SEO agencies can make it sound complicated, but for a local tradie, getting found on Google mostly comes down to a handful of basics done properly and kept up. Here's the checklist, in plain English, so you can do it yourself or know what you're paying someone else for.
- For tradies, local SEO means two places: the map results and the normal search results below them.
- Your Google Business Profile and your reviews drive the map results.
- A page for each service and area you want work in drives the normal results.
- Most of the website side should be built in from day one. The ongoing work is reviews, updates and content.
What SEO means for a tradie
When someone searches "electrician Mawson Lakes", Google shows two kinds of results:
- The map results (often three businesses with a map). These come from Google Business Profiles.
- The normal results below. These are websites.
You want to show up in both. They're won in slightly different ways.
Part 1: Google Business Profile (the map results)
- Verified, with your business name exactly as it appears on your van and invoices
- The most specific primary category ("Plumber", not "Contractor")
- Realistic service areas: the suburbs and regions you actually cover
- Every section filled in: hours, services, description, photos
- A link to your website
- An update or new photo every week or two
Our Google Business Profile checklist walks through each one. If your profile isn't showing at all, read why your Google Business Profile isn't showing up.
Part 2: Reviews
Reviews are one of the biggest factors in which tradies appear in the map results, and they're the one thing nobody can do for you. Ask every happy customer, ideally the same day, with a direct link. Then reply to every review.
Part 3: Your website (the normal results)
Google can only rank a page for a search if that page exists. If you want work in blocked drains in Norwood, you need a page about blocked drains, and your website needs to say you work in Norwood.
- A page for each main service, with a clear heading ("Hot water repairs in Adelaide")
- Your service areas named, plus short pages for your main suburbs or regions
- A unique page title and description for each page
- Fast on a phone, with a tap-to-call button
- Your business name, phone and area the same as on your Google profile
- Your licence number, reviews and real photos, so visitors trust you
Most of this should be built into your website from day one. If it isn't, it's usually cheaper to fix the website than to pay for ongoing SEO on top of a weak one. Run your site through our free website check to see where it stands.
Part 4: Links and listings
Links from other websites tell Google you're a real, trusted local business. The easy ones for tradies:
- Free business directories, with your details exactly the same as on your Google profile
- Your trade association's member directory
- Suppliers, builders or local businesses you work with
- Local sponsorships, like a sports club's sponsors page
Avoid anyone selling "hundreds of backlinks". Cheap link packages can get your site penalised.
Part 5: Keep it going
SEO isn't a one-off job. Each month:
Is SEO worth paying for?
It can be, once the basics are in place. A specialist can help in competitive trades and areas. But many tradies pay monthly SEO fees while their Google profile is half-finished, their website has one "Services" page and they have five reviews. Fix those first: it's where most of the results come from.
We don't sell SEO campaigns. We build websites with the SEO basics done properly from day one, set up your Google Business Profile, make review requests one click, and send a monthly report with what to improve next.
Get the website side done properly
Our websites for tradies include service and suburb pages, Google Business Profile setup, review requests and a monthly report.
Frequently asked questions
Getting your business to show up when people search Google for your trade in your area, in both the map results and the normal results.
Get website tips by email
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Rhys builds and looks after every Reactive Web website himself, from Redwood Park in Adelaide, for local service businesses that want more calls, bookings and enquiries.
