How Directory Sites Legally Hijack Your Word-of-Mouth Clients
If you do not have a website, directory sites like Hipages can run Google ads targeting your exact business name — a tactic sometimes called brandjacking. When people search for you by name after hearing about you by word-of-mouth, the directory site's ad can appear ahead of you in the search results and it can get the click. Not you. Instead of those customers reaching you directly, they land on the directory's own quote form.
From there, that same job (that should have been yours, because the customer was searching for you in the first place!) gets passed on to several competing tradies who pay the platform for access to leads — and you'd need to be one of them (a paying subscriber!), and then you'd pay to get a shot at the customer who was already trying to find you for free.
It's a legal, above-board business model, not a scam. But it means the word-of-mouth referral that your good reputation has earned for you can end up costing you money, and even then you can still lose the job to a rival who quoted faster or cheaper for the same lead.
The Fix is Simple: Secure your digital footprint with a fast-loading 1-page website that outranks them (because it's exactly what they were searching for!) and it keeps your leads yours.
- Skip the lead fees for customers who already wanted you.
- Own your name in search so directory ads can't cut in front of you.
- No complex tech or monthly agency retainers.