The Quick Guide to SEO for Lawn Care & Landscaping
As a landscaping business owner, you know that generating new leads and traffic is crucial to your success. Local SEO can help you achieve this by helping you rank higher in local search engine results (like Google or Bing). By optimizing your website and online listings, you can appear at the top of search results when people search for phrases like "lawn care services in my area" or "best landscaping company in [your city]."
Why Local SEO Matters
Roughly 80% of local SEO searches result in web visits, and an estimated 50% of users visit a store within a day of conducting a local search. In fact, local SEO can be incredibly beneficial to lawn care and landscaping companies like yours, because you serve a specific region. Here's why:
Your Customers’ Habits:
First, customer habits have changed. People no longer rely on Yellow Pages directories to find local businesses; they now use the internet to search for products and services. Without a solid local SEO strategy, your competitors will show up first in search engine results and take your potential customers.
Quality Traffic:
Second, a local SEO strategy can drive quality traffic to your website by making your business visible to potential customers who are already searching for the services you offer. By appearing in search results for relevant queries, you can easily connect with potential clients who are ready to hire today.
Less Competition:
Finally, it's much easier to rank in local searches than global ones, which means your lawn care business has a chance to compete with larger brands and win. Even better, many local businesses have yet to claim their Google Business listing, giving you a leg up on other small businesses in your area.
How to SEO for Lawn Care & Landscaping Companies
Local search is important for small businesses as almost half of all Google searches are for local information, and without optimization for local search, you will miss out on potential customers in your area.
To help you optimize your landscaping or lawn care business for local SEO, we've created a guide with tips and tools that will give you a better understanding of how to reach more customers and increase your business's relevance.
1. Create a Google Business Profile:
Google is the go-to search engine for most people, more than 90% of the search engine market share. Google Business is a free tool that allows local businesses to appear on Google Maps, showcase photos of their services, and connect with potential customers within a specific location. Follow the directions provided by Google to set up your profile, making sure your name, address, and phone number are accurate and consistent across all your online listings. Choose three to five categories that describe your services and keep your description between 100 and 200 words.
2. Choose relevant keywords:
Keywords are specific words or phrases that internet users enter into search engines. Brainstorm keywords that customers might use to describe your lawn care business, such as "lawn mowing" or "lawn maintenance" or “landscaping installs.” Use keyword planning tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find additional keywords and check their volume. Choose keywords that get a decent amount of traffic but aren't too competitive.
You want to sprinkle these words across your website. The point is to tell both search engines and your visitors what your business is about. Warning: don’t stuff these words in every nook and cranny. Above all, your website MUST be usable by visitors. A few keywords per page will go a long way.
Potential Lawn Care Keywords:
Lawn Mowing / Yard Mowing
Lawn Maintenance
Leaf removal / Fall Cleanup
Lawn aeration / fertilization
Lawn service near me
Lawn care [your city name]
Potential Landscaping Keywords:
Landscape designer near me
Landscape designer [your city name]
Landscape pavers / patio / deck install
Residential landscaping
Landscaping services
3. Get citations and links:
Citations are earned when your business's name, address, and phone number are added to online directories. Ensure your NAP data (Name, Address, Phone Number) is consistent across all directories. Links are earned when other websites link back to your site. Look for opportunities to create legitimate link opportunities with other businesses in your area. Talk to suppliers, business partners, and local groups that might be willing to link to your website. You can also get links by building out your Google Business, Yelp, and Facebook Business profiles.
4. Create High-Quality Content:
Optimize your content using the keywords you identified in step two. Focus on creating content that is easy to consume, and don’t be afraid to link to your own content … or to external, relevant content. Remember, if it’s good for your visitors—it’s good for your SEO.
Share your content on social media, through email marketing, and other channels to reach a wider audience. The more people interact with your website and your content, the more they will boost your SEO, allowing you to be discovered organically.
5. Encourage customer reviews:
Customer reviews help to prove your business exists and build trust with potential customers. Ask your customers for reviews and make it easy for them to leave a review. Focus on getting reviews on platforms such as Google or Yelp, where they can be visible to potential customers.
6. Optimize Your Landscaping SEO Strategy
SEO takes a long time to start working. Your website might not show up for months. But you must trust the process. If you are optimizing your site, it will work.
The final step to a successful lawn care strategy is to monitor and analyze your approach. Is your effort producing the desired results? If not, why?
By understanding what's not working, you can make the necessary adjustments. On the other hand, when you know what is working, you can focus on those tactics. To discover what works and what doesn't, you need to analyze the data.
We also recommend keeping an eye on your competitors to learn from their successes and mistakes. This will help you differentiate your lawn care brand positively.
SEO for Lawn Care: Reach More Customers, Automatically
An optimized lawn care SEO strategy can help you reach more landscaping customers while keeping marketing costs low. To experience the benefits of SEO, follow the six-step system outlined above:
Create a Google Business Profile
Choose the Right Keywords
Get Citations and Links
Develop High-Quality Content
Encourage Customer Reviews
Optimize Your Landscaping SEO Strategy
Your future clients will look at your website before making a purchase. By following these lawn care SEO tips, you can enhance your online presence, get more leads, and grow your business. Good luck!
