Electrician Websites: Licence Display, Trust Signals and Call Buttons
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A Victorian electrician's website has one legal must-have and three commercial ones. Registered electrical contractors must show their REC number on advertising, which includes the website. After that, the site needs trust signals a homeowner can check, a page for each main job, and a call button that is always one tap away on a phone.
Do electricians have to show their REC number on their website?
Yes. Energy Safe Victoria says a registered electrical contractor must put its REC registration number on all promotional material, including advertisements, notices and statements (Energy Safe Victoria). A website that offers electrical work is promotional material, so the number belongs on it.
The simplest approach is to put it in the site footer, so it appears on every page, and again near the main call button on the homepage: "REC 12345".
General information, not legal advice. Check your obligations with Energy Safe Victoria.
Why does the REC number help win work too?
Energy Safe Victoria tells homeowners to always engage a registered electrical contractor and to choose tradespeople who list their qualifications in their advertising or on their website (Energy Safe Victoria). Its public register lets anyone search a contractor by REC number or business name. A number on your site, with a link to that register, answers the customer's first question before they ask it.
What trust signals should an electrician show?
| Trust signal | Where to put it | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| REC number | Footer on every page, near the main call button | Required, and lets customers check you |
| Public liability insurance | About page and quote page | RECs must hold at least $5 million cover when offering contracting work (Energy Safe Victoria) |
| Certificate of Electrical Safety | Service pages | Tells customers they will get the paperwork for compliant work |
| Real reviews with the count | Homepage, near the call button | Social proof, shown honestly (ACCC) |
| Photos of your work and team | Every service page | Shows you are real and local |
| Years trading and service area | Homepage hero | Answers 'will they come to me?' |
The insurance requirement is set out by Energy Safe Victoria (Energy Safe Victoria). Show review counts with star ratings: the ACCC flags ratings shown without context (ACCC).
Which service pages does an electrician need?
One page per job people search for. Typical pages for a Melbourne electrician:
- Emergency electrician (power out, sparking, burning smell)
- Switchboard upgrades
- Safety switch installation and testing
- Lighting and downlights
- Power points and rewiring
- EV charger installation
- Smoke alarms
- Commercial and fit-out work, if you do it
Each page should say what the job involves, roughly how long it takes, what the customer needs to do, and how to book. Only list work you are licensed and insured for.
How should call buttons work on mobile?
- A fixed "Call now" bar at the bottom of the screen on every page
- The number written out in the header as well, for people who want to copy it
- A separate "Request a quote" button for planned work, leading to a short form
- Clear hours next to the button, so customers know whether someone will answer
- Test it: tap the button on your own phone after every website change
More on mobile layout in mobile-first tradie websites.
How do electricians show up in local searches?
- Build suburb pages only where you work often, each with real local detail. See how suburb pages help SEO.
- Match your website's business name, phone and service area to your Google Business Profile exactly.
- Choose accurate Google categories, such as Electrician, and add your services. See Google Business Profile categories.
- Ask every happy customer for a Google review.
For the full approach, read local SEO for tradies in Melbourne.
What should an electrician leave off?
- DIY electrical tips. In Victoria, electrical installation work must be done by licensed workers, and Energy Safe Victoria tells people never to do their own electrical work (Energy Safe Victoria).
- Stock photos of electricians who are not your team.
- Logos of brands or associations you are not a member of.
- Prices you can't stand behind.
What should each electrical service page include?
Every service page should answer the same questions in the same order, so a customer comparing three electricians can find what they need on yours first. This is the structure we use:
| Part | What goes in it | Example for a switchboard upgrade page |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | The job and the area | "Switchboard upgrades in Melbourne's west" |
| Two-line answer | What you do and who it suits | "We replace old fuse boxes with modern switchboards and safety switches, usually in a day." |
| Signs you need it | Problems the customer recognises | Ceramic fuses, tripping power, burning smells, adding a big appliance or EV charger |
| How the job works | Three or four plain steps | Inspection, quote, power-off window, testing and paperwork |
| What affects the price | Honest factors, not a price list | Board size, number of circuits, wiring condition, meter position |
| Proof | A photo and a review about this job | Before and after of a replaced board, with permission |
| Call to action | Phone and quote form | "Call now" plus "Request a quote" |
Write in the words customers use. Most people don't search for "main switchboard replacement"; they search for "fuse box keeps tripping" or "old fuse box replacement". Use both, naturally, on the page.
Planned jobs like switchboard upgrades, EV chargers and lighting redesigns are researched over days, so those pages can be longer, with photos and a short FAQ. Emergency pages should be short and put the phone number first.
How should an emergency electrician page be different?
Someone with a burning smell or sparking power point isn't reading paragraphs. The emergency page should do four things on the first phone screen: name the problem, show your area, say honestly when you answer, and give a call button.
- Put basic safety first: if there's smoke, fire or sparking, tell them to stay clear and call Triple Zero (000) first. Don't give step-by-step DIY instructions
- Only claim the hours you actually cover. A 24/7 claim that goes to voicemail costs trust and can mislead
- Say roughly how quickly you can usually get there, and which suburbs that applies to
- Keep the page fast: no sliders, no autoplay video, and a call bar that stays on screen
Google's web.dev guidance treats a page's main content appearing within 2.5 seconds as good (web.dev). Emergency visitors have the least patience of anyone on your site, so test this page on your own phone over mobile data. More in website speed for small businesses.
Should you mention Certificates of Electrical Safety?
Yes, briefly. Customers increasingly ask whether they'll get paperwork for the job, especially landlords, property managers and people selling a home. A line on each relevant service page, such as "You'll receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety where the work requires one", answers that question without overclaiming.
Keep it accurate. Only describe paperwork you actually provide, and don't suggest a certificate covers anything beyond the work you did. If you're unsure which jobs need one, check with Energy Safe Victoria before writing the page (Energy Safe Victoria).
General information, not legal advice.
How do you know the website is bringing in work?
Most electricians judge a website by whether the phone rings. That's fair, but knowing which page or listing made it ring lets you put more effort where it pays.
- Track call-button taps and form submissions in Google Analytics. See Google Analytics 4 for business owners
- Check your Google Business Profile performance report monthly for calls and website clicks. See reading your performance report
- Ask every new caller how they found you and keep a simple tally
- If you pay for ads or directories, give each its own tracking number. See call tracking for small businesses
Review it every three months. If the switchboard page brings most of the work, add more photos and reviews there. If a page brings nothing, check that it answers the customer's questions and loads fast on a phone.
And watch missed calls. More calls only help if someone answers or calls back quickly. See what missed calls cost tradies.
Next step
Morphic builds websites for Melbourne electricians with the REC number, call buttons and service pages built in, live in 7 to 14 business days once content and feedback are in. Get a free quote, or book a 30-minute call.
Related service. websites for tradies.
Related reading: Plumber Websites in Melbourne, Showing Your Licence Number Online and Tradie Website Checklist.
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Key Takeaways
Registered electrical contractors must show their REC number on advertising, including the website.
Put the REC number in the footer and near the main call button, and link to the public register.
Show insurance, certificates of electrical safety, real reviews and photos as trust signals.
Give each main job its own page, and only list work you are licensed for.
Use a fixed call bar on mobile and test it after every change.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
