OfficeStaff.ai

Reach, the third of the 3 R's

How do I show up on Google when someone searches my service and my suburb?

The short answer

Google picks local results on three things: how well you match the search, how close you are, and how well known you are.

Reviews feed the third one, which is why Reach starts with Reputation.

By Greg Hamlyn. Updated 30 October 2026.

Put simply: OfficeStaff.ai helps Australian local businesses get found on Google, trusted through reviews and booked through their website and past customers.

Relevance, distance and prominence

These are Google's three words for it. In plain English:

  • Relevance. How well your Business Profile matches what someone typed. Google says to give complete and detailed business info.
  • Distance. How far you are from the person searching. You cannot change this one, which is why your ranking looks different in every suburb.
  • Prominence. How well known you are. Google says this is based on things like how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have. In Google's words: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking."
  • Google also says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking.

Reviews are the part you can grow every week. That is the first R: Reputation.

Getting your Google Business Profile right.

  • The right main category, and every service written the way customers say it.
  • Hours that are right, including public holidays.
  • Photos from this year, and posts, because a profile that has not changed in two years looks closed.
  • Reviews, how many and how recent.
Example
1

Your business

4.9 (212)

2

Nearby competitor

4.6 (88)

3

Another local option

4.3 (41)

Service area businesses and working from home

If customers do not come to you, Google's guidelines say to hide your address and set a service area instead. You can pick up to 20 areas, by suburb or postcode, and Google says the whole area should be no more than about 2 hours' drive from your base.

Google does not accept a PO box, or a mailing address you do not work from, as your business address.

More on this in Why is my business not showing up on Google Maps?

Showing up in more suburbs

There is no trick for this. Distance always counts. What you can do is be the stronger choice in the suburbs near the edge of your area.

  • List the suburbs you really serve as service areas.
  • Get reviews from customers right across your area, by asking every customer.
  • Mention the suburbs you work in on your website, in plain words.
  • Do not add suburbs or keywords to your business name. Google's guidelines do not allow extra information in the name, and it can get your profile suspended.

Showing up in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews

Some people now ask an AI tool for a local business. Nobody can promise you a spot in those answers, and you should be wary of anyone who does.

What helps is the same as for Google: a complete profile, real reviews, and a website with clear answers to the questions your customers ask. AI tools can only repeat what they can find.

A cafe owner smiling in the doorway of her shop on a sunny street

How OfficeStaff helps

Your profile kept current, with posts and photos.

Your hours kept right, including public holidays.

Your details matched everywhere people look you up.

Your map checked, so you can see where you show up and where you do not.

What we will not do

  • We will not promise you the top spot. Nobody honest can.
  • We will not create extra listings or bend Google's rules. That gets businesses suspended.
  • We will not change your listing without showing you first.

Answers about showing up on Google

Why is my business not showing up on Google Maps?

Because your Google ranking is not one number, it is a different result for every place a customer is standing.

Read the answer

What should a small business pay for local marketing in Australia?

Between about $150 and $1,200 a month for Google profile management, or $450 to $3,000 a month once you add broader SEO, based on what Australian agencies publish themselves.

Read the answer

Frequently asked questions

Why isn't my business showing on Google Maps?
Usually it is one of three things Google looks at: your profile does not match the search well, you are too far from the person searching, or other businesses are better known, often with more reviews.
Why do I show up for me but not my customers?
Google looks at how far each business is from the person searching. When you search from your own desk, you are as close as anyone can be. A customer three suburbs away sees a different list.
Should I hide my address if I work from home?
If customers do not come to your address, Google's guidelines say to hide it and set a service area instead. Do not use a PO box or a mailing address you do not work from, because Google does not accept them.
Can I rank in suburbs where I don't have an office?
You can list them as service areas, up to about 2 hours' drive from your base, and that helps people find you. But distance still counts, so it is harder the further away the customer is. Never make up an address to get closer.
Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. Google offers the Business Profile for free. What costs time or money is keeping it up to date.
How often should I post on my profile?
Google does not set a rule. Post often enough that your profile never looks abandoned. New photos and posts show you are open and busy.
Do I need a website if I have a Google profile?
Not to have a profile. But Google says how many websites link to your business is part of how well known you are, and a simple website gives customers and Google more to go on.
How do I show up in ChatGPT answers?
Nobody can promise it. AI tools pull from the web, so make it easy for them: a complete Google profile, real reviews, and a website that answers your customers' questions in plain words.

Sources

Google, Tips to improve your local ranking. Google, Guidelines for representing your business on Google. Google, Manage your service areas. Google, Business Profile.

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