SEO for tradies: how to get found in South East Queensland

SEO for tradies: how locals find you

SEO for tradies means making sure that when someone nearby searches for what you do, your business shows up and looks like the one to call. It happens in three places: the map results, the normal results and, more and more, AI answers.

Say a homeowner in Chermside has lost their hot water and searches “hot water repairs Chermside” on their phone. Google often shows a map of a few local businesses near the top, and the same listings appear in Google Maps. Each is a Google Business Profile (once called Google My Business), the free listing with your photos, reviews and phone number.

Under the map are the normal results. On some searches Google also writes an AI answer at the top. Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini give a written answer too, not a list of links. Google says there’s nothing special to do for its AI answers beyond normal SEO, and it points local businesses to their Business Profile.

So local SEO for tradies is three jobs: a proper profile, a website that answers “can you do this, and do you cover my suburb?”, and proof you do good work.

Get your Google Business Profile right

Google says local results come down to relevance, distance and prominence: how well you match the search, how far you are from the searcher and how well known you are. Here’s what to get right:

• Categories. Pick one main category that says what you are, like Electrician or Plumber. Add up to nine more for work you really do, but don’t use them as keywords.
• Business name. Use the name on your ute and invoices. Google doesn’t allow extra service or location words, so no “Best Plumber Brisbane”.
• Service areas. Add the suburbs or postcodes you really work in, up to 20. You can’t use a radius, and the area should be within about two hours’ drive. If customers don’t come to you, you can remove your address, which suits working from home.
• Hours. Use your real hours, and special hours for public holidays. Mention emergency call-outs in your description.
• Photos. Add real photos of your work, your crew and your ute. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and not heavily filtered.

We’d start here. It’s free, and once it’s verified you can get most of the rest sorted in an afternoon.

Keep your details the same everywhere

Your business name, phone number and address (or service area) should match on your website, Google profile, Facebook, Apple Maps (through Apple Business Connect), Bing Places and directories like Yellow Pages or hipages. Google says businesses with complete, accurate info are more likely to show up locally, and an old number on a forgotten listing means missed calls.

A website that gets the call

Your website is what the normal results and AI tools read, and where a customer decides to ring. Our page on websites for tradies has more, but these are the SEO basics.

• One page per service. A customer types one service, so give each its own page: hot water, blocked drains, bathroom renos. Say what the job is, what’s included and how it works.
• The areas you really cover. Name the suburbs or regions, like Logan or the Sunshine Coast, on the pages they apply to. An area page is fine if it’s useful, say because you’ve done jobs there.
• A number people can tap. Put your phone number at the top of every page as a tap-to-call link. Keep the quote form short: name, number, suburb and what you need.
• Fast on phones. Open your site on your phone using mobile data. If it’s slow, run Google’s free PageSpeed Insights test. Huge photos are a common cause.
• Your licence number. The QBCC says licensed contractors must show their licence name and number in their advertising, websites and social media pages included.

Reviews: ask everyone, never fake them

Reviews help twice. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and customers notice them too.

Ask after every job, while it’s fresh. Text your Google review link or put a QR code on your invoice. Both come from your Business Profile.

Ask everyone, not just the happy ones. Google’s rules don’t allow picking who you ask, offering a discount or freebie, or telling people what to write or how many stars to give.

Never write your own or get family and mates to. Under the Australian Consumer Law it’s illegal to create or arrange a fake or misleading review, including ones from staff or relatives who don’t say who they are.

Reply to every review, in your own words. Thank them and mention the job. For a bad one, stay calm, say what you’ll do and offer to ring them. Google lists replying among its tips.

Show your real work

Real jobs are the best proof you’ve got: a switchboard before and after, a retaining wall you built, a tree you took down in Redcliffe. Google’s advice for AI answers is to share first-hand experience, not rewrite what’s already out there.

For jobs you’re proud of, write a short project note: the problem, what you did, how long it took and which suburb. Add two or three photos. Post the note on your website and the photos on your Google profile and Facebook. Ask the customer first, and leave out their name and street number.

What doesn’t work

• Stuffing keywords. Repeating “plumber Brisbane, plumber Ipswich, cheap plumber near me” at the bottom of a page. Google’s spam rules call out blocks of text that list the cities and regions a page is trying to rank for.
• Fake suburb pages. Dozens of near-identical pages with a different suburb swapped in. Google treats pages made only to rank for lots of similar searches as spam. Only make an area page if you really work there.
• Buying links. Google counts buying links to push your rankings as link spam. Real links come from real relationships, like your supplier or industry association listing you.
• Promises. Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking, and you can’t pay for a better spot in the free map results. Be wary of anyone who promises first place or emails you out of the blue.

How long it takes, and what to track

Think months, not weeks. New pages take time to be found, and tradies who started years ago may already have heaps of reviews. In the first few months, a few searches going up and a few going down is normal.

Count what pays: calls, quote requests and jobs won. Rankings are only a guide, and they change with where the person searching is standing, so checking your own business from home tells you little. Here’s where to look:

• Your Business Profile’s performance numbers: calls, direction requests, website clicks and messages. Google counts taps on your call button, not the calls themselves.
• A notebook. Tally every call and quote request, and ask each new customer how they found you.

Questions people ask

Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?

A profile can bring in calls on its own, but a website lets you explain each service, show your work and give Google and AI tools pages to point to.

Will ChatGPT or Google’s AI recommend my business?

They can name local businesses, but nobody can promise a mention. The basics are the same: a clear website, a proper Google profile and real reviews.

Can I do it myself, or do I need an SEO agency for tradies?

You can do plenty yourself, because the profile, photos, review requests and replies cost you time rather than money. If you’re flat out on the tools, ask any agency what they’ll do each month and how they’ll report on calls and quote requests. Our SEO service has no lock-in contract.

For a second pair of eyes on your own setup, send us your website for a free website check. We’ll tell you what’s working, what isn’t and what we’d fix first, in plain English.