What do the landscaping industry and the economic recession of 2008 have in common?
Well, the relationship is simple. When the economy is bad, people are not buying or building homes. And when there are no new homes, demand for landscaping services is low.
The good news is we’re no longer in 2008. The economy has rebounded and landscaping businesses are thriving. As of May 2018, there were over 500,000 landscaping businesses generating $88 billion annually.
The only problem? Competition for customers is fierce. The solution? Taking your business online!
Here are 7 reasons why your landscaping business needs a professional business.
1. Your Competitors Probably Already Have a Website
Are you wondering why your nearest competitors are always out laying yards and building patios while you’re always in the office waiting for a client to come knocking?
It’s probably because they already have a website. In the reasons that will follow, you’ll see why a website gives them an edge.
2. People Are Looking for Businesses Online
Maybe you’re an old-fashioned landscaping contractor who believes in traditional marketing. So you hand out marketing leaflets, put up a couple of signposts, and wait for clients to show up.
Sure, that might have worked before the Internet became a thing, but won’t get your phone buzzing today.
Why?
A whopping 77 percent of people with Internet access begin their search for products and services online. If you have no online presence, they won’t find you.
A website is the #1 tool for taking your business online. It enables you to optimize it with your business name, and add crucial information such as physical location and contact numbers.
3. Showcase Your Work
Landscaping is an art, and all works of art need to be showcased.
You might have amazing photos of some of the landscaping projects you’ve completed, but what’s their value if you’re not showcasing them to the world?
OK, your close friends and a few clients will see them and give you thumbs up. The thing, though, is those photos should be getting you new clients every day.
That can happen, but only if you have a professional website. Upload new photos regularly, and if potential clients like them, they’ll want you to do a similar job in their front or backyards.
4. Keep Your Business Open 24/7
Many brick and mortar business follow the 9 am to 5 pm cycle. Don’t be like them!
To maximize the potential of your landscaping business, you have to keep it open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! The modern customer shops whenever they feel like it. They can even wake up in the dead of the night and start searching for landscaping contractors. If your business isn’t available at this time, you’ll miss out.
A website is your gateway to a world where businesses don’t close shop. As long as it doesn’t experience any downtimes, potential clients can explore your services and request quotes or book consultations at any time.
5. Leverage the Power of SEO
You already know that many internet users search for things online. What you probably don’t know is how that journey from a search engine to your website occurs.
For starters, have a professional landscaping website alone isn’t enough to get you noticed. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of landscaping business websites vying for a spot on the first page of Google, Bing and other search engines.
Search engines use a range of indicators to rank websites. When you optimize your site for SEO, it means you’re playing by these indicators.
SEO is powerful. It can get you on the first page and send lots of leads to your business. But to enjoy these and many other SEO benefits, you need to have a website!
6. Provide Social Proof
Did you know at least 84 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust a friend’s word?
This means many of your potential clients are actively looking for the reviews of local landscaping businesses before deciding whether or not to purchase. They’re looking for social proof.
There are many business review sites, with Yelp being the most prominent, but your website can also host reviews. For instance, posting testimonials enables your website visitors to determine the quality of your services.
7. Build the Reputation of Your Landscaping Business
The quality of your landscaping and customer services determines your reputation, but that’s not all.
In the Digital Age, a website – or lack of it – can hurt your reputation. If you don’t have a website, to begin with, the modern customer won’t take you seriously. In their mind, you’ll always be that business without a website or worse, internet access!
Having a website can also negatively affect your reputation. If it’s badly designed, not responsive and has poor content, woe unto you.
Be sure to find out more about what it takes to build a professional landscaping business website.
8. It’s Not Costly to Build and Maintain
About half of all business don’t have a website. The major reason for this isn’t lack of awareness, but a supposed lack of funds to build one.
Well, having a professional website does cost money, but it’s not so much money that you can’t afford. There are several digital agencies offering website development packages at friendly prices. You just need to find the right one.
Plus, the return on investment is massive. A website will attract you lots of clients and enable you to close many sales.
Take Action
As a landscaping business, your services give our homes and spaces the wow factor. If you don’t have our website, however, we may never know your business exists.
Take action immediately. And remember, it’s not just any other website you need. Your business deserves a professional website.
Looking for more tips? Tools to monitor and manage your website? We have it all.