Local SEO is how you get your business showing up in Google's search results and Maps without paying for ads. When someone searches "plumber near me" or "electrician Gold Coast," the businesses that show up organically have invested in local SEO.
Unlike Google Ads (which stop the moment you stop paying), SEO builds long-term visibility. It's slower, but the leads are essentially free once you're ranking. Here's what you need to know.
Whilst this is a comprehensive guide, you can use Cliqe to do all this for you. Get in touch and we'll handle your local SEO from start to finish.
The Map Pack: Where the Money Is
When you search for a local service, Google shows a box of 3 businesses with a map — the "Map Pack" or "Local 3-Pack." This is prime real estate. These listings get the majority of clicks for local searches.
Getting into the Map Pack depends on three main factors:
- 1.
Relevance
How well your business matches the search. This comes from your categories, description, and services listed on your Google Business Profile.
- 2.
Distance
How close your business is to the searcher. You can't change this, but you can optimise your service area to cover the right suburbs.
- 3.
Prominence
How well-known your business is online. Reviews, website quality, citations (directory listings), and backlinks all feed into this.
Google Business Profile Is Your Foundation
Your Google Business Profile is the single most important factor in local SEO. If you haven't already, check out our Google Business Profile Guide for a complete walkthrough.
The basics: claim your profile, fill in every field, choose the right categories, upload real photos of your work, and actively collect reviews. A fully optimised GBP is the fastest local SEO win you can get.
Your Website Needs to Work Harder
Your website is the second pillar of local SEO. Google looks at your site to understand what you do, where you do it, and whether you're a credible business.
Key on-page SEO elements:
- •Title tags: Each page needs a unique title with your service and location (e.g., "Electrician Gold Coast | Smith Electrical")
- •Service pages: Individual pages for each service you offer, not one page listing everything
- •Location pages: Pages targeting each suburb/area you service
- •NAP consistency: Your business name, address, and phone number match your GBP exactly
- •Schema markup: Structured data that tells Google exactly what your business is
- •Mobile speed: Most local searches happen on phones. If your site is slow, you're losing rankings and customers
Citations & Directory Listings
Citations are mentions of your business on other websites — Yellow Pages, True Local, Hipages, Yelp, and industry-specific directories. Consistent citations across the web tell Google your business is legitimate and established.
Priority directories for Australian tradies:
- •Yellow Pages / White Pages
- •True Local
- •Hipages
- •Yelp Australia
- •Hotfrog
- •Your industry association directory
The critical thing is consistency. Your business name, address, and phone number must be identical across every listing. Even small variations ("St" vs "Street") can dilute your SEO signals.
Content That Ranks Locally
Creating content that targets local searches helps Google understand that you're a relevant result for your area. This doesn't mean pumping out blog posts for the sake of it — it means creating genuinely useful pages.
Content ideas that work for local tradies:
- •Service + location pages ("Switchboard Upgrades in Burleigh Heads")
- •Project case studies ("Full Rewire — Southport Queenslander")
- •Local-specific FAQ pages ("Gold Coast Electrical Safety Regulations")
- •Seasonal content ("Preparing Your Gold Coast Home for Storm Season")
Why SEO Is a Long Game
Here's the honest truth about local SEO: it works, but it takes time. Most businesses start seeing meaningful results in 3-6 months. Full competitive rankings can take 6-12 months.
The work involved is also ongoing. Google's algorithm changes regularly, competitors don't stand still, and content needs to be refreshed. A proper local SEO campaign involves:
- •Monthly technical SEO audits and fixes
- •Ongoing content creation and optimisation
- •Citation building and cleanup
- •Link building from relevant local sources
- •Competitor analysis and strategy adjustments
- •Google Business Profile management
- •Review generation and reputation management
It's not a one-off project. SEO is an ongoing investment in your online visibility. You can handle the basics yourself — but competing against businesses with dedicated SEO strategies gets harder every year.
Quick Wins You Can Do Today
- 1.Claim and complete your Google Business Profile (if you haven't already)
- 2.Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are identical on your website, GBP, and Facebook
- 3.Ask your last 3 happy customers for a Google review
- 4.Check that your website title tag includes your trade and location
- 5.List your business on Yellow Pages, True Local, and Hipages with consistent details