Google's own advice for local ranking comes down to six things: verify your business, keep your information current, respond to reviews, add photos and videos, list your services, and understand what actually drives ranking. Here's each one as a checklist you can run through in a sitting, then repeat every few months.
This follows the structure of Google's "Tips to improve your local ranking" page (Google) applied to a trade business.
Relevance. How well your profile matches the search. This is your category and services list doing their job.
Distance. How far you are from the person searching. You can't change where you are, but a service-area setup that's accurate helps Google match you to the right suburbs.
Prominence. How well-known your business is, which reviews and general visibility feed into.
None of these are things you buy. There's no way to pay Google for better local ranking. Everything on this checklist is the free work that actually moves the three factors above.
Run this checklist quarterly
Set a reminder every three months to go through this list again. Businesses change: hours shift, services get added, and old photos stop reflecting current work. A profile that was perfect in January can quietly go stale by June.
TapBook keeps your booking page in sync with the services and hours you set, and sends a review request after every job, so the reviews part of this checklist takes care of itself. See how it works.
Questions
Can I pay Google for a better local ranking?
No. Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Everything that helps is free work on your profile.
How often should I check my Google Business Profile?
Every few months. Hours, services and photos go stale faster than most owners expect, and an outdated profile costs you both customers and ranking.
What are Google's three local ranking factors?
Relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the customer), and prominence (how well known your business is, which reviews feed into).
The best time to ask for a Google review is the same day the job's done, by text, with the link right there so it's one tap. Below are 10 templates you can adapt: pick one that matches how you talk, swap in the customer's name and the job, and send it every time. Never offer anything for a review; Google's rules don't allow it, and asking everyone the same way keeps you inside them.
Hi [name], thanks for choosing [business] today. If you have a minute, a Google review would help us a lot: [link]
Hi [name], glad we could sort that for you. Would you mind leaving a quick Google review? It helps other locals find us: [link]
After a bigger job
Hi [name], thanks for trusting us with the [job]. If you're happy with how it went, a Google review would mean a lot: [link]
Hi [name], that was a big one. Thanks for having us out. A review on Google helps us more than you'd think: [link]
Giving them a way to flag a problem first
Hi [name], thanks again for having us out. If you were happy with the job, we'd love a Google review. If anything wasn't right, reply here and we'll fix it: [link]
Hi [name], hope everything's working well. If it is, a quick Google review would help us out: [link]. If not, let us know and we'll sort it.
For a repeat customer
Hi [name], thanks for calling us again. If you've got a minute, a Google review would help other locals find us too: [link]
Hi [name], good to help you out again. A review on Google, if you have a spare minute, goes a long way: [link]
Short and plain
Hi [name], thanks for the job today. A Google review would help us a lot: [link]
With a light thank-you
Hi [name], thanks for choosing [business]. If you were happy with the job, a Google review helps other people find us: [link]
What makes these work
They go out the same day, while the job's fresh.
They use the customer's name, not a generic greeting.
The link is last, so it's the easy next tap.
None of them offer anything for leaving a review. Google bans every kind of incentive, and the ACCC treats an undisclosed one as misleading.
They all go to every customer, not just the ones you think were happy. Asking selectively is against Google's rules too.
Where your link comes from
Every template needs your Google review link. Get it from your Business Profile under Read reviews, then Get more reviews. The full steps, including a printable QR code, are in How to find your Google review link and make a QR code.
Send it without doing it by hand
Typing one of these out after every job works until you're three jobs deep and forget the first one. TapBook sends a review request automatically when you mark a job complete, using your Google review link, to every customer, once. See how it works.
Questions
When should I send a review request?
The same day the job's done, while it's still fresh for the customer.
Can I offer something for leaving a review?
No. Google bans every kind of incentive for a review, and the templates here don't offer any.
Should I only text customers I think were happy?
No. Send the same request to every customer. Asking selectively is against Google's rules and risks your profile.
No, not today. Google's Local Services Ads, the pay-per-lead ads that sit above search results with a badge, aren't offered in Australia: Google's list of countries for them doesn't include it (checked September 2026). And the Google Screened and Google Guaranteed badges are gone everywhere. Google replaced them with one badge, Google Verified, from October 2025.
What Local Services Ads are
In the countries that have them, Local Services Ads show a business's name, rating and a badge at the top of Google, above the normal ads. The business pays for each lead: an answered call, a voicemail, or a missed call it returns. Google ranks them on the bid, how close the business is, reviews, how quickly it answers, and the checks it has passed (Google).
Google lists the countries on its getting-started page: the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland and several European countries. Australia isn't there, and asking for the Australian page shows the American one. Google hasn't announced a date for Australia.
If you see someone offering to get your trade business "Google Screened" in Australia, be careful.
What happened to Google Screened and Google Guaranteed
In August 2025 Google said "Google Verified will replace other LSA badges and programs, like Google Guaranteed, Google Screened, License Verified by Google and the Money Back Guarantee" (Google). The rollout began in October 2025, and the money-back guarantee ended.
Google also says the new badge isn't available yet for automotive businesses, so mechanics can't get it even where the ads run.
What works in Australia instead
The spot Local Services Ads would take is the top of local results. For an Australian trade business, what reaches the same customers is the Google Business Profile, which shows in Google Maps and the local results on search.
Make it easy to book. Add a booking link or Google's Book online button, so a customer can book without calling. See How to add a booking link.
Get reviews steadily. Google says more reviews and better ratings help local ranking. See How to get more Google reviews.
Answer, or reply fast. Google counts responsiveness in its own ads for a reason: customers call the next business. A missed call that gets a text back straight away often still becomes a job.
Paid search, if you want to pay. Regular Google Ads work in Australia. You pay per click, not per lead, so send the clicks to a page where customers can book.
If Local Services Ads do come to Australia
Overseas, Google checks businesses before they can run the ads. Depending on the trade and the country, that can mean background, registration, insurance and licence checks, and a minimum number of reviews (Google). Google hasn't said what it would check in Australia. A verified profile with plenty of genuine reviews, and your licence and insurance paperwork up to date, puts you in the best spot either way.
TapBook works with Reserve with Google, so customers who find you on Google can tap Book online and pick a time, with no phone tag. See how it works.
Questions
Are Google Local Services Ads available in Australia?
Not as of September 2026. Google's list of countries for Local Services Ads doesn't include Australia, and Google hasn't announced a date.
Does Google Screened still exist?
No. From October 2025 Google replaced Google Screened, Google Guaranteed and its other Local Services Ads badges with a single badge, Google Verified.
What should an Australian tradie do instead?
Verify your Google Business Profile, make it easy to book from it, collect reviews steadily, and answer or return calls quickly. Regular Google Ads are available if you want to pay for clicks.