In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial to attract new clients and grow revenue—making Google Ads for landscapers a great opportunity for your business.
Google Ads for landscapers have become one of the most effective marketing tools for offering targeted advertising that reach potential clients exactly when they're searching for landscaping services.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything your business needs to know about Google Ads for landscapers.
Since landscaping is a highly local, service-based business that depends on reaching clients in your service area, Google Ads excels at connecting with potential clients because:
Now, let’s get you started with Google Ads for landscapers by setting up your campaign:
Unlike the typical brick-and-mortar storefronts where clients come to you, your landscaping business thrives on targeting set areas.
Although, as you’re setting your service area, it’s important to keep population density in mind.
Higher population densities:
However, lower population densities:
For these reasons, it’s usually best to take the balanced approach between population, competition, and CPC—avoiding areas with very low populations due to limited insight.
You don’t need to be an expert marketer to take advantage of Google Ads for landscapers. Although, you’ll want to have a basic understanding of Google Ads before setting a budget.
Even though you can run ads for as little as $5 a day on Facebook, you won’t have the same luxury with Google Ads.
Since Google Ads target leads who are actively seeking solutions to the problems you solve, there is a higher price tag on those ads.
As a result, it’s crucial to find the right harmony between budgeting and ROI (return on investment).
It’s important to note that Google Ads CPC widely varies on factors such as:
Did you know, the average landscaping business spends about $5.47 per click? To start, give Google Ads for landscapers a chance by setting a minimum budget between $750 and $1,000 per month.
Creating a lead follow up process allows you to:
Keep in mind, your follow up process doesn't have to be a complicated one. Your lead follow up can be as simple as setting up an automated email campaign that’s triggered after an estimate form fill.
Also, did you know, you can easily create automated email campaigns with custom triggers with automations?
Here’s a basic overview of the basics of Google Ads for landscapers:
Google Ads appear based on match types, which are essentially symbols located near the search terms.
Take a look at this basic rundown:
Keyword: +landscaping +atlanta
Broad match modified only displays ads when “landscaping” and “atlanta” (or another closely related search term) appear in the search.
Keyword: landscaping atlanta
Broad match doesn’t use a symbol and will display ads when anything related to landscaping in Atlanta is searched.
This is an extremely limiting match type that only gives you the opportunity to create a few ad variations. For this reason, it’s less than ideal.
These ads can easily drift from the intended message and reduce performance and CTRs (click through rates).
Keyword: “landscaping atlanta”
Although other terms may appear in the search, phrase match displays ads when the search phrase appears in a particular order.
For instance, ads would populate for searches like “landscaping in Atlanta” or “landscaping by Atlanta.”
Keyword: [landscaping in atlanta]
True to its name, exact match displays ads when a search term exactly matches. However, Google has made a few slight concessions for deviations in recent years.
For example, ads would appear for “landscaping Atlanta” or “landscaping in Atlanta.”
Reach your full potential with Google Ads for landscapers by choosing specific, relevant keywords with custom copy to reach target audiences.
Keep in mind, these match types typically yield the most ideal outcomes:
Consider the landscaping services your business provides. Now, think about which services you’d like to promote in Google Ads.
Then, list subcategories for each of those services, which should look something like this:
Next, list the top landscaping services your business doesn’t offer. This allows you to define negative keywords later on so your ads won’t appear in those searches.
Take a look at Google’s keyword auto-suggestions in the dropdown menu of your primary services/keywords.
This will help you to define the most/least effective ones. Similarly, this process also works for outlining negative keywords.
Now, use Google Keyword Planner to perform additional research on your chosen keywords:
However, you don’t want to overly prioritize keyword volume since your ads will likely reach a smaller, local population.
Remember, the main goal is to conduct preliminary research to categorize your selected keywords into segmented groups for ad creation.
In order to choose the right keywords for your target audience, keep search intent at the forefront of your mind.
For example, you wouldn’t want your ads to populate for competing businesses who are searching for landscapers.
An organized account structure allows you to optimize and maximize ad performance.
Here’s a quick process for this:
In turn, using the search term in your ads can amplify its relevance to leads—resulting in increased CTRs and lower CPCs.
Though not every city needs to be divided in this way, splitting campaigns by location allows you to further granularize your ads.
In addition, ad granularization allows you to:
Keep in mind, without splitting campaigns by location, you can’t separately view these data pieces.
Further optimize ad spend after one or two years by turning off ads in low performing areas, while also increasing bids in the high performing areas.
Plus, split up your ads schedule into smaller increments and days to see what yields the best results.
Before taking the plunge into Google Ads for landscapers, you’ll need to decide whether you’ll be directing leads to your website or a landing page:
While directing campaign traffic to your homepage isn’t the most ideal choice, it’s an option if you don’t have the resources to build an adequate landing page.
However, if you direct campaign traffic to your homepage, make sure your website is:
Alternatively, you can build a hybrid between a landing page and home by creating a clickable, minimally distracting, simplified nav bar.
Furthermore, create a clear, visible, and concise CTA (call to action), such as:
Plus, be sure your website copy is clear, concise, and relevant.
Where are your competitors sending their Google Ads campaign traffic? This can give you an idea of what’s working in your local industry.
However, be cautious not to spam the competition’s ads with paid clicks.
Also, remember to check where population home service websites (e.g. Angi, Thumbtack, Home Advisor, etc.) send their campaign traffic.
Did you know, anticipating your clients’ needs is one of the best ways to become a skilled copywriter?
Consider what you already know about your clients:
Now, take a look at your average, lukewarm reviews between 2-4 stars (as well as the competition’s).
Your lukewarm reviews tend to be less skewed with the most objective perspective—providing valuable insights into improvements in services and ad copy alike.
Negative keywords are often neglected in Google Ads for landscapers but they’re an incredibly valuable resource in maximizing ad spend.
By setting up negative keywords in your Google Ads, you can ensure that your landscaping business is only paying for good clicks.
In turn, these negative keywords prevent your ads from appearing when certain search terms are used.
This is particularly helpful if you have a specific service offering you don’t provide, and you can even use it to prevent ads from populating for leads searching for your competitors.
And speaking of your competitors’ leads, to further stretch your ad spend you can add the competition to your negative keyword list.
While targeting the competition in your ads can prove to be a lucrative strategy, it’s not worth the gamble if you have a limited ad spend budget.
Consider changing one variable between ads as a split test to see which variables are the most effective.
For instance, you could create two identical ads with different headlines to see which one outperforms the other.
However, it’s crucial to remember that you can only change ONE variable in a true split test. This is the only way to accurately determine which variable produced the outcome.
Did you know that by using multiple ad formats, you can get higher ad placement and save on CPC?
In addition, multiple ad formats make your ad placements larger which can increase CTRs.
Here are a few basic ad formats you can try:
Remember, anything that’s measured needs to be managed. Plus, you can’t measure ad performance without first setting up conversion tracking.
Keep in mind, without conversion tracking, you won’t know ad performance. As a result, you’d be blindly creating Google Ads.
These are a few of the main elements you should be tracking:
Plus, consider using software to track and record incoming calls that funnel in from your ads. You can use data to measure lead quality and make sales strategy improvements.
Furthermore, the best landscaping software allows you to save lead information for future marketing purposes.
All you have to do is tag these leads with “Google AdWords” and conduct a monthly export to calculate ROI.
Instant invoicing
Better scheduling
Manage your clients and employees all in one system
Despite the fact that Google Ads for landscapers have the power to generate fast results, it usually takes several months to gather enough data to significantly optimize ads.
Plus, since landscaping businesses like yours typically release these ads on a local level, it will likely take longer. This is due to the smaller, limited population, which provides minimal data for adequate analysis.
Even though it’s possible you could see results within as little as 3 months, it’s more likely to take 6 months for service businesses at a local level.
You’ll use this data to pinpoint key insights like:
Just remember, you’ll gather more data for further optimization the longer an ad runs.
Optimize your campaign by:
Find out when most landscaping searches occur in your local area:
Adjust your ad schedule to show ads during these peak times and reduce spending during slow hours.
With 63% of organic search engine traffic occurring on mobile devices, it’s important to:
Modify your campaigns based on seasonal demands:
Average cost per click (CPC) for landscaping keywords is about $5.47. To optimize your budget:
Increase your quality score to lower costs:
Track these key performance indicators (KPIs):
Set up remarketing to:
Upload clients email lists to:
Implement all relevant extensions:
Success with Google Ads for your landscaping business requires careful planning, continuous optimization, and a data-driven approach.
Start with a solid foundation of relevant keywords, compelling ad copy, and optimized landing pages. Regular monitoring and adjustments based on performance data will help you achieve the best possible return on your advertising investment.
Remember, Google Ads is not a "set it and forget it" platform. The most successful landscaping businesses continuously test new approaches, adjust their strategies based on data, and stay current with industry trends and best practices.
By following these guidelines and regularly optimizing your campaigns, you can build a steady stream of qualified leads for your landscaping business through Google Ads.
Related: How to Get Leads for Landscaping
Originally published Dec 30, 2024 4:34 PM CT
Tags: Featured Post, Marketing
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