What Kotler Can Teach You About SEO and Google Ads
Nov 25, 2024
Introduction
Marketing has always been about more than tactics. Long before Facebook, TikTok, and Google Ads, Philip Kotler outlined the fundamentals of modern marketing. His work focused on understanding customer needs, building trust, and positioning businesses where buyers are most likely to choose them. Fast forward to 2025, and those same principles explain why some Brisbane businesses dominate online while others burn through ad spend with little to show for it.
This guide explores how Kotler’s classical theories apply directly to digital marketing, specifically SEO and Google Ads. From trades to real estate, the lessons are clear: the principles haven’t changed, only the platforms have.
Contents
Who is Kotler and why his theory still matters
Translating Kotler’s principles into digital marketing
How Kotler explains SEO success in Brisbane
Why Google Ads fits Kotler’s framework of positioning and promotion
Local examples: plumbers, real estate, and trade businesses
Fuujin’s take: philosophy meets digital execution
Where this leaves you
Who is Kotler and Why His Theory Still Matters
Philip Kotler is often called the “father of modern marketing.” His work reframed marketing as more than sales or advertising. He defined it as creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers while managing relationships in ways that benefit both business and society.
In practical terms, Kotler taught businesses to focus on understanding customers first. That might sound obvious today, but in the AI-driven, digital-first environment of 2025, it is exactly where many businesses still get it wrong. They chase clicks instead of clarity, impressions instead of intention.
The message is simple: if you want to succeed in SEO or Google Ads, you must return to Kotler’s foundation — focus on needs, position your value clearly, and communicate with consistency.
Translating Kotler’s Principles into Digital Marketing
Kotler’s frameworks like the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) were designed decades ago, but they map perfectly onto today’s online marketing.
Product → Your service pages, suburb-specific offerings, and the trust signals on your website.
Price → How you communicate value, from free strategy calls to transparent pricing models.
Place → Suburb pages, Google Business Profiles, and local citations that tell customers exactly where you operate.
Promotion → Google Ads, Meta campaigns, and the content that drives visibility.
Segmentation, targeting, and positioning also explain digital execution. SEO is about segmenting by location and search intent. Google Ads allows for precise targeting by keyword and audience. Positioning is what your website, reviews, and ad copy communicate when people are deciding who to choose.
Kotler’s point was never about the tools. It was about the strategy behind them.
How Kotler Explains SEO Success in Brisbane
Search engine optimisation is essentially Kotler’s positioning theory in action. It ensures that when a customer in [PrimaryCity] searches for [PrimaryService], your business appears as the most relevant and trustworthy choice.
For example, a Brisbane plumber who builds suburb-specific service pages for Carindale, Paddington, and North Lakes is not just creating content. They are segmenting their audience by geography, targeting with suburb-level keywords, and positioning their brand as the local expert in each area.
The mistake many businesses make is trying to win on volume instead of precision. Kotler would say that true positioning comes from relevance and resonance, not being everywhere at once. SEO gives you that chance to show up where it matters most: at the exact moment of customer intent.
Why Google Ads Fits Kotler’s Framework
Kotler’s promotion principle is about reaching people where they are, with the right message at the right time. That is Google Ads in a nutshell.
When someone in Brisbane searches “buyers agent near me” or “blocked drain emergency in South Brisbane,” they are signalling intent. Google Ads allows you to position your business at the top of that search instantly. But if your ad copy, landing pages, and offers are not aligned with your positioning, the clicks are wasted.
For example, Ray White Aspley struggled with cost-per-lead until their campaigns were remapped around single-keyword ad groups and better-aligned landing pages. That wasn’t a trick; it was Kotler’s framework applied digitally: segmentation, targeting, positioning, and consistent promotion.
The lesson? Ads are not just about showing up. They are about showing up in a way that matches your vision, value, and the customer’s need in that moment.
Local Examples: Plumbers, Real Estate, and Trades
A plumber in North Lakes who invests in suburb-specific SEO pages and a strong Google Business Profile is practising Kotler’s “Place” principle digitally. They’re ensuring customers know exactly where they operate and that they’re the best option nearby.
A buyers agency in Brisbane that runs Google Ads focused on “off-market properties” is leveraging Kotler’s positioning principle. They’re not selling just property services, they’re selling exclusivity.
A builder on the Sunshine Coast who collects steady reviews that mention suburbs and services is creating social proof. This builds trust and aligns with Kotler’s focus on customer relationships as the foundation of marketing.
These are not abstract theories. They are Kotler’s frameworks made real in Brisbane’s competitive digital landscape.
Fuujin’s Take: Philosophy Meets Digital Execution
At Fuujin, we see marketing as movement. Kotler’s theories are the compass; SEO and Google Ads are the wind and sails. Without strategy, digital tools scatter effort and budget. With alignment, they build momentum that compounds.
This is why we do not just set up campaigns or build pages. We align the business vision, customer psychology, and digital platforms so every action reinforces the same direction. The principles are timeless. The execution is modern.
Where This Leaves You
Kotler’s theories remain as relevant in 2025 as when they were first written. They remind us that marketing is not about chasing tactics but aligning principles: know your customer, position clearly, and communicate consistently.
SEO and Google Ads are simply today’s tools for those same principles. Businesses in Brisbane that embrace this — from trades to real estate — will outlast those that chase quick wins and ignore the foundations.
The next move is yours: build your marketing on principles that last, not platforms that change.
FAQs
Why should Brisbane businesses still pay attention to Kotler in 2025?
Because the foundations of marketing never change. Customer needs, trust, and positioning still drive decisions. The platforms evolve, but the psychology is constant.
How does Kotler’s 4Ps apply to a small service business?
Product becomes your service pages, price becomes your perceived value, place becomes your local SEO and Google Business Profile, and promotion becomes your Google Ads and social campaigns.
Can Kotler’s theories improve my Google Ads ROI?
Yes. By applying segmentation, targeting, and positioning, your ad spend is directed to the right audience with the right message, cutting wasted clicks and improving lead quality.
Is SEO really about psychology?
Absolutely. SEO is about relevance and trust. Customers want to see a business that understands their suburb, their need, and their language. That is positioning, and Kotler wrote about it long before Google existed.
How do I apply this without being overwhelmed?
Start with one principle at a time. Define your positioning clearly, align your SEO pages with it, and ensure your Google Ads reflect the same message. Small, consistent moves compound into momentum.
