Most landscapers do brilliant work but struggle to keep the diary full year-round. If that sounds familiar, the issue isn't your skills — it's that potential customers can't find you when they're looking. Here's how to fix that.
Why Do Some Landscapers Stay Busy All Year While Others Go Quiet?
The landscapers who never seem short of work aren't always the best at the job — they're just the easiest to find online. When a homeowner wants their garden done, they search Google before asking anyone else. If you're not showing up, someone else is getting that call.
Word of mouth is great when it's flowing, but it's seasonal and unpredictable. One quiet month turns into two, and suddenly you're pricing jobs too cheap just to keep the lads busy. The landscapers who stay consistently booked are the ones who show up online every time someone searches "landscaper near me."
The good news is that most landscapers have done very little to improve their online presence. A few straightforward changes can put you ahead of the competition quickly.
How Do I Get My Landscaping Business on Google Maps?
Set up a Google Business Profile — it's completely free — and fill in every detail. This is what determines whether you appear in the map results when someone searches for a landscaper in your area.
Go to business.google.com and claim or create your listing. Use your actual business name, add your phone number, service areas, and hours. Choose "Landscaper" as your primary category and add secondary categories like "Garden designer" or "Paving contractor" if they apply.
Upload plenty of photos — and this is where landscapers have a massive advantage over other trades. Your work is visual. Before and after shots of garden transformations, patio installations, and planting schemes look incredible and stop people scrolling. Aim for at least 20 photos and add new ones after every job. For a full walkthrough on getting your profile right, check out our guide on how to show up on Google Maps for free.
How Important Are Google Reviews for Landscapers?
Reviews are the difference between getting the call and being ignored. A landscaper with 35 five-star reviews will win the job over one with no reviews almost every time — even if the second landscaper does better work. People trust other customers more than they trust you.
The best time to ask is right after a job when the garden looks fantastic and the customer is buzzing about it. Send a text with a direct link to your Google review page: "Really enjoyed this one — if you've got a minute, a Google review would mean a lot." Most people will happily do it.
Don't panic about the odd four-star review. A profile with 50 reviews averaging 4.8 stars looks far more genuine than one with 6 perfect scores. If you want to understand why Google reviews beat platforms like Checkatrade, the difference is that you own your Google reviews forever.
Do I Need a Website for My Landscaping Business?
Yes — and landscaping businesses benefit from websites more than almost any other trade. Your work is visual, and a website with a proper gallery of completed gardens gives potential customers the confidence to call you over someone with no online presence.
Your site doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to load quickly on a phone, show your phone number at the top, display photos of your completed projects, and list the services you offer — patios, fencing, turfing, planting, garden design, driveways. A separate page for each major service helps you rank for more searches in Google.
Make sure your phone number is clickable on mobile. Over 70% of people searching for a landscaper are on their phone. If they have to mess about copying your number, they'll call someone else instead. If you're wondering whether a website is really worth it, have a read of why every trade business needs one.
Should I Use Bark or Checkatrade to Get Landscaping Work?
These platforms can generate leads, but the work is inconsistent and you're competing with multiple landscapers for every job. They're worth having as a backup, but they shouldn't be your main source of enquiries.
The core problem is that you're building someone else's brand, not yours. Your reviews, your portfolio, your customer relationships — they all live on their platform. Stop paying and it vanishes overnight.
A smarter approach is investing in things you own: your Google profile, your website, your own review collection. These compound over time. A landscaper with 60 Google reviews and a professional website with project photos will never be short of work.
Can Google Ads Work for Landscapers?
Google Ads can bring in high-quality leads fast, especially during peak season when demand is highest. You appear at the top of search results and only pay when someone clicks.
The trick is targeting the right searches. "Landscaper near me" is broad and competitive. "Patio installer Sheffield" or "garden design Leeds" is far more specific — someone searching that is serious about getting quotes. Focus on specific services in specific areas rather than vague terms.
Landscaping has a natural advantage with Google Ads because the average job value is high. A single patio or garden redesign job can easily cover several months of ad spend. Start with fifteen to twenty pounds a day, track what's working, and scale up from there.
What's the Best Way to Show Off My Work Online?
For landscapers, before and after photos are your most powerful marketing tool. Nothing sells a garden transformation like seeing the mess it started as next to the finished result.
Take photos of every job — even the smaller ones. Use natural light, tidy up before you shoot, and capture a few different angles. Post these to your Google Business Profile, your website gallery, and your social media. Each platform reaches different people, but Google is where the serious buyers are.
Video walkthroughs of completed gardens work brilliantly too, especially on social media. A 30-second clip walking through a finished patio area with new planting gets shared and remembered. But if you only have time for one thing, prioritise Google over social media — that's where people go when they actually need a landscaper right now.
How Do I Get Bigger Landscaping Projects Instead of Just Small Jobs?
The type of work you attract depends entirely on how you present yourself online. If your website and Google profile only show basic lawn mowing and hedge trimming, that's what you'll get asked to quote for.
Showcase your best work prominently. Large patio installations, full garden redesigns, driveway projects — put these front and centre on your website and Google profile. Create separate pages on your website for high-value services like "Garden Design," "Patio Installation," and "Driveway Construction." This helps you rank in Google for people specifically searching for those services.
Pricing signals matter too. If your online presence looks professional, customers expect professional-level work and are willing to pay for it. A polished website with strong project photos naturally attracts bigger-budget clients.
The Bottom Line
Getting more landscaping work consistently means being visible when people search online. A strong Google Business Profile, genuine reviews from happy customers, a website that shows off your projects, and — when you're ready — targeted Google Ads will keep your diary full through every season.
If you want help getting more leads online, SwiftLead can sort your website, Google Maps, reviews, and ads — so your phone actually rings.
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