If you’re a tradie in Nelson — a plumber, electrician, builder, painter — there’s a good chance your online presence is a Facebook page you set up a few years ago and update when you remember to. And honestly? That’s not nothing. Facebook works for a lot of local tradespeople. But there are some real limits worth knowing about.
What Facebook does well
Facebook is free, it’s familiar, and most of your customers are already on it. You can post photos of recent jobs, collect reviews, run a quick ad if you want to fill a slow week, and message people directly. For word-of-mouth businesses that rely on referrals and repeat customers, it can be enough.
If you’re a one-person operation with more work than you can handle, and every new job comes through someone your existing clients know — you probably don’t need a website urgently. You’ve already got a business that works.
Where Facebook falls short
The problem isn’t Facebook itself — it’s what you don’t control.
You don’t own it. Facebook can change the algorithm, limit who sees your posts, or (in theory) lock you out of your page. Your business presence is built on someone else’s platform.
You’re invisible on Google. When someone in Nelson searches “plumber Nelson” or “electrician Motueka” at 10pm on a Sunday, they’re not on Facebook — they’re on Google. If you don’t have a website, you’re not in those results. A Facebook page doesn’t rank the same way.
It can look less professional than you are. First impressions matter. A tradie with a clean, fast website that shows their work, lists their services clearly, and has a phone number at the top looks more established than one who doesn’t — even if the tradie with no website is twice as good at the job.
You can’t control the experience. Facebook decides what your page looks like. You can’t lead with exactly the information you want, in the order you want, without distractions from other posts, ads, or suggested pages.
What a website actually gives you
A good tradie website doesn’t need to be complicated. Five pages maximum: home, services, about, gallery, contact. That’s it.
What it gives you:
- Google visibility — show up when people search your trade and your area
- A professional first impression — a real URL, your own branding, no Facebook clutter
- Control — your phone number front and centre, your best photos, your actual service area
- Credibility — especially for larger jobs where customers are choosing between two or three quotes
The gallery matters more than most tradies expect. People hiring a builder or painter want to see the work. A clean before-and-after section on your own site is more trustworthy than scrolling through a Facebook page looking for photos between shares and check-ins.
The honest answer
If you’re choosing between a Facebook page and nothing — choose Facebook. It’s better than being unfindable.
But if you want to grow your enquiries, appear in Google searches, and look as professional as the work you actually do — a website is worth it. For most tradie businesses in the Nelson region, a clean 4–5 page site in the $3,500–$5,000 range will pay for itself in a handful of jobs.
The best setup is both: a website that ranks on Google and builds credibility, and a Facebook page for photos and local community. They work well together.
Virgola builds websites for small businesses and tradies across Nelson, Tasman, and Marlborough. Get in touch if you’d like to talk through what makes sense for your business.