Local SEO for Brisbane Businesses: A Complete Guide

When someone in Brisbane searches for a product or service, Google tries to show them relevant local results. The businesses that appear in those local results are not there by accident. They have optimised for local search, and you can too.

This guide covers everything a Brisbane business needs to know about local SEO—from setting up your Google Business Profile correctly to building the citations and reviews that influence rankings.

What Local SEO Actually Is

Local SEO is the practice of optimising your online presence so you appear in local search results. When someone searches “accountant Brisbane” or “plumber near me,” Google shows two types of results:

The Local Pack (also called the Map Pack)—the map with three business listings that appears at the top of many local searches
Organic results—the traditional blue links below the map

Getting into the Local Pack is valuable because it appears prominently and includes your phone number, reviews, and directions. But organic rankings matter too, especially for businesses whose customers research before buying.

Local SEO affects both. The work you do to rank locally helps your visibility across the board.

Google Business Profile: Your Foundation

Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the single most important factor in local SEO. If you do nothing else, get this right.

Claiming and Verifying Your Profile

If you have not already claimed your profile, go to google.com/business and follow the steps. Google will verify that you actually operate at the address you claim, usually by sending a postcard with a code or calling your phone.

Do not skip verification. Unverified profiles have limited functionality and are less trusted by Google.

Completing Every Section

Google rewards complete profiles. Fill out everything:

Business name: Use your real business name. Do not stuff keywords into it—that violates Google’s guidelines and risks suspension.

Category: Choose your primary category carefully. This has significant ranking impact. If you are a dentist, “Dentist” should be your primary category. You can add secondary categories like “Cosmetic Dentist” or “Emergency Dental Service.”

Address: If you serve customers at your location, include your full address. If you travel to customers (like a mobile mechanic), you can hide your address and set a service area instead.

Service area: For businesses that serve customers at their locations, specify the suburbs and cities you cover. Be realistic—do not claim you serve all of Queensland if you realistically only work in Greater Brisbane.

Hours: Keep these accurate and updated. Wrong hours frustrate potential customers and hurt your profile.

Phone: Use a local number if possible. While 1300 numbers work, a Brisbane area code (07) signals local presence.

Website: Link to your homepage or a relevant landing page.

Services: List all your services with descriptions. This helps Google understand what you offer and can improve your visibility for specific service searches.

Products: If applicable, add your products with photos and prices.

Attributes: These vary by business type. A restaurant might have attributes for outdoor seating or delivery. A clinic might indicate wheelchair accessibility. Complete all relevant attributes.

Description: Write a clear description of your business. Include what you do, who you serve, and your service area naturally. This is not the place for keyword stuffing—write for humans.

Photos That Matter

Businesses with photos get significantly more engagement than those without. Upload:

Logo: Clear, professional, correctly sized
Cover photo: Represents your business well
Interior photos: If you have a physical location customers visit
Exterior photos: Helps people find you
Team photos: Adds a human element
Product or service photos: Show your work

Aim for at least 10 photos to start, and add more regularly. Google favours profiles that are actively maintained.

Posts and Updates

Google Business Profile allows you to post updates, offers, and events. These appear on your profile and can influence visibility. Post at least weekly with:

Special offers or promotions
New services or products
Tips relevant to your industry
Company news or events

Posts expire after seven days (events last until the event date), so regular posting is necessary.

Reviews: The Trust Signal

Reviews influence rankings and conversion. A business with 50 genuine five-star reviews will generally outrank a similar business with 5 reviews.

Getting More Reviews

The key to getting reviews is asking. Most satisfied customers are happy to leave a review—they just do not think to do it unprompted.

Create a direct review link: Google provides a short link to your review form. Include this in email signatures, on receipts, and in follow-up messages.

Ask at the right time: Request reviews when customers have just had a positive experience. For a tradie, that might be right after completing a job. For a restaurant, after a compliment from the table.

Make it easy: Do not ask customers to “find you on Google and leave a review.” Send them the direct link.

Train your team: If you have staff, make sure they know how and when to request reviews.

Responding to Reviews

Respond to every review—positive and negative.

For positive reviews, thank the customer specifically. Mention something about their experience if possible.

For negative reviews, respond professionally. Acknowledge their experience, apologise for any shortcomings, and offer to make it right. Do not argue publicly. The goal is to show future customers that you handle problems well.

Google has stated that responding to reviews may improve local visibility. Beyond rankings, it demonstrates that you care about customer feedback.

NAP Consistency and Citations

NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Keeping these consistent across the internet is fundamental to local SEO.

Why Consistency Matters

Google cross-references your business information across hundreds of sources. Inconsistencies create confusion. If your Google profile says “123 Main Street” but your website says “123 Main St” and Yellow Pages says “123 Main Street, Suite 1,” Google is less confident about your actual location.

Pick one format for your business name and address, and use it everywhere.

Building Citations

Citations are mentions of your business on other websites, typically directories. The most important citations for Brisbane businesses:

Tier 1 (Essential):

Google Business Profile
Apple Maps
Bing Places
Facebook Business
LinkedIn
Yellow Pages Australia
True Local

Tier 2 (Important):

Hotfrog
StartLocal
AussieWeb
Yelp
Industry-specific directories

Tier 3 (Local):

Brisbane City Council business directory
Local chamber of commerce
Industry associations
Local news sites

Work through these systematically. Create or claim your listing, ensure NAP consistency, and complete as much profile information as possible.

On-Site Local Optimisation

Your website needs to support your local SEO efforts.

Location Pages

If you serve multiple suburbs or cities, consider creating location-specific pages. A Brisbane plumber might have pages for:

Plumber Brisbane CBD
Plumber Northside Brisbane
Plumber Southside Brisbane

Each page should have unique, useful content—not just the same text with location names swapped out. Describe the specific areas you serve, mention local landmarks, discuss common issues in those areas.

Schema Markup

Schema markup is code that helps search engines understand your business information. LocalBusiness schema should include your NAP, hours, service area, and other relevant details.

This is technical SEO work, but it makes a meaningful difference. If your website does not have schema markup, consider having it implemented.

Local Content

Create content relevant to your local audience. A Brisbane accountant might write about Queensland-specific tax obligations. A local electrician might discuss common electrical issues in older Brisbane homes.

This type of content signals local relevance and can attract links from other local sites.

Tracking Your Progress

Local SEO results do not appear overnight. Track your progress with:

Google Business Profile Insights: Shows how people find your profile, what actions they take, and how you compare to competitors.

Google Search Console: Shows which searches bring visitors to your website and how your rankings change over time. Pair this with Google Analytics for complete visibility.

Rank tracking tools: Tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark can track your position in the Local Pack for specific searches.

Lead tracking: Ultimately, you care about enquiries. Track phone calls and form submissions to measure real business impact.

Common Local SEO Mistakes

Avoid these errors:

Keyword stuffing your business name: Adding “Best Brisbane Plumber” to your business name violates Google’s guidelines and risks suspension.

Fake reviews: Google is increasingly sophisticated at detecting fake reviews. The risk of suspension is not worth it.

Inconsistent NAP: As discussed, this undermines your credibility with Google.

Ignoring negative reviews: Unanswered negative reviews hurt your reputation with potential customers.

Set and forget: Local SEO requires ongoing attention. Profiles that stagnate lose ground to active competitors. Consider hiring an agency if you lack the time.

What to Expect

Local SEO is a long-term investment. Expect:

First month: Profile optimisation, citation building, review request system in place
Months 2-3: Citations indexed, reviews accumulating, possible ranking improvements
Months 3-6: More significant ranking improvements if competition is moderate
6+ months: Sustainable positions for key local searches

Highly competitive markets (like “lawyer Brisbane” or “dentist Brisbane”) may take longer. Less competitive niches can see results faster.

Getting Started

If you are new to local SEO, start with these priorities:

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
Fix any NAP inconsistencies on your website
Build citations on Tier 1 directories
Implement a review request system
Create or improve your location-specific content

These fundamentals will position you well against most local competitors, many of whom have not invested in local SEO at all.

Want help with local SEO for your Brisbane business? Platform21 provides local SEO services tailored to South East Queensland businesses. Request a free local SEO audit or explore our SEO services to see where you stand.

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