Local SEO Guide for Your Landscape & Lawn Care Business

Local search visibility is key for your landscaping and lawn care business or franchise.

Potential clients often search for nearby services via Google. Think about what you do if you need a service in your area; we’re betting that you’re heading straight to Google. We know that this is standard practice for most people searching for a local solution. 

And this isn’t just anecdotal evidence; people who are looking to find local services in their area make up 46% of all Google searches. 

Appearing at the top of these search results will positively impact your business. By appearing near the top, you increase your chances of being seen, which is half the battle when it comes to capturing the attention of your target audience.

In this compact guide, we’ll explore how to implement simple local search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to attract more clients. 

Get this right, and you’ll soon see your landscaping company grow. 

Why is local SEO important for landscape businesses?

Local SEO efforts are crucial because put people searching for landscaping or lawn care services in their area in touch with your business. It’s all about raising awareness of your business offering.  When someone types "landscaping services near me" into a search engine, your business needs to appear in the top results to have any chance of capturing that lead.

These are searchers with the intent to buy — they are primed and ready to contact a landscaper for a quote or service. Consider this: If your business doesn’t place prominently, then you risk letting a potential customer choose one of your local competitors purely because they are higher up in the search rankings. 

This error amounts to a missed opportunity for your business.

How does local SEO benefit landscape businesses?

Local SEO helps small and medium-sized businesses compete with larger chains by targeting local customers who are ready to act. By optimizing your online presence, you:

• Increase your visibility 
• Increase your credibility within the community

The combination of these two logically leads to more service calls and bookings.

The reason why this represents a significant advantage for SMEs is that local SEO is something you can do that doesn't cost you anything — only your time to optimize your content. While larger companies may have vast marketing budgets to leverage for paid advertising campaigns, you can implement many of these local SEO tips yourself at no cost. 

Best practices for local SEO in the lawn care industry

You don't necessarily need to invest in a bespoke SEO services solution to improve local SEO; there's no need to outsource this. All of the below SEO techniques are things you can do yourself:

1. Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Create a comprehensive Google My Business profile that includes your business name, address, contact details, and hours of operation. Regularly update your profile with fresh content and photos of your recent projects to stay relevant and appealing. 

2. Collect and utilize customer reviews

Your Google My Business profile is also a repository for online review collection.

Encourage your satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your GMB profile and other relevant platforms. Reviews are a key factor in local SEO and can significantly impact your rankings and trustworthiness.

Ensure you respond to customer feedback to engage with your community. This achieves a dual purpose — it helps build a sense of loyalty around your service while also indicating to Google that you are an active participant in this community (which can also be a significant ranking factor).

3. Use local search keywords strategically

Include local, relevant keywords that potential customers might use to find your services, such as "landscape designers in [City Name]" or "best lawn care services in [Area]." Really consider the likely search queries of your customers — what problems do you solve?

Integrate these keywords naturally into your website content, blog posts, and meta descriptions.

This is an aspect where you may need to do a little research and invest in a keyword research tool to help your SEO efforts.

For example, you'll want to create content for your site that targets common industry terms but also long-tail keywords. These longer keywords are easier to rank for with fewer search volumes, making them valuable opportunities for smaller businesses. 

You'll also need to learn about other basic principles, such as avoiding pitfalls such as keyword stuffing (where you try to game the system by using keywords without integrating them naturally).

4. Create relevant local content

Develop a blog where you post articles about local landscaping challenges, seasonal lawn care advice, or DIY tips. This not only boosts your SEO but also positions you as a local expert.

As a business owner in your area, you need to make sure you build that connection to your local audience.

So, show that you know the community through references to local issues, places, or even the local mindset through the content you create. Offer value to them specifically with quality content rather than generic, cookie-cutter content. 

5. Mobile optimization

Ensure a mobile-friendly website, as many of your potential customers will be searching for your services on their phones.

Marketers now report that mobile devices were responsible for more than half of their annual traffic.

The takeaway? You can't neglect how your site works for mobile users.

A responsive design improves user experience and helps maintain lower bounce rates, which impresses those search engine algorithms that determine search engine rankings.

6. Engage on social media

You can't ignore social media's role in the digital marketing landscape, with customers using platforms like Facebook and Instagram to interact with local businesses. Use these to connect with the local community and further build your digital presence. Share things via social media posts:

• Before-and-after photos of your landscape design projects. High-quality images are a must to reflect your professionalism
• Customer testimonials
• Special offers to engage followers and drive traffic to your website

7. Monitor your SEO performance

Digital marketing is always an iterative process, and SEO is no different. 

Regularly check your SEO metrics through tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, as this will help you understand what's working and what needs improvement. Use this analysis to help you to optimize your strategies for better results.

There are other elements you can track through these tools. Again, these may take a little reading to understand their influence as ranking signals. For example, these tools can help you understand the impact of link-building on rankings, too. 

Leveraging Edge for enhanced local SEO

Edge offers tools specifically designed to boost your landscape business’s online presence.

One of the most effective features is the automated collection of customer reviews. Positive reviews make prospective clients more likely to choose your services over competitors, thanks to the boost this social proof gives your business. 

Don't underestimate the power of customer reviews in modern marketing: check out these stats that highlight their influence. Here are a few highlights:

• 95% of customers read online reviews before buying a product or service 
• 89% of consumers worldwide say checking reviews is an element of their buying journey
• 7 out of 10 consumers use rating filters when browsing businesses online

Customers take note of reviews, so you need to get on top of managing your online reputation. 

With Edge, you can integrate review collection straight into your Point of Sale (POS) system. This lets you compile those all-important customer reviews with minimal fuss.

Effective local SEO for landscapers

Implementing a local SEO strategy can make a significant difference in how your local audience perceives your landscape business and how well it performs online.

By focusing on these strategies and partnering with Edge, you can ensure that your business not only survives but thrives in the competitive landscaping market thanks to automated review collection. 

Choose Edge to leverage the power of SEO and customer reviews to dominate your local market. Contact us for a demo today and discover how we can help you grow your business and outshine your competitors.