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The Paving Benchmark
Most Aussie paving businesses leave about $7,088/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: small driveway ~$2,000 (40%) / mid project ~$8,090 (40%) / large ~$13,500 (20%) (modernpaving, airtasker); 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 paving gets found and gets the call. Here’s where you stand on each — and the number to beat.
| The review bar | 10 reviews (your suburb) | → |
| The website scorecard | 25.3/45 vs market 31/45 | → |
| The Google profile | category to fix (most are set wrong) | → |
| Your numbers | AJV $6,750 · leak $7,088/mo | → |
| What buyers ask | 8 questions to answer in writing | → |
The 45-point test for your trade
Paving sites score 25.3 / 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 7 AU sites. Your Google review bar above is the harder number. Top of the pack: Auspave at 32/45.
The two weakest spots are SEO/AI Usefulness (1.57/5) and Proof Depth (2.43/5). Good sites look good and they convert. They don't answer buyer questions in plain form.
| Dimension | Trade average /5 |
|---|---|
| 3-Second Clarity | 3.57 |
| Visual Polish | 2.71 |
| Trust Above Fold | 2.71 |
| CTA Clarity | 3.57 |
| Local Relevance | 3.14 |
| Service Architecture | 2.86 |
| Proof Depth weakest | 2.43 |
| SEO/AI Usefulness weakest | 1.57 |
| Mobile/Speed Confidence | 2.71 |
The one to study
About Paving — www.aboutpaving.com.au
Copy this: Strong Sydney residential paving authority: long trading history and clear residential use cases.
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.
Your Map Pack reality
Your suburb's bar: about 10 Google reviews (Google Places API (New) (field median)). The quiet quarter sits at 3, the top quarter at 29, the busiest carries 211 — across 249 listings.
In this trade, reviews drive rank. The top-3 listings carry about 11 reviews. Spots 4–6 carry 7. Close that gap to climb the map.
| Metro | Median reviews |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | 25 |
| Ballarat | 14 |
| Brisbane | 11 |
| Cairns | 3 |
| Canberra | 15 |
| Darwin | 7 |
| Geelong | 5 |
| Gold Coast | 33 |
| Hobart | 6 |
| Melbourne | 7 |
| Newcastle | 7 |
| Perth | 15 |
| Sunshine Coast | 28 |
| Sydney | 31 |
| Toowoomba | 5 |
| Townsville | 2 |
| Wollongong | 23 |
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.
Quick win. The main category for this trade comes back as the bland “Supplier”. A wrong one drags down your rank. Set yours to the most exact trade category Google offers.
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?
Laying brick pavers is usually about $70 to $95 per square metre. Price/cost · source
How much will this cost me?
The paver itself is often the smaller cost — excavation, base preparation, edge restraint, and drainage make up most of what separates a $5,000 patio from a $15,000 patio of the same size. Price/cost · source
How do my options compare?
Asphalt lasts 15-20 years, concrete lasts 25-30 years, and pavers last 25-50 years. Comparison/alternatives · source
How do I know they're any good?
A cheap quote that skimps on preparation can lead to rocking pavers, ponding water, movement at the edges, or premature repair work. Trust/red-flags · source
What do I need to know?
Weeds thrive in paver joints because wind carries seeds into the gaps... If joints are empty or sand has washed away, growth becomes even more likely. Aftercare/maintenance · source
What actually happens during the job?
be constructed or installed so any surface water or run-off is disposed of by a drainage system connected to existing storm water drainage system Process/what-happens-next · source
How long will I be waiting?
You can usually drive on your paving the same day we complete the paving installation, as long as you don't drive near the edges. Timing/urgency · source
What do I need to know?
JRC Paving... offers a 2-year workmanship warranty on all paving services. Outcome/guarantee/risk-reversal · source
Read what your customers are reading — the paving buyer guide on Need A Trade
Where your trade leaks money
AJV: $6,750 (modelled: blend: small driveway ~$2,000 (40%) / mid project ~$8,090 (40%) / large ~$13,500 (20%) (modernpaving, airtasker)). Close rate: 20–25%. With follow-up: up to 33%. (hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au))
Revenue-leak calculator
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.
The 30/60/90 play
Three stages. Each one closes a gap on a measure above.
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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.
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By 60 days — Proof.
- Start the review engine. Ask every completed job.
- Push toward the 10 review bar.
- Add before/after proof to the weakest dimension.
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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.
Score yourself (0–5 each)
Ten questions. Tap your score on each. The total updates as you go.
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3-Second Clarity — trade + suburb + customer in your headline?
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Visual Polish — real job photography, consistent design?
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Trust Above Fold — reviews/licence/years visible before scroll?
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CTA Clarity — obvious primary + secondary next step?
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Local Relevance — service area and suburbs explicit?
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Service Architecture — services organised by buyer intent?
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Proof Depth — specific proof stack (before/after, named jobs)?
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SEO/AI Usefulness — buyer questions answered in structured form?
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Mobile/Speed — fast, readable, thumb-friendly?
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Google reviews vs your trade bar (10)?
Score: 0/50
Tap your score on each question above.
Guides for your trade
Fix the leaks yourself. Each guide is one topic, one method, one move.
Common leaks for this trade
The leaks good pavings feel first. Read the one that sounds like your week.
Build the first fix
Each leak has a fix you can build. Start with the one at the top of your list.
That's what good looks like for paving.
See how your profile, site and reviews actually score.
Run the Visibility Check