Fred Moreno Painting and Decorating: from invisible to the top of Google
How local SEO took Fred from completely invisible on Google to the top 3 for painter and decorator searches in Elizabeth within weeks, and how the first job it brought in returned 700% on his SEO spend.
Client Fred Moreno Painting and Decorating
Industry Painter and decorator
Area Elizabeth, northern Adelaide and the Barossa, SA
Services Google Business Profile optimisation, on-page SEO, local citations
Results in weeks
From invisible on Google to the top 3 for painter and decorator searches in Elizabeth.
700% ROI
The first job Fred closed returned 700% on his SEO spend.
Paid for itself
And it has kept paying for itself many times over since.
The starting point
Fred has over 30 years of hands-on experience as a painter and decorator, but when he came to us, he was completely invisible on Google. On 17 February 2026 we ran a local ranking heat map for “painter elizabeth” across 169 points around Elizabeth. He didn’t appear in the top 20 at a single one.
That meant homeowners searching for a painter in his own area couldn’t find him. The work was going to whoever showed up instead.
What we did
- Mapped exactly where Fred was showing up on Google with a 169 point heat map around Elizabeth (the answer was nowhere).
- Optimised his Google Business Profile so Google clearly understands what Fred does and the areas he services.
- Did on-page SEO on his website so every page backs up his profile for painting and decorating searches in Elizabeth and surrounding suburbs.
- Built high quality local citations, so his business details are listed consistently across trusted Australian directories.
- Tracked his rankings with follow-up heat maps to measure the results.
The results
The results came fast. One week after that first heat map, on 24 February 2026, Fred was ranking in the top 3 for “painter decorator elizabeth” at 168 of 169 points on the grid, and 1st at 17 of them.
The rankings have held and spread to the broader search too. By October 2026 he’s in the top 3 for “painter elizabeth” at 167 of 169 points, and searching “painter near me” in his area shows him as the first business listed organically.
From invisible to the top 3 for “painter decorator elizabeth”
ROI on his SEO spend from the first job he closed
Map points where Fred ranked top 3, one week in
Before and after: the heat maps
Each circle is a point on the map where we checked Google. The number is where Fred ranked from that spot. Red means customers there weren’t finding him. Green means he’s right at the top.
And it’s not just one keyword. Eight months on, Fred ranks just as strongly for the broader “painter elizabeth” search, the same one where he was invisible at the start.
First on Google organically
The heat maps track specific keywords, but it shows up in everyday searches too. Here’s a “painter near me” search in his area. Fred is the first business listed organically, with a 5.0 rating from 22 reviews.
What it's worth to Fred
The first job Fred closed from his new rankings returned 700% on what he spent on SEO. It has since paid for itself many times over.
That’s the difference with SEO. Unlike ads, he isn’t paying for every click, so each new enquiry from Google adds to that return.
Why it worked
Fred already had what customers want: over 30 years of experience and a 5.0 star rating on Google. What he didn’t have was visibility. Google ranks local businesses on relevance, distance and prominence, so the work focused on making sure Google could clearly see what Fred does, where he does it, and that his customers rate him. Once that was in place, the rankings followed.
About Fred Moreno Painting and Decorating
Fred Moreno Painting and Decorating is a licensed painter and decorator based in Elizabeth, servicing Adelaide’s northern suburbs, the Barossa and beyond. With over 30 years of experience, Fred handles interior and exterior painting, feature walls and decorative finishes, Venetian plaster, timber restoration and surface repairs.
0447 970 900 · Visit the Fred Moreno website · Find Fred on Google
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