Local SEO vs General SEO: Why “Plumber Brisbane” Ranks but “Plumber” Doesn’t

Here’s a common SEO question I get from small business owners:

“Why do I rank number one when someone searches for my service + city… but not when they just search for the service on its own?”

To explain, let’s use a hypothetical plumbing company in Brisbane as our example.

Explicit vs Implicit Local Searches

Google treats search queries differently depending on whether the user adds a location term:

• Explicit local search: “Plumber Brisbane” — Google knows the user wants a Brisbane plumber, so it narrows the results to local businesses.

• Implicit local search: “Plumber” — If the searcher is in Brisbane, Google still shows a map pack of local providers, but the organic results are broader. These might include national directories, franchise sites, or guides, not just local companies.

That’s why our hypothetical Brisbane plumber ranks #1 for “Plumber Brisbane,” but not for the more generic “Plumber.”

Local Pack vs Organic Listings

It’s also important to know that Google’s map pack (the three businesses you see under the map) runs on a different algorithm from the organic listings.

• The map pack is influenced by your Google Business Profile, reviews, and proximity.

• Organic listings depend more on your website’s SEO — content depth, authority, backlinks.

So ranking in Maps doesn’t automatically mean you’ll dominate the organic results too.

Why General Searches Are Tougher

For broad searches like “Plumber,” Google interprets mixed intent. The searcher might want:

• A local tradesperson (hence the map pack)

• General info (like “how to fix a leaking tap”)

• A big brand or nationwide service

That’s why the organic results often favour large companies, directories, and how-to sites with stronger authority. A smaller local site needs extra SEO strength to compete for those generic terms.

What This Means for Small Business

• Local SEO (service + city) is often the quickest win — and should be your foundation.

• To capture general searches, you’ll need to:

  • Expand your website content (answer common questions, provide guides)

  • Build backlinks and authority

  • Interlink blog posts with your core service pages

  • Prove to Google that your site is not only locally relevant, but also a trusted source on the topic in general

Final Thoughts

If you’re a small business, don’t be discouraged if you only rank highly when people type your city name. That’s local SEO doing its job.

But if you want to rank for the broader, more competitive searches, you’ll need to invest in building authority and deeper content — so Google sees you as relevant both locally and in the wider industry.

It’s about balancing local visibility with general SEO strength — so you get found either way.

Free Worksheet: Track Your SEO Keywords

Understanding the difference between local SEO and general SEO is one thing — but putting it into practice is where the real results come from. To make it easier, I’ve created a simple keyword tracking worksheet that you can download and use straight away.

This worksheet will help you:

• Keep track of the keywords you’re targeting (both local terms like “plumber Brisbane” and general ones like “plumber”)

• Monitor where you currently rank in Google for each keyword

• See which areas need improvement — whether that’s local optimisation or building broader authority

• Stay consistent in reviewing your SEO progress over time

By using this tool, you’ll have a clear picture of how well your business is showing up in search — locally and more broadly — so you can make smarter decisions about where to focus your efforts.

Cheers,
Ashley