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

Five things we found

1. “painter” is the biggest single search. About 1,900 a month in Greater Sydney, and advertisers pay US$3.41 a click for it.
2. Distance decides a lot. In 7 of the 9 areas we checked, the #1 painter showed a street address in or near that area.
3. Nobody owns Sydney. 27 different businesses filled the 27 top-3 spots across 9 areas.
4. The bar can be very low. In Hurstville and Liverpool, a business with no reviews made the top 3.
5. Job searches add up. Searches for interior painting add up to about 2,500 a month, led by “inside house painting”.

What Sydney customers search for

About 20,100 Google searches a month in Greater Sydney 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 100 clicks a month for “painters near me” through Google Ads would cost about US$1,700 at today’s prices (100 × US$17.32). A top-3 spot on Google Maps earns clicks from the same searches without paying for each one.

The jobs people search for

• Interior painting: about 2,500 a month, led by “inside house painting”.
• Exterior painting: about 2,200 a month, led by “exterior painting”.
• Commercial and strata: about 1,300 a month, led by “commercial painters sydney”.
• Roof painting: about 1,200 a month, led by “sydney roof painting”.
• Fences, decks and doors: about 160 a month, led by “fence painters near me”.

When people search

Busiest in November and March. Quietest in June (17% below an average month). Sep 2025, Oct 2025 is left out: Google’s data shows an unusual one-off spike.

Suburbs people search by name

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

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

We searched Google Maps for “painter” from 9 suburbs across Greater Sydney 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 51 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 (22 of 90), Plasterer (6 of 90), Pressure washing service (6 of 90), Painting studio (4 of 90), Carpenter (4 of 90), Interior Decorator (4 of 90).

Six steps to win more of these searches

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

1. Use “Painter” as your main category23 of the 27 top-3 businesses do. Then add extras only for work you really do: Painting, Plasterer and Pressure washing service.
2. Aim for 30+ genuine reviewsTypical for the top 3 is 22. Ask every customer with a direct review link, and never offer rewards.
3. List the jobs people searchInterior painting, exterior painting, commercial and strata and roof painting: as services on your profile and pages on your website.
4. Add 35+ real photosTop-3 profiles typically have 35. Real jobs, your van and your team, added every month.
5. Pick your battlesBondi Junction, Hurstville, Liverpool and Penrith had low entry bars. Busier areas need a strong review count.
6. Time your pushesSearches peak in November and March. Have your profile, photos and pages ready a month before. June is the quietest month.