These are the places Australian cafes, restaurants, venues and tourism businesses should have a profile. Each one is a backlink, a listing, or both: a public page with your business name, website and details on a site search engines and AI tools already trust. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google for a business like yours, pages like these are part of what gets checked.
Start with the non-negotiables everyone needs (Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business). They're in the Free Australian Backlinks and Listings 2.0. Then work through this list. Every link was checked on 25 Sep 2026.
The sheet
11 free sources, every link checked
Every source with its link, whether it's free, the type of listing and why it matters for AI search, plus a Done column to tick off as you go. Make a copy and work top down.
Australian hospitality and tourism
- ATDW (Australian Tourism Data Warehouse). One listing syndicates to australia.com and state tourism sites, official sources AI travel answers may draw on (Free in most states; Victoria $295 a year)
- Tripadvisor. The review source AI tools most often summarise for restaurants, hotels and attractions (Free basic, paid upgrades)
- Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG). A long-running AU guide covering restaurants, wineries and accommodation, extra independent coverage (Free basic, paid upgrades)
- Google Hotel free booking links. Puts your direct booking site next to the OTAs in Google hotel results at no cost
- Yelp Australia. Yelp reviews feed several apps and assistants, so claiming keeps your details accurate (Free basic, paid upgrades)
- HappyCow. The go-to vegan directory, a likely source for AI answers about plant-based options (Free basic, paid upgrades)
- Restaurant Guru. Aggregates reviews from many sources and its pages are often indexed for 'best restaurant in X' searches (Unconfirmed)
- Halliday Wine Companion. The best-known AU wine guide; winery pages with cellar door details can be cited in wine travel answers (Needs accreditation)
- Broadsheet. Editorial coverage from a trusted city guide that AI answers about where to eat often repeat (Needs accreditation)
- Quandoo. A booking profile with reviews on an AU reservations network (Paid)
- OpenTable. Reservation listings some AI assistants can link to for bookings (Paid)
How to use the list
- Start with the non-negotiables (Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business, LinkedIn). They're in the free country list; this list is the extra layer for your industry.
- Use the same business name, address and phone everywhere. Every listing should match your Google Business Profile.
- A listing will not shoot you up the rankings on its own. It is one more public record that search engines and AI can check you against.
- Never buy links or use link farms. Fill every profile out properly or skip it.
More free backlinks and listings
