When someone in Brisbane searches "electrician near me" or "dog groomer Carindale", Google shows a map with three businesses under it before any normal results. For most service businesses, and tradies in particular, that map is where the calls come from. Getting into it is called local SEO, and most of the work is free. It just takes some patience.
This is the checklist we follow for our own clients. Work through it in order, because the early steps make the later ones count.
Step 1: Set up your Google Business Profile properly
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that appears on the map and in search. It matters more than anything on your website, so start here.
- Claim and verify it. Go to business.google.com and follow the prompts. Google may verify you by video, phone or post.
- Pick the right primary category. This is the single most important setting. Choose the category that describes your main service most exactly, such as "Electrician" rather than "Contractor". Add a few secondary categories for other services.
- List your services. Add each service you offer with a short description in plain words.
- Set your service area. Add the suburbs or regions you actually work in.
- Hide your address if you work from home. If customers don't visit you, Google lets you hide your street address and show a service area instead. You'll still rank. Your listing just won't show your house on a map.
- Add your hours, including public holidays.
- Write a description that says what you do and where, the way you'd explain it to a customer.
- Upload real photos. Your work, your van, your team, before-and-after shots. Skip stock photos. Keep adding a few every month.
Step 2: Make your details match everywhere
Google compares your business name, contact details and location across the web. When they match, it's more confident you're a real, established business.
Pick one exact version of your business name, phone number or email, and suburb, and use it everywhere: your website, your Google profile, Facebook, Instagram and any directory. Small differences add up. "Smith Electrical" on one site and "Smith Electrical Services Pty Ltd" on another looks like two businesses.
If you've moved, changed names or changed phone numbers, hunt down the old listings and update them.
Step 3: Get the website basics right
Your website backs up your Google profile. It doesn't need to be big, but it does need to be clear.
- A page for each main service. "Blocked drains", "Hot water" and "Gas fitting" should each have their own page, not share one. Each page is another chance to match what people search for.
- Say where you work. Mention the suburbs and areas you cover, in normal sentences. Don't paste a list of a hundred suburbs at the bottom of every page.
- Good page titles. Each page title should say the service and the place, like "Blocked drain plumber in Chermside | Northside Plumbing".
- Contact details on every page. Put your phone number or contact form in the header or footer so nobody has to hunt for it.
- Fast on a phone. Most local searches happen on a phone. If your site takes ages to load, people go back and call the next business.
- Business markup. Ask your web designer to add LocalBusiness structured data. It tells Google your business name, service area and contact details in a format it reads easily.
- Link it up. Put your website address on your Google profile, and link to your profile from your site.
Step 4: Ask for reviews, then reply to them
Reviews affect where you rank and whether people click. A profile with a steady stream of recent reviews looks alive, and one with three reviews from 2021 doesn't.
- Ask every happy customer. The best time is right after the job, while they're pleased. Text or email them your review link, which you'll find in your Google profile under "Ask for reviews".
- Make it easy. One link, one sentence. "Thanks for having us. If you were happy with the job, a quick Google review would really help: [link]."
- Reply to every review. Thank people for the good ones. For bad ones, stay calm, don't argue, and offer to sort it out. Other customers read your replies more closely than the review itself.
- Never buy or fake reviews. Google removes them and can suspend your listing. Offering customers rewards for reviews breaks Google's rules too.
Step 5: List your business in a few directories
Directory listings help Google confirm your details, and some of them send customers directly. You don't need hundreds. A handful of good ones is plenty.
- Apple Business Connect for Apple Maps, which every iPhone uses.
- Bing Places for Bing and the services that use its data.
- Yellow Pages and True Local, the big Australian general directories.
- hipages, Oneflare or ServiceSeeking if you're a trade or home service.
- Your industry association, if you belong to one.
Use exactly the same details as in Step 2. Keep a simple spreadsheet of where you're listed and the logins, so updating them later takes minutes rather than an afternoon.
Step 6: Keep it moving
Local SEO isn't a one-off job. A little each month beats a big push once a year.
- Post on your Google profile every couple of weeks: a finished job, a seasonal tip, a special.
- Add photos regularly.
- Write something useful on your website now and then. A Brisbane roofer writing about getting ready for storm season, for example.
- Check your numbers. Your Google profile shows calls, website clicks and direction requests. Google Search Console, which is free, shows which searches bring people to your site.
How long does it take?
Fixing your Google profile and details can make a difference within weeks, especially if they were incomplete before. Ranking well for competitive searches like "plumber Brisbane" usually takes months of steady reviews and activity. If nothing has changed after three months, check the basics again. The usual culprits are the wrong primary category, details that don't match, or no reviews coming in.
Want this done for you?
Every Business and Growth plan on our AI websites includes Google Business Profile setup and the website basics from Step 3, with service pages, page titles and business markup built in. If you're still choosing who to work with, read our guide on choosing a web designer in Brisbane first.
Common questions
Do I need a shopfront or office to rank on Google Maps?
No. Service-area businesses, like trades, mobile services and home-based businesses, can hide their address and still appear on the map. You'll rank around the areas you serve rather than a single point.
How many reviews do I need?
There's no magic number. What matters most is having more recent, genuine reviews than the businesses you compete with, and adding new ones steadily. A few new reviews every month is a good habit.
Is local SEO the same as Google Ads?
No. Ads put you at the top for as long as you pay for each click. Local SEO earns you a place in the map results without paying per click, but it takes longer to build. Many businesses use ads at the start while their organic ranking grows.