Why Most Online Stores in Brisbane Are Leaving Money on the Table
I was sitting down with a bloke named Dave a few months ago. Dave runs a specialty hardware business out in Archerfield. He has a great range of products, a solid team, and a website that looks decent enough.
But Dave had a massive problem: he was addicted to Google Ads.
Every morning, he’d log in and see he’d spent $200 or $300 just to get people to look at his drills and saws. If he turned the ads off for a day to save some cash, his phone stopped ringing and the orders dried up instantly. He was essentially paying a 'tax' to Google just to stay in business.
I told him what I tell every business owner I meet at the Gabba or over a coffee in Milton: "If you only rely on ads, you don't own a business, you're just renting customers."
To build a real asset, you need Google to show your products for free because it thinks you're the best option. That is what we call SEO, but for you, it just means 'getting found by people who want to buy right now.'
In this guide, I’m going to show you exactly how we helped Dave—and dozens of other QLD businesses—stop wasting money and start winning the long game.
The “Secret” to Selling More: It’s Not About Being Fancy
Most people think making an online store successful is about having a flashy design or a cool logo. It’s not. It’s about being the answer to a customer’s problem.
When someone types "heavy duty cordless drill Brisbane" into Google, they aren't looking for a life story. They want a price, a picture, and a 'Buy' button. If Google doesn't see that your page is the best answer to that search, you’re invisible.
The Case of the Morningside Gift Shop
Take a small gift shop we worked with in Morningside. They sold beautiful, hand-poured candles. When they started, their website just said "Candle - Ocean Breeze" or "Candle - Vanilla."
Nobody searches for just "Candle." They search for "scented candles for Mother’s Day" or "best soy candles Australia." By changing their product names and descriptions to match what people actually type into that search bar, their sales jumped by 40% in three months.
They didn't need a new website; they just needed to speak the same language as their customers. If you're just starting out, understanding a few basic search principles can save you thousands in wasted effort.
Three Simple Things That Will Make You Money
If you want your online store to actually show up on Google, you need to focus on three specific areas. Forget the technical jargon; here is what actually moves the needle.
1. Your Product Pages Need to Sell (To Humans and Google)
Most shop owners copy and paste the description provided by the manufacturer. Big mistake.
If you sell the same lawnmower as five other shops in Coorparoo and you all use the same manufacturer text, why should Google pick you? It won’t. It’ll pick the biggest store with the most history.
The Fix: Write your own descriptions. - Talk about why this product is good for a Queensland summer. - Mention how fast you can ship it to Logan or the Gold Coast. - Use the words people actually use. Instead of "Internal Combustion Grass Cutting Device," just call it a "Petrol Lawnmower."
2. Speed is Your Best Friend
We are all impatient. If I click on your site and it takes more than three seconds to load, I’m gone. I’ve gone back to Google and clicked on your competitor.
Google knows this. They won't send people to a site that is slow because it makes Google look bad. I've seen countless businesses wonder why they aren't ranking, only to find out their high-resolution photos are so big they're choking the site. A slow website costs cash because every second someone waits is another person who leaves without buying.
3. Make it Work on a Phone
Think about your own habits. You're probably sitting on the couch at night or waiting for a coffee at a cafe when you do your shopping. Your customers are doing the same. If your website is hard to use on a phone—if the buttons are too small or the text is tiny—you are throwing money away. Google prioritises sites that work perfectly on mobile. If yours doesn't, you're basically invisible to half your potential customers.
Dealing with the "Big Boys"
You might be thinking, "How can I compete with Amazon or Bunnings?"
You can’t beat them on price or size, but you can beat them on relevance.
If you run a boutique fishing tackle shop, Amazon can't talk about the best lures for catching Flathead in the Brisbane River. You can. By creating content that is specific to your local area or your specific niche, you can outrank the giants for the customers who actually care about expertise.
We worked with a pet supply business that couldn't compete with the big chains on dog food prices. Instead, we focused their website on "natural treats for anxious dogs." They became the go-to authority for that specific problem. Now, they aren't just a shop; they are an expert. And experts get the sales.
Expanding Your Horizons: Selling Beyond Brisbane
Once you've nailed your local market, the beauty of an online store is that the world is your oyster. But you can't just flip a switch.
Dave from the hardware store eventually wanted to sell his custom tool kits to tradies in New Zealand and the UK. He thought he’d have to double his ad budget. I told him he could reach global customers by simply tweaking his site to show he ships internationally and uses local currencies.
It’s about showing Google that you are relevant to people in those locations without having to pay for every single click from London or Auckland.
How Much Does This Cost and How Long Does It Take?
I’ll be straight with you: SEO is not a "get rich quick" scheme. If someone tells you they can get you to page one of Google in a week, they are lying to you. Run the other way.
- The Timeline: You should start seeing some movement in 3 months. By 6 to 9 months, you should see a significant increase in free traffic and sales. - The Cost: It depends on how much work you want to do yourself. If you hire an agency, you might spend anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 a month depending on how competitive your industry is. - The ROI: Think of it this way. If you spend $2,000 a month on ads, that money is gone forever. If you spend $2,000 a month on SEO, you are building an asset. Eventually, you can stop spending that money and the customers will still keep coming. That’s the dream, isn't it?
What You Should Do Right Now
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t try to do everything at once. Here is a simple checklist to get started this week:
1. Check your site on your phone. Try to buy something. Was it easy? If not, fix it. 2. Look at your top 5 products. Do they have unique descriptions, or did you copy them from the supplier? Write 200 words for each one in your own voice. 3. Check your photos. Are they huge files? Shrink them down so the page loads faster. 4. Google your own products. See who shows up at the top. Look at what they are doing better than you. Is their price clearer? Is their site easier to read?
Stop Guessing and Start Growing
Most business owners I talk to in Brisbane are frustrated because they know they have a great product, but they feel like the internet is a mystery designed to take their money.
It doesn't have to be that way. Marketing is just about getting your message in front of the right person at the right time. For an online store, that means being the best answer on Google.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about fancy reports or technical jargon. We care about how many orders you got this week and how much profit you kept in your pocket.
If you're tired of burning money on ads and want to build a store that actually grows on its own, let’s have a chat. We’ve helped businesses from Redcliffe to Robina turn their websites into sales machines, and we can do the same for you.
Ready to get more sales without the ad spend? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let's see how we can help your business grow.