The TrueWright Journal

Real talk on trade-business growth.

Written for plumbers, electricians, roofers, HVAC guys, and landscapers. No agency-speak. No fluff. Just the stuff that actually moves leads.

All SEO Mobile & UX Reviews Lead Generation Business Case
Pen & ink · plumber checking phone
Mobile & UX
Why most trade websites lose 80% of mobile visitors in 3 seconds
Your site looks fine on a laptop. On a phone, it's a different story — and 70% of your customers are on their phones when they need you.
8 min read Mobile
Pen & ink · Google Maps pin
Google & SEO
Google Business Profile for plumbers: the 7 fields that move you up
Most plumbers fill in their name and phone number and call it done. Here are the 7 fields that actually affect your map pack ranking.
6 min read SEO
Pen & ink · roofer + revenue
Business Case
How a $1,200 roofer site turns into $50K of revenue
One customer who found you on Google instead of your competitor. That's the whole math. Let's run the numbers on what a real site is worth.
5 min read Revenue
Pen & ink · code + wrench
Technical SEO
The 5 schema markups every trade business needs (with copy-paste code)
Schema markup tells Google exactly what your business does and where. Here are the five that matter for trade contractors, with the actual code.
9 min read SEO
Pen & ink · star reviews
Reviews & Reputation
Why your reviews aren't showing up on Google (and the fix)
Customers leave reviews that just vanish. It's not random — there are 4 specific reasons Google filters them out, and most of them are fixable.
7 min read Reviews
Pen & ink · above-fold form
Lead Generation
Lead-form conversion: why the magic happens above the fold
Most trade sites bury the contact form at the bottom. Where to put it, what fields to include, and what to cut to double your form fills.
6 min read Conversion
Pen & ink · KC neighborhood map
Local SEO
Trade-business SEO: 10 KC neighborhoods that get searched for daily
If you're a trade contractor in Kansas City and you're not ranking for "plumber Brookside" or "electrician Waldo," you're leaving real calls on the table.
7 min read Local SEO
Pen & ink · bad website
Industry Reality
Why your contractor friend's website is killing his leads
That plumber you know with the $400 template site? He's probably losing 60% of the calls he should be getting. Here's exactly why.
5 min read Websites
Pen & ink · funnel diagram
Marketing
The Facebook → website → quote flow that actually works for trades
Facebook ads for trade businesses work, but only if your website is ready to catch what the ad sends. Here's the full flow.
8 min read Marketing
Pen & ink · review response
Reviews & Reputation
How to handle a bad review like a pro (script + workflow)
One bad review won't kill you. Ignoring it or responding badly will. Here's the exact script and process for turning a 1-star into a trust signal.
6 min read Reviews
Pen & ink · template mess
Industry Reality
Why you should never let your nephew build your business website
He's a good kid and he meant well. But there are 6 specific things he almost certainly got wrong, and they're costing you calls right now.
5 min read Websites
Pen & ink · pricing tiers
Conversion
Pricing pages that close: 4 tested patterns for trade contractors
Should you show your prices online? It depends on your trade. Here's the research on what actually converts for contractors, with real examples.
7 min read Conversion
Pen & ink · photo vs review
Conversion
Before-and-after gallery vs. testimonials: which converts better for trades?
Both prove you do good work. But they work in different parts of the funnel. Here's when to use each, and how to test it.
6 min read Conversion
Pen & ink · mobile first
Mobile & UX
Mobile-first design for trades: the 6 things that actually matter
Font size, tap target size, page speed, click-to-call placement, form length, and load order. The six things that determine whether your mobile site converts.
7 min read Mobile
Pen & ink · calendar timeline
How TrueWright Works
How TrueWright onboards a new client in 14 days (week-by-week)
What actually happens between "yes" and a live site. Day-by-day breakdown of the TrueWright launch process and what you need to do at each step.
5 min read Process
Pen & ink · speedometer
Technical
Site speed for trade businesses: why 3 seconds is the line between a call and a bounce
Google's data is clear: 53% of mobile users leave if a page takes longer than 3 seconds. Your WordPress site is probably at 6-8 seconds.
6 min read Performance
Pen & ink · magnifying glass
SEO
How to audit your competitor's website in 20 minutes (free tools only)
Three free tools that tell you exactly what your competition is doing — and where their weaknesses are that you can exploit with a better site.
9 min read SEO
Pen & ink · contact page
Lead Generation
The 5 contact-page mistakes that kill trade leads (and how to fix them)
Most trade contact pages make the same five mistakes. Each one is a person who filled in their name, hit submit, and never heard back. Here's the fix.
6 min read Conversion
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