We thought we’d write this post for the growing number of local businesses needing SEO Brisbane services. Although we’re using Brisbane as a case study in this post, the below rules can be used in virtually any location in Australia (such as Sydney, Melbourne, etc.).
Why is SEO important?
As explained in our blog post, ‘What is SEO, and 4 Reasons Why Every Company Needs it to Become More Profitable,’ SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) should be an integral part of your digital marketing plan. SEO can help draw more customers to your business and, if done well, convert to more sales.
If you’re based in Brisbane, there are numerous aspects to SEO. For today, I’d like to cover some tips to help your business get discovered online locally.
1. Keyword research
The first thing you have to ask yourself is if people are actually searching for your products or services online. One way to find out how many people searching for certain keywords such as ‘dentist Brisbane’ is to use a free tool called Google Keyword Planner. What it does is it reports how many people are searching for a certain term every month (such as ‘dentists’) – from a location you specify (such as ‘Brisbane’).
If you haven’t used it before, it could be a little tricky. Thankfully, the team at backlinko have created a great guide on how to use it to find the search data.
CAUTION: you might find that more generic keywords such as ‘dentist Brisbane’ and ‘accountants Brisbane’ are highly competitive. If you do a quick google search for these terms, you’ll find numerous, well established websites that are ranking for these terms. In terms of SEO, this could make it incredibly difficult (and costly) for you to be discovered.
In such instances, one strategy would be to focus on the smaller suburbs of Brisbane. Depending on your business, this could actually make much more sense. After all, if someone who lives in Jindalee is searching for a dentist, it’s highly unlikely they they would be searching for a dentist in Chermside. Therefore, it might be more practical for you to focus on keywords that are specific to your business location, such as ‘dentist Jindalee’. They may not get as many searches, but they could be much more relevant.
2. Set up Google My Business
Setting up a local Google My Business page for your business can create wonders for your business. Although not as popular as Facebook, Google My Business still has its merits. A Google My Business business page can help add your business to Google Maps and give you a larger presence on search results. They can also help instantly display the (hopefully) positive reviews people have written about your business in search results. Click here to start.
3. SEO Optimise your Facebook business page (and other social media)
You may have a Facebook page about your Brisbane business, but have you optimised it for local results? In terms of helping you get discovered on search engines, we have found that some Facebook pages and status updates have gained high rankings on search results for relevant keywords – without the business even needing a website. When setting up your Facebook business page, make sure to verify it and specify your business location. Also, make sure add the right keywords in the short description.
Read this great guide on optimising your social media for SEO.
4. Leverage GOOD QUALITY directories
You can instantly gain new leads without even having a website. Depending on your industry and business, you can leverage the power of good quality online directories (avoid ‘low quality’ directories listed below) – three directories we’ve found to have good search engine ranking power in Brisbane in the past include TrueLocal, Gumtree and Yellow Pages.
AVOID ‘LOW QUALITY’ DIRECTORIES THAT:
- Have no login pages
- Have no contact pages
- Promote ‘SEO links’
- Are full of keywords
- Are not indexed by Google
-
5. Have good quality products and services
SEO techniques aside, a timeless way to attract more people to your business is to simply sell better quality products and services. The more people enjoy what you offer, the more they will return, recommend and search for you. Listen to customer feedback and analyse your offerings as objectively and honestly as possible – are you delivering something valuable? Find ways to continue to improve what you have to offer in this ever-changing, highly competitive marketplace.
5.b. A little bit extra
Although we promised 5 steps, we thought we’d add a little bit of extra advice: get your AdWords right. You can read a guide here: PPC Best Practices: Your Guide to Strategies That Actually Impact Your Conversion Rate.
Of course, there are plenty more SEO strategies you could implement for your Brisbane-based/local business. But these could be a great start. If you have any other recommendations for local SEO, feel free to share them in the comments below!
