Local SEO (search engine optimisation) sounds technical, but for a tradie it comes down to one question: when someone nearby searches for what you do, do they find you? You don't need to understand algorithms or pay an agency thousands a month. Most of the work is getting the basics right and keeping at it.
This guide explains how local search works, according to Google's own help pages, and the practical steps a sole trader or small trade business can take to show up in their area. It's current as at November 2026.
How local search works
When someone searches for a trade with a place in mind, like "roofer Penrith" or "air con repair near me", Google usually shows a map with a few local businesses (the local pack), then ordinary web results underneath. You want to appear in both.
Google's page on improving your local ranking says local results are mainly based on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. It also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
What Google says decides local results, and what you can do about each
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that you can't pay for a better local ranking.
| Factor | What Google says it means | What a tradie can do |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for | Complete every field, pick the right category, and describe your actual services |
| Distance | How far each business is from the person searching | Set an honest service area. You can't change where customers are, so don't fake an address |
| Prominence | How well known a business is, including links to your business and how many reviews you have | Ask every happy customer for a review, reply to reviews, and get listed on relevant local sites |
You can't move closer to every customer, so focus on the two you can influence: being relevant and being well known.
Start with your Google Business Profile
For most trades, the map results come from Google Business Profile, so that's the first job. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results. Our guide to Google Business Profile for tradies walks through setting it up, including the rules for service-area businesses, so we'll only cover the highlights here:
- verify the profile,
- use your real business name, with no added keywords,
- choose the most specific category for your trade,
- hide your home address and set an honest service area,
- add real photos of your work, and
- ask for reviews and reply to them.
Make sure your website backs it up
Your website is where Google and customers go to learn more. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it should make it obvious what you do and where. ABS data shows the smallest businesses are the least likely to have a website: in 2024–25, 44.6% of businesses with 0–4 people had their own website or app, compared with 68.7% of businesses with 5–19 people.
Businesses with their own website or app, by size and industry
The smallest businesses are the least likely to have a website: 44.6% of businesses with 0–4 people did in 2024–25, and 39.8% of construction businesses.
Show the figures as a table
| Business size or industry | Own website or app |
|---|---|
| 0–4 persons | 44.6% |
| 5–19 persons | 68.7% |
| 20–199 persons | 90.1% |
| 200 or more persons | 88.7% |
| Construction (all sizes) | 39.8% |
| All businesses | 55.1% |
If you have a site, check these basics:
- A clear page for each main service. "Hot water system replacement" and "blocked drains" deserve their own pages, written in plain English, rather than one long list.
- Where you work. Mention the suburbs and regions you cover, naturally, in your copy. Don't create dozens of near-identical pages with only the suburb name changed. They add little for customers.
- Your name, phone and service area, written the same way as on your Google profile.
- Your licence number where your state requires it in advertising.
- Fast on a phone. Most searches for trades happen on mobile. Test your site on your own phone over 4G.
- Real photos and reviews. Show your own work, not stock images.
Our guide to tradie websites covers what your site needs in more detail.
Be consistent everywhere
Google pulls information about your business from your profile, your website and other sites. Google's guidelines say to represent your business as it's consistently known in the real world, across signage, stationery and other branding. If one directory has an old phone number and another has a different spelling of your name, it creates confusion for customers.
Make a list of everywhere your business appears online, such as directories, your industry association, social media and supplier "find a tradie" pages. Check that your name, phone number, website and service area match. Fix or remove old listings.
A listing on Tradie Guide, the Australian tradie directory, is one more place customers can find you, with a link back to your website.
Build prominence: reviews and links
Google says prominence is about how well known a business is, and that it's based partly on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have.
Reviews
Reviews are the most direct thing a tradie can do. Ask every happy customer, send a direct link to your review form, and reply to every review, good or bad. Never buy reviews, write your own or offer rewards only for positive reviews: the ACCC's guidance on online reviews explains why. Our guide to getting Google reviews has wording you can use.
Links from local sites
Links from other relevant websites tell Google you're a real, established business. Good sources for tradies include:
- your industry association's member directory,
- suppliers and manufacturers with an installer or "find a tradie" page,
- local community groups, clubs and schools you sponsor or help,
- builders, designers or other trades you regularly work with, and
- local news if you've done something worth covering.
Avoid paying for links or joining link schemes. They breach Google's spam policies and can hurt more than help.
Keep it fresh
Local SEO isn't a one-off job. A simple monthly routine makes a difference over time:
- Add a few photos of recent jobs to your Google profile.
- Ask your happiest customers from the month for reviews, and reply to new ones.
- Check your hours, phone number and service area are still right.
- Add or update a page on your website if you've started offering a new service.
- Check your listings on other sites when anything changes.
Track what's working
You can't improve what you don't measure. Ask every new customer how they found you, and write it down against the job. After a few months you'll know whether Google, word of mouth, your van or a directory is bringing in the work. Your Google Business Profile also shows performance figures, such as calls and website clicks from your listing, so check them each month alongside your own notes. If a source brings plenty of enquiries but few jobs, look at how quickly you're replying and how your quotes compare.
Should you pay for Google Ads?
Paid ads appear above the local results and can bring calls quickly, but you pay for every click, and the cost depends on how competitive your trade and area are. They're worth testing once your profile, reviews and website are in good shape, because a strong profile makes the ads work better too. Set a small budget, track which jobs come from ads, and stop if they're not paying for themselves. Google's ads don't change your organic or local ranking: Google says you can't pay for a better local ranking.
Watch out for SEO sales calls
Tradies get a lot of calls promising "page one of Google". Be wary of anyone who guarantees rankings, wants a long lock-in contract, or won't explain what they'll actually do. If you hire help, ask for a plain-English monthly report showing the work done and the calls and enquiries it brought in. Make sure your Google profile and website stay in your name.
Advertising rules still apply
Everything on your profile and website is advertising. Under Australian Consumer Law, claims must be accurate, prices must be clear, and reviews must be genuine. Some states also require your licence number in ads: for example, the QBCC's advertising rules apply to licensed contractors in Queensland.
Turn searches into jobs
Showing up is only half the job. When someone calls or sends an enquiry, a fast reply and a clear quote win the work. Tradie Business has an enquiry inbox, an online booking calendar customers can book from, and quotes you can send from your phone in minutes. See the full list of features and pricing, or browse by trade, from electricians to painters.
For the bigger picture, read our guide to marketing for tradies.
