What to put in your business listing so people actually enquire
Two electricians list on the same directory. One gets steady enquiries, the other gets crickets. Same trade, same suburb, same price bracket. The difference is almost always what’s on the page. A listing is a little sales pitch that runs unattended, and like any pitch it can be done well or badly.
Here’s what the well-done version includes, section by section.
A title that says what you are
Customers scan. “Bright Spark Electrical” is a fine business name, but “Bright Spark Electrical, Wollongong electrician” is a better listing title, because it answers the scan: right trade, right area. If your business name doesn’t say what you do, your title needs to.
A description written for one nervous stranger
The person reading your listing doesn’t know you. They’re mildly worried about being overcharged, stood up or lumped with dodgy work. Write to that person, in the second person, like you’d talk at the front door:
- What you do, plainly. Name the services. “Switchboard upgrades, fault finding, ceiling fans” beats “all electrical needs”.
- Where you work. Name the suburbs. People search for their own suburb, not “the greater region”.
- Why you’re the safe choice. Licence number, years on the tools, insurance, guarantees. Facts, not adjectives.
Leave out the paragraph about your passion for excellence. Every listing has one, so it says nothing.
Photos of your actual work
Stock photos are wallpaper; readers scroll straight past them. What stops the scroll is the real thing: your van, your work, you. Before-and-after pairs are the strongest performers for trades and services, because they show the exact transformation the customer is hoping to buy. Five to ten real photos is plenty.
Credentials where people can see them
If you’re licensed, insured or certified, say so on the listing, not just in your paperwork. On Soho’s, add your credentials to your profile. Trust markers work hardest on strangers, and strangers are the whole audience.
Reviews, and replies to reviews
You can’t write your own reviews, but you can collect them (ask every happy customer, same day, with a direct link) and you can reply to them. Replies are underrated: they show there’s a responsive human behind the page. Even a short “Thanks Maria, enjoy the new deck” does the job.
A way to act right now
The reader is ready. Now what? Make sure your listing has current hours, a working phone number and, if your work suits it, online booking switched on so they can lock in a time on the spot. A reader who has to come back tomorrow often doesn’t.
The ten-minute audit
Open your listing on your phone and read it as the nervous stranger. Does the title say what you are? Could they list three services you offer? Would they know why you’re safe? Can they book? Fix whatever fails, and you’ve done more for your enquiry rate than most paid advertising would.
Put a complete listing to work
Create your free Soho’s listing and fill in every section. Complete profiles are what turn searchers into enquiries.
