Hipages works. That is not the argument. The argument is how it works, what it costs over time, and whether there is a better way to get the same result.
How hipages works
A homeowner posts a job. Hipages sends it to multiple tradies in the area. Each tradie pays for the lead whether they win the job or not.
That is the model. You are not paying for a job. You are paying for a chance at a job.
The platform sets the rules. It decides which tradies see the lead, what the lead costs, and how many competitors get the same one. You do not control the price, the volume, or the competition.
What it actually costs
Lead prices vary by trade, location and job size. But the maths is simple.
If you pay A$30 per lead and three other tradies get the same one, you have a roughly 25 percent chance of winning that job. To win one job, you might need to pay for four leads: A$120 in lead costs for one job.
Some months that works out. Some months you pay for ten leads and win two. Some months you pay for ten and win none.
The point is: you are renting access to homeowners. When you stop paying, the leads stop. There is no asset left over. No website that keeps working. No pages that show up when someone searches for your trade in your suburb.
How a website works differently
A website does not charge you per lead. Once it is built and live, every enquiry that comes through the quote form or the phone number goes to you and nobody else.
There is no middle platform. There is no monthly lead fee. The homeowner searches "painter [suburb]" or "electrician [suburb]", lands on your page, and contacts you directly.
The difference is ownership. With hipages, you are renting a slot on someone else's platform. With a website, you own the pages. Every service page and every suburb page is yours.
The SEO angle (without the promises)
We do not promise rankings. What we do is build the structure that gives Google something to work with.
A five-page website with one "Services" page does not tell Google what you do or where. A site with 20 to 30+ pages, one for every service and every suburb, gives Google a proper page to show for each search.
That is not a guarantee. It is how search works. The more specific the page, the more relevant it is to a specific search, the more likely it is to show up. That is the difference between "Services" and "Interior Painting in Brunswick Heads".
They are not mutually exclusive
This is not a "delete hipages" argument. Plenty of tradies run both: hipages for short-term leads and a website for long-term visibility.
The question is where the balance should sit. If 100 percent of your leads come from a platform you do not own, you are one price increase or one algorithm change away from trouble.
A website gives you a channel you control. It does not replace hipages overnight, but it reduces what you depend on it for.
What ours cost versus hipages over a year
The Setup Fee is A$500. A$100 Deposit, A$400 Balance on Approval. The Care Plan (monthly, price agreed on the call) keeps it live.
On hipages, if you spend A$300 a month on leads, that is A$3,600 a year. And at the end of the year, you have nothing to show for it. No pages, no asset, no search presence.
After a year with a website, you have 20 to 30+ pages that work for you whether you spend anything else on marketing or not.
The honest comparison
| Hipages | Your own website | |
| Cost | Per lead, ongoing | A$500 setup + Care Plan |
| Leads shared with | Multiple tradies | Nobody |
| You stop paying | Leads stop | Site stays live (on Care Plan) |
| Long-term asset | No | Yes |
| Control over price | No | Yes |
| Rankings | Not yours | Yours to build |
How to start
Book a 15-minute Discovery Call. We will look at what you are paying on platforms now and what a website with proper service and suburb pages would look like for your trade.
Link: Book a 15-minute call
Link: See the A$500 offer
Link: How the process works
Ready for a proper tradie website?
A$500 setup fee. A$100 Deposit starts the Build. 20 to 30+ pages, service and suburb pages, quote form on every page. Full preview in 3 business days.