How to buy access to a professional trade directory

If you want steady, local enquiries without wasting budget, buy access to a professional trade directory that shows verified profiles, offers clear listing tiers, and lets you measure ROI before you pay.

to get access to a trade directory, go to the directory’s pricing page, choose a plan (free or paid), create your business account, submit your ABN, licence and insurance for verification, enter payment details, and publish your profile to go live.

For Trade Heroes specifically, the Free Tradie plan is $0 per month with a basic Directory and Profile listing and one main category.

Awesome Tradie is $92 per month and adds five suburb pages, a follow link, one main and two sub categories. Hero Tradie is $133 per month with ten suburb pages, a capital city page, a follow link, one main and three sub categories. Super Hero Tradie is $183 per month with twenty suburb pages plus capital city and state pages, a follow link, one main and four sub categories. Ultimate Tradie is $225 per month with all suburbs, capital city and state pages, a follow link, one main and six sub categories.

This guide helps sole traders and trade businesses choose the right plan, avoid wasted spend, and start receiving qualified enquiries. You’ll see what a professional trade directory is, how free and paid plans differ, what’s included at each tier, how rankings work, and a simple way to check ROI before you buy.

What is a professional trade directory

A professional trade directory is a verified catalogue of trade businesses where customers can find you in search, view detailed profiles, and contact you directly. As a business search directory and membership website, it enables customers to find and connect with professionals, while allowing businesses to showcase their expertise, share resources, and promote services and events.

Verification fields typically include ABN match to your trading name, licence class and status, and current insurance. Moderation keeps listings accurate and removes spam so a trusted business community can thrive. Unlike job boards where users post ads and wait for bids, a directory website presents searchable business listings with your services offered, past projects, reviews, and a call or quote button.

A quality directory functions like modern yellow pages for Australia, similar to local yellow page websites. It helps small business owners publish business listings, manage member details, and initiate quality connections with local customers who are ready to buy.

Why should I list my trade business on a directory

Directories bring local demand to you, display trust badges, and deliver inbound leads you did not have to chase.

You save hours each week compared with cold outreach, and you win more jobs because verified badges increase trust. With suburb pages and category pages, your profile shows up in front of homeowners searching for electrical work, plumbing, renovations, and repairs in your service area. You control contact details and response windows, which protects your privacy while boosting conversion.

Directory exposure also strengthens brand recognition in your suburb cluster. Think of it as human centred business relationships at scale, supported by searchable profiles, reviews, and consistent NAP data that search engines can index. The directory fosters a strong member community and is designed to support members by helping them grow their businesses and showcase their expertise.

How do trade directories generate leads

They rank profiles in relevant categories and suburbs so homeowners can compare options and contact you by phone, message, or quote form.

Discoverability comes from search filters, category pages, suburb pages, featured placements, and off platform indexing. Your profile can appear on Google because directory profile pages are crawlable and carry structured data, which improves click through rate. Conversion elements include photos of past projects, verified badges for ABN, licence and insurance, recent reviews, and prominent call to action buttons.

Many platforms also run content hubs with professionally written blogs and news that attract organic traffic. When those visitors click through to your profile, you benefit from that top of funnel demand.

Some business directories also sell industry leads to businesses and sell premium memberships that offer enhanced visibility and access to more leads.

See how demand grows: News → https://www.tradeheroes.com.au/news

Do you have to pay to be listed on a trade platform

You can create a free or claimable listing on many local business directories, but paid access unlocks visibility and tools that drive more enquiries. Some platforms offer free listings or allow businesses to claim their listings for free or for a fee, which helps attract new members and increases engagement.

Free profiles usually include basic contact details, one category, and limited photos. Paid membership site tiers add more categories and suburbs, a larger gallery, review invites, analytics, and featured placement. Many platforms provide unlimited membership options with multiple pricing tiers, and the sign up process for upgrading is streamlined, often including payment integration and a dedicated dashboard. Verification applies to all plans to protect consumers. Ads are labelled and never replace verification or moderation.

Free is fine to get indexed and test conversion. Upgrade when you want consistent volume, suburb expansion, and tools that help you manage members of your team, collect reviews, and track ROI. Some platforms also allow unlimited admin accounts for easier team management and delegation.

What is included in a paid trade directory listing

Paid tiers usually add featured placement, more categories and suburbs, richer profiles, review tools, analytics, and priority support.

Common inclusions:

• Featured slots on category and suburb pages that lift CTR.
• Multiple service areas and unlimited category limits where relevant.
• Photo and video galleries to showcase home improvement projects.
• Messaging tools, call tracking, and review invitations.
• Analytics dashboards that integrate with your Google Analytics account.
• Compliance display for ABN, licence, and insurance with badges on profile.
• Support SLAs, a members only area dashboard, and a highly responsive support team.
• Customization options to meet your branding and niche requirements, with many membership website themes available for easy setup and tailored design.
• Ability to sell premium ad space or offer premium ad space to members for additional revenue.
• Tools for posting members only content, allowing you to provide exclusive value and monetize access.
• Admin features to edit member pages for profile management and content moderation.

If you also sell services beyond trade work, some platforms offer services affiliate partnerships where other services affiliate partnerships can be promoted in a members only content block. This can help business growth through cross promotion while keeping your listing trusted and compliant.

How much does it cost to join a trade directory

Expect $0 for a basic profile, $29 to $99 per month for starter tiers, and $149 to $399+ per month for featured coverage across multiple suburbs.

If the platform runs a subscription model, pricing is per month with a discount for annual payment. If it runs pay per lead, typical lead prices range from $10 to $45 based on the trade and job value. Contracts are usually month to month with a 7 to 30 day cancellation window. State GST rules apply, so confirm whether prices are GST inclusive for consumers.

Some platforms offer a monthly support fee, such as $199+gst per month, which covers ongoing support, AI assistance, and training on self-management of your directory website. Aside from this support fee, main costs are typically related to paid add-ons and transaction fees for membership dues, with no mandatory ongoing monthly charges beyond the support plan.

Many platforms also include tools for invoicing and membership dues management, making it easier to handle member payments, subscription setup, discounts, and invoice generation through integrated payment gateways and member self-management features.

Some platforms offer fixed or percentage discounts for annual prepayment. Others combine subscription plus lead credit packs so you can scale with demand. Paid plans are designed to generate recurring revenue for the platform, providing ongoing income streams beyond initial memberships.

Here are the current Trade Heroes plans and inclusions.

Free Tradie — $0 per month

Best for getting started.

• Directory page
• Profile page
• No follow link
• 1 main category
• No sub category

Awesome Tradie — $92 per month

Enhanced listing with more local reach.

• Directory page
• Profile page
• 5 suburb pages
• No state page
• No capital city page
• Follow link
• 1 main category
• 2 sub categories

Hero Tradie — $133 per month

Ideal when you expand into multiple areas.

• Directory page
• Profile page
• 10 suburb pages
• Capital city page
• No state page
• Follow link
• 1 main category
• 3 sub categories

Super Hero Tradie (Most Popular) — $183 per month

Advanced features for high visibility.

• Directory page
• Profile page
• 20 suburb pages
• Capital city page
• State page
• Follow link
• 1 main category
• 4 sub categories

Ultimate Tradie — $225 per month

Maximum reach across your region.

• Directory page
• Profile page
• All suburbs
• Capital city page
• State page
• Follow link
• 1 main category
• 6 sub categories

Prices are monthly. List costs GST inclusive for consumers where required.

Are trade directories that offer free listings worth it

Yes for baseline visibility and citations, then upgrade when you can convert at least 2 to 4 enquiries per month into booked jobs.

Use a free profile to test profile completeness, add 6 photos, write a 100 word intro, and secure your first 3 recent reviews. Track response time and set a follow up script. A new membership website can also help you test the waters by providing a central platform to showcase your services and connect with potential clients. Upgrade when you cap impressions, want more suburb coverage, or need review tools and analytics.

Avoid spreading across dozens of low quality third party websites. Some platforms allow you to create localized membership sites tailored to specific regions or communities, featuring searchable business listings and local hot spots. Focus on one or two reputable sites that enforce verification and moderation, and that actually send qualified traffic.

How do local business directories rank or feature businesses

Ranking typically considers proximity, verification status, profile completeness, recent reviews, response rate, and any paid featured placement.

Improve what you control:

• Keep ABN, licence, insurance, and service areas up to date.
• Upload 6 to 12 photos with short captions.
• Maintain a steady flow of recent reviews with owner responses.
• Reply fast to new enquiries to protect your response metrics.
• Choose a tier with featured placement if you want the top rows.

By optimizing your profile and following these best practices, you can business search directory dominate your local market, increasing your visibility and capturing more leads.

Featured slots may rotate among eligible subscribers. Poor behaviour, spam, or low quality responses can reduce your placement because moderation policies protect consumers and the trusted business community.

How does searchable business listings improve visibility

You appear on category and suburb pages, your profile gets indexed by Google, and reviews lift CTR which leads to more calls and messages.

Most professional directories mark up profiles with structured data, which helps search engines understand your services and location. NAP consistency and map embeds help you rank for local terms. A quick CTR tip: lead with three services, one suburb cluster, and one strong before and after photo.

Track calls and form submissions so you can measure the lift from free vs paid tiers. After setting up Google Analytics, you can also add Google Tag Manager to easily manage multiple tracking codes, such as Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insights, and Microsoft Clarity. Check that premium SSL certified hosting or SSL certified cloud hosting keeps forms secure.

Robust website resources, including ample storage, bandwidth, security, and management tools, are essential for maintaining site performance and visibility.

Can I get leads without paying for a directory

Yes, with a complete free profile, fast replies, and fresh reviews, but paid tiers usually deliver steadier volume and better visibility.

Minimum viable setup:

• 100 percent profile completion with ABN, licence, insurance.
• 5 to 10 recent photos from past projects.
• 3 fresh reviews in the last 90 days.
• Reply in under 1 hour during business hours.

Off platform actions:

• Claim your Google Business Profile and link to your directory profile.
• Publish a one page website with your services and contact details.
• Post your services on a classified ads website to generate additional leads for free.

Test for 30 days. If you see enquiries but want more, upgrade to a starter tier to unlock featured placement and review tools.

Free vs paid plans at a glance

How do I check ROI before paying

Use a simple model: monthly cost, enquiries, close rate, average job value.

Example, Super Hero Tradie

• Cost: $183 per month
• Enquiries: 16
• Close rate: 25 percent → 4 jobs
• Average job value: $650
• Revenue estimate: 4 × $650 = $2,600
• ROI view: $2,600 revenue on $183 cost

Track real numbers in analytics and your booking system. Adjust suburbs or plan as needed.

What should my profile include to convert

Complete, consistent details with proof of quality.

Profile checklist:

• ABN, licence class, insurance expiry
• Service list with 5 to 7 specific tasks
• Suburbs covered, hours, and typical response time
• 6 to 12 photos, including two before and after sets
• A clear 100-word intro focused on outcomes
• Call and message options with a simple CTA
• First three reviews with your replies
• Member LinkedIn details to enhance credibility

Maintain it. Keep members details up to date, update details, add new photos monthly, and keep response times fast to maintain credibility and improve rankings.

Follow up scripts you can copy

Voicemail, 20 seconds

Hi, Sam here from Hamilton Hill. Thanks for the enquiry about air conditioning servicing. I can quote today with photos. I am free 2.00 to 3.00 pm or tomorrow 9.30 to 10.30 am. Call or text 04xx xxx xxx. Speak soon.

SMS for warm leads

Hi, Sam here. Thanks for your message about hot water repairs. I can visit Wednesday morning. Fixed call out $99 credited if we proceed. Reply with your address and a photo of the unit plate.

FAQ

Do paid listings always rank above free profiles

Not always. Proximity, verification status, profile completeness, reviews, and response rate are key ranking inputs. Paid featured placement adds visibility on top.

Do directories provide do follow backlinks that help SEO

Some reputable directories include one do follow backlink on paid tiers, which can help your site’s visibility when the link is relevant and the profile is indexable.

Is pay per lead cheaper than subscription

It depends on volume and close rate. If you convert at 25 to 35 percent and job value is above $500, a subscription can be cheaper per booked job.

Can individual and business members list on the directory

Yes. Many platforms support individual and business members. Choose the account that matches your ABN and licence details.

Can I promote other services

Some directories allow services affiliate partnerships. Keep it relevant and compliant so you do not distract from your core trade services.

Conclusion

Choose Trade Heroes when you want verified profiles, clear pricing, and leads that turn into booked work. You get visibility in the right suburbs, trust badges for ABN, licence, and insurance, and tools to measure ROI without guesswork. Start with a free profile to prove fit, then upgrade to featured placement when you are ready to scale. Our team is local, our platform is built for Australian businesses, and our focus is connecting homeowners with reliable, trustworthy professionals. Plus, you have access to an extensive knowledge centre with how-to videos, support teams, and community forums to help you manage and troubleshoot the platform.