If you're a Melbourne tradie—whether you're an electrician in Richmond, a plumber in Brunswick, or a builder in the Eastern suburbs—your potential customers are increasingly asking AI for recommendations before they pick up the phone.
When someone types "best electrician near me Melbourne" into ChatGPT or asks Perplexity "who should I call for emergency plumbing in Carlton?", will your business be recommended? For most Melbourne tradies, the answer is currently no.
This guide shows you exactly how to change that. We'll cover the specific strategies that get trade businesses like yours mentioned by AI systems—strategies that work alongside your existing Google rankings to capture customers from every search platform.
What Melbourne Asks AI About Tradies
Real prompts people type into ChatGPT & Perplexity
Your website needs to answer these questions to get recommended
Why AI SEO Matters for Melbourne Tradies in 2026
The way Melburnians find tradies has fundamentally changed. Here's what the data shows:
- 68% of local searches now include AI-generated content in the results
- AI-referred customers convert 4.2x higher than traditional search—they've already been "pre-sold" by the AI's recommendation
- Voice search is exploding—"Hey Google, find me an emergency plumber" triggers AI-powered responses
- Younger homeowners (25-45) prefer AI for finding service providers over traditional directories
For tradies, this shift is actually an opportunity. While your competitors are still fighting over Google Ads and SEO rankings, you can establish dominance in AI search where competition is minimal.
Real Example: A Melbourne electrician we worked with went from zero AI visibility to being the #1 ChatGPT recommendation for "electrician inner east Melbourne" within 3 months. His inquiry calls tripled—and these were higher-quality leads who'd already been told he was the best choice.
AI SEO Strategies Specific to Trade Businesses
1. Service Area Content That AI Can Understand
AI systems need to know exactly where you work and what you do. Generic "we service all of Melbourne" doesn't cut it. Instead:
- Create suburb-specific pages—"Emergency Electrician Richmond" with specific content about that area
- List your actual service suburbs clearly on your website with postcodes
- Include local landmarks and references—AI systems use these to verify your local presence
- Add travel time estimates—"15 minutes from our Cremorne base to anywhere in the inner east"
2. Trade-Specific FAQ Content
AI systems love answering questions—and they pull answers from websites that answer those questions clearly. For tradies, this means creating FAQ content around:
- Pricing questions—"How much does a switchboard upgrade cost in Melbourne?"
- Emergency scenarios—"What to do if your hot water system fails at night"
- Compliance questions—"Do I need a permit for bathroom renovations in Victoria?"
- Comparison questions—"Electric vs gas hot water: which is better for Melbourne homes?"
3. License and Certification Visibility
Trust signals are critical for tradies. AI systems weight these heavily when deciding who to recommend:
- Display your license numbers prominently—VBA registration, electrical license, etc.
- Show insurance certificates—public liability, WorkCover
- Highlight certifications—Energy Safe Victoria, Master Builders, etc.
- Include these in your schema markup so AI can read them
4. Before/After Case Studies
AI systems cite specific examples. Create detailed case studies of your work:
- Suburb location (with permission)
- Problem description
- Solution implemented
- Outcome and customer feedback
- Photos (before/after)
Technical Setup for Tradie Websites
Essential Schema Markup
Schema markup tells AI systems exactly what your business is and does. For tradies, you need:
- LocalBusiness schema with your specific trade type (Electrician, Plumber, etc.)
- Service schema for each service you offer
- ServiceArea schema listing your coverage suburbs
- Review schema to highlight your Google reviews
- FAQPage schema for your FAQ content
Google Business Profile Optimisation
Your GBP feeds directly into AI systems. Optimise it by:
- Selecting the most specific primary category (not just "Contractor")
- Adding all relevant secondary categories
- Completing every field including services with prices
- Posting weekly updates about completed jobs
- Responding to every review within 24 hours
- Adding Q&A that match common customer questions
Free Melbourne Tradies AI Visibility Audit
Find out exactly how your business currently appears (or doesn't appear) in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. We'll show you the specific opportunities to get recommended.
Book A Call →Melbourne Trade Industry Snapshot 2026
Sources: VBA, ABS, Industry reports 2024-25
Peak Demand Periods for Melbourne Tradies
Optimise your AI SEO content 6-8 weeks before peak periods
Where AI Finds Melbourne Tradies
AI systems cross-reference these platforms to verify your business. Missing listings = missing recommendations.
Lead Generation Platforms
- hipages - Essential for all trades
- ServiceSeeking - Good for quotes
- Oneflare - Growing platform
- Airtasker - Smaller jobs
Regulatory & Trust Directories
- VBA License Check - Building/plumbing
- Energy Safe Victoria - Electrical/gas
- Master Builders Victoria - Builders
- Master Plumbers - Plumbing
Review & Local Platforms
- Google Business Profile - Critical
- True Local - Local citations
- Yellow Pages - Still indexed
- Yelp Australia - Review signals
Pro Tip: Ensure your business name, license number, and phone are IDENTICAL across all platforms. AI systems flag inconsistencies and reduce trust scores.
Getting Started: Your First Steps
Ready to get your business recommended by AI? Here's your action plan:
- Audit your current AI visibility—ask ChatGPT and Perplexity questions your customers would ask and see if you appear
- Optimise your Google Business Profile—this feeds directly into AI systems
- Implement basic schema markup—LocalBusiness at minimum, ideally with Service and FAQPage schemas
- Create FAQ content—answer the questions your customers ask, structured for AI recommendation
- Generate reviews consistently—aim for 2-5 new Google reviews per month
- Build local citations—get listed on industry directories with consistent information
Or, let us handle it for you. Our team specialises in AI SEO for Melbourne businesses, with specific experience helping tradie and other tradies businesses dominate AI search.