Web Optimisation — Australia

web optimisation australia

Practical steps for Australian small businesses to improve SEO, speed and user experience in 2025

Improve visibility, outrank competitors in local searches, and convert more visitors into customers. This guide gives simple, actionable steps you can follow today — no jargon, just results.

See How It Works Download the 10‑Point Checklist

>50%

of local searches include "near me" (Australia)

<3s

Target mobile load time for good SEO

$49 / mo

Typical managed website subscription (all-in)

In this guide

SEO Basics for Aussie Businesses Speed: Quick Wins & Hosting User Experience (UX) Improvements Technical SEO Checklist Local SEO & Google Business Profile 10‑Point Action Checklist

SEO Basics for Australian Businesses

SEO is about making your website easy to find and useful to people searching for your services. Start with the fundamentals — they matter more than fancy tactics.

Keyword focus

Find 3–5 relevant keywords per page. Prioritise buyer intent phrases that include your location (e.g., "electrician melbourne", "emergency plumber sydney").

Use keyword in page title (near start)
Include it in the H1 and first paragraph
Add variations naturally across the page

Content that converts

Write helpful, concise content that answers common customer questions. Add clear calls-to-action (phone, booking link, "get a quote").

Use bulleted service lists
Add pricing ranges or starting prices
Include trust signals (reviews, accreditations)

Quick tip: One well-optimised page per service beats many thin pages. Focus on quality and clarity.

Site Speed — Quick Wins & Hosting Choices

Site speed affects rankings, conversions and user trust. Use these practical steps to shave seconds off load times.

Target

<3s (mobile)

Aim for 90+ on PageSpeed Insights mobile score.

Image wins

Format & size

Use WebP/AVIF, resize to display size, lazy-load below-the-fold images.

Hosting

Australian CDN

Choose Aussie or global CDN with edge nodes in Australia for local speed.

Practical image optimisation

Resize images to the exact display size (don't use huge originals)
Export WebP for photos; use SVG for logos/icons
Use loading="lazy" for off-screen images

Caching & delivery

Enable server-side caching (page & object cache)
Use a CDN with Australian edge locations
Compress text assets (Gzip or Brotli)

Third-party scripts

Audit and remove unnecessary scripts (chat widgets, heavy tracking). Defer or async non-critical scripts.

Tool: use Chrome DevTools > Performance to see long tasks.

Test & iterate

Run PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse
Prioritise Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Interaction to Next Paint
Track results monthly

User Experience (UX) Improvements that Boost Conversions

Traffic matters, but conversion matters more. Improve key UX elements to turn visitors into customers.

Mobile-first design

Buttons large enough to tap (min 44px high)
Readable font sizes (16px+ base)
Single-column layouts for service pages

Clear contact points

Phone number in header and footer
Primary CTA above the fold
Simple contact options (call, SMS, booking link)

Trust & credibility

Show 3–5 recent reviews with locations
Display qualifications and memberships
Before/after photos for trades and services

Navigation & content hierarchy

Use clear headings (H1, H2) and short paragraphs
Service pages for each major service (not 20 tiny pages)
Breadcrumbs for deeper sites

Accessibility matter: add alt text to images, ensure colour contrast, and make forms keyboard‑accessible. These help users and SEO.

Technical SEO Checklist

A technical audit fixes invisible issues that limit rankings. Run this checklist and tick items off as you go.

Sitemap & robots

XML sitemap present and submitted to Google Search Console
Robots.txt allowing crawling of important pages

Schema & structured data

Use LocalBusiness schema on the homepage
Use review schema for testimonials

Canonical & duplicate content

Set canonical tags for duplicate or printer-friendly pages
Consolidate similar service pages to avoid thin content

Security & HTTPS

Ensure SSL (HTTPS) is active on all pages
Redirect HTTP -> HTTPS with 301s

Mobile & Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID/INP, CLS) monitored in Search Console
Fix layout shifts by setting image dimensions and reserving UI space

Performance headers

Use Cache-Control headers for static assets
Set long expiry for images and short for HTML when updating frequently

Local SEO — Become The Go‑To Business In Your Area

For most Australian small businesses, local search drives the most valuable enquiries. Do these tasks to appear in local packs and maps.

Google Business Profile

Claim and verify your profile
Use a local phone number and consistent address (NAP)
Post photos, update hours and respond to reviews weekly

Local citations & directories

List consistently in Yellow Pages, TrueLocal, LocalSearch and industry directories
Keep your NAP identical across listings

Reviews & trust

Ask happy customers for Google reviews (link them via SMS or email)
Feature best reviews on your site with schema

Domain & localisation

Prefer .com.au or .com.au subdomains for local trust when possible
Write local content (suburbs served, local case studies)

Pro tip: Promoting local content (jobs done in specific suburbs, local sponsorships) helps Google associate you with the area.

10‑Point Action Checklist (Start Today)

Claim and verify your Google Business Profile; add photos and services.
Pick 3–5 keywords per page including location and buyer intent.
Put keyword in title tag, H1, and first 100 words; write a compelling meta description.
Compress and convert images to WebP; set correct width/height attributes.
Enable caching and a CDN with Australian edge nodes.
Run Lighthouse; prioritise fixes for LCP and CLS.
Display phone number in header, make it tap-to-call on mobile.
Collect at least 10 recent Google reviews and reply to them.
Submit sitemap to Google Search Console and monitor coverage errors.
Schedule monthly checks: speed report, backups, and content freshness.

See How It Works

Tools & Resources

A shortlist of free and low-cost tools to run audits and measure improvements.

Google Search Console — monitor indexing and Core Web Vitals
PageSpeed Insights / Lighthouse — performance scores and diagnostics
GTmetrix — waterfall and resource timing
Screaming Frog (desktop) — technical crawl checks
Hotjar / Microsoft Clarity — visual behavior and conversion blockers

Monthly Maintenance Plan (What to Check)

Weekly

- Check uptime and backups
- Respond to any urgent contact form tests

Monthly

- Run performance tests (PageSpeed)
- Check Google Search Console errors
- Review top landing pages and update offers

Quarterly

- Audit backlinks & local citations
- Update reviews and case studies
- Refresh hero images and pricing

If you don’t have time for these checks, consider a managed subscription that handles updates, hosting and SEO basics for a predictable monthly fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast should my site load on mobile?

Aim for under 3 seconds for the main content to appear (LCP). Prioritise mobile improvements — most local customers search on phones.

Do I need to write long blog posts for SEO?

No. Focus on helpful pages that answer customer questions. Long content can help for competitive topics, but relevance and clarity beat length.

Should I pay for local directory listings?

Quality listings are useful. Focus on consistent NAP across key directories (Yellow Pages, TrueLocal) and industry-specific sites.

Ready to improve your website performance?

See a practical demo and get a clear plan for your business — speed, SEO and UX improvements tailored to your local area.