search engine optimisation

Local SEO

When someone needs what you do nearby, they search, they look at the three businesses in the map results, and they call one of them. Everything below that is a distant second. Local SEO is the work that puts you in those three.

Three results take most of the calls

The concentration in local search is brutal and worth being honest about. The three businesses shown in the map pack take the significant majority of the calls. Position four is a long way behind position three, and page two may as well not exist.

That is bad news if you are sitting at position eight, and good news once you understand that what decides it is not mysterious. It is a short list of signals, most of which are entirely within your control, and most businesses only ever get one or two of them right.

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How we run local SEO

Three things, in the order they actually move the needle.

Google Business Profile

The highest-leverage asset a local business has, and the most commonly neglected. Categories, services, service areas, photos and posts, all kept current rather than set once and forgotten.

Reviews that keep coming

A simple system for asking at the right moment, plus a reply to every review. Recency counts as much as the total, so a steady trickle beats a burst two years ago.

Citations and suburb pages

Your business details identical everywhere online, and real pages for the services and areas you cover. Not thin suburb clones, which stopped working years ago.

What actually decides your map pack ranking

Google weighs a small number of things, and most businesses only ever do one of them.

  1. Proximity. How close you are to the person searching. You cannot change this, which is why suburb targeting has to be realistic rather than a wish list.
  2. Your Google Business Profile. How complete it is, whether the categories are right, whether there are recent photos, and whether anything has been posted this month.
  3. Reviews. Volume matters, recency matters more, and whether you reply matters more than most people expect. Prospects read the replies.
  4. Consistent business details. Your name, address and phone number identical everywhere they appear online. One stray abbreviation across thirty directories is a real signal problem.
  5. Your website. Genuine pages for the services you offer and the areas you cover, because Google reads the site to work out what the profile is for.
Most businesses have a complete-ish profile, a handful of old reviews, and a website that never mentions the suburbs they actually service. Fixing the third one is usually what moves the other two.

What our local SEO includes

  • Full Google Business Profile optimisation: categories, services, service areas, photos and regular posts
  • A review system that asks at the right moment, plus drafted replies to every review
  • Name, address and phone audited and corrected across the directories that matter
  • Service and suburb pages written properly, not fifty thin pages with the name swapped
  • Local schema and structured data so machines can read your location and hours
  • Map pack and local ranking tracking, reported monthly in plain English

What local SEO costs in Melbourne

In our experience retainers in this market commonly run $1,500 to $3,000 a month. Our pricing is competitive because delivery is AI-enabled, and the reason is structural rather than promotional.

 Traditional agencyDizian
Monthly fee$1,500 to $3,000Competitive, delivery is AI-enabled
Who runs itAccount manager, work done by juniorsOne experienced expert, AI doing the manual layers
Minimum termCommonly a fixed lock-in30 day terms, no lock-in
Where the fee goesWork plus team and office overheadWork plus tooling, with the difference free for media

The saving does not vanish. It goes back into your marketing rather than ours, which is what lifts your return.


The suburbs we focus on

We are Melbourne based and a good share of our local work sits in the south-east: Dandenong South, Clayton, Moorabbin, Braeside, Keysborough, Mulgrave and Notting Hill. Proximity is a ranking factor you cannot argue with, so we would rather target the areas you can realistically win than sell you a map of the whole city.

If you serve a wider area, we will tell you honestly which suburbs are reachable and which are not.

Results we have delivered

Published results from named clients, not anonymous claims.

  • Skye Dental: a 32% increase in conversions and 7x ROAS
  • SatPhoneShop: a 15% increase in conversions and 10x ROAS
  • Six Barrel Soda: a 25% increase in conversions and 6x ROAS

Over 14 years in business and an accredited Google Partner throughout.

How long it takes

Most businesses see early movement in about 8 to 12 weeks. Local SEO often moves faster than national SEO because the competition set is smaller and profile fixes register quickly. Anyone promising the top three inside a month is either targeting phrases nobody searches or ignoring proximity.

Want to know where you currently sit in the map pack? Book a free digital audit at dizian.com.au/contact, or see how affordable SEO in Melbourne is priced and what our full SEO services cover.

What decides your map pack ranking

Three factors do most of the work. Only two of them are in your control.

Proximity

How close you are to the searcher, and the one factor you cannot change. It is why realistic suburb targeting beats a map of the whole city.

Your profile

Complete, current and active. Categories, service areas, photos and posts. The highest-leverage asset a local business owns and the most neglected.

Recent reviews

Recency counts as much as the total, and replies count more than most expect. Prospects read the replies as closely as the reviews.

brands that drive us

Related Service

Search Engine Optimisations from local ranking to global markets.

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Client Testimonials

"We found Dizian through a trusted referral, and I’m glad we did. Before engaging Alex, our SEO and Google Ads were honestly in a mess. There was no clear structure, money was being spent without clarity, and campaigns were being tested without a proper strategy. Alex came in, reviewed everything thoroughly, and cleaned up a lot of loose ends. He brought structure, accountability, and clarity to our digital marketing. It immediately removed the headache of wasted ad spend and uncertainty. Unlike many SEO agencies out there, Dizian genuinely takes the time to understand the client’s requirements, the products, and the overall business model. Alex didn’t apply a generic template — he took the time to understand what we do and aligned the strategy accordingly. What stands out most to me is Alex’s integrity and character. He is trustworthy, transparent, and genuinely committed to helping his clients succeed. His depth of knowledge and experience is strong."

Irwandy Tan, Andatech

Irwandy Tan

Director

/

Andatech

"Dizian Digital made our move to satphoneshop.com.au seamless and handled the transition with care and professionalism. They protected our search visibility throughout the process and helped strengthen our online presence in the Australian market. Beyond the migration, they improved the structure and performance of our campaigns, which helped us attract more of the right customers and generate better quality enquiries and sales. They were proactive, clear in their communication, and genuinely took the time to understand our business, our products, and the importance of trust and reliability in the satellite communications space."

SatPhoneShop logo

Stacey Atkinson

Marketing Manager

/

SatPhoneShop

“We were looking for an agile, responsive and strategic digital partner to help manage our website. Dizian met our brief and continues to deliver beyond expectations, providing proactive and valuable SEO and data-driven expertise.”

Sophie Lindsay, Law Chambers

Sophie Lindsay

Marketing Director

/

Law Chambers

"Alex has been great to work with. His projections have all been correct and we are seeing unprecedented inquiries through the website."

James Dwyer, Dwyer Brick Fences

James Dwyer

Owner

/

Dwyer Brick Fences

"We have been working with Alex & team over one year now and are very happy with the service. It is very professional, and we get very quick replies for our requests. We have regular meetings with reporting and are very happy to recommend Dizian services."

Satu Raunola-Spencer, Venla Resell+Relove

Satu Raunola-Spencer

Co-Director

/

Venla Resell+Relove

"I've had the privilege of working closely with Alex since 2018. His skillset and dedication to genuinely adding significant value to his client's is second to none. Highly, highly recommend for businesses looking to secure an unfair advantage for their business on Google."

Scott Kennedy, Edition

Scott Kennedy

Founder

/

Edition

"Alex was able to help us implement an upgrade to our Google Ads Search and Shopping campaign structure across NZ and Australia. He helped ensure the structure was set up in a way that was clear and easy to use. Alongside this, he designed a supporting user friendly dashboard to report progress. Alex really knows his way around Google Ads and was very responsive to our needs during the project."

Six Barrel Soda logo

Mike Stewart

Director

/

Six Barrel Soda

"Awesome service and great results. Alex is really knowledgeable and helpful. Makes everything easy for us to understand with no hassles."

Khalid Ghanima, Urban Herbalist

Khalid Ghanima

Director

/

Urban Herbalist

"Dizian has been an integral partner in our online business requirements for the last 5 years. Alex has been attentive to all of our digital needs and has allowed us to grow our online presence in a very competitive industry. We are very pleased with his services and continue to see positive results."

Dr. Jena Ward, Skye Dental

Dr. Jena Ward

Principal Dentist

/

Skye Dental

"Alex is an expert in his field and has always provided us with thoughtful, strategic advice and recommendations. We’ve worked together for a number of years on activities from maintenance to specific campaigns with great results. He’s reliable, responsive and has an obvious passion for what he does."

Alaina Luxmoore, RUSH

Alaina Luxmoore

Marketing Manager

/

RUSH

"We have worked closely with Alex for over 2 years. The rapport that he spent time building right from the beginning of our relationship meant that we were able to focus on growing our business internally knowing that we can trust Alex to grow our business externally. The services that he has provided for us have been invaluable to us as an early-stage startup, ensuring we have got off to the best possible start with all the right things in play. His communication is excellent and he invests time in explaining how things work and what benefit is to us in doing things a certain way. He has gone above and beyond to provide support where needed outside of the primary scope of engagement."

Johnny Farquhar, PreviewMe

Johnny Farquhar

Director

/

PreviewMe

FAQ

How many Google reviews do I need to rank locally?

Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?

How much does local SEO cost in Melbourne?

How long does local SEO take to work?

How do I rank in the Google map pack in Melbourne?

1.

Can my business still rank well if Google is showing AI answers?

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