Local Citations for Australian Businesses: Where to Be Listed | How-to Guide

The listings that matter for Australian small businesses: Google, Apple and Bing, Yellow Pages and True Local, hipages and ServiceSeeking for tradies, ABN Lookup and state licence registers.

Australian customers search on Google like everyone else, but the directories they trust are local: Yellow Pages and True Local for general businesses, and a set of tradie marketplaces for home services. This guide lists the Australian sources worth claiming and how to stop them disagreeing.

Begin with the maps

Google Business Profile, Apple Business and Bing Places for Business are the first three. Google's help centre says businesses with complete, accurate information are easier to match with searches, and that prominence reflects things like links to a business and its reviews. Apple Maps is the default on iPhones, which are common in Australia, and Bing's local data feeds Microsoft Copilot.

Australian general directories

  • Yellow Pages (yellow.com.au). The national directory, with a free basic listing.
  • True Local. Owned by the same group as Yellow Pages, with its own reviews section.
  • White Pages. A phone lookup still used for finding numbers.
  • Localsearch and Hotfrog. Smaller directories that some customers still reach through search results.
  • Yelp Australia. Mainly relevant for cafes, restaurants and beauty in the capitals.

Tradie and service marketplaces

hipages, ServiceSeeking, Oneflare and Airtasker are where many households look for builders, electricians, cleaners and gardeners. Each runs differently: some charge for leads, some take a fee per job, some charge a subscription. Read the terms before joining. Even if you decide not to pay for leads, a complete profile with your licence number and correct contact details still works as a citation.

ABN Lookup and business names

Every registered business name is searchable on ABN Lookup, run by the Australian Business Register. Customers sometimes check it before hiring, and a mismatch between your trading name and what appears there looks careless. If you operate under a business name owned by a company or trust, make sure the business name registration is current and that your website shows it.

State licence registers

Licensed trades are listed on state registers, such as NSW Fair Trading's licence check, the Victorian Building Authority's practitioner search and the QBCC licence search in Queensland. These are trusted, independent records. Put your licence number on your site and make sure the register lists a business name and contact details that match.

Keep the format identical

Use Australia Post's address format with the state abbreviation and postcode. Choose whether you write "Shop 3" or "3/" before the street number and use one version. Pick one phone number; if you moved from a landline to a 04 mobile, search for the old number and update it.

Service areas and home-based tradies

If you work from home and travel to jobs, hide your street address on Google and list the suburbs or regions you serve. Many Australian directories allow the same. Do not list a virtual office you never use; Google's guidelines say a business must have contact with customers at a listed address.

Local connections

Membership of your local chamber, a council business network or an industry body such as Master Builders or the Master Plumbers association gives you listings that are both real and relevant.

Your website as the reference

Directories drift out of date. Your own site should state your trading name, ABN if you choose to show it, licence numbers, suburbs served, hours and services in text crawlers can read.

With listings sorted, the next step is pages that answer what customers in your area ask. SEO God Mode proposes those topics each week from the services on your We.Inc site, and a quality gate checks each draft before it reaches your inbox.

Frequently asked questions

Are True Local and Yellow Pages the same thing?

They share an owner but run as separate sites. Claim and check both, because each shows its own listing and reviews.

Should I show my licence number online?

For licensed trades it helps customers verify you on the state register, and it ties your website to an independent, trusted record.

Do I have to pay hipages to be listed?

Terms change, so check hipages directly. Paid plans are about receiving leads; your main citation work is keeping the free details accurate wherever you are listed.

More in Guides

Website builders for the businesses in this article

Start building

Product

Who It's For

Features

Resources

Company

View Sitemap