Look, if you’re running a business in Brisbane—whether you’re a sparky in Coorparoo or running a café in Milton—there is one tool that beats everything else for getting the phone to ring.
It’s that little box that pops up on Google Maps when someone searches for what you do. It used to be called Google My Business, now it’s a Google Business Profile. Whatever you call it, it’s the difference between a busy Friday and sitting around twiddling your thumbs.
I’ve sat across from hundreds of business owners who are frustrated. They’ve spent thousands on fancy websites or dodgy ads, but their phone is silent. Usually, it’s because their Google profile is a mess.
In this chat, I want to walk you through the two main ways people handle these listings, what actually works, and why most of what you’ve been told is probably rubbish.
The Two Ways to Play the Game
There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to your Google profile.
First, there’s the 'Set and Forget' crowd. These are the blokes who set up their listing three years ago, uploaded one blurry photo of their ute, and haven't touched it since. They wonder why the phone isn't ringing.
Then there’s the 'Optimization' crowd. These people are trying every trick in the book to climb to the top of the map. Some of it works. Some of it is a massive waste of time.
If you're just starting out, check out our intro to SEO to see where this fits into the bigger picture. But for today, let’s focus on the map.
Why the 'Set and Forget' Approach is Killing Your Business
I get it. You’re busy. You’re on the tools, or you’re managing staff, or you’re dealing with grumpy customers. The last thing you want to do is log into a Google dashboard.
But here’s the reality: Google is lazy. If it sees a profile that hasn't been updated in six months, it assumes the business might be closed or just doesn't care. So, it pushes you down the list.
I’ve seen businesses lose 40% of their monthly enquiries just because their opening hours were wrong or they stopped replying to reviews. That’s literally flushing money down the toilet.
The 'Over-Optimized' Trap
On the flip side, you’ve got the guys who try to game the system. They stuff their business name with keywords (e.g., 'John Citizen Plumbing - Best Plumber Brisbane Cheap Fast Drain Cleaning').
Does it work? Sometimes, for a week. Then Google catches on and suspends the account. Now you’ve got zero calls and you have to beg Google to let you back in. It’s not worth the stress.
We’ve found that the best results come from being 'aggressively helpful' rather than 'technically tricky'.
The Basics That Actually Move the Needle
You don’t need a degree to fix this. You just need to do these four things better than your competitors.
1. Photos (The Real Ones)
Stop using stock photos. Nobody wants to see a generic photo of a smiling woman with a headset or a perfectly clean construction site from a US photo library. People in Brisbane want to see you.
Take a photo of your team. Take a photo of your van parked in a local street. Take a photo of the finished job. It doesn't have to be professional. In fact, photos taken on an iPhone often perform better because they look real.
2. The Reviews Game
Everyone knows reviews are important, but most people handle them wrong. Don't just ask for a five-star rating. Ask your customers to mention the specific service they got.
Instead of 'Great job!', you want 'Great job fixing my burst pipe in Indooroopilly.' Google reads those words and realizes you’re the go-to person for burst pipes in that suburb.
And for heaven's sake, reply to them. Even the bad ones. Especially the bad ones. A calm, professional reply to a whingeing customer shows potential clients that you’re a reasonable person who stands by their work.
3. Categories Matter
This is the biggest mistake I see. People pick one category and leave it. You can have one primary category and several secondary ones. If you’re a builder, don't just put 'Construction'. Add 'Bathroom Remodeler', 'Deck Builder', and 'Kitchen Remodeler'.
This is how you show up for more types of searches. It’s a simple way to get more local phone calls without spending a cent on ads.
What Most Agencies Won't Tell You
Most agencies will try to charge you a monthly fee to 'manage' your Google Business Profile. Honestly? For a lot of small businesses, that’s a rip-off.
If they’re just posting a generic 'Happy Monday!' graphic once a week, they aren't helping you. Google Posts are fine, but they don't move the needle nearly as much as new reviews and fresh photos do.
"If an agency tells you they have a 'secret' way to guarantee the #1 spot on Google Maps, they’re lying to you—Google changes the locks every few months, and the only thing that stays consistent is providing actual value to the person searching."
— Rachel Wong, Marketing Director
Real Lessons from the Trenches
We had a client—a local mechanic—who was convinced he needed to spend $2k a month on Google Ads. We looked at his Google Business Profile and it was a ghost town. No photos, three reviews from 2019, and the wrong phone number.
We spent a month fixing his profile, getting his happy customers to leave reviews, and uploading 20 photos of the workshop. His enquiries tripled. He didn't need ads; he just needed to look like a real, functioning business.
This is why we always tell people to be careful about what you pay for SEO. You shouldn't be paying for 'magic'. You should be paying for work that actually results in more bookings.
The 'Pro' Moves (That aren't actually that hard)
Once you’ve got the basics right, there are a few things you can do to really pull ahead of the bloke down the road.
Use the Q&A Section
Did you know you can post your own questions? Most people wait for a customer to ask something. Don't wait. Post the top 5 questions you get on the phone.
- 'Do you offer after-hours callouts?' - 'What areas of Brisbane do you cover?' - 'Do you provide free quotes?'
Answer them yourself. It looks great to Google and it saves you time on the phone answering the same stuff over and over.
Keep Your Services Updated
There’s a section in your profile where you can list every single service you offer with a price or a description. Fill it out. All of it. If you’re a landscaper, don't just say 'Landscaping'. List 'Turf Laying', 'Retaining Walls', 'Paving', and 'Hedging'.
When someone searches for 'retaining walls near me', Google looks at that list. If you have it and your competitor doesn't, guess who gets the call?
How Long Until You See Results?
This isn't an overnight thing. If your profile is brand new or currently penalized, it might take 3 to 6 months to really see the momentum build.
But if you have an existing profile and you just start being active—adding photos and getting reviews—you’ll usually see an uptick in 'Map Views' and 'Phone Call Clicks' within 30 days.
Is it Worth Paying Someone?
Here’s my honest take. If you have the discipline to spend 20 minutes a week on your profile, you can do most of this yourself.
However, most business owners I know don't have that 20 minutes. Or they forget. Or they’d rather be doing literally anything else.
If you’re going to hire an agency, make sure they are doing the heavy lifting: - Pushing for reviews on your behalf. - Cleaning up your data across the web. - Monitoring for 'spam' competitors who are cheating the system. - Giving you a report that shows calls, not just 'impressions'.
What’s a Waste of Money?
Don't buy reviews. Ever. Google is incredibly good at spotting fake reviews. They look at the IP address, the history of the user, and how fast the reviews come in. If you get caught, your business is basically blacklisted. It’s the fastest way to kill your company.
Also, don't worry about 'Geotagging' photos. There used to be a theory that you needed to embed GPS coordinates into your photos to rank better. We’ve tested it. Google ignores it. Just take good photos of your work and upload them.
Your Action Plan
If you want more calls this month, do this today:
1. Check your details: Is your phone number correct? Are your hours right? 2. Upload 5 real photos: Not stock photos. Your van, your office, your team, or your latest job. 3. Get 3 new reviews: Text three customers you finished work for this week and ask them for a favour. 4. Reply to your last 5 reviews: Even if they are from a year ago.
This stuff works because most of your competitors are lazy. If you’re the one who looks active, professional, and local, you’re the one who gets the booking.
If you’re staring at your Google listing and it all feels a bit much, or you just want someone to take it off your plate so you can get back to work, give us a shout at Local Marketing Group. We don't do fluff, and we don't do 'magic'. We just get your phone ringing.
Chat with us here and let’s see if we can help.