spareday research
Newcastle trades on Google: the visibility study
A search for a tradesperson in Newcastle returns different businesses depending on which suburb you are in. On 13 September 2026 we searched eight trades from 49 points across the city to measure how much. These are the results from the 2,161 listings shown.
Tell us about your business and what you need.
The short answer
Nobody is visible across the whole city.
Not one business in any of the eight trades held a top three map position across Newcastle. Almost every business that reached the top three did so in a quarter of the city or less, and nearly a quarter of listings had no website.
The grid covered Newcastle at two kilometre spacing, roughly a suburb apart, so each point shows what a customer standing there would see.
Findings
What the 2,161 listings showed
- Nobody is visible across the city
- No business, in any of the eight trades, was in the top three at all 49 points.
- Visibility drops within a few suburbs
- Of the 419 businesses that reached the top three anywhere, 403 did so in a quarter of the city or less.
- Nearly a quarter had no website
- 23 per cent of all listings shown. Painters were highest at 29 per cent; pest control and plumbers were lowest at 18 per cent.
- The top three had about double the reviews
- Among listings with at least one review, a median of 28 reviews, against 13 for the other businesses shown. That is an association, not proof of cause.
By trade
Trade by trade
| Trade | Listings shown | No website | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builders | 335 | 62 | 19% |
| Cleaners | 331 | 78 | 24% |
| Electricians | 332 | 86 | 26% |
| Mechanics | 330 | 85 | 26% |
| Landscapers, plumbers, painters, pest control | 250, 233, 190, 160 | 179 combined | 18% to 29% |
The pattern held in every trade measured, which makes it a Newcastle finding rather than a quirk of one industry.
Being shown and being chosen are different jobs. The map decides whether a business appears; the website answers the questions a customer asks before calling. That is why local SEO and the website work together.
Limits
What the study does not show
This is one snapshot on one day. Map results move from week to week, so treat the numbers as a photograph rather than a rule.
- A single day
- 13 September 2026.
- Eight trades
- Other trades may behave differently.
- No website on the listing
- A listing without a website link is not always a business without a website.
- About 100 results per point
- We read the 84 to 102 map results Google returned at each point. A business further down than that at a point is not counted there.
- Counted by listing name
- Each business is counted once per trade by the name on its Google listing, so two listings with the same name count once.
- Reviews
- The review medians leave out listings with no reviews. Including them, the medians are 24 and 7.
The data
Download the figures
The by-trade figures behind this page are in one spreadsheet file: listings shown, listings with no website, the businesses that reached the top three somewhere, and how many of those did so in a quarter of the city or less. A quarter of the city means 12 or fewer of the 49 points.
Download the by-trade figures (CSV, under 1 KB). You are welcome to use them with a link back to this page.
How it was measured: the search was each trade name (builder, cleaner, electrician, landscaper, mechanic, painter, pest control, plumber) on Google Maps from 49 points on a 7 by 7 grid at 2 kilometre spacing, centred on Newcastle, on 13 September 2026. Results were collected through DataForSEO's Google Maps data service. We rechecked every figure against the saved results on 5 October 2026.
The short version
In Newcastle, map visibility is local to a few suburbs, and nearly a quarter of trade listings have no website. Both are gaps a business can close.
From clients
What clients say about working with spareday
“Huge shoutout to Reece for building my website for Hughesys Painting Services. Since it went live my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
“Excellent in all facets of web design with particular expertise in SEO and email marketing. Online visibility has skyrocketed since working Reece which translates as flawless customer relations, new leads and new customers.”
“He was able to take our rough ideas, from concept through to reality. The site has provided an influx of new members, helping to keep our club viable.”
Official guidance
For independent background, read Google’s explanation of how local rankings work and its guidance on requesting customer reviews.
Common questions
Questions people ask.
How many Newcastle trade businesses have no website?
490 of the 2,161 listings shown across eight trades, or 23 per cent.
Does any Newcastle trade business rank across the whole city?
No. Not one business held a top three position at all 49 points measured.
How far does a trade business stay visible?
Not far. Of the 419 reaching the top three anywhere, 403 did so in a quarter of the city or less.
Do reviews decide who Google shows?
Among listings with at least one review, businesses in the top three had about double the reviews, a median of 28 against 13. That is an association; this study cannot show it causes the position.
Can this be republished?
Yes, with a link back to this page.
How does spareday charge?
spareday quotes one price for the work your business needs, agreed in writing before anything starts. The figure depends on what the business needs, and it comes with your quote.
Who you’ll work with
Hi, I’m Reece.
spareday is my business, based here in Newcastle. You’ll deal with me from the first review of your website, and I’m the person you talk to each month about what’s working.
Find us
spareday in Newcastle.
12 Grey Street, Wickham, Newcastle NSW 2293.
Next step
Get a quote for your business.
Tell us your trade and the suburbs you serve. We will talk through the details and send you a quote.
Get a free quoteOr call 0485 017 387.