SEO Basics for Builders and Renovators Using AI

Locals search for extensions, kitchen renovations and bathroom renovations. If that's you, start here. Four short modules cover Google, the map and AI answers, ending with Smoko drafting your Google profile, service and suburb pages, page titles, review request and listing details to approve.

builder near me

AI answerFor extensions and kitchen renovations near you,your businessis licensed, open now and rated 4.8 from 52 reviews.

  1. Your business4.8 (52) · Open now
  2. Hammer & Level Constructions4.5 (23) · Closes 4 pm
  3. Southgate Renovations4.3 (11) · Closes 3:30 pm
Example search results.

Built by a team seen on

What people search when they need a builder

Each search wants something different. The course shows which page wins each one. Then Smoko builds that page for you.

SearchWhat they wantWhat wins it
builder near meA licensed builder who will actually turn up and quoteGoogle profile with photos of finished jobs
home extension builder [suburb]Someone who has done extensions in their areaA suburb page showing a real local extension
kitchen renovation costA realistic range before they commit to a quoteA service page with honest price ranges
bathroom renovation [suburb]A renovator with recent local work and reviewsProfile reviews and a bathroom page with photos
granny flat buildersA builder who has done granny flats and knows the approval rulesA granny flat page with sizes, approvals and finished builds

What you’ll learn

Four short modules you can work through between jobs. In the last one, Smoko builds your local SEO setup.

  1. Search Basics

    How customers find builders and renovators on Google today, and the shortcuts that do more harm than good.

    1. What is SEO?
    2. Why it matters?
    3. How Tradies Get Found Now
    4. Mistakes to Avoid

    A homeowner planning a kitchen reno searches 'kitchen renovation' plus their suburb, and the map results sit near the top. Paying someone to stuff that phrase into your footer won't get you there and can count against you as spam.

    12 min
  2. Get on the Map

    Set up your Google profile, categories and listings so locals searching for extensions, kitchen renovations and bathroom renovations can find you.

    1. How Google Picks Local Results
    2. Your Google Business Profile
    3. Categories and Service Areas
    4. Keywords Your Customers Use
    5. Directories and Listings

    If your profile only says General contractor, add Kitchen remodeler and Bathroom remodeler as extra categories when that work is a real part of your business, so a search for a bathroom renovation in your suburb can show your profile.

    16 min
  3. What Makes You Rank

    Service and suburb pages, reviews that show real work, AI answers, and a simple monthly check on results.

    1. Service Pages That Rank
    2. Suburb Pages Without the Spam
    3. Reviews That Move You Up
    4. Show Up in AI Answers
    5. Tracking What Works

    One page titled Home Extensions and one titled Bathroom Renovations beat a single Services page. Each one names the job, shows three finished examples and links to the suburbs you build in.

    18 min
  4. Let's Implement: SEO Basics

    Smoko drafts your local SEO setup from your answers and photos, you ask for changes, and you approve it.

    1. Smoko Builds Your SEO
    2. How to Edit or Improve with Smoko
    3. Approving Your Local SEO Setup

    You send Smoko photos of your last six jobs and answer a few questions. It drafts your profile, a page for extensions, one for bathrooms and pages for the suburbs where you have real jobs to show. You ask for changes, then approve.

    Smoko builds your local SEO setup

    9 min

What Smoko sets up for you

In the last module, Smoko builds these for your business from our templates. Nothing goes live until you approve it.

Smoko’s setup listFor builders and renovators

Google profile
Your services, categories, hours, service areas and photos, written the way your customers talk.
  • General contractor
  • Construction company
  • Home builder
  • Kitchen remodeler
  • Bathroom remodeler
Service pages
One page per job, titled the way customers search and linked to your homepage and suburb pages.
  • Home extensions
  • Kitchen renovations
  • Bathroom renovations
  • Second storey additions
  • Granny flats
  • Decks and pergolas
  • Knock down rebuilds
Suburb pages
Pages for the areas you work, built from your real local jobs and photos.
Page titles
A clear title for every page, naming the job and the suburb.
Review request
A short message with your Google review link to send after every finished job.
Listing details
One consistent business name, phone and address to use on all your online listings.

Taught by people who run trade businesses

The Tradie School team

Operators from DFRNT Group, the team behind 26,000 solar installs, 4,000 pools and 400,000 leads for trades and home services.

Questions builders and renovators ask

I get most of my work from referrals. Is SEO worth it for a builder?

Referrals still get checked. A referred client can look you up before they call, and if the profile is thin or the reviews are two years old, they may move on. SEO makes sure what they find matches the work you actually do.

Should I have one renovations page or one for kitchens and one for bathrooms?

Separate pages. Someone searching for a kitchen renovation wants to see kitchens, not a list of everything you do. One page per job you want more of gives Google a clear match and gives the customer the photos they came for.

How do I show up for suburbs I work in but am not based in?

Suburb pages with real local jobs. Your Google profile mostly ranks near where you're based, so for the suburbs you drive to, a page showing a job you did there, with a review from that owner, is what gives Google a reason to show you.

Will ChatGPT or Google's AI answers ever mention my building business?

No one can promise that. AI answers tend to pull from the same places Google does: a complete profile, reviews that name the job and suburb, and plain pages describing your work. Get those right and you give the AI something to quote.

My renos take months. How do I get enough reviews to matter?

Ask every client at handover, while the finished job is in front of them, and send your review link straight away. Each review that mentions the job and the suburb tells the next client what you built and where, and gives Google words to match to the search. More reviews can help too, so make asking part of every handover.

Do I need a website for this?

Not to start. Your Google profile can do a lot on its own. If you have a website, Smoko drafts service and suburb pages for it from Tradie School's templates, for you to check.

I'm a one-person business. Is this worth it?

Yes. Someone searching for a tradie nearby wants the job done well, not a big crew. Smoko drafts everything from your answers and photos for you to check, so it doesn't eat your evenings.

How long until I show up higher?

No one can honestly promise a date or a spot. Google takes time to pick up changes, and every trade and area is different. This course helps you get the basics right and keep them right.

Will Smoko change my Google profile or website without asking?

No. Smoko drafts every change and shows it to you first. Nothing goes live until you approve it.

More AI courses for builders and renovators

All courses

SEO Basics for other trades

SEO Basics is included in membership.

Join as a member for $299 a month: all nine courses, Smoko and the members’ community.

Join as a member

SEO Basics for builders & renovators4 modules · 55 min

Join as a member