If you’re a tradesman (AKA a ‘tradie’) launching or trying to build your own small business, you’re probably planning “how will I grow my business? how will I find customers?”
For tradesmen – whether you’re a plumber, painter, handyman or electrician – or a home services provider – such as gardener or removalist – one of the most popular ways to find customers are through services marketplace websites.
Below are some of the top tradesmen and home services marketplace websites from around the world.
#1 Angie’s List (USA)
Angie’s List was founded in 1995 in the USA and is one of the largest home services and trademan marketplaces in the world. Angie’s List has plenty of good competition (like Thumbtack which is broader, Porch and HomeAdvisor) and there’s no harm in adding yourself to multiple sites if you’re in the US which is such a big market.
Country: USA
#2 ServiceSeeking (Australia)
ServiceSeeking is a top Australian services marketplace (like Angie’s List) that focuses on ‘tradies’ (the Australian nickname for tradesmen) and other home services.
ServiceSeeking’s categories include house painter, builders, plumbers, removalists, wedding photography and accounting. When you need to hire someone – ServiceSeeking sends them to you for free. ServiceSeeking is Australia-wide and therefore covers Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin and Canberra and has had over 3 million users (so you know it’s great).
Link: serviceseeking.com.au
Country: Australia
#3 StarOfService (France)
StarOfService seems to have all the categories you would expect (landscaping, painting, carpet cleaning) but it also has magicians and, of course, chefs. So French, we love it.
Link: starofservice.com
Country: France
#4 GetNinjas (Brazil)
With over 80,000 customers per month, GetNinjas appears to be the market leader in Brazil.
Link: getninjas.com
Country: Brazil
#5 YouDo (Russia)
We’ll be honest, we don’t speak Russian but this site looks like the leading tradesman services site in Russia – and it has a nice website design so it makes the list.
Link: youdo.com
Country: Russia
#6 BuildersCrack (New Zealand)
BuildersCrack is not as big as the other sites on this list and that’s because NZ is a small place – but it makes the list because of its name.
Link: builderscrack.co.nz
Country: NZ
#7 UrbanClap (India)
UrbanClap is focused on India. UrbanClap’s website is professional, all in English with top categories including: home cleaning, appliance repair and painting/renovation. But .. there are also less common categories like “yoga at home” and “wedding services”.
Link: urbanclap.com
Country: India
#8 Checkatrade (UK)
Checkatrade is one of the leading tradesmen and home services websites in the UK.
Link: checkatrade.com
Country: UK
Summary
The marketplaces above are a great source of lead generation for small businesses – if they fit your industry. Once you’ve found a marketplace you like (and that is a fit for what you’re offering), then there’s generally two ways to use these sites:
- Directory – add your profile to a directory and wait for customers to contact you. For example, if you’re a handyman, listing your services on a popular marketplace can help homeowners find and hire you for their projects.
- Quote – create an account, wait for customer job postings and submit quotes to try and win work
Don’t forget, you’ll want to complete a great profile on these sites to maximize your chance of winning work (and this means having a great logo design). Once you have managed to find your leads and decide to ride with it, you’ll also need the right tools in tow. For instance, to accurately build remodeling estimates, you might consider specialized apps that cater specifically for contractors. Such apps not only save time but allow you to look professional and get paid faster.
Want more?
If you’re starting or growing a tradesman business and you need a logo then check out some tradesman logos via the galleries below …
Written by DesignCrowd on Tuesday, September 18, 2018
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.