It might be nice to think your landscaping website has irresistible appeal to a wide array of viewers from around the country, but the reality is that only a few, select website visitors are actually valuable to your business.
Those valuable visitors will be overwhelmingly local. That’s why it’s essential that you build a website that resonates with local people—the local business owners who want their offices landscaped, the local homeowners who need their yards mowed. Your customers are local, and your website should be for them, not for readers five states away.
So, how do you infuse your website with local flavor to attract local readers? And how does that improve your revenue? We’ll show you how local SEO helps landscaping companies grow their business with the right clients.
What is local SEO?
One major aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) is fine-tuning your website with relevant keywords so that it ranks better on search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are several types of SEO, but for this article, we’ll talk about local SEO strategies. These focus on optimizing your website so that it ranks in local searches.
In other words, you want Google to put your website on the first page of results for searches like “landscapers near me” or “landscapers in X City”—and local SEO can help.
Why is landscaping SEO important?
It’s a no-brainer really—in the landscaping industry, you don’t want to attract website viewers from just anywhere. The goal is to get your website visitors to hire your services, so you need them to be within a 30-mile radius, give or take, and preferably with demographics that match your ideal client.
First, get to know who you’d like to target (and we recommend being as specific as possible when you’re defining your ideal client). Then, you can start to hone your website language, images, social media posts and links so that they appeal directly to them—local customers ready to give you the business opportunities you want.
Local SEO goes beyond on-page SEO keywords. You’ll need to refine your messaging, too. Engage local customers with references that will only resonate with someone from “around here”—almost like a members-only club for your geographic area.
Search engines want to show users the best possible answers to their question. If the search engine can see that your landscaping company is local, it’ll rank higher on the SERP. Then, more customers are likely to click onto your website, relate to your content and book your landscaping services.
Local SEO tips for your landscaping business
If you’re ready to move up in local search rankings, make these changes to your website. Your ranking won’t improve overnight, but if you stick with this script consistently, we promise you’ll see the needle move.
Create a local SEO strategy
The first step in executing a killer SEO strategy is building one. You can use a keyword research tool to find out how people in your area search for landscaping services. Bear in mind that these tools don’t always allow you to fine-tune your searches within a local area without signing up for a paid service.
Set up your Google Business profile
Make sure that your Google Business Profile is live and complete with accurate information about your company. Your business name, physical address, phone number, email address and website are all essential. You should include your opening hours and a description of your services, too. Ask your existing customers to add reviews and photos to your profile once it’s live to add that extra dash of local credibility.
Get local references, backlinks and testimonials
Getting your landscaping company featured in local listings and directories will give you a major boost. List your company on Yelp, and ask friends, family and customers to leave reviews.
Search engines like to see a network of links to your website because it shows that you’re a legitimate, reliable competitor in the industry. The more links you can get to your company from reputable sources, the more complete the picture Google and other search engines will get of your business.
Use local phrases
If there’s local language that you and your customers use in everyday conversation, put it to work on your website. For example, Boston-area landscapers might have colorful local phrases for snow, like referring to a heavy storm as a “nor’easter”. Folks in the South might use a local term like “gully-washer” to describe rain. In other words, use the language you use naturally every day—don’t try to make it too fancy or convoluted (though, we do recommend sounding polished and professional).
The language in your website should reflect you and should resonate with your customers. Readers deepen their interest in a website when it speaks to the problems they’re trying to solve and sounds like a service that makes them feel comfortable and secure.
Local language builds bonds. It tells your readers, “Hey, I get you. I understand you, and I can help.” Plus, it’s authentic. You’re not a high school English teacher, so don’t try to sound like one. Being genuine will get you a lot further with your clients than sounding generic, bland or pretentious.
Keep Up with Local Events
Keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in your area. When something happens in your community—like a local sports win or a new business opening—talk about it on your social media channels and on your website. If you’re giving tips for lawn care on your website, use local historic or weather events to make your points. Just make sure you do it in a way that matches your brand voice and makes sense for your business.
Showcase Local Partners
Partner with complementary businesses in the area and promote each other online. For a landscaping company, consider the local feedstore, DIY store or plant nursery.
Ask them to tag you in their posts, and repay them by doing the same. You can also add links to their stores in your blogs or on a Resources page on your website. This way, you gain access to each other’s audiences, expanding your local visibility online—everybody wins.
Make local appearances
Landscaping businesses help make the local area lovely. You play a vital role in the aesthetic and ecological health of your area, and you can use that role to raise awareness of your service in the community.
Volunteer your services to a charitable organization that needs landscaping. Participate in fundraisers and drives. Every local event is an opportunity to remind customers that you’re deeply invested in your community. Posting about those appearances online helps raise the profile of both the organization you’re helping and your own company.
For landscaping experts like you, local SEO can make all the difference
With your keywords, list of local directories, events and partners in hand, you’re ready to put your local SEO strategy in motion. Update your website, activate your Google Business Profile and reach out to local directories and potential partners. You’ll be amazed to see how these incremental changes can boost your visibility online.
When you’ve mastered local SEO, there are other aspects of SEO, like technical SEO, to explore, too! Updating your webpage meta descriptions, adding optimized descriptions for every picture on your website…These might seem like small changes, but they can make a big impact on how search algorithms index your website.
Every tweak makes your website a bit more attractive to search engines, telling them that yours is the best site for local people looking for landscaping. So, start making those changes, stay the course, and watch your website traffic (and bookings) soar!
