Rubix StudiosRubix Studios
Vincent is the founder and director of Rubix Studios, with over 20 years of experience in branding, marketing, film, photography, and web development. He is a certified partner with industry leaders including Google, Microsoft, AWS, and HubSpot. Vincent also serves as a member of the Maribyrnong City Council Business and Innovation Board and is undertaking an Executive MBA at RMIT University.
Tradies across Australia often evaluate whether to rely on hipages or invest in a dedicated website. While hipages provides access to enquiries, the cost structure, lock-in terms, and low conversion rates make it unsustainable. A website supported by search engine optimisation (SEO) consistently delivers greater value, even with a higher initial build cost of $2,000–$5,000.
Hipages operates on a subscription and credit-based structure. Businesses are charged $471.90 per month (including GST) for membership. This includes a $580 lead credit, which equates to roughly 116 leads per year when calculated at the platform’s standard rate of $60 per lead. Once this allocation is exhausted, every additional enquiry is charged at $60, regardless of whether it results in a secured job.
Annual cost scenarios:
| Leads (p/m) | Leads (p/y) | Costs per lead | Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 360 | ~$56 | $20,303 |
| 140 | 1,680 | ~$59 | $99,503 |
| 280 | 3,360 | ~$60 | $200,303 |
While the per-lead cost appears consistent, the underlying challenge is that the price is detached from performance. Each enquiry is charged at the same rate whether or not it converts, and most are distributed to several tradies simultaneously. This reduces the likelihood of winning the work and inflates the true cost per successful job, which can easily triple when conversion rates fall to one in three or four.
"A race to the bottom."
Because multiple tradies pay for the same lead, winning often depends on offering the lowest price. Over time, this dynamic compresses margins and undermines profitability, even when gross revenue per job appears strong.
Adding to this risk is the mandatory 12-month contract. Once committed, businesses cannot scale back or withdraw if lead quality is poor, leaving them locked into thousands of dollars in ongoing costs with limited control over outcomes.
A dedicated website supported by SEO represents a controlled and scalable investment. The initial requirement is a one-off build, followed by an ongoing SEO program.
| Investment | Cost |
|---|---|
| Website (Once Off) | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Ongoing SEO | $500–$1,000 per month |
This places the total Year One investment between $8,000 and $17,000, with costs reducing in subsequent years as the build is not repeated.
Annual cost scenarios:
| Leads | Cost Per Lead |
|---|---|
| 30 leads per month (360 per year) | $22–$47 per lead |
| 140 leads per month (1,680 per year) | $5–$10 per lead |
| 280 leads per month (3,360 per year) | $2–$5 per lead |
Because website enquiries are exclusive, conversion rates are substantially higher than with shared leads. This exclusivity improves cost efficiency and avoids the margin pressure that comes with competing for the same customer on platforms such as hipages.
Unlike hipages, where costs escalate toward six-figure commitments as lead volumes grow, website expenditure remains capped within the SEO budget. As demand increases, efficiency improves without runaway costs.
Websites become more cost-effective than hipages at modest volumes. When the one-off build and monthly SEO costs are distributed across enquiries, the efficiency of a website quickly surpasses the fixed lead model offered by hipages.
| SEO Spend | Build Cost | Break-even Leads per Month | Break-even Leads per Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $2,000 | ~13 | ~155 |
| $1,000 | $5,000 | ~25 | ~305 |
These thresholds are significant because most trade businesses cannot sustain operations at minimal volumes. At 30 leads per month, often used as a baseline for comparison, a website already delivers stronger returns than hipages. As volumes increase, the cost advantage widens, with websites generating exclusive leads and compounding efficiency each year.
Different business structures require significantly higher volumes.
Independent operators such as electricians, plumbers, or handymen typically require 40 to 60 leads per month. This level allows them to maintain consistent income, but it provides limited scope for reinvestment, business development, or unplanned downtime.
Businesses with two to three staff usually need 100 to 200 leads per month. At this scale, incoming work must reliably cover wages, vehicle expenses, insurance, and material costs, while still producing sustainable profit.
Larger operators or those competing in high-demand sectors such as plumbing, electrical, carpentry, or renovations often aim for 250 to 300 or more leads per month. These volumes are required to support multiple projects, fund expansion, and maintain competitiveness in saturated markets.
In practice, some businesses operate at much higher volumes. Several of our clients consistently require 20 to 50 leads per day for a single team. At this scale, hipages costs climb into the hundreds of thousands annually, while websites supported by SEO continue to deliver a falling cost per lead as enquiries grow.
This analysis demonstrates that 30 leads per month, often cited as a benchmark, understates the reality for most established trade businesses. At realistic operating levels, hipages expenses move into six figures, whereas websites supported by SEO reduce cost per lead and strengthen profitability.
Hipages does not sell confirmed work; it sells access to contact details. This structure presents a series of commercial challenges for businesses.
Leads are distributed to multiple tradies simultaneously, making jobs harder to secure without discounting or rapid response.
At a one-in-three conversion rate, the effective cost per secured job exceeds $180, well above the base charge of $60 per lead.
Competing on the same lead compresses pricing and erodes profitability, even when jobs are won.
Limited information provided through the platform often results in rushed or generic quotations. In contrast, website enquiries give more context, allowing tailored responses.
A website avoids these inefficiencies. Direct contact enables suppliers to speak with customers before quoting and, in many cases, to inspect the job in person. This results in quotations that are more accurate and competitive than those generated through hipages.
Each enquiry is directed to a single business, conversion likelihood is higher, and customers approach a chosen provider directly rather than being distributed across multiple competitors.
This graph illustrates how cost per lead changes as annual lead volume increases.
At very low volumes, a website appears more expensive. However, once enquiries exceed roughly 15 to 25 leads per month, websites consistently outperform hipages, delivering exclusive leads at a fraction of the cost.
The graph illustrates the difference in total annual spend between hipages and a website with SEO.
Unlike hipages, website expenditure does not increase as lead volumes grow. Whether the business generates 500 leads or 3,000 leads in a year, costs remain capped within the SEO budget.
Hipages spending rises uncontrollably with volume, while a website holds steady, becoming significantly more cost-effective as enquiries increase.
This bar chart compares cost per lead across small, medium, and high-volume scenarios.
Even at modest volumes, websites outperform hipages on cost efficiency. At realistic operating levels of 140 to 280 leads per month, the savings become substantial, with websites delivering exclusive leads at a fraction of the price.
This bar chart compares the total annual spend at different lead volumes.
Hipages expenditure rises sharply with lead volume, while website costs remain capped. At higher scales, the difference becomes extreme. For example, at 280 leads per month, websites are more than $180,000 cheaper annually while still delivering exclusive enquiries.
Hipages provides access to leads, but its fixed pricing, shared contacts, and lock-in contracts undermine long-term profitability. A website supported by SEO requires a higher upfront investment, yet it generates exclusive enquiries, improves conversion rates, and scales without escalating costs. For tradies, it is the clear path to sustainable growth and stronger returns.
Hipages operates on tiered membership plans. The entry-level plan costs $129 plus GST per month and includes a $150 lead credit. A mid-tier option costs $229 plus GST per month and includes a $300 lead credit. The top tier costs $429 plus GST per month and includes a $580 lead credit. Beyond the included credit, additional leads are charged individually, with prices typically ranging from $20 to more than $100 depending on the trade, job size, and location. Importantly, tradies pay for every enquiry regardless of whether it converts into a job.
No. hipages provides contact details, not confirmed work. Each lead may be sent to several tradies, meaning the chance of winning the job depends on how quickly and competitively each tradie responds.
The per-lead price only reflects the cost of the contact, not the outcome. If a tradie converts one in three leads, the real cost of securing a job is effectively three times the lead price. For example, at $60 per lead and a one-in-three conversion rate, the actual cost of winning a job is closer to $180.
All hipages memberships are subject to a 6 to 12-month lock-in contract. Even if lead quality is poor or the business cannot convert enough jobs, the monthly fee must still be paid in full for the duration of the agreement. This reduces flexibility and can trap businesses in an arrangement that does not deliver sufficient return.
A professionally built website usually requires a one-off investment of $2,000 to $5,000 and ongoing SEO at $500 to $1,000 per month. In the first year this equates to $8,000 to $17,000. Unlike hipages, the total annual spend does not escalate with the number of leads generated. Costs are capped, and the cost per lead decreases as volumes increase.
Break-even occurs at relatively modest lead volumes. A website supported by $500 per month in SEO and a $2,000 build typically becomes cheaper than hipages at around 13 leads per month. At the higher end, a $5,000 build with $1,000 per month in SEO overtakes hipages at around 25 leads per month. Most tradies require 30 or more leads per month to remain viable, so in practice websites are almost always the more cost-effective option.
Yes. Website enquiries are exclusive, meaning the tradie does not have to compete with others for the same contact. Customers who visit a website and make direct contact have already chosen that business, which increases conversion rates. hipages enquiries, on the other hand, are often competitive and can push tradies to reduce pricing to win the work.
Lead requirements vary depending on business size. Sole traders may operate on 40 to 60 leads per month, while businesses employing two to three staff usually require 100 to 200 leads. Larger and growth-focused operations in competitive trades often need 250 to 300 or more per month. Some businesses we work with require 20 to 50 leads per day for a single team. At these levels hipages quickly becomes unaffordable, while websites remain capped in cost.
Yes. A website allows the business to publish clear privacy policies, warranty terms, and service information to meet obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Consumer Law. Websites can also be designed to meet accessibility standards, ensuring inclusivity for all customers. hipages operates within a fixed platform and does not allow businesses to control these elements directly.
The long-term advantage is scalability and control. With hipages, costs increase linearly with every additional lead, and the business has little influence over how leads are distributed or presented. With a website, costs remain capped within the SEO budget, conversion rates are higher due to exclusivity, and the business retains full ownership of its brand, compliance, and customer relationships.
Vincent is the founder and director of Rubix Studios, with over 20 years of experience in branding, marketing, film, photography, and web development. He is a certified partner with industry leaders including Google, Microsoft, AWS, and HubSpot. Vincent also serves as a member of the Maribyrnong City Council Business and Innovation Board and is undertaking an Executive MBA at RMIT University.