SEO:
Image SEO
Images do more than make your pages look good they’re essential for SEO. Search engines can’t “see” images the way humans do, so you need to tell them what your images contain.
Use WebP format for all images. This modern image format loads faster than traditional JPEGs or PNGs, which improves your page speed—a key ranking factor Google considers. Faster pages also mean better user experience and higher conversion rates.
Add meaningful SEO titles, descriptions, and alt text in the Suburb Stack editor for every image. Your alt text should describe what’s in the image while naturally incorporating relevant keywords. For example, instead of “IMG_1234,” use “licensed electrician installing switchboard in Sydney home.” This helps search engines understand your content and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.
Google Reviews
Social proof is one of the most powerful conversion tools available. When potential customers see that others trust your business, they’re far more likely to contact you.
Use the built-in Google Reviews component to connect your Google Business Profile and showcase your best reviews directly on your pages. This serves two purposes: it builds trust with visitors and signals to Google that you’re a reputable business worth ranking.
Keep in mind that your Google Business Profile must have a physical address to display reviews. If you haven’t already, make sure your profile is fully optimized with accurate information, service areas, and regular posts.
Semantic Linking
One of the most underutilized SEO strategies is internal linking. When you link between your own pages, you help search engines understand the relationship between your services and spread authority throughout your site.
Build out comprehensive service pages for each service you offer, then strategically link between them. For example, your Hot Water Installations page could include a card linking to your Switchboard Installations service. This keeps visitors on your site longer and shows search engines the breadth of your expertise.
Format your service links correctly using this structure:
https://yourwebsite/service/{{state}}/{{suburb}}/This URL structure reinforces your local relevance to search engines and creates a clear hierarchy of your service offerings.
Don’t forget the “Suburbs Nearby” component available in the editor. This feature automatically links to relevant suburb pages in your area, creating a network of locally-focused pages that help you dominate local search results. The more interconnected your pages are, the stronger your overall SEO performance.
Authority
Google wants to rank businesses that are legitimate, trustworthy, and authoritative in their field. You can demonstrate this by adding credibility markers throughout your pages.
Showcase your insurance coverage with clear information about what you’re insured for and coverage amounts if appropriate. This reassures potential customers and shows Google you’re a professional operation.
Display your credentials and licenses prominently. Include and link tolicense numbers, certifications, and any industry affiliations. These details build trust and can include relevant keywords that help with local search.
Feature your team members with photos and brief bios. Real faces and names make your business more relatable and trustworthy. It also creates unique content that differentiates you from competitors.
Link to authoritative sources where relevant, such as industry associations, regulatory bodies, or manufacturer websites. This shows you’re connected to legitimate industry resources.
Google Search Console & Sitemaps
Even the best-optimized pages won’t perform if Google doesn’t know they exist or can’t crawl them properly.
Login to Google Search Console every 2-3 weeks to monitor your page performance. This free tool from Google shows you exactly how your pages are performing in search results, what queries are driving traffic, and any technical issues that need attention.
Resubmit your sitemaps regularly. While Google will eventually find new and updated pages on its own, submitting your sitemap speeds up the process significantly. This is especially important after you’ve made significant changes or added new suburb pages.
Check page indexing status and look for any coverage issues or errors. If you notice pages that should be indexed but aren’t, request indexing for those specific URLs. Sometimes pages get stuck in Google’s queue, and a manual request can push them through.
Review any issues flagged by Search Console and address them promptly. Common issues include mobile usability problems, page speed concerns, or structured data errors. Fixing these issues can lead to immediate improvements in your search visibility.
Google Ads:Â
While SEO builds long-term organic traffic, Google Ads can deliver immediate visibility and leads. When managed correctly, ads complement your SEO efforts and help you dominate search results.
Use the Suburb Stack Campaign Builder
The Suburb Stack campaign builder takes the guesswork out of setting up effective Google Ads campaigns. Instead of starting from scratch and potentially wasting budget on poor targeting or ad structure, the campaign builder provides templates optimized for local service businesses.
The builder automatically structures your campaigns around your service areas and offerings, creating tightly themed ad groups that improve your Quality Score and reduce your cost per click. It connects your ads directly to your relevant Suburb Stack pages, ensuring the person clicking your ad lands exactly where they need to be. This alignment between ad copy and landing page content is crucial for conversion rates and ad performance.
Take advantage of this tool rather than manually building campaigns—it incorporates best practices that have been proven to work for businesses just like yours.
Review Search Terms and Add Negative Keywords
One of the biggest budget killers in Google Ads is paying for irrelevant clicks. Your ads might be showing for searches that sound related but have zero chance of converting into customers.
Check your search terms report at least once a week. This report shows the actual queries people typed before clicking your ad. You’ll often find surprising terms that triggered your ads—some good, many wasteful.
Add negative keywords aggressively. If you’re an electrician and you see searches for “electrical engineering degree” or “electrician salary,” these people aren’t looking to hire you. Add these as negative keywords immediately to stop wasting money on clicks that will never convert.
Look for patterns in irrelevant searches. You might notice certain words that consistently appear in bad searches—terms like “DIY,” “how to,” “course,” “salary,” “jobs,” or “apprentice.” Add these as broad negative keywords to filter out entire categories of irrelevant traffic.
Don’t forget location-based negatives. If you’re getting clicks from areas you don’t service, add those suburb or city names as negative keywords. There’s no point paying for a click from someone 100 kilometers outside your service area.
The money you save by eliminating irrelevant clicks can be redirected toward high-performing keywords and locations, dramatically improving your return on investment.
Review Audiences and Demographics
Not all clicks are created equal. Understanding who’s clicking your ads—and who’s actually converting—helps you optimize your targeting and bidding strategy.
Analyze your demographic data in Google Ads to see which age groups and household income brackets are converting best. You might discover that certain demographics have much higher conversion rates, allowing you to adjust your bids accordingly.
Check device performance by demographic. Sometimes you’ll find that mobile users in certain age groups convert differently than desktop users. This insight can help you create device-specific bid adjustments for maximum efficiency.
Review your in-market audiences. Google identifies people actively researching services like yours. Pay attention to which in-market segments are driving conversions and consider increasing bids for these high-intent audiences.
Don’t make assumptions—let data guide you. You might be surprised by which demographics perform best. Maybe you assumed your typical customer was one age group, but the data shows another demographic is actually driving most conversions. Use this information to refine your ad copy and targeting.
Review Devices and Placements
Where and how people see your ads has a massive impact on performance and cost. Regular review of device and placement data helps you eliminate waste and double down on what works.
Compare performance across devices. Look at conversion rates and cost per conversion on mobile, desktop, and tablet separately. Many service businesses find that mobile converts better for emergency services, while desktop performs better for planned projects. Adjust your bids by device based on what the data shows.
Check your placement report to see which websites in the Google Display Network are showing your ads. If you’re running display campaigns or if your search campaigns have opted into search partners, you need to know where your ads appear.
Exclude poor-performing placements. If certain websites or apps are generating clicks but zero conversions, exclude them. Don’t continue paying for traffic from sources that don’t deliver results.
Monitor search partner performance. Google search partners can extend your reach, but they don’t always deliver the same quality traffic as Google search itself. Compare performance and consider excluding search partners if they’re not meeting your cost per conversion targets.
Adjust mobile bid modifiers based on actual performance. If mobile converts at half the rate of desktop, reduce your mobile bids accordingly. Conversely, if mobile is your best performer, increase bids to capture more of that traffic.
Review Ad Time and Day Insights
Your potential customers aren’t searching for services uniformly throughout the week. Understanding when high-intent searches happen allows you to maximize budget efficiency.
Analyze your time-of-day performance. You’ll likely find that certain hours drive much higher conversion rates. Emergency services might see spikes in the early morning and evening, while planned renovation projects get researched during business hours or Sunday afternoons.
Check day-of-week patterns. Many service businesses find weekday and weekend performance varies significantly. Someone with a plumbing emergency on Saturday might convert immediately, while weekday researchers might just be gathering quotes.
Use ad scheduling strategically. Once you identify your peak performance times, you can increase bids during high-converting hours and decrease them (or pause entirely) during low-performing periods. This ensures your budget is focused when it matters most.
Consider your business capacity. If you’re busiest on Mondays and can’t handle more leads that day, reduce ad spend on Mondays and shift budget to days when you have more capacity. Your ads should align with your ability to deliver excellent service.
Don’t forget time zone differences if you service multiple areas. Peak search times might vary across your service region.
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Review this data monthly to spot trends and seasonal patterns. What works in summer might not work in winter, and adjusting your schedule accordingly can significantly improve your overall campaign performance.