Likes from three states away won't win you the job. But the right social media post might be exactly what tips a local customer into picking up the phone.
Google and AI platforms are not the only place customers are searching right now. A good chunk of how people find and size up a local business now happens on social media. DataReportal's research found that over a third of Australians already use social platforms to look up products and brands, often before they've even opened Google. Someone looking for a hairdresser in Bendigo might type “balayage Bendigo” into Instagram just as fast as Google. They'll judge you on the real work in your feed before they ever pick up the phone.
The same goes for tradies, not just hairdressers. A plumber or an electrician with an honest, active social presence looks like a real business worth trusting, not just a name in a directory. That can be exactly what gets a customer across the line.
A Geelong bathroom renovator can rack up plenty of likes, and that's genuinely good for brand awareness. But SEO done right on social media can push that awareness even further. It's what puts you in front of someone nearby who's searching for the job right now. If your captions, on-screen text and profile never mention the job and the suburb, the app has no way to make that connection. Get the basics right and it starts pulling its weight in more than one place. In some cases, a well-optimised Instagram post can now show up directly in Google too.
Someone typing “emergency plumber Newcastle” or “best balayage Bendigo” deserves to find you inside TikTok, Instagram or YouTube just as easily as they would on Google. That's the whole idea behind social media SEO: making the app work like a search engine, because increasingly, it is one.
When someone needs a number, directions or a quote right now, Google is still where they go, and nothing here changes that. Social works earlier in the piece. It's where people find you before they've decided they need a plumber, an electrician or a renovator at all. Get it right, and by the time they do search on Google, they already know your name.
Google Still Owns the “I Need This Now” Search
Google reads your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews and your local listings, and it still does the heavy lifting when someone's ready to call. Social apps read something different: what you say on camera, what's on screen, your caption, your profile, and how people react to the post.
Adding your suburb or service area to your Instagram location tag does more work than it looks like. It tells the app exactly where you operate. It also tells a customer scrolling past that you're local to them, before they've read a word of your caption.
Posting the same job across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok stretches that reach further, because each app's algorithm puts you in front of a slightly different crowd. It also means other locals can tag you. A happy customer might post a story about the fence you built or the hot water system you fixed, and tag your business in it. That puts you in front of their friends and followers too, most of whom are probably nearby. In this current world, a genuine tag from a real customer carries more weight than almost anything you could post yourself.
None of this replaces your website or your Google profile. It adds to them. Every extra place someone finds you is one more green tick before they pick up the phone.
Say the Service and the Suburb, Every Time
Hashtags add context and can help with SEO, but they won't rescue a vague post. Hootsuite's own testing found keyword-rich captions consistently beat hashtag-heavy ones for reach. What works is far simpler: name the job and the place, then add one real detail from the job itself.
Not sure what to fix first?
Book a free 30-minute strategy session
A gutter cleaner in Ballarat could write: “Gutter and downpipe clean in Ballarat. This one hadn't been touched in years, and the last storm nearly came through the ceiling.” That's the service, the suburb and a real problem, in one sentence. It also sounds like a genuine job, not an ad.
The same idea carries into video. A physio in Parramatta might open a clip with “here's how we check for runner's knee at our Parramatta clinic,” said once. The same line appears on screen. No need to repeat “Parramatta physio” through the whole video. Say it once, show the work, explain one useful thing.
Make Your Profile Do Its Job
Your bio is the label on every video or post, whether that's your Google Business Profile, Instagram or Facebook. If someone lands there after a search, they need your service area and a way to get in touch, fast. A Sunshine Coast electrician's Instagram bio could read “Residential electrician, Maroochydore to Noosa, quotes and bookings below.” That beats “keeping the coast powered” every time a new customer needs help now, not a slogan.
Pick the closest business category the platform offers, whether that's Google Business Profile, Instagram or Facebook. Add your suburb or service area. Link to something that lets people book, call or ask for a quote without hunting for it.
Give People Something Worth Watching
Watch-through, saves and shares are the currency here. They decide whether the app keeps showing your post to more people or lets it die where it started. A short, useful answer will beat a polished clip with no real point almost every time.
A Perth pest controller could film the early signs of termites on a timber deck. A Wollongong hairdresser could explain what happens for a first colour consultation. Both give someone a reason to save the post for later, and a save is one of the strongest signals you can get.
TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts Each Play a Different Role
TikTok has genuinely become a search habit here, not just an entertainment one, especially for people planning ahead rather than searching in an emergency. WARC research found most of these searches happen while people are actively comparing options, not idly scrolling. It won't win the “burst pipe right now” search off Google, but it's well placed for the customer thinking about a job for next month. Film the questions people ask before they book. A Gold Coast landscaper covering “what does a small retaining wall need before we quote it” is a solid example.
Instagram is where locals often check your work before they get in touch. A feed of real jobs, captioned properly, builds that trust. Worth knowing: Instagram's own help centre confirms that Google has been able to index public posts and reels from public business or creator accounts since mid-2025. That's one more reason those captions and on-screen details matter. It only applies to public professional accounts, and to content posted from 2020 onwards. It can be switched off in settings, but for most local businesses it's on by default. One more door into your business, opened without you doing anything extra.
YouTube Shorts tend to have a longer shelf life than TikTok or Instagram. A Canberra mechanic explaining “why your car squeals when braking” can keep earning views for months after it goes up. That's because it sits inside YouTube's search, not just its feed. Name the problem and your location in the title, and give people a clear next step, like “book a brake check at our Fyshwick workshop.”
None of this means becoming fluent in all three. Pick the one or two platforms where your customers already spend their time, rather than trying to be everywhere at once. The point isn't which app you choose. It's that the more places someone can find real evidence of your work, the more confident they feel. That's what gets you the call instead of the next name on the list.
Turn the Attention Into Calls
A good post earns attention. What happens next depends on everything around it. Someone finds your reel, then lands on a website that hasn't been touched in years, or a Google profile gone quiet. That attention has nowhere left to go.
If all of this feels like a lot, start with the one place it matters most: your Google Business Profile. Keeping it posting regularly is one of the simplest ways to look open, active and trustworthy the moment someone searches for you.
If keeping any of this up feels like too much to juggle, we can manage it for you. One of our specialists would be happy to have that conversation.