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How can you ensure your landscaping business appears first when customers search for services in their area? In the Landscape Disruptors podcast, I joined Stanley Genetic to explore marketing strategies and digital tactics that landscaping companies can use to stand out and drive measurable results.
When it comes to digital marketing, many people get caught up in vanity metrics, such as followers, likes, or the latest flashy platforms, without focusing on the most important factor: business results. If your efforts don’t directly connect to sales or measurable outcomes, you can’t tell if what you’re doing actually works.
I’ve seen companies waste both time and money chasing trends that don’t move the needle. Instead, I rely on strategies that clearly drive revenue, using tools and systems that reveal what’s working and what isn’t. Ultimately, what matters is generating real, measurable business impact.
Optimizing the Google Business Profile
Some business owners still wonder whether platforms like Twitter can generate revenue. The answer is yes, you can track it. For example, use Google Analytics to see what happens when someone clicks a link in your Twitter bio, visits your site, or sends you a message.
For a local service business just starting out, the first and most important step is optimizing your Google Business Profile listing. Make sure you’ve claimed it, then start filling it out properly. Upload at least 50 photos and 10 videos. It’s also important to respond to every single review, positive or negative. to show engagement. This will increase your relevance in Google’s eyes and help you show up in local search results more consistently.
Many businesses don’t realize that their Google Business Profile acts like a mini website. Posting regularly, at least once a week, is crucial because those posts expire after seven days. You don’t need new content for every platform. Instead, take content you’ve already created, such as updates from Twitter or Facebook, and re-post it on Google My Business. This consistency helps ensure that you remain visible in search results without needing to worry about every new social trend.
Start by optimizing your Google Business Profile listing. After you claim it, you’ll see metrics such as profile views over the past month or quarter. If your profile is generating fewer than 1,000 views per month, it’s time to reevaluate your approach.
For instance, Jack Wendt’s Tree Savages business boosted its local presence by claiming its Google Business Profile, consistently uploading photos and videos, and responding to reviews.
The 1,000 View Benchmark
A strong initial goal for local businesses is reaching 1,000 profile views per month. Why 1,000? It’s a solid baseline I’ve observed across various industries. While factors like market size and marketing effort can push that number higher or lower, hitting a thousand is a reliable indicator that you’re on the right track.
For instance, my friends Ibrahim Awad and Ali Awad, successful attorneys in Atlanta, generate well beyond 1,000 views due to their firm’s scale and marketing. While a small landscaping business may not reach those numbers, hitting 1,000 views is a solid indicator that your digital presence is working.
If customers searching for “lawn services,” “landscaper near me,” or your company’s name aren’t finding you, it’s a clear sign that something needs to change.
Understanding Conversion Rates
As a local business, you might wonder how many people seeing your profile actually turn into paying customers. A good benchmark is to aim for 1,000 profile views per month. Out of that, you can expect five to ten percent to take an action. such as visiting your website, calling you, or looking up directions. If you’re not seeing numbers like this, something may need adjusting.
Think about when you’re at dinner with Greg Beebe, scrolling through Yelp. You see dozens of listings but only click on a few, typically five to ten percent. Once you click, you might look up the restaurant’s location, read reviews, or give them a call to make a reservation.
Similarly, for your business, each step, profile impressions, clicks, calls, and bookings, represents a stage in the customer journey that can be measured and improved.
In some cases, certain services, like emergency locksmiths, may close over 80 percent of calls they receive because the need is urgent. But for most local businesses, the process works like this: you show up in search results, a percentage of people click, and some of those people become customers.
By understanding each stage and monitoring the metrics, such as how many people take action from your profile views, you can identify where you’re losing potential customers and make the necessary improvements to your marketing strategy.
Connecting Content to Business Results
What percentage of people seeing your content end up clicking? From there, how many of those clicks turn into calls, and how many calls become customers? Measuring this flow is key. It’s not complicated, but I understand that many business owners are already stretched thin.
They’re busy just trying to keep up with day-to-day tasks, let alone figuring out where their traffic is coming from or how to create more content to drive those calls in the first place. And it doesn’t help that there’s so much noise about which platform you have to be on, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
You hear advice that you should be everywhere, doing everything, and it becomes overwhelming. As a result, many people end up stuck, not knowing where to start, and they waste valuable time and effort without seeing real results.
The solution is what I call “digital plumbing.” Just like doctors use X-rays to see what’s happening inside the body, digital plumbing gives you a clear view of what’s happening across all your marketing channels. It’s not about any one piece of software or some magic tool. It’s a process, one that anyone can follow.
With proper digital plumbing, you can tie together your website, social media accounts, and messaging channels to understand how they’re all working together. Are you tracking conversions in Google Analytics? Do you know how well your Google listing is performing? Are you effectively linking your ad spend on Facebook or Google back to real results?
When done right, digital plumbing helps you see everything in one place. It’s not about using a specific product; it’s about ensuring all your data points connect so you can clearly measure your marketing impact and make informed decisions.
By investing your time in the platform that brings customers to your business, your Google local listing, you’ll position yourself well ahead of the majority of other businesses in your industry.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations.
He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications.
Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries.
Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.