The numbers behind landscaping SEO — and what they mean for your firm

Before citing any number from this page, understand where the data comes from and where it doesn't.

The search volume estimates referenced here draw from publicly available keyword research tools — including Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and Semrush — combined with observed patterns across SEO campaigns we've managed for local service businesses. These tools report estimates, not exact counts, and figures can vary meaningfully between platforms and update cycles.

Where we reference campaign-level observations, we note them as such. We do not fabricate client counts or manufacture percentage lifts. When we say 'in our experience' or 'industry benchmarks suggest,' that's the honest framing — not a hedge, but an accurate description of what the data source is.

• Search volume figures: Keyword tool estimates, not Google-confirmed counts. Treat as directional signals.
• Ranking and traffic benchmarks: Observed ranges from campaigns we've managed, supplemented by published third-party studies where available.
• Conversion and lead data: Self-reported by landscaping business owners in industry surveys or observed from clients who shared analytics access.

Benchmarks vary significantly by market, firm size, and service mix. A landscaping company in Phoenix competing for 'landscape design' faces a different environment than one in a mid-size Midwest market targeting 'lawn maintenance.' Read every number here as a starting point for your own analysis, not a guarantee of what your firm will experience.

The overall search demand for landscaping services in the U.S. is substantial. Keyword research tools consistently show high monthly query volumes across categories like lawn care, landscape design, hardscaping, irrigation, and tree service — with the bulk of commercial-intent searches concentrated in spring and early fall.

A few structural patterns show up consistently across markets:

• 'Near me' and city-modifier searches dominate. Queries like 'landscaping company near me,' 'lawn care [city name],' and 'landscaper in [zip code]' account for a significant share of total search volume. Google routes these to the Map Pack, not traditional blue-link results.
• Service-specific terms outperform generic ones. 'Patio installation cost' or 'sod installation near me' often converts better than broad terms like 'landscaping services' because the searcher's intent is clearer.
• Branded searches grow over time. As a firm builds local reputation, searches for the company name directly increase — a signal that SEO and offline reputation reinforce each other.

For most landscaping companies, the practical implication is straightforward: ranking in Google Maps for a handful of high-intent service terms in your primary service area will generate more qualified inbound leads than trying to rank nationally for broad informational content. The search demand is local by nature — your SEO strategy should match that shape.

Industry benchmarks suggest that the top 3 Map Pack positions capture the majority of clicks on local service searches. Position 4 and below — whether in the pack or organic results — see significantly lower click-through rates, though exact figures vary by search query and device type.

Landscaping is one of the more seasonally concentrated service categories in local search. Understanding the timing of demand helps firms prioritize when to ramp up content, ad spend, and review generation efforts.

Based on publicly available Google Trends data and keyword tool estimates, search volume for landscaping services follows a predictable annual arc in most U.S. markets:

• Late winter (February–March): Planning-phase searches begin. Queries like 'landscape design ideas,' 'patio installation cost,' and 'lawn care schedule' start rising as homeowners plan spring projects.
• Spring (April–May): Peak demand. 'Lawn care near me,' 'landscaping company,' and maintenance-related terms hit their highest monthly volumes. This is when most firms see the largest inbound inquiry spikes.
• Summer (June–August): Volume moderates for installation services but remains elevated for irrigation, mowing, and pest control adjacent queries. Drought-related searches can spike regionally.
• Early fall (September–October): A secondary peak. Aeration, overseeding, leaf removal, and hardscaping project searches rise as homeowners complete outdoor projects before winter.
• Late fall and winter (November–January): Volume drops sharply in cold-weather markets. Snow removal and holiday lighting searches are exceptions. Southern markets maintain more consistent year-round volume.

The practical implication: SEO efforts started in January or February are typically positioned to capture spring traffic — a 4–6 month lead time aligns with how long organic rankings take to stabilize in most markets. Firms that start SEO in April are generally too late to benefit from that year's spring surge.

Not all landscaping keywords carry equal commercial weight. Grouping keywords by intent helps firms allocate effort toward searches that actually generate revenue.

High-Intent Service Keywords

These queries indicate the searcher is ready to hire. Examples include 'lawn care service [city],' 'landscaping company near me,' 'sod installation cost,' and 'retaining wall contractor.' Keyword tools typically show moderate-to-high search volume for these terms with strong local competition. Ranking here — especially in the Map Pack — directly drives inbound calls and form submissions.

Project-Research Keywords

Queries like 'how much does a patio cost,' 'best grass for [region],' and 'landscape design ideas for small yards' attract homeowners in the planning phase. These don't convert immediately, but firms that rank for them build familiarity before the searcher is ready to call. In our experience, these keywords work better as blog or resource page content than as service page targets.

Comparison and Selection Keywords

Terms like 'landscaping company reviews [city],' 'best landscapers near me,' and 'lawn care vs landscaping' signal a searcher comparing options. Review platforms (Google, Yelp, Angi) dominate these results in most markets, but firms with strong Google Business Profiles and review volume appear prominently.

Hardscaping vs. Lawn Maintenance: A Notable Divide

Industry benchmarks suggest hardscaping project keywords (patio, retaining wall, outdoor kitchen, driveway pavers) carry higher average job values than routine lawn maintenance queries. Many landscaping firms find that a small number of high-value hardscaping clients from SEO outweighs a larger volume of basic lawn care leads — though this depends on your service mix and margins.

The takeaway: Build your keyword strategy around service terms first, then layer in research-phase content as your site authority grows.

Ranking in Google's local results — the Map Pack — is the primary organic growth lever for most landscaping businesses. Here's what industry observation and our own campaign experience suggest about the benchmarks involved.

Google Business Profile Completeness

Fully completed GBP profiles — including services, hours, service area, photos, and a keyword-informed business description — consistently outperform sparse profiles in Map Pack rankings. This isn't a grey area: Google's own documentation confirms completeness as a relevance signal.

Review Volume and Recency

In competitive markets, landscaping companies ranking in the top 3 Map Pack positions typically have meaningfully more Google reviews than those at positions 4–7. More importantly, recency matters — firms with reviews arriving steadily over time tend to outperform those with a large but stale review count. Industry benchmarks vary by market; a suburban market might see top-ranked firms with 40–80 reviews, while a major metro may require 150+.

Ranking Timelines

Most landscaping companies working with an SEO professional see measurable Map Pack movement within 90–120 days for lower-competition markets. Suburban and mid-size city markets typically stabilize within 4–6 months. Dense urban markets or those with established, heavily reviewed competitors often require 8–12 months before consistent top-3 placement.

Organic Website Rankings

For website rankings (blue links below the Map Pack), page-one placement for primary service keywords typically requires a combination of on-page optimization, local citations, and inbound links from relevant local or industry sources. In our experience, most local landscaping firms are not competing effectively for organic website rankings — the GBP and Map Pack optimization is almost always the higher-priority and faster-return investment.

Aggregate statistics are useful for understanding the shape of the market. They are not a blueprint for your firm's specific situation.

A few calibration points worth keeping in mind when applying any of this data:

• Market competition varies dramatically. A landscaping company in a secondary market competing against 5 local firms faces a fundamentally different ranking environment than one in a major metro with 50+ active GBP competitors. Benchmarks that describe 'average' conditions may not reflect either extreme.
• Service mix affects keyword opportunity. A firm focused on high-end design-build projects is chasing different keywords — with different search volumes and competition levels — than a maintenance-focused lawn care company. Both can win with SEO; the strategies look different.
• Starting authority matters. A landscaping company with an established website, existing reviews, and local citations will see SEO results faster than one starting from zero. Timeline benchmarks assume some baseline exists.
• Seasonality compresses the window. In cold-weather markets, the months that actually produce landscaping inquiries are short. This means that ranking improvements arriving in November may not translate to business impact until the following spring — a nuance that pure ranking metrics miss.

The most useful thing these statistics can do is help you ask better questions: Is my review count competitive for my market? Am I targeting the keywords that match my highest-margin services? Am I starting SEO early enough to capture the next seasonal peak?

For a detailed look at why landscapers are investing in SEO and what separates the firms winning organic leads from those still relying on referrals alone, see the full overview of SEO for landscapers.