Painters in Brisbane: what customers search, and what it takes to rank

Five things we found

1. “painters brisbane cbd” is the biggest single search. About 1,600 a month in Greater Brisbane, and advertisers pay US$19.05 a click for it.
2. Distance decides a lot. In 9 of the 9 areas we checked, the #1 painter showed a street address in or near that area.
3. Nobody owns Brisbane. 27 different businesses filled the 27 top-3 spots across 9 areas.
4. The bar can be very low. In Brisbane CBD and North Lakes, a business with no reviews made the top 3.
5. Job searches add up. Searches for exterior painting add up to about 1,000 a month, led by “exterior painting brisbane”.

What Brisbane customers search for

About 10,400 Google searches a month in Greater Brisbane are people looking for a painter. Phrases Google treats as the same are counted once. Searches for jobs, products, brands and other cities are left out.

Cost per click is the average advertisers pay, weighted by searches (US$, as Google reports it).

What a click is worth. Buying 70 clicks a month for “painters near me” through Google Ads would cost about US$1,000 at today’s prices (70 × US$14.73). A top-3 spot on Google Maps earns clicks from the same searches without paying for each one.

The jobs people search for

• Exterior painting: about 1,000 a month, led by “exterior painting brisbane”.
• Interior painting: about 910 a month, led by “brisbane interior painters”.
• Roof painting: about 580 a month, led by “roof painting brisbane”.
• Commercial and strata: about 570 a month, led by “commercial painters brisbane”.
• Fences, decks and doors: about 110 a month, led by “fence painters near me”.

When people search

Busiest in October, March and January. Quietest in December (28% below an average month). Sep 2025 is left out: Google’s data shows an unusual one-off spike.

Suburbs people search by name

Searches like “painter wynnum”. A page for each suburb you serve can win these.

What it takes to rank top 3 on Google Maps in Brisbane

We searched Google Maps for “painter” from 9 suburbs across Greater Brisbane on 25 September 2026, on a mobile phone, and compared the profiles that came up.

Typical = the middle value (median). Near the city centre, our national benchmarks put the typical top-3 painter at 41 reviews: busy central areas need more.

Area by area

Entry bar = reviews held by the weakest business in the top 3. On the map = businesses Google listed for that search (up to 20).

Extra categories the top 10 use: Painting (12 of 89), Plasterer (6 of 89), Roofing contractor (5 of 89), Property maintenance (4 of 89), Paint stripping service (3 of 89), Carpenter (3 of 89).

Six steps to win more of these searches

Based on what the top-3 painters in Brisbane have in common. Do the ones that fit your business.

1. Use “Painter” as your main category22 of the 27 top-3 businesses do. Then add extras only for work you really do: Painting, Plasterer and Roofing contractor.
2. Aim for 20+ genuine reviewsTypical for the top 3 is 15. Ask every customer with a direct review link, and never offer rewards.
3. List the jobs people searchExterior painting, interior painting, roof painting and commercial and strata: as services on your profile and pages on your website.
4. Add 15+ real photosTop-3 profiles typically have 16. Real jobs, your van and your team, added every month.
5. Pick your battlesBrisbane CBD, North Lakes, Indooroopilly and Carindale had low entry bars. Busier areas need a strong review count.
6. Time your pushesSearches peak in October, March and January. Have your profile, photos and pages ready a month before. December is the quietest month.