How can a landscaping company get more customers?

Landscaping is at least two businesses. One sells recurring maintenance: mowing, beds, fertilization, cleanups and, in cold states, snow. The other sells projects: design/build, hardscape, sod, drainage and irrigation installs. Maintenance wins on route density and retention. Projects win on photos, trust and a sales process. Add irrigation, which is licensed in some states, and commercial accounts, which are bid rather than searched for, and the lead strategy changes with each line. This page covers all four with the numbers to decide where to spend.

Homeowners search. Property managers and HOA boards mostly run bids from a list of firms they already know.

The national search data shows 2,033 distinct landscaping search terms, with a median top-of-page bid estimate of $7.02 and a 90th percentile of $16.63¹. The broadest terms carry the volume: “lawn care services”, “landscaper” and “landscaping” all sit in Google’s 100K to 1M monthly range, with top-of-page bid estimates of $14.73, $11.59 and $10.53¹. The hiring terms one step narrower cost more: “landscape contractors” at $23.87, “hardscaping near me” at $20.19, “landscaping companies” at $19.07 and “lawn care companies” at $18.36, all in the 10K to 100K range¹. “Lawn aeration” is a high-volume term with a much lower estimate ($5.27)¹, possibly because many searchers are researching the job or pricing a rental.

Three patterns matter for marketing:

• Generic terms hide the job. Someone searching “landscaping” might want a $50 mow or a $15,000 backyard. Your site and profile have to sort them.
• Irrigation is its own demand. Irrigation or sprinkler terms appear in the top 12 lists of 25 of the 47 state reports¹. In Texas the top two terms are “sprinkler repair near me” and “irrigation sprinkler repair near me” ($14.22 each, 10K to 100K range). In Florida, “irrigation companies near me” carries a $26.35 estimate, and Virginia’s “sprinkler installation near me” is $25.54¹.
• Hardscape and commercial terms cost more. Hardscape or patio terms appear in the top lists of 9 of the 47 state reports¹. In Utah, “commercial landscaping” carries a $38.86 estimate on a smaller 100 to 1K range¹.

California, Texas and Florida sit in the top 5 tier of state markets by number of distinct terms. Across the 47 state reports, state median top-of-page bid estimates run from about $2 in South Dakota to about $11 in Delaware¹. Bids are Google’s top-of-page bid estimates (high range), not cost per click or cost per lead. The tables on this page show your state.

These are HomeAdvisor cost-guide figures (vendor data from a lead marketplace), updated June 2026:

HomeAdvisor also says labor makes up 40% to 65% of a landscaping project’s cost².

Close rates vary by line. A common rule of thumb is that maintenance quotes close at a higher rate than design/build proposals, because the commitment is smaller and the buyer can cancel. Track your own rates as soon as you have 30 or more quotes in each line.

Worked example: a maintenance account versus a design/build lead

Illustrative inputs except where cited.

Maintenance lead

• Price per visit: $55 (illustrative; inside HomeAdvisor’s $50 to $200 weekly range³)
• Visits per season: 28 (illustrative)
• Revenue per season: $55 × 28 = $1,540
• Gross margin: 40% (illustrative), so $616 gross profit per season
• Quote to signed account: 40% (illustrative)
• First-season gross profit per lead: $616 × 0.40 = $246
• If accounts stay three seasons (illustrative): $246 × 3 = $739 per lead

Design/build lead

• Average project: $3,517²
• Gross margin: 35% (illustrative), so $1,231 per job
• Proposal to signed job: 25% (illustrative)
• Gross profit per lead: $1,231 × 0.25 = $308

Using one third of gross profit as a lead-cost ceiling, a maintenance lead can carry about $82 on first-season profit alone, or about $246 if accounts really stay three seasons. A design/build lead at the average ticket can carry about $103.

Now test paid search. If you paid the $19.07 estimate for “landscaping companies”¹ and 12% of clicks became leads (illustrative), each lead would cost $19.07 / 0.12 = $159. That is above the $103 ceiling for an average design/build lead and above the first-season ceiling for maintenance. It only works for maintenance if retention is real, or for projects well above the average ticket.

Decision rules:

1. Know your retention before you buy maintenance leads. If fewer than half of new accounts renew, cap maintenance lead cost at first-season math.
2. Run paid search on high-ticket project terms (hardscape, backyard renovation, irrigation installs), with a budget filter on the form, not on generic “landscaping”.
3. Grow maintenance mostly through route density: door hangers and neighbor offers on streets you already mow, reviews, and referral credits. A new account next door to an existing stop costs almost nothing to service.

Worked example: one commercial account

Illustrative: an HOA pays $4,000 a month for mowing, beds and seasonal color, or $48,000 a year. At 25% gross margin (illustrative) that is $12,000 a year in gross profit, about the same as ten average design/build jobs at the margin above ($12,000 / $1,231 per job), with no lead cost per visit. The trade-offs are bidding and concentration. BrightView, which describes itself as the largest US commercial landscaping provider, says a significant portion of its contracts are competitively bid and negotiated on a fixed- or capped-fee basis⁵. Price your bids on measured hours, not hope.

1. Google Business Profile and the Map Pack

This is the first channel for residential work. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking⁹. Most landscapers do not have customers visit an office, so hide the address and set a service area of no more than about two hours of driving⁸. Use your real business name with no added keywords or towns⁸. Add finished-project photos every week in season and name the town in each caption.

2. Local Services Ads

Google’s US category list includes “Landscaping services” and “Lawn care services”⁷. There is no separate irrigation or sprinkler category on the list⁷, and Google decides which job types sit inside each category, so check before you assume your irrigation or hardscape work qualifies. LSA charges per lead, so run the same lead-value math as above before you set a budget. Google began moving Local Services Ads into Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals in August 2026, starting with select home service advertisers including lawn care, and migrated accounts are managed inside Google Ads with daily average budgets instead of weekly ones¹⁸.

3. Organic SEO and your website

Build separate pages for maintenance plans, design/build, hardscape, sod, drainage and irrigation repair, and a page for each major town. Publish realistic price ranges from your own jobs. Show your irrigation license number on every irrigation page if your state requires it in ads (see below). For maintenance, a simple sign-up form with lot size and service frequency qualifies leads before anyone drives out.

4. Paid search

Use it for high-ticket projects and irrigation repair where the state data shows strong demand. Add negative keywords for “jobs,” “hiring,” “salary,” “DIY,” “rental,” “seed,” “fertilizer” and “supply”. Brand names of national lawn care chains and supply yards appear among the high-volume terms in many states¹; those searchers are looking for a specific company, so exclude them unless you have a reason to compete.

5. Lead marketplaces

Angi’s US revenue includes fees pros pay for consumer matches, charged whether or not the pro ends up doing the job¹⁰. That model suits crews with open capacity, fast response and a project mix where average tickets cover the fee. It is a weak fit for low-ticket mowing unless the account stays for years.

6. Commercial accounts: property managers, HOAs and general contractors

This is the trade-specific channel. BrightView describes two businesses: recurring maintenance for corporate campuses, HOAs, parks, hotels and other properties, and development work where it is “typically hired by general contractors”⁵. Its maintenance branches each serve 25 to 150 customers across 50 to 250 sites and are supported by one or two business developers focused on winning new local customers⁵. Account managers drive renewals and sell enhancements, which BrightView defines as extra maintenance or improvement work sold to existing maintenance customers⁵.

The lesson for a small company: commercial work is won by showing up. Build a list of property managers and HOA boards inside your routes, ask to join their bid lists, and assign someone to walk each site every month and propose enhancements. For development work, introduce yourself to the general contractors and builders who pull permits in your area.

7. Referrals, route density and adjacent trades

Ask for a review after every finished project and every spring startup. Offer a referral credit to maintenance customers. Partner with pool builders, concrete and paver crews, fence companies, tree services and home builders, who all finish jobs that need planting, sod or irrigation.

Channel summary

Rules depend on your state and city. Examples:

• Texas irrigation: No one may sell, design, install, maintain, alter, repair, service or inspect an irrigation system, or consult on one, unless licensed by the TCEQ¹¹. A licensed irrigator can do all of that work; an Irrigation Technician works under a licensed irrigator’s supervision¹¹. Licensing requires training, an application, a $111 fee and an exam with a minimum score of 70% on each section, and licenses renew every three years with 24 hours of continuing education for irrigators¹¹. Every advertisement for irrigation services, in any medium, must display the irrigator’s number as “LI” plus the number, and service vehicles must show it in block letters at least two inches high on both sides¹². If an ad shows a company name other than the licensed irrigator’s, it must also name the licensed irrigator¹².
• California: The C-27 Landscaping Contractor classification covers constructing, maintaining, repairing and installing landscaping systems and grading plots for them¹³. CSLB says gardeners who only do routine maintenance (mowing, weeding, shrub trimming) generally do not need a state license, but projects such as irrigation systems, drainage, plants and sod, patios and retaining walls do¹⁴. Since January 1, 2025, unlicensed people may advertise only work under $1,000, must say they are not licensed, and lose that exemption if the job needs a permit or they hire workers¹⁵. Licensed contractors must put their license number in all advertising and may not advertise outside their classification or mention bonding¹⁶. CSLB also notes that a C-27 contractor taking on pool, spa or hot tub work needs a C-53 license or a C-53 subcontractor¹⁴.
• Weed control and lawn treatments: Chemical application can carry its own license requirements, separate from contractor licensing. Check with your state’s agriculture or pesticide regulator before you advertise treatment programs.

This is not legal advice. Check your state licensing board before you add irrigation, hardscape or chemical services to your ads.

Very. Federal employment data shows the swing. US landscaping services employment, not seasonally adjusted, was 756,000 in January 2025 and 1,014,200 in July 2025, about 34% higher. In 2026 it ran from 776,400 in February to 1,016,900 in July⁶. Pool Corporation, which distributes irrigation and landscaping maintenance products as well as pool supplies, says its second and third quarters are its peak months, including for irrigation and landscaping installation and maintenance, and that it earned about 61% of 2025 net sales in those two quarters¹⁷.

What that means for marketing:

• Cold states: Sell spring cleanups, maintenance contracts and design/build work in January and February, before competitors’ calendars fill. Plan winter revenue: BrightView treats snow removal as counter-seasonal revenue that keeps crews and equipment busy, and reported $210.8 million of it in fiscal 2025⁵.
• Warm states: Maintenance runs most of the year. Compete on reliability and reviews, and push irrigation checks and repairs during dry months, when the Texas and Florida data shows strong repair search demand¹.
• Fall: Aeration, cleanups and next-year design work fill the calendar as mowing slows. Ask for renewals before the season ends.

• One lead-cost cap for every service. A $55 mow and a $15,000 backyard cannot carry the same lead cost. Set caps by line.
• Chasing scattered accounts. A new mowing customer 20 minutes off-route can lose money. Price by route, and market hardest on streets you already serve.
• Advertising irrigation without the license number. Texas requires the LI number on every irrigation ad, including online ads, and on vehicles¹². Add it to templates once.
• Generic “landscaping” ads. Broad terms bring job seekers, DIY shoppers and brand searchers. Send ads to service pages and use negatives.
• Waiting for spring to sell spring. Employment and supply sales peak in the second and third quarters⁶¹⁷. Sell before the peak, not during it.
• No enhancement selling. Existing maintenance customers are the cheapest source of project work. Large firms assign account managers to do this⁵; a small firm can do it with a monthly site walk and a written proposal.
• Letting one commercial account dominate. Fixed-fee bids can turn unprofitable if you underestimate hours⁵. Keep any one account to a minority of revenue.

• Treat maintenance, design/build, irrigation and commercial work as separate lines with separate lead math.
• A maintenance lead is only worth buying if accounts renew; the average design/build project is $3,517², so cap lead costs accordingly.
• Google lists both “Landscaping services” and “Lawn care services” for Local Services Ads⁷, but your Business Profile, photos and reviews still do most of the work.
• Landscaping employment swings about 34% from winter to summer⁶. Sell spring work in late winter.
• In Texas, every irrigation ad and service vehicle needs the LI license number¹². Check your own state before you advertise irrigation or hardscape.