You've got $1,000 to spend on marketing and four options competing for it: SEO, Google Ads, hipages and Facebook. Each one has a salesperson telling you it's the answer.
I'm an SEO consultant, so you might expect me to say "spend it all on SEO". I won't. With $1,000, the right answer depends on one question. Do you need work this month, or do you want steady work next year?
Here's what each option really costs, and how I'd split the money.
Start with the free stuff first
Before you spend a dollar, do the things that only cost time. They make every paid option work better.
- Set up your Google Business Profile properly. Pick the right category, add your service areas, list every service and upload real photos of your work. This is what gets you into the Google Maps results when someone searches "electrician Toowoomba".
- Ask for reviews. Text every happy customer a direct link to your Google review page. A steady trickle of recent reviews beats a big batch from two years ago.
- Make your details match everywhere. Your business name and phone number should be the same on your website, Google, Facebook, hipages and your ute. Mismatches confuse Google and customers.
- Answer the phone, or call back fast. The tradie who answers first usually wins the job. No marketing fixes missed calls.
If you do nothing else in this article, do these four things.
What each option really costs
Google Ads: fast, but you pay for every click
Google Ads puts you at the top of the search results today. That's its strength. If your diary has gaps next week, nothing else works as fast.
The catch is cost. You pay for every click, whether or not that person calls. Trade clicks can cost a few dollars in quieter categories and a lot more for competitive ones. One agency's September 2026 estimates put plumber clicks in Adelaide at around $53 each. Google also adds 10% GST to ad spend for Australian businesses.
So $1,000 might buy you 20 clicks or 200, depending on your trade and suburbs. Ads work best when you:
- target only the suburbs you actually service
- bid on specific jobs like "hot water system replacement Toowoomba", not broad terms like "plumber"
- send each click to a page about that job, not your homepage
- track calls, so you know which clicks turned into work
The moment you stop paying, the calls stop too.
hipages: work this week, at a price
hipages connects you with people who've posted a job. In 2026 its memberships run from $139 to $649 a month plus GST, and you spend credits to accept each lead. The credit price changes with your trade, location and job size, and each lead can go to up to three businesses.
That last part matters. If you win one lead in three, every job you win carries the cost of the two you lost. On a $3,000 bathroom job, that's fine. On a $150 callout, it can wipe out your margin.
hipages is useful when you're new and need work quickly. It's risky as your only source of jobs, because you don't own the customer relationship or the visibility. Check current pricing and the contract terms before you sign.
Facebook: good for showing off, not for emergencies
Nobody scrolls Facebook looking for an emergency plumber. When something breaks, people search Google. Facebook works better for visual, planned work like decks, landscaping, renovations and roof restorations.
A small boost on a good before-and-after post can keep you front of mind in your area. Helping out in local community groups is free and often works better than ads. For most trades, Facebook is a supporting act, not your main source of leads.
SEO: slow to start, cheapest over time
SEO is about ranking in Google's free results and the map pack for the jobs you want. It takes months, not days. Most tradies I work with see real movement within three to six months, with steady leads building after that.
The upside is that SEO leads don't cost you per click or per lead. Once you rank, the calls keep coming without a meter running.
Here's the honest part. $1,000 won't buy ongoing SEO for tradies from anyone good, because proper monthly SEO costs more than that. What $1,000 can buy is a solid start: fixing your website basics and getting a plan you can follow.
How I'd split your first $1,000
It depends on where your business is at right now.
| Where the money goes | Need work this month | Busy, want steady leads later |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile and reviews | $0, your time | $0, your time |
| Google Ads, tightly targeted | $550 | $200 |
| hipages Starter plan, one month | $150 (optional) | $0 |
| Website fixes and service pages | $200 | $500 |
| SEO audit and plan | $0 | $250 |
| Facebook boost on your best project | $100 | $50 |
If you need work this month, lean on Google Ads and keep it tight. Spend the website money on one strong page for your most profitable job, so ad clicks land somewhere useful. Only add hipages if your jobs are big enough to absorb the lead cost.
If you're busy but want to rely less on ads and lead sites, put most of the money into your website and a plan. Build a page for each main service you offer, with good on-page SEO so Google knows what you do and where. A one-off SEO consulting session gives you a clear list of fixes to work through. Keep a small ads budget for quiet weeks.
What to skip
Some things look like marketing but rarely bring in work on a small budget:
- Premium listings on directories you've never heard of. A top spot on a small directory rarely makes the phone ring.
- Cheap SEO packages. Anyone promising page one for $99 a month can't do the real work at that price, and some shortcuts can get your site penalised.
- Paying for likes or followers. They don't call you.
- A brand-new website before the basics. A flashy site no one finds won't help. Fix your Google Business Profile first.
- Radio or newspaper ads. $1,000 is too little to make an impact there.
Track every lead
Whatever you choose, ask every new customer how they found you and write it down. A simple spreadsheet with the date, job, source and job value is enough.
After three months, you'll know which dollars worked hardest. Then move your next $1,000 there.
Spend your next $1,000 smarter
Your first $1,000 is about learning what works for your trade in your area. Start with the free basics, use paid options for short-term work, and build toward leads you own. Over time, the aim is fewer leads you pay for one by one, and more that come straight to you.
I work with electricians, plumbers and roofers across Toowoomba and Brisbane. If you'd like help deciding where your money should go, book a free SEO strategy call. Let's talk.
Questions tradies ask about marketing budgets
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It's enough to fix your basics and test one paid channel. It isn't enough for ongoing SEO or a long ad campaign. Treat it as a test to learn which channel works for your trade and area.
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Often both. Google Ads brings calls quickly but stops when you stop paying. SEO takes three to six months to build but keeps bringing leads without paying per click. Many tradies run ads while their SEO builds, then reduce their ad spend.
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It can be when you're new or have gaps to fill, especially for higher-value jobs. Each lead can go to up to three businesses, so work out your cost per job won, not per lead. Avoid relying on it as your only source of work.
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They work best for visual, planned jobs like landscaping, decks and renovations. They rarely work for urgent jobs, because people search Google when something breaks.
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A well set-up Google Business Profile with a steady flow of reviews. It's free and puts you in the Google Maps results for local searches.