Australian home and trade services earn glowing reviews but stay largely invisible where customers search
Across 555 Australian home and trade services businesses in 2026-Q3, the cohort holds a median rating of 4.9 stars yet posts a median RADAR score of just 43.7. Strong reputations sit alongside weak digital visibility, thin review volumes and modest online authority right across the sample.
Five-star ratings, but too few reviews to matter
The cohort records a median rating of 4.9 stars, yet the median business carries just 18 reviews and around 29.7 per cent show the review paradox of high ratings undermined by low volume. Excellent service is not translating into the review depth that reassures new customers. Reputation is genuine but under-evidenced at scale.
More than a third cannot be found in search
Roughly 34.2 per cent of the cohort are effectively invisible in search, and an estimated 55.3 per cent sit in the low-traffic band based on third-party approximations. With a median domain authority of only 8, most businesses lack the footprint to surface for local demand. Word of mouth appears to be carrying the load that search is not.
Two-thirds growing while a third slide backwards
Some 65.4 per cent of the cohort are growing while 33.8 per cent are declining, and 27 businesses have collapsed outright. The gap points to a widening divide between operators building momentum and those losing ground. ACT leads on state performance at 58.7, ahead of QLD at 51.3 and WA at 49.2.
Digital foundations leave most in the bottom tier
About 72.5 per cent of the cohort sit in the digital bottom band, and only 5.9 per cent reach the Accomplished tier. With WordPress leading but a sizeable share showing no clearly detected CMS, many sites are unlikely to convert the interest they attract. The website layer remains the cohort's weakest link.
| Region | Businesses | Median RADAR | Accomplished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | 5 | 58.7 | — | |
| QLD | 94 | 51.3 | 10 | |
| WA | 52 | 49.2 | 3 | |
| SA | 37 | 43.1 | 3 | |
| VIC | 154 | 42.4 | 7 | |
| NT | 2 | 41 | — | |
| NSW | 187 | 40.9 | 9 | |
| TAS | 1 | 33.7 | — |
Smaller cohorts shown for indication only.
Share of the cohort with each tool detected (BuiltWith). Businesses may run more than one.
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