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📅 May 30, 2026 📁 Migration Guides ⏱ 11 min read

Leaving HiPages? Build Your Own Website in 48 Hours

Stop paying $150–400 per job. Own your leads for $30/month. No per-job fees. No bidding wars. No middleman.

T
TradesPro Team
Building websites for Australian tradies

HiPages charges $50/month subscription plus $15–40 per lead. You're bidding against 19 other tradies on every job. Your win rate? About 20%.

That means for every $375 in job fees you pay HiPages, you're losing 80% of the bids. The time you spend quoting jobs you'll never win? That's on you.

There's a better way. Build your own website, own your leads, and keep 100% of your profit. Here's the exact roadmap.

The Cost Comparison: HiPages vs Your Own Website

Cost HiPages Your Own Website (TradesPro)
Monthly subscription$50$30
Fee per job$25 average$0
Jobs/month15 (on average)Unlimited (direct)
Total job fees/month$375$0
Time on failed bids (4 hrs @ $50/hr)$200$0
Monthly total$625$30
Annual cost$7,500$360
5-year cost$37,500$1,800
$7,140

Year 1 savings by switching from HiPages to your own website — and you own every single lead

On HiPages, you're paying $595 extra per month just to access leads you compete for with 19 other tradies. On TradesPro, every lead is direct — no competition, no fees.

3 Ways HiPages Costs You More Than You Think

1. Every Job Costs You 3–6% of Profit

On a $2,500 job, HiPages takes $30–60. On a $500 job, it's 6–12% of the revenue — gone before you even start. Scale this: 20 jobs/month = $300–800 in HiPages fees. That's 10–25% of your profit margin, every month.

2. You're Competing With 20 Other Tradies on Every Job

Customer posts a job → HiPages sends it to 20 tradies → all 20 rush to respond → cheapest or fastest wins. You're commoditized. The customer doesn't know your reputation. Bid success rate: 1 in 5 (20%). On TradesPro, they came to YOUR website because they're searching for you specifically. Your conversion rate: 90%+.

3. Repeat Customers Go Back to HiPages, Not to You

You do a job for a customer on HiPages. Six months later, they need you again. With HiPages, they go back to the platform, post the same job, 20 tradies compete, and you might lose the repeat. With TradesPro, they have your number. They call you directly. No competition. No fee.

"I paid $3,000 for a website and haven't gotten a single lead from it" — you're doing the opposite on HiPages: getting leads but paying for each one. After 12 months at 15 jobs/month, you've paid HiPages $4,500.

The Year 1 to Year 2 Difference

Metric Year 1 on HiPages Year 1 on TradesPro Year 2 on TradesPro
Jobs booked150180330 (180 new + 150 repeats)
Paid to platform$2,250$360$360
Revenue ($1k avg job)$150,000$180,000$330,000
Net after platform fees$147,750$179,640$329,640

Year 2 difference: $181,890 higher on TradesPro. Same effort, zero marketing spend by year 2.

The Migration Plan: 48 Hours, Zero Risk

Step 1: Keep HiPages Active (30-Day Parallel Test)

Don't cancel HiPages yet. Keep your account active while you test TradesPro for 30 days. See which generates better leads, better quality, faster response. Most tradies cancel HiPages after 60 days on TradesPro because direct leads convert better (90% vs 20%) and there are no bidding wars.

Step 2: Provide Your Info (5 Minutes)

Send us: business name, trade type, phone number, service areas (suburbs), 5–10 photos of your work, ABN, licence number (if applicable). That's it.

Step 3: We Build Your Site (24 Hours)

We build a tradie-specific site with: service area pages (for local SEO), tap-to-call button, before/after gallery, trust signals (licence, ABN, reviews), lead capture CRM (SMS + email + dashboard).

Step 4: You Review and Approve

We send you a preview link. You review on your phone. Approve or request changes. Most tradies approve with zero changes.

Step 5: Cancel HiPages (When You're Ready)

Once your TradesPro site is bringing in consistent leads, cancel your HiPages subscription. Keep the $595–625/month that was going to HiPages. Invest it in your business instead.

$7,140

Year 1 savings vs HiPages. Plus you own your customer relationships, reviews, and repeat business.

What You Own vs What HiPages Owns

Asset On HiPages On TradesPro
Customer phone numberHiPages controls itYou own it
Customer emailHiPages controls itYou own it
ReviewsHiPages owns themYou build Google reviews (portable)
Repeat businessBack to HiPagesDirect to you
Your brandListed among competitorsYour own website, your brand
DataLocked in HiPagesExportable anytime

Done With HiPages? Own Your Leads Instead.

$30/month. Every lead is yours. No bidding wars. No per-job fees. No surprises. Test TradesPro for 30 days while keeping HiPages active. Zero risk.

FAQ: Leaving HiPages

What if I'm happy with HiPages? +×
If you're winning 30%+ of bids and spending <$200/month on fees, you're doing well. But if you're like 90% of tradies on HiPages, the bidding wars and per-job fees are killing margins. Test TradesPro for 30 days and compare.
Will I lose my HiPages reviews? +×
Your HiPages reviews stay on HiPages. But on TradesPro, we help you collect reviews on Google — which is more valuable for local search. Year 2, your Google reviews become your main trust signal.
What if no one finds my TradesPro website? +×
We handle SEO (location pages, Google My Business sync, fast site). In month 2–3, you'll start seeing organic traffic from "plumber [your suburb]" searches. By month 6, 20–30% of your leads come from Google organic.
Can I use TradesPro + ServiceM8 together? +×
Yes. TradesPro captures leads (SMS + email + form). You export them to ServiceM8 for job management. One system for lead capture, one for operations. Seamless integration.
What about the customers I already have on HiPages? +×
Collect their contact info before you cancel. Reach out directly and let them know they can call you direct now. Most will appreciate skipping HiPages — and you keep 100% of the job value.

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