The Truth About What You’re Paying For
If you’re a business owner in Brisbane, you’ve likely been bombarded with emails promising to put you on the first page of Google for $200 a month. You might have also spoken to agencies quoting $5,000 a month.
It’s confusing, frustrating, and frankly, most of the information out there is rubbish.
I’ve seen dozens of local businesses—from electricians in Coorparoo to law firms in the CBD—throw thousands of dollars down the drain because they didn't understand the numbers behind getting more phone calls from the web.
SEO isn't a magic trick. It’s an investment in your digital shopfront. If you treat it like a utility bill you want to keep as low as possible, you’ll end up with a broken service that brings in zero leads. If you treat it like a growth engine, you’ll see your phone ringing more often than you can answer it.
The Three Tiers of Pricing (And Why Most Fall for the Trap)
In the Australian market, pricing generally falls into three buckets. Let’s look at the data on what you actually get for your money.
1. The "Cheap" Trap ($200 - $700 per month)
What it is: Usually an overseas call centre or a massive "churn and burn" agency. The Reality: At this price point, no one is actually working on your business. After the agency takes their profit and pays their salesperson's commission, there is maybe $50 left for "work." This usually results in automated reports that look fancy but mean nothing, or worse, dodgy links that eventually get your website penalised by Google. The Verdict: A total waste of money. You are better off spending this on a few local radio spots or a nice lunch for your best referring clients.2. The Local Professional ($1,500 - $3,500 per month)
What it is: This is where most successful Brisbane small-to-medium businesses sit. The Reality: At this level, you are paying for a specialist's time to actually write content, fix your website so it works on phones, and ensure your business shows up when people search in your specific suburbs. This is the sweet spot for a complete SEO strategy that focuses on getting you more enquiries, not just "rankings." The Verdict: This is a real investment. It should produce a measurable return on investment (ROI) within 6 to 9 months.3. The High-Growth/Competitive Tier ($5,000+ per month)
What it is: For businesses in high-stakes industries (like compensation law, emergency plumbing, or national e-commerce). The Reality: You are paying for speed and volume. You need multiple new articles every week, aggressive outreach, and constant monitoring. The Verdict: Necessary if you want to dominate an entire state or country, but overkill for a local shop.Common Mistakes That Cost You Money
I’ve sat down with business owners who are furious because they’ve spent $10,000 over a year and seen nothing. When we look under the hood, it’s always one of these three mistakes.
Mistake #1: Paying for "Rankings" Instead of Enquiries
An agency might tell you, "Great news! You're ranking #1 for 'Blue widgets with left-handed handles in Upper Mount Gravatt'."Who cares? If nobody is searching for that term, being #1 is worth zero dollars.
You should only care about keywords that people actually type in when they are ready to pull out their credit card or pick up the phone. A smart strategy focuses on dominating your suburb for the services that actually make you profit.
Mistake #2: Ignoring the "Leaking Bucket"
I see this all the time: a business spends $2,000 a month to get people to their website, but the website is so slow and confusing that people leave immediately.If your site takes 10 seconds to load on a mobile phone, you are literally throwing away half your marketing budget. Google knows when people click your link and then immediately hit the 'back' button because they're frustrated. When that happens, Google stops showing your site. You need to fix the slow website issues before you pour more money into getting visitors.
Mistake #3: No "Skin in the Game" Content
Google likes businesses that look like authorities. If your website is just five pages of generic text that looks like every other tradie in Brisbane, you won't win. Real SEO costs money because it requires someone to spend time understanding your business and writing things that actually help your customers.How Long Until the Phone Rings?
This is the hardest pill to swallow for most business owners. SEO is not like Google Ads. If you want leads tomorrow morning, go buy ads.
SEO is like planting an orchard. - Months 1-3: We’re clearing the weeds (fixing technical errors) and planting seeds (writing content). - Months 3-6: The trees are growing, but there’s no fruit yet. You’ll see your website moving up the ranks, but the phone might not be ringing much more than usual. - Months 6-12: This is harvest time. The work you did six months ago starts paying off with consistent, "free" traffic that turns into bookings.
If an agency promises you results in 30 days, they are lying to you. Run the other way.
The Opportunity Cost: What Happens if You Do Nothing?
Let’s talk numbers. If your average job is worth $500, and a solid SEO strategy brings in just two extra jobs a week, that’s over $50,000 in extra revenue a year.
If you decide it's "too expensive" and your competitor in the next suburb over decides to invest, they aren't just getting those jobs—they are taking them away from you. In three years, they’ll have the bigger fleet and the better reputation, while you’re still wondering why the phone is so quiet.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re looking at your budget and wondering where to start, here is my honest advice:
1. Check your website on your phone. Is it easy to find your phone number? Does it load fast? If not, fix that first. It’s the highest ROI move you can make. 2. Claim your Google Business Profile. It’s free. Fill out every section. Add photos of your team and your work. Ask your last five happy customers for a review. 3. Get a real audit. Not one of those automated PDF reports. Ask a human to look at your site and tell you exactly what is stopping you from getting more calls.
Summary of Costs
- The "Stay Competitive" Budget: $1,500 - $2,000/mo. Perfect for most local Brisbane tradies and professional services. - The "Market Leader" Budget: $3,000 - $5,000/mo. For those looking to take over the whole city or very competitive niches. - The "Waste of Money" Budget: Anything under $1,000/mo for a professional service.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about "algorithm updates" or "meta tags" as much as we care about your bottom line. We focus on the numbers that matter: How many people found you, and how many of them called you?
Stop guessing and start growing. If you want a straight-talking assessment of what it will take to get your business more leads, we’re here to help.
Ready to get more phone calls? Contact Local Marketing Group today.