Three options. Only one actually works for your business.
Tier-1 builders shortlist on AS/NZS 5131 CC band and shop-drawing capability, not your home page
A metal fabrication shop is not chosen by browse. A head contractor's procurement engineer arrives with a structural-steel package or a sheet-metal RFI, knows whether they need CC1 / CC2 / CC3 / CC4 under AS/NZS 5131 (a structural-steel construction category that gates what kind of building you can fabricate for), the welder-ticket coverage (MIG, TIG, stick, flux-core), the in-house finish capability (powder-coating, galvanising, zinc-anneal) and proof you can issue shop drawings plus handle RFIs without two days of back-and-forth. If your site is one 'we do fabrication' page, the package goes to the fabricator who wrote a proper CC3 structural-steel capability page with their SIA accreditation in the H1. Worse, the architect spec'ing a 14-storey facade is comparing five fabricators on architectural-metal proof, and the one without recent install photos doesn't make the shortlist.
Good marketing for a metal fabrication shop has three load-bearing parts. First, a capability page per fabrication type (structural steel, sheet metal, architectural metal) with the AS/NZS 5131 construction category (CC1 / CC2 / CC3 / CC4 as held), the SIA (Steel Institute of Australia) accreditation reference, the welder-ticket roster (MIG / TIG / stick / flux-core with welder counts), the in-house finish capability (powder-coating booth size, galvanising tank arrangement, zinc-anneal), the mill relationships (BlueScope, InfraBuild, Liberty Steel, OneSteel), and the install-plus-crane offering called out. Second, a project tier page per type you actually fabricate (fire-stair, balustrade, handrail, canopy, facade panel, shopfront, structural beam-and-column, mezzanine) with photos of recent finished installs, the typical job size, the typical lead time and the head contractors / architects you've worked for (with their permission). Third, a LinkedIn presence and Google Ads structure that targets head-contractor procurement teams and architect-spec writers, not consumer 'metal fabrication near me' broad-match. The $50m PL certificate, WorkCover registration, and WHS contractor accreditation belong on the trust strip of every page.
Six agents, working in your accounts.
Account Lead, Web, SEO, Advertising, Social Media, and Content. One platform, one bill, you approve the work.
Builds your annual plan around the project tiers that actually pay (CC3 structural-steel packages for tier-1 D&C, architectural-metal facade for premium commercial, sheet-metal balustrade and handrail for residential) instead of treating every RFI as one funnel. Briefs the other agents so the capability pages, the LinkedIn ads, the install posts and the accreditation trust strip all push the head-contractor and architect buyers you actually want, not the consumer 'gate repair' enquiries.
Imports your existing site and ships a capability page per fabrication family (structural steel, sheet metal, architectural metal) with the AS/NZS 5131 CC band in the H1, the SIA accreditation, the welder-ticket roster, the in-house finish capability, the mill relationships and the install-plus-crane offering. Adds a project tier page per type you fabricate (fire-stair, balustrade, handrail, canopy, facade panel, shopfront, beam-and-column, mezzanine) with photos of finished installs and the typical job size called out.
Goes through your live site for the things that move head-contractor and architect rankings: project-tier-plus-location long-tail keyword optimisation ('fire-stair fabricator Sydney', 'architectural facade panel Melbourne', 'CC3 structural steel AU'), Schema.org Organization hasCredential blocks for AS/NZS 5131, SIA, WorkCover and PL, Service blocks with materialUsed on every capability page, and an internal-link wiring from each project tier page to the right capability and to the live install photos. Auto-applies the low-risk fixes; flags consolidation of generic 'fabrication services' pages for approval.
Launches LinkedIn Sponsored content targeting head-contractor procurement managers, project engineers and architects at the tier-1 and tier-2 builder list in your trading area, with the install-plus-crane offering and the CC band as the lead message. Launches Google Ads on the project-tier-plus-location long-tail queries ('fire-stair fabricator Sydney', 'balustrade fabricator AU', 'architectural facade panel Melbourne') with shop-drawing-turnaround and install-included as the differentiators. Lifts bids during business hours when procurement teams are pricing packages. Switches Meta off (no direct consumer market for CC3 work).
Turns every interesting fabrication and install into a LinkedIn post that head contractors and architects shortlist on: the on-site lift photo with the crane and the install crew, the shop-floor weld photo with the welder's ticket called out, the galvanising-tank-fresh batch, the finished facade install with the architect credit (with permission). You upload one photo from shop or install and a one-line brief, the agent drafts the caption in your voice with the project type, CC band, finish and install crew detail called out, you approve in two taps.
Drafts the long-form pieces head contractors and architects read before they have a package: 'AS/NZS 5131 explained: CC1 to CC4 and what they mean for your project', 'Galvanising vs powder-coating vs zinc-anneal: which finish for which environment', 'Specifying a fire-stair: dimensions, fire rating, and shop-drawing timelines', 'Architectural facade panel: aluminium composite vs solid aluminium vs stainless'. Two drafts a month, in your voice, that earn the inbound RFI that mentions the article.
Your first 30 days.
- Annual plan split across the three buyer types (head contractor for structural and architectural, architect for facade and shopfront, shopfitter for sheet-metal joinery) and tilted toward the CC3 / CC2 packages that pay best
- Capability pages live per fabrication family: structural steel with CC band and SIA reference, sheet metal with welder-ticket roster and finish options, architectural metal with the recent facade install gallery
- Project tier pages for fire-stair, balustrade, handrail, canopy, facade panel, shopfront, beam-and-column and mezzanine, each with installed-job photos and the typical lead-time called out
- RFI-friendly enquiry form on every capability page: head-contractor name field, project name and address, package description, drawing-tree upload, target shop-drawing date, target install date
- LinkedIn Sponsored content targeting tier-1 and tier-2 builder procurement teams in your trading area, with the install-plus-crane and CC-band lead message
- Google Ads live on the project-tier-plus-location long-tail set with shop-drawing turnaround and install-included as the differentiators
- Schema.org Organization hasCredential markup for AS/NZS 5131, SIA, PL, WorkCover and ISO 9001 deployed so accreditations show in Google's rich results
- On-site install and shop-floor weld LinkedIn cadence three times a week, with project type, CC band, finish and install crew detail in every caption
- Reviews-after-install email sequence wired into your project handover so the Friday-completed install earns a Monday testimonial from the project engineer
Metal fabrication buyers do not browse. They arrive with a structural-steel package, a sheet-metal RFI or an architectural facade enquiry, and they shortlist on the CC band, the welder-ticket roster, the in-house finish capability, the mill relationships and the install-plus-crane offering. The job is making sure the capability page they land on lists the AS/NZS 5131 CC band in the H1, the SIA accreditation in the footer, the install crew and crane in the offering, and the recent finished-job photos in the gallery, and that the project-tier-plus-location long-tail search that brought them ranks above the fabricator in the next industrial estate.
Agencies are too dear and too generalist to write a real CC3 structural-steel capability page or an architectural facade tier page for $4.5k a month. Tools are cheap but the AS/NZS 5131 CC band never goes online, the SIA certificate scan never gets uploaded, and the LinkedIn install posts default to stock weld-spark photos. In-House is the third option: for $299 a month the agents ship the capability pages, launch the LinkedIn procurement-targeting and Google Ads project-tier campaigns, post the on-site install and shop-floor weld photos, and keep your CC band, SIA accreditation and $50m PL where head-contractor procurement actually verifies them. You stay in the driver's seat, two taps to approve, minutes a day. Stop losing the $1.2m fire-stair package to the fabricator who put their CC3 in their H1.