The 25 Google searches that bring plumbers work in Australia.

This list comes straight from Google Keyword Planner: the searches Australians type when they want a plumber, how often they type them, and what other businesses pay to appear at the top for each one. We kept only searches from people looking to hire, and dropped supplier names, products, DIY questions and job hunting.

Monthly searches are Google’s average for Australia over the past 12 months. The bid range is Keyword Planner’s low (about the 20th percentile) and high (about the 80th percentile) of what advertisers have historically paid to show at the top of the page.

What the list tells a plumber

Two searches do most of the work. “Plumber near me” and “plumber” account for about 90,000 of the 116,680 monthly searches on this list, roughly 77%. Neither names a job or a suburb, because Google already knows where the searcher is. That is why a complete Google Business Profile and the map pack matter more to a plumber than any single keyword.

Emergency searches are where advertisers pay most. The six emergency and after-hours searches total about 8,190 a month, but their high bids run to A$73 for “emergency plumber near me”, A$78 for “same day plumber” and A$101 for “plumber near me now”. Someone with water through the ceiling calls the first plumber who answers, and other plumbers bid accordingly.

Job searches cost about the same per click as the generic ones, but they tell you exactly what the customer needs. “Blocked drain” (1,900 a month), the gas searches (“gas plumber near me”, “gas fitters”, “gas plumber”: 5,100 combined) and the hot water repair searches are each worth their own service page and their own ad group.

“Cheap plumbers near me” (1,000 a month) has a lower high bid (A$49) than “local plumbers” (A$65). If you do not compete on price, it is a search to exclude from your ads rather than chase.

The searches grouped by job type

• Near me and general (6 searches, about 94,620 a month): “plumber near me”, “plumber”, “local plumbers”, “plumbing services”, “cheap plumbers near me”, “best plumbers near me”. Win these with your Google Business Profile, reviews and a strong home page.
• Emergency and after hours (6 searches, about 8,190 a month): “emergency plumber”, “emergency plumber near me”, “24 7 plumber”, “after hours plumbing”, “same day plumber”, “plumber near me now”. Only bid on these if someone actually answers the phone after hours.
• Specific jobs (11 searches, about 12,610 a month): “blocked drain”, “gas plumber near me”, “gas fitters”, “blocked drain plumber”, “gas plumber”, “blocked toilet”, “hot water system repair”, “hot water repair near me”, “gas hot water repairs”, “leak detection companies near me”, “burst pipe”. Each deserves its own service page and its own Google Ads ad group.
• Commercial (2 searches, about 1,260 a month): “commercial plumbing”, “commercial plumbers near me”. Small volumes, but commercial work is often repeat work.

How to use the list

1. Google Ads: build one ad group per job type (blocked drains, gas, hot water, emergency), with the ad and landing page matching the search. Job searches let the ad name the exact problem, which usually lifts the click-through rate. Add emergency terms only for the hours you can take calls.
2. Your website: give each job its own service page (blocked drains, gas fitting, hot water repairs, leak detection, burst pipes) and mention the suburbs you cover. A single “Services” page cannot rank for all of them.
3. Google Business Profile: add each job as a service in your profile, using the words customers search, and keep your hours accurate so you show for “near me now” searches when you are open.
4. Negative keywords: add “cheap”, supplier brand names and DIY phrases such as “how to” as negatives if they do not match how you work, so you stop paying for clicks that never become jobs.

How we built the list

We pulled keyword ideas from Google Keyword Planner on 30 October 2026, for Australia, English, Google Search only, starting from common plumber searches. From about 1,000 ideas we kept searches from people looking to hire, removed supplier and brand names, products, DIY questions, jobs and place names, and kept one search where Google grouped near-identical variants under the same figures. The 25 that remain total about 116,680 searches a month. Keyword Planner rounds volumes and its bid ranges are historical, so treat the figures as a guide, not a quote.

Sources

• Use Keyword Planner, Google Ads Help.
• About Keyword Planner forecasts, Google Ads Help (defines the top-of-page bid ranges).
• Manage your services on your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help.