question, and an agency that tells everyone to rebuild is usually selling a rebuild. The truth is simpler. Most of the time the site you already have is a perfectly good place to start.
Why the answer is usually no
When a tradie site isn’t bringing in work, the problem is rarely how it looks. It’s that there’s nothing on it for Google to show. One page that says “we do roofing, plumbing and gutters across Melbourne” can’t compete with a page built for each service in each suburb. Adding those pages doesn’t need a new site.
A rebuild also carries a risk of its own. Change the addresses of pages that already rank and you can lose what you’ve built unless it’s handled carefully. A rebuild done for the sake of it can set you back before you move forward.
When a new website is the right call
- It’s slow or broken on a phone. Most people searching for a tradie are on mobile. If your site is slow to load, hard to read or hard to tap, you’re losing enquiries before SEO does anything, and you’re giving Google a reason to rank you lower.
- It won’t let you add pages. Some site builders and old platforms lock you in. If you can’t add a page for each service and suburb, SEO has nothing to work with, and no amount of effort fixes that.
How to tell which one you are
- Open your site on your phone, on mobile data. Does it load quickly, read cleanly, and make your phone number easy to tap?
- Try to add a new page. Can you, or can whoever looks after your site?
- Search your trade plus your suburb. Is there a page of yours that’s clearly about that, or just a general home page?
If the first two are fine and the third is the problem, you don’t need a new site. You need more of the right pages.
What we do about it
We fix what’s there and add the pages that are missing wherever we can. If a site really does need rebuilding, we build and fix it, so you’re not paying one company to tell you the problem and another to solve it. Either way you’ll hear which one it is before you spend anything.
Questions
Quick answers.
Do I need a new website before I start SEO?
Usually not. Most tradie sites can be improved and added to. A rebuild is only needed if the site is slow or broken on mobile, or if it won’t let you add pages.
Will a new website improve my Google rankings on its own?
Not by itself. Rankings come from having the right pages, a complete Google profile and steady work over time. A new design with the same few pages won’t move much.
Can a rebuild hurt my rankings?
It can, if the addresses of pages that already rank change and aren’t redirected properly. That’s one reason not to rebuild unless there’s a real need.
Can you fix my site, or do you only do SEO?
We do both. We fix and add to what’s there, and we build a new site when that is the better option.
Not sure which one you are? The same-day audit tells you — free, and you get the answer whether or not you hire us. Or email louie@superseo.com.au.
Get the audit