You see your trucks on the road and your crews transforming yards into beautiful outdoor spaces. You can’t help but wonder why your phone isn’t ringing more. You know people search online for your services, but they are not finding you.
Figuring out how to do SEO for a landscaper can feel like a completely different world from your day job. You are great with plants and pavers, not necessarily with pixels and keywords. The good news is that search engine optimization is a process you can tackle.
As an SEO agency our approach is different for every industry when it comes to Landscapers or Lawncare businesses we do follow the same patterns for the industry, but it still isn’t a cookie cutter approach at SEO Locale.
This guide breaks down the steps to make your business more visible. This will help you get more leads and grow your landscaping business today. It all starts with understanding what your potential customers are looking for.
Finding the Right Keywords for Your Business
Before doing anything else, you need to know what words people are typing into Google. These are your keywords. Getting this part wrong is like planting a sun-loving flower in a shady spot; it just will not work.
Think like a customer who needs their lawn mowed or a new patio built. They probably aren’t typing “horticultural maintenance solutions”. Instead, people search for terms like “lawn care service near me” or “landscapers in [Your Town]”. Your goal is to build a list of these relevant keywords.
You can group your keywords into a few important types to organize your content strategy. This helps you target customers at different stages of their buying journey. Each type serves a different purpose in your overall internet marketing.
| Keyword Type | Description & Examples |
|---|---|
| Service Keywords | These describe the specific landscaping services you offer. Examples include “lawn aeration,” “patio installation,” “retaining wall builders,” and “pest control services.” |
| Location Keywords | These are crucial for a local business. Combine your services with the cities or neighborhoods you serve, like “lawn mowing in Scottsdale” or “expert landscaping Phoenix.” |
| Question Keywords | People often ask Google questions before they hire someone. Examples are “how much does sod installation cost” or “best time to fertilize lawn in Arizona.” Creating content around these questions establishes your expertise. |
You don’t need expensive tools to start finding keywords. Simply use Google search. Type in one of your services and see what Google suggests in the search bar; this shows you what real people search for.
You can also use Google’s free Keyword Planner tool to find more ideas and see search volumes. Consider the user’s search intent. Are they looking for information, or are they ready to hire a landscaping company?
Get Your Website Ready for Search Engines
Your website is your digital storefront. It needs to be clean, easy to use, and clearly tell Google what you are all about. This practice, known as on-page engine optimization, is about more than just using keywords.
It involves building a site that makes sense for both people and search engines. A well-organized website helps you rank higher because Google understands what services you offer and where you offer them. This foundational work is a big part of your online marketing strategy.
A Page for Every Service You Offer
Do you offer lawn maintenance, irrigation repair, hardscaping, and garden design? Each of these landscaping services should have its own dedicated page on your website. This is a common mistake many lawn care companies make by listing everything on one generic services page.
Think about it from Google’s point of view. A page entirely about “patio installation services in [Your City]” is much more relevant for that search than a general page that just mentions patios once. This is where you can show off your work.
On each service page, describe the service in detail and include photos of your past work. Case studies are very effective here. They provide social proof and give potential customers a clear idea of your capabilities.
Optimize Your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Your title tag and meta description are the first things a potential customer sees in the search results. The title tag is the clickable blue headline, and the meta description is the short summary underneath it. Both need to be compelling and include your primary keyword for that page.
For a service page, a good title tag would be something like “Professional Patio Installation in [Your City] [Your Business Name]”. Your meta descriptions should be a concise sales pitch. It should make the user want to click to learn more about your design services.
Website Speed and User Experience
How fast your site loads is a critical ranking factor. A slow site frustrates users and leads to a high bounce rate, which is when visitors leave after viewing only one page. This signals to Google that your site provides a poor user experience.
You can use a free tool like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site load time. Google Pagespeed will give you a score and specific recommendations to help your site improve. These are often technical SEO tasks a web developer can help with.
Make Sure Your Site Works on a Phone
Look around; people are glued to their phones. Many of your future customers will find you on their mobile devices while on the go. If your website is hard to read or use on a small screen, they will leave and call your competitor.
Google knows this, which is why it prioritizes websites that have a responsive design. A responsive design automatically adjusts to fit the screen size of any device. You can check how your site looks on a phone using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Mastering Local SEO is Non-Negotiable
For a landscaping business, local search is everything. You are not trying to attract customers from across the country. You want the person a few blocks away who needs their yard maintained.
This is where local SEO comes in. It is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches. Getting this right puts you on the map, literally, and tells Google you are the go-to landscaper in your specific service area.
Your Google Business Profile is a Goldmine
If you do only one thing for your local SEO services, claim and optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP). This is the free business listing that appears in Google Maps and the local search results. It shows your business name, address phone number, hours, and reviews.
A complete business profile is critical. Add high-quality photos of your best work; before and after shots are fantastic. Use the GBP Posts feature to share updates, offers, and recent projects, as this shows Google your business is active.
Also, fill out the Q&A section by seeding it with common questions you receive. Answering these publicly helps other potential customers. A complete Google Business Profile sends strong signals to Google that you are a legitimate, active business.
Keep Your Business Info Consistent
Google likes to see consistency. It checks for your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web. These listings, called citations, appear on sites like Yelp, Angi, and local chamber of commerce directories.
Inconsistent information can confuse Google and hurt your rankings. Even a small difference like a street abbreviation or a wrong phone number can cause problems. Do a search for your business name and check your listings on major directories to fix any inaccuracies you find.
Encourage and Respond to Customer Reviews
Reviews are incredibly powerful. According to research from BrightLocal, 77% of consumers ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read reviews when browsing for local businesses. Good reviews build trust with potential customers and tell Google that you are a reputable choice.
Do not be shy about asking your happy customers for a review. You can send a follow-up email after a job is complete with a direct link to your Google Business Profile. Just as important, respond to all reviews, both good and bad, as it shows you care about customer feedback.
Creating Helpful Content Builds Authority
You are an expert at what you do, so share that knowledge. A blog on your website is a perfect place to answer common customer questions. This content marketing approach builds trust and attracts people who are looking for information.
Each blog post is another opportunity to rank on Google. You can target those question keywords we talked about earlier. People searching for answers are often getting ready to hire a professional.
To stay organized, create a content calendar that plans out your topics for the next few months. Think about what your customers ask you all the time and start your content creation there. Make sure the content relevant to their needs.
- What are the best drought-tolerant plants for our area?
- How often should I water my new sod?
- What’s the difference between pavers and stamped concrete?
- When is the best season for landscape design projects?
Answering these questions on your blog shows your expertise. This content helps potential customers see you as a knowledgeable and trustworthy expert. Plus, it gives you material you can share on social media platforms to expand your reach.
Building Links to Boost Your Authority
Links from other websites to yours are called backlinks. Think of them as votes of confidence. When another respected local business or website links to you, it tells Google that you are a legitimate and valued resource.
Getting backlinks can seem tricky, but there are simple ways for a local business to start. You are not trying to get links from massive news websites. Local, relevant links are much more valuable for driving traffic to your site.
As the experts at Ahrefs note, links act like votes that help your pages rank higher in search results. Here are a few practical ideas for your SEO landscaping efforts:
- Local Partnerships: Do you work with a specific pool company, nursery, or roofing contractor? Ask them to add a link to your website from theirs, and you can do the same for them. This creates a valuable local business network.
- Sponsorships: Sponsoring a local event, youth sports team, or charity is a great way to give back to the community. It also often gets you a link from their website.
- Chamber of Commerce: Joining your local Chamber of Commerce or other business associations usually includes a listing and a link from their online directory. This is a simple and effective way to get a high-authority local link.
Building links takes time and persistence. But a few high-quality, relevant links are much better than hundreds of spammy, irrelevant ones. Focus on building genuine relationships in your community.
Track Your Progress to See What’s Working
You cannot improve what you do not measure. Luckily, free tools from Google can show you how your landscaping SEO efforts are paying off. You do not need to be a data wizard to use them effectively.
Google Analytics shows you how many people visit your website, which pages they look at, and how they found you. Google Search Console shows you what keywords your site is ranking for and if there are any technical problems with your site. It is an essential part of digital marketing.
Focus on a few important numbers. Are more people visiting your website this month than last month, leading to increased website traffic? Are you getting more phone calls or contact form submissions from your site? Seeing these numbers go up means your SEO is working.
Conclusion
This may feel like a lot to take on. But you do not have to do it all overnight. Start with one thing, like optimizing your Google Business Profile, then move on to the next.
The process of understanding how to do SEO for a landscaper is a steady process of building and nurturing your online presence. It is just like you do with your clients’ gardens. Your digital marketing, which can also include PPC services or social media services, requires consistent attention.
By focusing on what your customers need and providing them with clear answers and a great website, you can grow your landscaping business. You will see a steady stream of new customers finding you right when they need you. The work you put in today learning how to do SEO for a landscaper will pay off for years to come.
