The Carpenter Benchmark

Most Aussie carpenter businesses leave about $4,725/mo on the table. Here’s where the leak is. Every number sourced. No guesses.

What good looks like across the five measures — the Google review bar, the website scorecard, the GBP setup, the ops baseline, and the buyer’s actual questions. Every figure is sourced or labelled. No guesses.

modelled — sizes the leak, not a quote. Average job value (AJV) from modelled: blend: deck 20m² ~$7,250 / pergola ~$6,500 / door install ~$450 / skirting ~$1,900 (40/20/25/15) (tradieverify, serviceseeking); close rate from hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au); default 10 enquiries/month.

Field data · 2026-06-12 · How we score

Where you stand

Five things decide whether a carpenter gets found and gets the call. Here’s where you stand on each — and the number to beat.

The review bar	8 reviews (your suburb)	→
The website scorecard	28/45 vs market 31/45	→
The Google profile	category check primary category review	→
Your numbers	AJV $4,500 · leak $4,725/mo	→
What buyers ask	8 questions to answer in writing	→

Run the Visibility Check — see how you score →

Download the 2-page benchmark (PDF)

The 45-point test for your trade

Carpenter sites score 28 / 45 on the same nine-dimension rubric we ran across 289 Australian trade sites. The market median is 31/45. Read the trade score as a guide, not a hard stat — it rests on 9 AU sites. Your Google review bar above is the harder number. Top of the pack: Saw Coast Projects at 32/45.

The two weakest spots are SEO/AI Usefulness (2.44/5) and Proof Depth (2.78/5). Good sites look good and they convert. They don't answer buyer questions in plain form.

Dimension	Trade average /5
3-Second Clarity	3.67
Visual Polish	3.11
Trust Above Fold	3.11
CTA Clarity	3.56
Local Relevance	3.33
Service Architecture	3.11
Proof Depth weakest	2.78
SEO/AI Usefulness weakest	2.44
Mobile/Speed Confidence	2.89

The one to study

The Sydney Carpenters — thesydneycarpenters.com.au/sydney-carpenters

Copy this: Strong trade-specific service menu and compliance language for Sydney carpentry.

Design direction: Clean local service architecture with clear CTA and proof strip

Build rule. Use AU model for realistic owner-operator structure; use national/US models for scale, proof, conversion and service-page architecture.

You know the bar. Now see if you’re getting seen →

Your Map Pack reality

Your suburb's bar: about 8 Google reviews (Google Places API (New) (field median)). The quiet quarter sits at 3, the top quarter at 18, the busiest carries 209 — across 180 listings.

Reviews here are table stakes. The top-3 (median 8) carry about the same as spots 4–6 (median 10). Hit the bar, then win on distance, category fit, and site signals.

Metro	Median reviews
Adelaide	14
Ballarat	3
Brisbane	10
Cairns	4
Canberra	9
Darwin	6
Geelong	9
Gold Coast	3
Hobart	3
Melbourne	15
Newcastle	6
Perth	15
Sunshine Coast	10
Sydney	13
Toowoomba	4
Townsville	7
Wollongong	15

Reviews get you seen. The profile they tap decides what happens next →

The Google profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the cheapest win on this page. It costs nothing. It moves first.

Most in your trade have the main category set right. Check yours is the most exact one Google offers. Bland always loses to exact.

What we measure — and what we won’t

Review count and prominence rank are public — we read them via the Google Places API. The owner-only fields — photo count, post cadence, messaging response speed — we never scrape from a competitor. Connect your own profile to read those.

Profile set right. Now answer what they ask before they ring →

What homeowners ask before they hire you

A homeowner searches before they call. They're already looking, reading and choosing. Below are the real questions — from accounts across 8 states.

Answer each one on your site in plain form. That's the SEO/AI gap, closed.

How much will this cost me?

It's a bit over $10k difference between the two options Price/cost · source

How do my options compare?

Bunnings and big companies have high purchasing power and buy in bulk … Bulk flat packs are made cheaply with cheap material from overseas with minimum labour … local cabinet maker uses local materials and local labour Comparison/alternatives · source

What do I need to know?

we ask for Laminex some quote on Polytec, we ask for Blum, we get quotes for Grass Price/cost (why quotes vary) · source

What do I need to know?

base model drawer and the Legrabox is about $20-$30 a drawer Trust/red-flags (materials & hardware) · source

How long will I be waiting?

Made-to-measure custom cabinets can take up to six weeks to be ready for delivery Timing/urgency · source

What actually happens during the job?

the vast majority of kitchen cabinet makers offer design services Process/what-happens-next · source

What do I need to know?

How much do built-in wardrobes cost in Melbourne? Price/cost (wardrobe) · source

What do I need to know?

typically … offer at least 6–10 years warranty on structural cabinetry Outcome/guarantee/risk-reversal · source

Read what your customers are reading — the carpenter buyer guide on Need A Trade

Skip the answers and watch the leak →

Where your trade leaks money

AJV: $4,500 (modelled: blend: deck 20m² ~$7,250 / pergola ~$6,500 / door install ~$450 / skirting ~$1,900 (40/20/25/15) (tradieverify, serviceseeking)). Close rate: 20–25%. With follow-up: up to 33%. (hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au))

Revenue-leak calculator

Enquiries a month Your close rate (%)

Benchmark close rate ~25–33% (hipages platform data). AJV is modelled — see the label above. This is an estimate to size the leak, not a quote.

Stop the leak — Run the Visibility Check

That’s the cost. Here’s the plan →

The 30/60/90 play

Three stages. Each one closes a gap on a measure above.

First 30 days — Foundation.
- Fix the two weak dimensions on the scorecard.
- Set the right Google profile category.
- Tighten the above-the-fold trust strip.
By 60 days — Proof.
- Start the review engine. Ask every completed job.
- Push toward the 8 review bar.
- Add before/after proof to the weakest dimension.
By 90 days — Activation.
- Publish the structured FAQ/answer blocks.
- Wire fast response to every enquiry.
- Re-score against the 45-point test. Aim for at least 4 points up.