Stop Guessing and Start Growing
I’ve sat down with hundreds of business owners across Brisbane—from electricians in Coorparoo to boutique law firms in the CBD. Most of them tell me the same thing: "We spent money on SEO, we get some traffic, but the phone isn't ringing any more than it used to."
If that sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve likely been sold a bill of goods based on the wrong numbers. In 2026, it doesn't matter how many people find your website if they aren't the right people. The old way of doing things—just trying to rank for a single word like "plumber" or "accountant"—is a fast way to burn through your marketing budget with nothing to show for it.
To grow your business today, you need to understand exactly what your customers are thinking when they sit down at their computer or pick up their phone. You need to be the answer to their specific problem.
The Old Way vs. The New Way: Which One Wins?
In the past, marketing people would give you a list of words with high search volumes and tell you that's what you need to rank for. We call this the "Shotgun Approach." You fire a big blast and hope you hit something.
Today, that’s a waste of money. Here is how the two main strategies compare in the current Brisbane market.
1. The "Big Word" Strategy (The Money Pit)
This is when you try to rank for the most obvious, broadest terms. The Goal: Rank #1 for "Brisbane Landscaping." The Reality: You are competing with every massive national company and directory site with a million-dollar budget. Even if you get there, half the people clicking are just looking for DIY ideas or checking prices, not looking to hire someone today. The Cost: Extremely high. It takes a long time to see results.2. The "Customer Intent" Strategy (The Profit Maker)
This is what we focus on at Local Marketing Group. We look for what people type when they have a credit card in their hand or a pipe leaking in their kitchen. The Goal: Rank for "emergency retaining wall repair The Gap" or "best commercial landscape designer for Brisbane cafes." The Reality: Fewer people search for this, but nearly 100% of them are ready to hire. The Cost: Much lower. You can dominate these specific areas quickly and start seeing more phone calls within weeks, not years.If you're just starting out, I highly recommend reading our SEO guide for Australians to get the foundations right before you start spending big on ads.
Why Most Keyword Research is Rubbish
Most "experts" will show you fancy spreadsheets full of data. But they forget one thing: your customers are humans, not robots.
I spoke with a mate who runs a pest control business in Carindale. He was paying an agency thousands to rank for "pest control." He was getting plenty of clicks, but most were people asking, "What does a spider look like?" That doesn't pay the bills. We shifted his focus to "termite inspection costs Brisbane southside." The traffic dropped, but his bookings doubled.
In 2026, Google is smart enough to know the difference between someone researching a topic and someone looking for a service. If your website only provides generic info, you're just building a digital catalogue for your competitors to steal customers from. You need to move beyond simple keywords and start answering the specific questions your customers are asking at their dinner tables.
Three Steps to Finding Your "Money Words"
You don't need expensive software to do this. You just need to know your customers. Here is how I’d do it if I were running your business:
Step 1: Listen to Your Phone Calls
What is the first thing people ask when they call you? "Do you do after-hours call-outs?" "How much does a standard service cost?" "Are you licensed for commercial work?"These questions are your best keywords. If people are asking them on the phone, they are typing them into Google. Create a page on your site for every single one of these questions.
Step 2: Get Specific with Suburbs
If you’re a tradie in Brisbane, you know that driving from North Lakes to Logan for a small job is a nightmare. So why try to rank for all of Brisbane? Pick the five suburbs where you actually want to work. "Electrician Indooroopilly" is much easier to win than "Electrician Brisbane."Step 3: Solve a Problem, Don't Just Sell a Service
Instead of just saying "We do roofing," try "How to fix a leaking tin roof in a Queenslander." This targets a specific homeowner with a specific problem who needs a specific expert (you).The Trap of "Seasonal" Marketing
A lot of business owners wait until their busy season to start thinking about this. If you’re a pool builder, you start looking for SEO help in November. By then, it’s too late. The guys who are booked out all summer started their search strategy months ago.
SEO is a slow-burn investment. Think of it like a fruit tree. You don't plant it when you're hungry; you plant it now so you can eat later. If you start targeting the right words today, you’ll be the one getting the calls when the rush hits.
What’s a Waste of Money?
I’ll be blunt: paying someone to "optimise" your site for keywords that have no commercial value is a scam. If an agency promises to get you to #1 for a term that doesn't result in more customers, fire them.
Also, stop worrying about "volume." I would rather have 10 people visit your site who want to spend $5,000 than 1,000 people who just want a free tip. Focus on the money, not the hits.
How Long Until You See Results?
If you follow the "Customer Intent" strategy I mentioned above, you can often see a change in the number of enquiries within 3 to 6 months.
Month 1: Identifying the right words and updating your website content. Month 2: Google notices your site is more relevant to local searches. Month 3-4: You start showing up for specific suburb searches.- Month 6+: You start dominating the local area and can stop relying so much on expensive Facebook or Google Ads.
What Should You Do First?
Don't try to boil the ocean. Pick one service you offer that has a high profit margin. Maybe it’s bathroom renovations, or specialized legal advice, or high-end dental work.
Find the 5 most common questions people ask about that service and write a detailed page for each on your website. Make sure you mention the Brisbane suburbs you serve.
If you’re too busy running the business to write content or figure out the technical side, that’s where we come in. At Local Marketing Group, we don’t care about "impressions" or "rankings" for the sake of it. We care about making your phone ring.
Ready to stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't work? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s talk about how to get more customers through your door.