Ultimate SEO Guide for Landscapers in 2025

If you want more landscaping leads without paying for every click, SEO is the way to do it.
This guide will break down how to actually show up, outrank your competitors, and start building real inbound leads.
If you haven’t yet, check out our full Landscape Digital Marketing Guide to see how it all ties together.

What is SEO?

Think about it like this:
You could be the best landscaping company in your area — great work, solid team, happy customers — but if no one can find you online when they’re ready to buy, it’s like you don’t even exist.

SEO changes that.

Just imagine: a homeowner finally decides they’re tired of staring at a backyard full of weeds.
They pull out their phone and search “landscape design near me.”
If you show up right at the top?
That job is yours to lose.

But if you’re buried on page two, three, or nowhere at all… they’ll call somebody else.

SEO is basically your way of raising your hand and telling Google,
“Hey, I’m right here — and I’m the one they’re looking for.”

When your SEO is dialed in:

• You start getting leads while you sleep.

• You build trust without saying a word.

• You set yourself up for steady growth without begging for referrals or wasting money on lead apps.

Done right, SEO isn’t just another marketing thing you “should” do.
It’s the engine that keeps your business growing month after month, year after year — no matter what.

How to Do Keyword Research for Landscaping SEO

Keyword research is just figuring out what your customers would actually type into Google when they need help.

Here’s how to keep it simple (but still smart):

Start with your services.
Make a quick list: lawn care, patio installs, retaining walls, landscape design, etc.

Add your cities and service areas.
Example: Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Burnsville, nearby suburbs you’re willing to drive to.

Combine them into phrases.
Things like:

• “lawn care service Bloomington MN”

• “backyard patio installation Eden Prairie”

• “landscape contractors near me”

Now check the search volume and competition.

Don’t just guess — you want keywords people are actually searching for, but not ones that are so competitive you’ll never rank.

Use free tools like:

• Ubersuggest

• Google Keyword Planner

• SEMRush

• Ahrefs Keyword Generator

Look for:

• Decent search volume (at least 30-100+ searches a month is a good sign for local).

• Low to medium competition if you’re just getting started.

If it’s too competitive (like “landscaping” alone), you’ll waste time.
If nobody’s searching it, you’re building content nobody sees.

Pick keywords that are active but winnable.

Focus on “buying intent” keywords.

Prioritize searches like:

• “landscape design companies near me”

• “paver patio quote Eden Prairie”

Skip ones like:

• “DIY landscaping ideas”

• “how to plant grass yourself”

You want people ready to hire, not just browsing.

Building a Website That Actually Ranks

Your website is the foundation of your SEO.
If it’s not built the right way, all the keywords, citations, and backlinks in the world won’t save you.
Google needs to trust your site before it’ll show you off to people looking for landscaping services.

Here’s how to set your website up the right way for SEO:

Create Dedicated Service Pages
Every main service you offer should have its own page.

• Lawn Care Services

• Patio Installation

• Landscape Design

This lets you target specific keywords for each service, and it makes it easier for Google to understand what you do.

Set Up Service Area Pages (If You Serve Multiple Cities)
If you work across several towns, you should have separate pages for each area you want to rank in.
Example: “Lawn Care in Bloomington MN” and “Landscape Design Eden Prairie MN.”
This gives you a much better shot at ranking locally.

Focus on Strong On-Page SEO
You want every page to have:

• A clear keyword in the page title and URL

• Real headings (H1, H2, H3 structure)

• Clean, readable content that actually helps the visitor

• A meta title and meta description written for humans (and SEO)

Tools like Yoast SEO can help guide you when you’re setting this up.

Make Sure Your Website Loads Fast
Speed is a ranking factor — period.
Use tools like PageSpeed Insights and TinyPNG to check and compress images so your site loads in under 3 seconds.

Install a Sitemap and Add Schema Markup

• A sitemap helps Google crawl your pages more easily.

• Schema markup tells Google more about your services, location, and reviews — it can even boost how you appear in search results.

If you’re using WordPress, plugins like Yoast or RankMath can automatically set this up for you.

Use Real Content 
Google can tell when a site is full of stock photos and fake text.
Use real project photos, real testimonials, and write naturally about the services you offer.
It builds trust with both Google and real people.

Tie It All Together with Smart Internal Linking
If you write a blog about “Best Spring Lawn Care Tips,” link naturally to your lawn care service page.
Internal links help spread SEO strength across your site and guide visitors to the right pages.

Off-Page SEO Basics

Once your website is set up right, the next step is showing Google that other people trust you too.
That’s what off-page SEO is all about — building signals outside of your website that make Google (and customers) more confident in your business.

If your website is the house, off-page SEO is the reputation you build around the neighborhood.

Here’s where you start:

Set Up and Optimize Your Social Media Profiles

Even if you’re not posting every day, you need to have:

• A Facebook Business Page

• An Instagram Business Account

• A LinkedIn Company Page

• A YouTube Channel (even basic videos help)

Make sure all your info — your name, address, phone number, and website — matches exactly across every platform.
Google sees active, consistent social profiles as trust signals.

Get Listed on Local Business Directories

Local citations are a huge part of local SEO.
These are listings like:

• Google Business Profile

• Yelp

• Angi

• Nextdoor

• HomeAdvisor (only if you want to)

• Better Business Bureau

And dozens of others.

You can check out a full list of the best places for landscapers to get listed here.

Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be exactly the same everywhere you list it.
Even little differences like “123 Main St” vs “123 Main Street” can hurt you.

Start Building Real Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites pointing back to yours.
They’re one of the strongest ranking factors in all of SEO.

Easy ways to get backlinks:

• Partner with local businesses and ask for a link

• Write a quick article for a local blog

• Sponsor a local event or sports team (and get listed on their site)

• Submit projects to landscaping award sites or home improvement magazines

Focus on real, relevant, and local backlinks whenever you can.
One good local link is often worth way more than 10 random ones.

How Long Does SEO Take for Landscapers?

One of the biggest mistakes guys make with SEO is thinking it’s supposed to work overnight.
It’s not.

SEO is a long game — but it’s also one of the most valuable things you can build for your business.

Here’s what a realistic timeline usually looks like:

• 3–6 months: You start getting traction. You’ll rank for some easier keywords and start picking up a few organic leads.

• 6–12 months: You start climbing higher for competitive keywords. People in your area start recognizing your brand more.

• 12+ months: You dominate your local market. You’re showing up everywhere — and you’re getting more inbound leads than you know what to do with.

The guys who stay consistent are the ones who win.
The guys who stop after 3 months because they “haven’t seen enough” stay stuck chasing leads forever.

Final Thoughts

Building a real SEO foundation takes time — but when you do it right, it keeps paying you back month after month, year after year.

You stop worrying about where your next job is coming from.
You stop competing against lowballers.
You build a business that people already trust before you even answer the phone.

If you want help getting your landscaping website set up the right way, check out our Landscape Website Design Services.

If you’re serious about climbing the Google rankings and owning your local area, we can also help with Local SEO Services for Landscapers.

And if you want the full breakdown of how your website, SEO, social media, ads, and everything else should fit together, make sure you check out our Ultimate Landscape Digital Marketing Guide.

When you’re ready to start winning bigger jobs, better clients, and building a real brand people trust — we’re here to help.

Let’s get you seen. 🚀