The short answer: do the free foundations first (Google Business Profile, directories, reviews, coordinator outreach), then layer website, SEO, Google Ads and social in that order, and measure everything by qualified enquiries. The full playbook is below.
Most marketing advice assumes one buyer searching for one product. The NDIS has three buyers and a regulator. The participant receiving support is often not the person searching: a parent researches on their behalf, a support coordinator shortlists professionally, and a hospital discharge planner needs a placement this week. Each reads differently, trusts different signals and uses different words. On top of that sits the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIA rules on the NDIS name and logo, which shape what you can claim.
Get this right and the upside is large. Around 269,000 providers compete for roughly 760,000 participants, yet most providers do almost no marketing. The bar to stand out locally is far lower than it looks.
Before spending a dollar on ads, do the things that cost time rather than money. They keep working for years and make every later dollar convert better.
We build the whole engine, then report on enquiries, not vanity metrics.
Once the foundations are in place, layer the channels in the order that wastes the least money.
Every other channel points here, so fix it first. An accessible, plain-English website that says what you do, where, and for whom, with an enquiry path on every page, multiplies the return on everything else.
NDIS SEO wins the searches participants and coordinators already use, and local SEO wins the map pack and “near me” searches. It takes 8 to 12 weeks to move and compounds into the cheapest enquiries you will ever get.
Google Ads buy enquiries while SEO matures. They are the fast channel, live in days, with every click tracked to an enquiry.
Social media is a trust channel. Families and coordinators check you before they enquire, so a current, credible feed supports the other channels even though it rarely books participants directly.
Marketing must be honest, must not pressure participants, and must respect the NDIS Code of Conduct and the rules on the NDIS name and logo. Registered providers may use the NDIS logo only with written NDIA permission and only as supplied. Keep claims accurate and evidence-based. Done properly, compliance and growth are not in tension.
A simple plan for most providers: fix the website, claim and optimise the Google Business Profile, get listed in directories, start coordinator outreach, then add SEO for the long game and Google Ads for immediate enquiries. Measure everything by qualified enquiries and cost per enquiry, and double down on what works. If you would rather hand it over, our full marketing programme runs all of this as one monthly engine.
Start with the free foundations: a complete Google Business Profile, consistent directory listings, genuine reviews, and direct outreach to local support coordinators. These cost time, not money, and should come before any paid advertising.
Yes. Marketing must be honest, must not pressure participants, and must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIA rules on the NDIS name and logo. Within those rules, providers can use SEO, Google Ads, social media and more.
Established providers typically budget 3 to 8 percent of revenue. In dollars, most invest $1,500 to $4,000 per month on ongoing marketing, scaled to services, regions and competition.
Google Ads can produce enquiries within days. SEO and content take 8 to 12 weeks to move and 3 to 6 months to compound. Most providers run ads while SEO matures.
A specialist reviews your visibility against the providers competing in your catchment, and sends a written growth plan within two business days. You keep it either way.