For a long time, marketing a landscaping business was relatively simple. But things have changed and understanding why is key to maintaining an edge.
By Chris Darnell, sales/marketing consultant, Harvest Group
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2026 print edition of Lawn & Landscape under the headline “'Set-it-and-forget-it' no longer works.”
For a long time, marketing a landscaping business was relatively simple. Most companies ignored digital marketing, which made it easier to stand out and rank well in local searches. You could create a basic website, add a few service pages, post a blog or two and wait for leads to come in.
But things have changed and understanding why is key to maintaining an edge. If your rankings are dropping, calls are slowing or competitors are moving ahead online, it’s not just your imagination. The rules have changed, and they’re changing fast. Set-it-and-forget-it marketing won’t just be outdated; it could harm your business.
Many contractors are frustrated by unpredictable rankings that can change without warning.
Google’s search results now shift constantly. With AI summaries, frequent algorithm updates and more competition, your rankings depend on things like:
If your website hasn’t been updated in a year, Google sees this and gives preference to businesses that keep their sites fresh.
Zero-click searches now account for 58- to 60% of all U.S. searches. On mobile, it’s as high as 77%. When AI Overviews show up, click-through rates drop by nearly half. So even if you’re ranked first, fewer people are visiting your website. One website saw a 10% drop in traffic in 2025.
Some businesses lost 20- to 80% after AI was introduced. Even cautious estimates show a 15% decline linked to AI summaries. This isn’t just a theory; Website traffic is down everywhere.
Today, your Google Business Profile (GBP) often matters more than your website for showing up in search and AI tools.
When someone searches “landscaper near me,” they look at the map, read reviews, browse photos and make a decision. Many people never visit your website. That’s why successful contractors use their GBP as an active marketing channel by posting recent project photos, sharing seasonal updates, consistently generating and responding to review and keeping services and service areas current.
If your profile looks inactive, both Google and your customers will notice.
One service page from three years ago just won’t cut it anymore. Today, Google favors content that is recent, specific and relevant. That includes project spotlights, neighborhood-specific pages and seasonal service content.
If you’ve completed many jobs since your last update but haven’t shared them online, you’re missing out on visibility and credibility.
I’ve seen some companies and marketers try all sorts of things to get more clicks, often attracting the wrong ones. Active SEO isn’t about doing everything — it’s about doing the right things regularly.
Last fall, we worked with a contractor who felt things had quietly stalled. Leads hadn’t disappeared, but they weren’t coming in regularly.
Nothing was broken; they were just busy. Their website hadn’t been updated in a couple of years. Reviews had slowed down. Their GBP hadn’t been touched since the previous season. We see this situation all the time.
When we stepped in, the solution wasn’t complicated, but it needed some structure. We created a simple content calendar, started posting real project work and set up a repeatable review process, all using a single marketing automation system with tracking.
Within a few months, things stabilized and then improved. There was more visibility, more consistent calls and less guesswork. The biggest change wasn’t just the results; it was the clarity. They finally had a system instead of a backlog.
That’s where most contractors get stuck. It’s not that they don’t care about marketing. By the time they focus on it, they’re already behind.
Cream of the Crop features a rotating panel from the Harvest Group, a landscape business consulting company. Chris Darnell is Sales/Marketing Consultant with the Harvest Group. He can be reached at harvest@giemedia.com.
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