// Guides
Guides for tradies
Straight answers on winning more work and losing fewer jobs to the phone, written for tradies who would rather be on the tools than at a laptop.
- All trades15 Oct 20266 min read
hipages alternatives for tradies (and the one most miss)
The other lead platforms after Oneflare closed, how each one charges, and the lead source most tradies overlook: the calls already ringing your own number. Then the slow second move, your own Google presence.
Read guide - All trades15 Oct 20267 min read
Voicemail vs missed-call text-back: why your MessageBank is losing you jobs
Voicemail and missed-call text-back both catch the calls you can't answer, but only one of them gets a reply from the caller. What each one does, why they race each other, and how to turn voicemail off on Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and an iPhone.
Read guide - All trades14 Oct 20266 min read
AI receptionist vs missed-call text-back vs answering service: what a tradie actually needs (AU prices)
Three ways to stop losing jobs to the calls you miss, with the Australian prices their makers publish. When an AI receptionist or a human answering service is worth it, and when a text back is all you need.
Read guide - 14 Oct 20267 min read
Your Google Business Profile phone number: make sure Google callers reach your text-back
If your Google listing shows an office landline, an old mobile or a call-tracking number, the calls it sends never reach the mobile you divert. How to check which phone rings, change the number, and set up the hours, call button, categories and review replies that decide who calls you.
Read guide - 13 Oct 20264 min read
Optus call divert codes for missed calls (plan and prepaid)
The three Optus divert codes for calls you don't answer, why 10 seconds is a standard Optus ring time, how to switch voicemail off on a plan or prepaid, and what Optus prepaid charges for a diverted call.
Read guide - 13 Oct 20265 min read
Prepaid and budget mobiles: which ones can divert your missed calls?
Brand by brand: which Australian prepaid and budget mobiles can divert unanswered calls to another number, which charge per minute (ALDI Mobile and amaysim 32c, Optus prepaid 10c), and which can't divert at all (Vodafone prepaid).
Read guide - 13 Oct 20265 min read
Telstra call forwarding codes for missed calls (and why the delay is 10 seconds)
The three Telstra divert codes for calls you don't answer, why the ring delay is 10 seconds and not Telstra's documented 15, how to switch MessageBank off first, and the one code that turns it all off.
Read guide - 13 Oct 20264 min read
Vodafone call forwarding for missed calls: works on a plan, not on prepaid
The three Vodafone divert codes for calls you don't answer, why 1210 and 121600 have to come first, why Vodafone prepaid can't divert to another number, and the one code that turns it all off.
Read guide - 15 Sep 20267 min read
How to set up missed-call text-back on your mobile (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone)
Voicemail off first, then three divert codes, then one test call. The steps for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, which prepaid brands can't divert or charge per minute, and how to check it and switch it all off.
Read guide - All trades1 Sep 20265 min read
Will AI agents book your jobs? Get your trade business readable by machines
Customers are starting to ask AI who to call. The tradies who win will be the ones whose business a machine can actually read. Here is what that means and what to do now.
Read guide - Plumbers30 Jun 20266 min read
AI for plumbers: what actually wins you jobs (an honest 2026 guide)
A plain-English guide to where AI genuinely helps a plumbing business in Australia, what it costs in real dollars, what to ignore, and how to start without becoming a techie. Free tools first.
Read guide - Builders22 Jun 20262 min read
AI for builders: what actually helps (and what is just hype)
Where AI genuinely helps a building business win more work and cut admin, where it is overhyped, and how to start without becoming a techie.
Read guide - Electricians22 Jun 20262 min read
AI for electricians: what actually helps (and what is just hype)
Where AI genuinely helps an electrical business win more work and cut admin, where it is overhyped, and how to start without becoming a techie.
Read guide - All trades22 Jun 20262 min read
AI tools for tradies: the ones worth your time in 2026
A plain-English roundup of the AI tools that actually help a trade business win more work and kill admin, what each is good for, and the catch with running them yourself.
Read guide - All trades22 Jun 20262 min read
How much do tradie leads really cost? (the maths nobody shows you)
Lead platforms quote you a price per lead, but that is not what a job actually costs you. Here is the real maths, and the cheaper way to get work.
Read guide - All trades22 Jun 20262 min read
How to actually get more 5-star reviews (the ask that works)
Most tradies do great work and never ask for the review. Here is the simple ask, the right timing, and the wording that turns happy customers into 5 stars.
Read guide - All trades22 Jun 20262 min read
How to rank your trade business on Google (the basics that move it)
You do not need to be an SEO expert to climb the Google results. Here are the few basics that actually move a trade business up, in plain English.
Read guide - Electricians22 Jun 20262 min read
Marketing for electricians in Melbourne: what actually works
A plain-English playbook for Melbourne sparkies who want more of the right jobs, without burning nights on it or renting customers from a lead platform.
Read guide - Plumbers22 Jun 20262 min read
Marketing for plumbers in Melbourne: what actually works
A plain-English playbook for Melbourne plumbers who want more of the right jobs, without wasting nights on it or renting customers from a lead platform.
Read guide - All trades21 Jun 20262 min read
ChatGPT prompts for tradies (copy, paste, done)
Plain-English ChatGPT prompts a tradie can copy and paste today, for quotes, follow-ups, reviews and your website. No prompt-engineering needed.
Read guide - All trades21 Jun 20262 min read
How to set up your Google Business Profile (the bits tradies miss)
Your Google Business Profile is the cheapest, highest-impact thing you can fix today. Here is how to set it up properly, including the bits most tradies skip.
Read guide - All trades19 Jun 20262 min read
How tradies can actually use ChatGPT (without wasting a Sunday on it)
Five quick ways a plumber, sparkie or chippie can use ChatGPT to win more work, plus the catch nobody mentions.
Read guide - All trades17 Jun 20262 min read
Is hipages worth it? An honest take for 2026
Lead platforms can work, but renting your customers has a real cost. When hipages makes sense, and when to build your own pipeline instead.
Read guide - All trades16 Jun 20262 min read
How to reply to a bad Google review (with a template)
One bad review won't sink you. Ignoring it might. Here's a calm, professional reply that wins back the next customer reading it.
Read guide - All trades15 Jun 20262 min read
The 10-minute job that brings back old customers: a text
Your past customer list is the cheapest work you'll ever win. Here's the simple text that gets them calling again.
Read guide - All trades13 Jun 20262 min read
Why a page for each suburb wins you local jobs
When someone searches 'electrician Werribee', Google looks for a page about Werribee. Most tradie sites don't have one. Here's the fix.
Read guide