Key findings
- You need fewer reviews than you think. The median business in the top 3 had 39 reviews, against 13 for positions 4 to 20.
- 59% of top-3 spots (the median across all trades and cities) went to businesses with fewer than 50 reviews.
- In 106 of 160 trade and city combinations, a business with no reviews made the top 3 from at least one search point.
- Location beats everything. In 92 of 160 trade and city combinations, every top-3 spot across our 9 search points (4 km apart) went to a different business.
- It varies hugely by trade. Dentists needed the most reviews (107); roofers the fewest (9).
- Name stuffing still shows up. A median of 10% of top-3 spots went to businesses with the service and city in their name, some against Google’s rules.
By trade
| Trade | Median reviews, top 3 | Median reviews, 4–20 | Median rating, top 3 | Top 3 with <50 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentists | 107 | 39 | 4.9 | 28% |
| Mechanics | 86 | 68 | 4.8 | 34% |
| Hairdressers | 70 | 50 | 4.9 | 39% |
| Plumbers | 68 | 14 | 4.9 | 46% |
| Chiropractors | 56 | 19 | 5.0 | 44% |
| Locksmiths | 53 | 27 | 4.9 | 48% |
| Lawyers | 51 | 18 | 4.9 | 52% |
| Physios | 46 | 24 | 5.0 | 56% |
| Electricians | 44 | 12 | 5.0 | 54% |
| Cleaners | 23 | 12 | 4.9 | 67% |
| Pest control | 17 | 9 | 4.9 | 64% |
| Accountants | 17 | 6 | 4.9 | 77% |
| Painters | 15 | 8 | 5.0 | 79% |
| Builders | 14 | 5 | 5.0 | 87% |
| Landscapers | 13 | 5 | 5.0 | 88% |
| Roofers | 9 | 9 | 5.0 | 79% |
Medians of the 10 city medians. Select a trade for the city-by-city numbers.
Local market reports: 40 trade and city reports
For 10 trades in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane: what customers search for, what those clicks cost, and what the Google Maps top 3 have in common across nine suburbs. Spring 2026, each with a free PDF.
Perth
- Plumbers in Perth →
- Electricians in Perth →
- Builders in Perth →
- Roofers in Perth →
- Painters in Perth →
- Landscapers in Perth →
- Locksmiths in Perth →
- Pest control in Perth →
- Cleaners in Perth →
- Mechanics in Perth →
Sydney
- Plumbers in Sydney →
- Electricians in Sydney →
- Builders in Sydney →
- Roofers in Sydney →
- Painters in Sydney →
- Landscapers in Sydney →
- Locksmiths in Sydney →
- Pest control in Sydney →
- Cleaners in Sydney →
- Mechanics in Sydney →
Melbourne
- Plumbers in Melbourne →
- Electricians in Melbourne →
- Builders in Melbourne →
- Roofers in Melbourne →
- Painters in Melbourne →
- Landscapers in Melbourne →
- Locksmiths in Melbourne →
- Pest control in Melbourne →
- Cleaners in Melbourne →
- Mechanics in Melbourne →
Brisbane
What to take from this
- Reviews help, but they’re one factor. Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, and says more reviews and positive ratings can help. Plenty of businesses reach the top 3 with a modest count.
- Get the basics right first: the right primary category, accurate details and a steady flow of genuine reviews. Start with the checklist.
- Check your own patch. The top 3 changes from street to street. Run a free rank check to see yours.
Method
On 25 September 2026 we searched Google Maps (via DataForSEO) for one common search per trade, such as “plumber” or “dentist”, from a 3 × 3 grid of points 4 km apart around the centre of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, the Sunshine Coast and Wollongong. Each search used a street-level map view, as a customer would see on their phone. We recorded the top 20 businesses at each point. Points over water returned no results and were left out. Figures are medians, so a few very large businesses don’t skew them. Rankings change daily and differ in outer suburbs, so treat these as a guide. You’re welcome to use these figures with a link to this page.