When someone searches for a builder, a physio or a child care centre near them, Google shows a map with a handful of businesses before anything else. A local SEO agency's job is to get you into that map, and to make sure you're the one they call. If your customers live nearby, that is all we eat, sleep and dream about!
How we do local search better
Good local SEO comes down to three things:
- Deeply understanding the suburbs you serve and how locals search for you
- Building a sustainable local strategy, from one location to fifty
- Applying the relentless pursuit of excellence to every listing, review reply and page
Foresight is built to drive sustainable growth, one suburb at a time.
We do local SEO in four key areas. Scroll down or click one of the links below to learn more about each:
Google Business Profile and the map
Google says local results come down to three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher) and prominence (how well known you are, including your reviews and the sites that link to you). You can't move your address, so we work hard on the other two.
We set up or clean up your Google Business Profile: the right primary category, services, service areas, hours, photos and attributes, all complete and accurate. Google says complete, accurate profiles are more likely to show up, and there's no way to pay for a better local ranking.
Google Maps and the local pack
The handful of businesses Google shows above the results when someone searches nearby.
Profile set-up and care
Categories, services, photos and posts kept current, so Google and customers see the same story.
Bing Places and Apple Maps
Your details listed the same way on Bing Places and Apple Business Connect, where some customers search.
Reviews and local mentions
Reviews do double duty. BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers found 97% read reviews for local businesses, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. We set up a simple way to ask happy customers for one, and help you reply to every review, good or bad.
Your name, address, phone and services should read the same everywhere: your website, your profile, and the directories and industry bodies that matter in your field. Consistent details help Google, and AI assistants, trust they've got the right business.
Review requests
A simple, policy-safe way to ask happy customers for a Google review.
Review replies
Thoughtful replies to every review, so future customers see how you treat people.
Citations
Consistent listings on the directories and associations that count in your industry.
Location and service pages
Your website has to back up your profile. We build a page for each location, and for each service in the areas you cover, written about the real place: who works there, what you do there, the suburbs you serve. A page with only the suburb name swapped in won't help anyone.
Then we add local structured data, so search engines and AI tools can read your address, hours and services without guessing, and we track calls, direction requests and enquiries by location.
Location pages
One useful page per site, each linked to its own Business Profile.
Local schema
LocalBusiness markup that matches what the page and profile say.
Local reporting
Calls, direction requests and enquiries, by location and month.
Local search in AI answers
The same BrightLocal survey found 45% of consumers now use AI tools such as ChatGPT for local recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier. When someone asks for "a reliable plumber in Brighton", the answer is built from the same things: your profile, your reviews, your website and who mentions you.
Good local SEO gets you into those answers too. Want to know whether AI recommends you today? Our free check asks the AI behind ChatGPT three separate times and shows you who it named.
Results from our local SEO work
+82%
Year-on-year growth in organic search traffic for a builder with display homes across many locations. Read the case study
Henley Properties
- Lead digital agency for the Henley Properties Group nationally for over three years
- Led the SEO and analytics migration and consolidation of four Henley brand sites spanning 1,000+ pages
- Set up analytics and tagging across the group
- Ran content workshops with the marketing teams
Deep, specialist expertise is Foresight Digital’s core asset.Karen Wiskin, Digital & CRM Manager, Henley PropertiesRead the case study
Reviews and reputation management
Your reviews are often the first thing a new customer reads, and they help decide whether Google shows you in the map. We help you build a steady flow of fresh reviews and look after your reputation online:
- A simple request, by text or email, sent to every customer at the right moment
- Alerts for new online reviews on Google and the other sites that matter in your industry, so nothing sits unanswered
- Replies in your voice, written for each review, including the tricky ones
- Reporting on review count, average rating and the services customers mention most
When a review breaks Google's rules, such as a fake one, we help you report it through the right channel. We never write, buy or cherry-pick reviews: Google's policies ban offering incentives for reviews and asking only happy customers for them.
Local content and local links
Google ranks businesses that are clearly part of their community, and local content shows it:
- Location pages with real detail about each area you serve
- Project and case study posts tied to the suburb where the work was done
- Answers to the local questions customers ask, such as council rules, local conditions or seasonal needs
Local links back that content up. A listing in your council's business directory, a nearby club's sponsor page, a regional news story or a trade association carries more local weight than a link from a site on the other side of the world. We find the local links your competitors already have and go after the ones worth having.
Getting started with our local SEO agency
Here's how our local SEO service runs in the first three months:
Month 1: Audit and profile clean-up
We audit your Google Business Profile, online listings, reviews and website, then fix the quick wins: categories, services, hours, photos and details that don't match.
Month 2: Pages and listings
Location and service pages written or improved, local schema added, and your details made consistent across the directories that matter.
Month 3: Reviews and links
A review request process in place, local link outreach under way, and your first monthly report on calls, direction requests and enquiries.
Every month after
More reviews, more local content and links, and reporting by location so you can see which areas are growing.
Ways to work with us
Start small or hand it over. Every way comes with the same people and the same checks.
A free AI visibility check
For anyone wondering whether AI recommends them.
- We ask AI the questions your buyers ask
- You see where you're named, and who is instead
- Results straight away
Free
Run the free checkWe run your local SEO for you
For businesses that want it done well, without the hours.
- Strategy, set up and daily management, AI-assisted
- A named person who knows your account
- Monthly reporting on leads and sales, in plain English
From $5,000 a month
Book a callYour whole marketing team, AI-powered
For businesses that want everything done, every week.
- Google Ads, Meta, creative, SEO, tracking and AI CRO, all included
- Our AI agents work on it every day, a specialist signs off every change
- Weekly updates, a scored re-audit every quarter and monthly credits for growth projects
From $10,000 a month, plus ad spend
Ask about the AI planSome love from the brands we've worked with
Jason and Foresight Digital team are amazing guys ! We worked with them of few projects and they have been always professional, reasonable with clear expectations and goals. Would definitely love to work with them again.
Great working with the Foresight team, absolute professionals that deliver great results.
Let's talk about your goals
Tell us what you're working towards and we'll show you where we'd start.
Book a strategy callWhat else is worth asking? Glad you asked!
What does a local SEO agency do?
We get your business showing up when people nearby search for what you do: in Google's map results, in the normal results, and increasingly in AI answers. That means your Google Business Profile, reviews, consistent listings, location pages and local tracking.
Do I need a shopfront to show up on Google Maps?
You need a real business location, but you don't have to show it. Service-area businesses, such as tradies who visit customers, hide their address and list the areas they serve. Google doesn't accept virtual offices or PO boxes.
Can you look after several locations or a franchise?
Yes. Google allows one Business Profile per location, so each site gets its own profile, its own page and its own reporting, all kept consistent with the brand.
Can I offer customers a discount for a review?
Please don't. Google's policies ban paying or offering incentives for reviews, and breaking them can get reviews removed. Asking every happy customer, simply and at the right moment, works better and lasts.
How long does local SEO take?
Profile fixes can make a difference within weeks. Reviews, listings and location pages build over a few months, and we report on calls, direction requests and enquiries each month so you can see it working.
Do you only work with Melbourne businesses?
No, we work with local businesses right around Australia. We're based in Melbourne, and the method is the same in any suburb or town.
How much does a local SEO service cost?
Our SEO starts at $5,000 a month, and local SEO is part of that work. The price depends on how many locations you have, how competitive your area is and how much content and review work is needed. We give you a fixed monthly quote after a free check.
What's included in your local SEO services?
Your Google Business Profile, Bing Places and Apple Maps listings, review requests and replies, consistent citations, location and service pages, local schema, local links and monthly reporting by location.