Here’s 5 Local Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tactics that any business website can put to use, to assist in ranking higher on Google for Brisbane business search results.
1. Create your Google My Business(GMB) listing.
This is the first thing I do, and I recommend that my clients also do. In a nutshell, before Google starts favouring a particular website on their local search results, they like to confirm that the website and business is in-fact a associated with a genuine physical address.
The process of claiming and verifying your business with Google via GMB, registers your business not only on the organic rankings, but also Google Maps, Local Finder and Google’s Local Pack. It is free to register your business details like contact details, hours of operation and payment types accepted on GMB.
Before you start the verification process check out Google’s GMB guidelines. Your GMB listing is your website content, regardless of your content being onsite or offsite, the same diligent content management skills are needed to succeed with content marketing. So be sure to return often to update your details, plus optimise your GMB listing for Brisbane local SEO juice.
2. Register your business details on local directory websites.
I would never pay to list my website on a directory website for the purpose of gaining referral traffic. Save your budget for Adwords, or advertising on social media platforms. But, links from local directory websites provide you with what is known in SEO circles as “Local Citations”.
A citation is any online reference of your business details: name, contact details i.e. address and phone number. A link back to your website from a local directory isn’t critical here too, Google is smart enough to evaluate your website/business merely from online references of your Name, Address and Phone (NAP).
Below is a list of free local directory websites that I use, if you only list with one, make sure it is www.yelp.com.au and you upload some images, they’ll get geocoded:
- yellowpages.com.au
- truelocal.com.au
- yelp.com.au
- womo.com.au
- infobel.com
- aussieweb.com.au
- australianplanet.com
- startlocal.com.au
- superpages.com.au
- pinkpages.com.au
- hotfrog.com.au
- showmelocal.com
- cylex.com.au
- au.enrollbusiness.com
- aussie-hours.com
- fyple.biz
- misterwhat-au.com
- tuugo.biz
- comeonaussie.com
- savvysme.com.au
- businesslistingnow.com
- zipleaf.auz.net
- australiaonlineadvertising.com.au
- searchfrog.com.au
- businesslistings.net.au
3. Encourage and facilitate Customer Reviews
Reviews from local Brisbane customers will help with your Local SEO. Encourage your customers to leave a review on your GMB listing or your website, or a third-party website like ProductReview.com.au.
I recommend https://www.innovareviews.com/ as the tool for you to publish website customer reviews. It has structured data markup so it
Developed to Google recommended ‘Rich Snippets’ format, InnovaReviews enables website owners to publish reviews on their own website for Search Engine Optimisation purposes and to acquire stars in Google organic search results.
4. Publish to ‘Google Posts’ in you GMB profile
This is a little known strategy as Google only launched this feature in June 2017. Google Posts is a mechanism for GMB owners to post informational updates about their business via their Google My Business account. Google Posts content appears in the Google Search organic results alongside the Google My Business listing, and is the equivalent of a chalk noticeboard outside of a shop. A Google Post lasts 7 days.
You can publish information event about events (they will expire on the day of the event), or republish reviews from your GMB listing as a Google Post. What you can publish in a Google Post for local Brisbane SEO advantages is limited by your creativity.
5. Back-links from .AU domains and local citations
Although not completely necessary to SEO rank a website locally in Brisbane on Google successfully, back-links from Australian domains ending in the .au extension can play an important role. A healthy back-link profile for a website contains links from a variety of different website domains.
In Google’s eyes a local Brisbane based web presence would naturally contain links from website with a .com.au, .net.au and .org.au. I have witnessed the difference Australian domains make to a website’s SEO, and I always strive to ensure that gain as many links to my websites from Australian domain extensions.
A local citation is a mention on an external website of your business Name, Address and Phone (NAP). There are many different types of local citations, the local directory websites mentioned in #2 are one type of local citation, important enough to have their own section in this post.
In addition to the local directory websites, list your NAP details in advertisements on websites like gumtree.com.au, local community, government and education websites.
SEO Brisbane Conclusion
Before Google’s takeover, the very first thing business’ did to ensure their business could at least get found by somebody was to pay at least $700 – $900 per year to Yellow Pages. This is was the bare minimum and a ritual, separate to any advertising spend, it was a no brainier….. remember the “Not happy Jan” dilemma?
Consider your organic listing on Google as the modern-day equivalent of the obligatory Yellow Pages listing. And your local Brisbane SEO spend as the Yellow Pages advertising bill. A similar yearly spend will provide you with long term benefits.