The short version
When rank tracking started on 15 May 2026, only 4 keywords were on page one of Google, and all of them were brand terms. As of 17 September 2026, 39 tracked keywords are on page one and 120 are in the top 30, out of 154 tracked. (Source: SE Ranking rank tracking, Google Australia.)
What we did for Budget Tree Removal
- Website designPlanned, designed and built by our own team, then kept up to date.
- SEOTechnical fixes, content and links, reported by enquiries not rankings.
What we delivered
Rankings are one line on the report. For Budget Tree Removal the engagement covers website design and SEO. We designed and built the website, structured for search from the first wireframe rather than optimised after the fact. The SEO programme runs on top of that: technical fixes, content written for the searches that actually turn into enquiries, and links earned in the client's own market.
Because one team does all of it, the site, the search work and the ads pull in the same direction.
Client: Budget Tree Removal Industry: Tree removal and lopping Location: Brisbane, QLD Services: SEO, content writing, Google Ads
The challenge
Tree work is a crowded local market. Homeowners often search with urgency (a storm-damaged branch, a tree too close to the house) and call whoever looks trustworthy near the top of the page. Paid clicks for these searches can be expensive, and it’s easy to spend a lot before a single job comes through.
The starting point made this harder. People who already knew the business name could find it, but someone typing “tree removal” plus their suburb usually couldn’t. Those are the searches that bring in new customers.
For most tradies, clicks and rankings matter less than one plain question: “How much did we pay to get that phone call, and was the job worth it?” If the marketing can’t answer that, the owner has no way to tell good spend from waste.
What we did
Enquiry cost as the main measure
Our approach starts with agreeing what counts as an enquiry and making sure it’s tracked. After that, every decision across SEO and ads was weighed against cost per enquiry.
SEO for local searches
We worked on the site so Google clearly understands the services offered and the Brisbane suburbs covered. Organic enquiries cost nothing per click, so each one that comes through search pulls the average cost per enquiry down.
Content that answers real questions
We wrote content around the questions homeowners ask before booking tree work. Helpful pages build trust and give the business more ways to be found.
Google Ads focused on jobs, not clicks
The Google Ads side was managed with the same goal. Spend goes to searches likely to turn into paid work, and the results are compared against what SEO is bringing in. As organic rankings grow, the ads can focus on the searches SEO hasn’t reached yet.
Tools and platforms
Google Ads, Google Search Console, GA4 and SE Ranking rank tracking.
Results
SEO
All figures come from SE Ranking rank tracking on Google Australia. They’re tracked keywords, meaning the specific searches we chose to monitor, and positions move from week to week.
15 May 2026 (tracking starts): 4 keywords on page one, all brand terms
As of 17 September 2026:
- 39 tracked keywords on page one, out of 154 tracked
- 120 tracked keywords in the top 30
- #2 for “tree removal brisbane northside”
- #3 for “emergency tree removal brisbane”
- #5 for “tree pruning brisbane” (about 590 searches a month)
- #1 for suburb terms such as “tree removal Hamilton” and “tree lopping Fitzgibbon”
The shift that matters is from brand terms to service terms. Four months ago, the site mostly showed up for people who already knew the name. Now it appears for people who need a tree job done and haven’t picked anyone yet. “Emergency tree removal brisbane” is a good example: that searcher usually wants someone out quickly. We never promise rankings, and these positions will move, but the site is now visible for the searches that bring in new work.
Google Ads
- Cost per enquiry: average $32 per phone call or quote request over 12 weeks (May to August 2026), down from $55 in the first month
Fun fact
StatCounter data has shown Google holding roughly nine in ten Australian searches for years. For a local tradie, that makes Google the main place to be seen, through both organic results and ads.
Marketing tip (lesson learned)
Grab a notepad this week and ask every new caller, “How did you find us?” Tally the answers each Friday. Paired with your ad spend, that simple list tells you roughly what each enquiry costs, even before your tracking is perfect.