Your Guide to a Kick-Ass Commercial Landscaping Website

Essential tips for B2B landscape companies

commercial landscaping website design

If you sell commercial landscaping – bid/build or maintenance – you know how competitive this space can be. Consider these points based on data from our commercial landscaping clients:

  • Business development can take years and the commercial landscaping sales cycle is an average of 45-90 days.
  • The average annual contract value can be $45k-$100k.

Image Source:  Monarch Landscape Management

The stakes are high.

Of all the sectors in the green industry, the commercial space seems to be the most commoditized and misunderstood.

Prospective clients don’t often know what truly differentiates your landscaping business from another. Your commercial landscaping website could be part of the problem.

Because of this, we’ve created this in-depth resource (with lots of landscaping website examples) so you can learn how to leverage this digital asset to stand out in a crowded marketplace and take your business where you know it can go. 

1. The Confusion Around Commercial Landscaping Websites

Business-to-business (B2B) selling relies heavily on nurturing interest and networking over a long period of time.

Common Myths & Facts About Commercial Landscaping Websites  

  • Myth:  Our website won’t get much attention or help us generate commercial landscaping contracts.
  • Fact:  A great website can help you connect with hundreds of prospects each year.
  • Myth:  Commercial prospects just contact us. They don’t spend time on our website.
  • Fact:  Property managers will view a lot of content on a great website and revisit it multiple times. 
commercial landscaping websites - lead generation

Great Commercial Landscaping Websites Generate Quality Leads

Level Green Landscaping has generated over 2,000 property manager contacts through their website in the last 7 years. Many engaged contacts have revisited the website 15 or more times and viewed 75+ pages.

(Give the monitor a scroll here for more details.)

Property managers’ jobs and portfolios are on the line. They’re going to your website even if you don’t realize it. 

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2. Template vs. Custom Landscaping Website Design

Every website results in a “template”. It’s just a matter if you want something fully customized from scratch or if you want a pre-built template used by hundreds (or thousands) of others.

Pros of Pre-Built Landscaping Website Templates

  • Less expensive
  • Quicker development

Cons of Pre-Built Landscaping Website Templates

  • Limited design creativity
  • Limited features (particularly for a multi-location B2B landscaping firm will want - more on that in the Website Pages section)
  • Security vulnerabilities

Custom Landscaping Website Recommendations

If your business is ready for a commercial landscaping website redesign, we highly recommend going the custom route. Websites for landscaping businesses can be a valuable tool if designed and built specifically to help property managers sort through the info they feel is the most applicable. Here are some of the things we recommend.

Opt for a Mobile-First Website Design 

According to our research, 59% of commercial landscaping website traffic comes from mobile devices. This number has grown over recent years.

Property managers are often traveling around each day and won’t always have access to their laptops so make sure mobile website design isn’t an afterthought.

Image Source:  Yellowstone Landscape

landscaping website design (1)

Create Scannable, Digestible Content

When evaluating landscaping website ideas, think of each website page from the perspective of bite-sized pieces of content that a busy property manager can scan. Help people to mentally digest the information by using:

  • Spacing between elements
  • Shorter paragraphs at 3-5 lines each
  • Complementary images, videos, and graphics
  • Background colors separating sections

(Give the monitor a scroll here for this example.)

Clear, Simple Navigation

Your commercial landscaping website should offer an easy user experience. Here are some points to consider:

  • Include a “sticky” header menu that remains at the top of the page as you scroll. 
  • Limit your main menu choices. Create 5-7 paths that property managers can take. 
  • Put some page links in the footer menu. A property manager may not need to see a link to certain pages right in their face.
  • Don’t forget the call-to-action (CTA) for a property manager. A button with “Request Consultation” is one option.

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3. The Best Platform for Commercial Landscaping Websites

The content management system (CMS) on which you build your website is a bigger deal than you may realize. There are dozens of popular CMS programs out there such as WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Drupal, and others.

WordPress CMS

WordPress is the most popular CMS out there. However, it’s not our recommendation due to the following reasons:

  • Hosting is an additional $50-$1k/mo.
  • Has a large ecosystem of 58,000+ plugins. If you installed 24 of the most popular ones, you could pay an additional $280-$1,300/mo. Many of these plugins regularly break.
  • As an open-source platform, WordPress requires additional security which can range from $17-$41/mo.
  • Maintenance requires additional resources ranging from $100-$4,500/mo.
  • WordPress can cost anywhere from $5,400-$82,000/year
Source:  Wordpress vs. HubSpot
hubspot for landscaping business (1)

We Recommend HubSpot

The HubSpot CMS includes the following

  • Premium hosting
  • 650+ apps and integrations (80% are free)
  • Free, robust CRM
  • Standard SSL certificate, firewalls, and 24/7 monitoring
  • Backend maintenance and updates
  • HubSpot Academy resources and community
  • The cost for HubSpot CMS costs approximately $400/mo. 

HubSpot Sales Hub

As you can see, HubSpot is an excellent choice for a CMS. With commercial landscape businesses being highly driven by sales activity, HubSpot allows for integration between your website and sales initiatives with its "Sales hub". Some of the features our clients utilize are:

  • HubSpot CRM
  • Gmail or Outlook sync
  • GCal or Outlook calendar sync
  • HubSpot mobile app
  • Integrated calling
  • Pipeline reporting
  • Sales automation
  • Digital proposal tools

Image Source: Monarch Landscape Management

Ongoing Landscaping Website Updates & Changes

There are over 73k global HubSpot Partners so finding a pro to help with high-level work won’t be a problem. But the thing we love most about the HubSpot CMS is the ability for our clients to make their own updates. 

For many clients, we offer minimal training to allow them to easily add/edit content without having to pay an agency for every little change. After all, you’re likely hiring someone new pretty frequently on your management or sales team. Do you really want a complicated process for little updates?

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4. Best Practices for Landscaping SEO

You not only want a beautiful website, but you also want commercial property managers to find it online.

While agencies offer search engine optimization (SEO) packages on a regular basis, SEO is an important part of your website design project. Here are some helpful tips to consider.

Use Landscaping SEO Keywords Appropriately

  • Choose a few, closely-related landscaping SEO keywords for each page. Be sure those phrases appear in the titles and URLs of those pages. For instance, you may choose “commercial grounds management”, “commercial landscape maintenance” and “commercial lawn mowing” for a page all about maintenance only.
  • Naturally place keywords in the written content of your pages. Don’t go overboard and “keyword-stuff”.
  • The hierarchy of your URLs should be organized so that search engines can more easily understand how they relate to one another. For instance, say you have a home page, then a main page that briefly lists all of your services, then specific service pages. The URLs would appear like this:
    • yourwebsite.com
    • yourwebsite.com/commercial-landscaping-services
    • yourwebsite.com/commercial-landscaping-services/irrigation
  • Use keywords in your image names and their descriptive (ALT) text.

Connect Your Landscaping Website with Google

  • Install the Google Analytics tracking code on your website.
  • Submit your site to Google Search Console.

Redirect Pages Appropriately

You may decide that some pages on your old website are no longer needed. For instance, maybe you decided to no longer service residential clients and now that outdoor kitchens page isn’t really relevant. 

Or, you may elect to change some page URLs. Be sure to set up any necessary redirects so that you don’t have broken links. 

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5. Critical Commercial Landscaping Website Pages

The number of pages on your website matters. Each page has a unique purpose for visitors and the capacity to rank for specific keyword terms. Here are some website pages ideas for commercial landscaping websites. 

Homepage

The goal of your homepage is to make a great first impression but to also reflect your unique positioning as a commercial landscaping company. Positioning includes:

  • What your ideal client wants (to make clients in their portfolio happy, confidence in a company that actually follows through)
  • What solutions you offer to help them get that (primarily maintenance with some enhancement projects on the side)
  • Where you operate (for example, “serving commercial property managers in the San Francisco Bay area”)

Within a few seconds, these positioning points should make a homeowner realize they came to the wrong place and a property or facility manager to feel right at home. 

But keep in mind that your homepage is your welcome mat. It’s not meant to do everything, just to start a property manager or potential job recruit’s journey.

website design for commercial landscaping company - monarch

About Us Page

This page is typically more about your company than your commercial clientele. (Give the monitor a scroll here.)

Some elements may include:

  • Company history and core values
  • Types of commercial clients you work with (property types, client job roles, etc.)
  • Branch locations and/or service area (local branch finder if you have many locations)
  • Team members (group photo, leadership and team member pics and bios)

Image Source: Monarch Landscape Management's About page

Landscaping Career Center

Don’t forget another important prospective customer you need to connect with. As your you land more and more large commercial contracts, you’ll need to recruit more team members and add crews.

You could start with a simple careers page, but many of our commercial landscaping website designs include a more robust career center

See this section for more information (and examples) regarding landscaping recruiting assets.

commercial landscaping blog - turfscape (1)

Commercial Landscaping Blog

Another landscaping website idea is to create a commercial landscaping blog. Adding thoughtful, in-depth blog articles on a consistent basis is a great way to rank for long-tail keyword terms such as “hospital landscaping ideas” and “best trees for parking lots”. 

(Give the monitor a scroll here to see a page listing recent articles.)

Image Source:  Turfscape's blog

Not only will blogging for your landscaping business increase your chances of showing up in search but imagine sending those articles to a facility manager at a hospital or the property manager at a shopping center. Blogging can position you as a helpful thought leader.

Over time, blogging can also increase your commercial landscaping website’s domain authority and help you to earn inbound links that help with SEO. 

Consultation Request Page for Landscaping Leads

The ultimate goal is generating commercial landscaping leads for your business developers and disqualifying bad-fit leads. All roads should lead to a simple landing page with concise information about the next steps and prompt a property manager to complete a form. 

Be sure to include images of a happy property manager with one of your account managers. Bonus points if you have a video about what their next steps may look like. 

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Image Source:  Turfscape

 

6. How to Write Great Written Content

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Does your commercial landscaping website’s copywriting say basically the same things that your competitors’ does? 

This is your chance to stand out and to deeply connect with a busy property manager that is sick and tired of the endless cycle of bad landscapers that get in too deep when they decide to dip their toes into the commercial sector. 

Effective Marketing Messaging

Working with a landscaping marketing agency that understands how property managers think and how landscaping industry jobs are different (and awesome) can help to create website words that have a unique tone and a positive impact.

Green Industry Writers

In addition to being a great writer, it’s helpful to find a writer that understands how commercial maintenance is different than residential design-build. 

After all, it can be very frustrating to repeatedly explain the nuances of your services (even when they’re still in the same industry). 

Image Source:  Yellowstone Landscape

CTAs Within Written Content

Even if you have a “sticky” header on your website with a “Request Consultation” button, keep in mind that there are places you can position similar buttons and corresponding call-to-action phrases.

Balance Copywriting with Visuals

Big walls of text will bore busy property managers and people just trying to find out if you’re hiring. 

Instead, break up the text by complementing sections with professional photos from your landscaping portfolio. Images of nice HOA common grounds, happy crews working at a busy shopping center, and successful property managers you serve go a long way to say more. After all, a picture’s worth a thousand words.

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7a. B2B Landscaping Photography

Professional images provide a meaningful, immersive experience for property managers and potential team members.

A great commercial landscaping website design will provide opportunities to present 4-7 images on any given page. This means you could potentially need a minimum of 100 unique, professional-quality images when developing your commercial landscaping website.

commercial landscaping website design - image gallery monarch (1)

Dynamic Image Gallery

In order to showcase your capabilities, commercial property types, and team members performing the work, it’s essential to invest in a professional landscaping photographer over multiple years. This will result in hundreds of great images you can use. 

Dynamic image galleries are a great way to help website visitors easily sort through images based on category. 

For instance, an HOA property manager may find it very helpful to only view images of those types of properties. Likewise, if a prospective client is considering revamping a front entrance to their office complex, they may only want to view images of enhancement projects. 

7b. B2B Landscaping Videos

Videos are fantastic assets to solve a myriad of problems. The obvious production may be a landscaping promo video. But you can also use video to tell your company’s story, communicate what’s most important to your property and facility managers, or explain how your services can help them focus on other needs instead of babysitting an inept landscaper. 

And landscaping recruiting videos can help job seekers explore the various career paths you offer. 

Specific Videos for Better Pages

Certain videos are ideal for specific pages. A company story may be perfect for your About Us page. A video about your team culture is a great addition to a Career Center. As you start to develop more videos, you may also want to create a page that showcases them all.

Here are some examples.

8. Using Testimonials & Case Studies

Instead of saying you’re the best commercial landscaping company, allow property managers to do this by sharing their experiences and results. Property managers, HOA boards, and project superintendents will often send emails or verbally give you kudos. 

Ask them if they would be okay with you presenting this on your website. FYI, not every organization you work with can get clearance for this, so you’ll need to keep asking other clients.

commercial landscaping testimonials on website - level green

Where to Use Written Testimonials

There may be various places throughout your commercial landscaping website where a specific testimonial just seems to fit. For instance, if you have a page about “Churches & Religious Institutions”, sharing a testimonial from your contact at that property will be more impactful to a potential client with that property type. 

(Give the monitor a scroll and see how Level Green Landscaping features this testimonial.)

For other places with less known context, you could also create a slider that allows a website visitor to sort through them. As you collect 10 or more testimonials, you may even want to showcase them on a separate “Testimonials” page.
commercial landscaping case studies on Yellowstone website

In-Depth Case Studies

People love a great story, particularly when it’s someone they can identify with. Have a professional landscaping blogger interview property managers and the account lead to create a written landscaping case study on how you helped them accomplish their goals. 

(Give the monitor a scroll here to see how Yellowstone Landscape features case studies.)

Imagine a facility manager of a large warehouse complex sees a case study that actually features a client from a nearby industrial complex. Now that is compelling!

You can also add a video component to this case study which can be embedded within the article or also used at particular places throughout your website.

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9. Green Industry Recruitment Assets

You may have an incredible company culture but no one may see that when they visit your website. In order to become an employer brand of choice, it’s critical that your commercial landscaping website design provides a rich user experience for job seekers.

landscaping career center - monarch

Landscaping Career Center Hub

While a simple Careers page may be a starting point, we recommend a more robust hub called a Career Center.

(Give the monitor a scroll to see the Monarch Landscape Management Career Center.)

Here are some items to include on this career center hub page:

  • Professional photos of happy landscaping crews working on a large site
  • General list of benefits
  • Career path graphic and/or video
  • Workplace culture video
  • Links to job position details (either individual job pages or a link to an external application tool)
  • Links to pages about internships or management training programs
  • Links to helpful blog articles featuring team member stories and/or recruiting topics
  • Pre-screening form (if applicable)

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10. Costs & Hiring a Commercial Landscaping Website Designer

Hiring a professional to create the best landscaping website is a lot like hiring a landscaping firm. You often get what you pay for when it comes to the attention you’re given, their expertise, and the ongoing support you will receive.

Generalist vs. Landscaping Website Design Companies

Most marketing agencies or designers work with many industries. In this day and age, you aren’t limited to an agency in your local area and you also don’t have to work with an agency or designer that is working on projects for hospitals, clothing resellers, or a local restaurant. 

Choosing a landscaping website design company could be a great option so you’re not frustrated with teaching them about your business as you go. If you do opt for a specialized firm, be sure to ask lots of questions about their practical experience in the landscaping industry and if they understand the nuances of commercial landscaping marketing

In some cases, you may find that the agency just caters to one industry more than others and their team may not really have industry experience outside of working on websites for landscapers. They may make a lot of assumptions that the commercial sector is similar to dealing with homeowners. 

It may be worth your time and cost to continue to search for an agency that has team members that have actually worked in the green industry for a number of years and have a keen awareness of how B2B and B2C are different.

Request a Consultation

Website Design & Commercial Landscape Marketing Services

Keep in mind that creating the best landscaping website goes beyond design and development. You may want to be sure the landscaping marketing partner you choose can provide the following services vs. you needing to search for other providers.

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how long for landscaping website design

Commercial Landscaping Website Timeline & Process

Agencies and website designers state that developing a commercial landscaping website can take anywhere from 2-12 months. This will vary with the scope of features, the amount of content needed, and how quickly the approval process goes. 

In most cases, we find it takes 4-5 months to build a great website.

Be sure your commercial landscaping website designer or agency includes:

  • Keyword research
  • Concept mockups
  • Messaging workshop
  • Experienced green industry copywriting
  • On-page SEO best practices
  • Connection to Google Analytics and Search Console
  • Professional photography and video production
  • Custom website design & development
  • Testing and debugging

Commercial Landscaping Website Design Cost

Landscaping website design prices will drastically vary in their final costs. It’s entirely possible to get estimates from $1,000 to $30,000. As goes with many things in business, you often get what you pay for to a degree. 

For a high-quality, custom commercial landscaping website, you should expect to pay between $15,000 to $25,000. If your estimate is lower, be sure to review this resource to make sure you’re getting the essentials that will make a big impact on your results. 

There may be ongoing monthly costs for software and hosting, but your commercial landscaping website should be priced based on a project basis, not a monthly subscription

These monthly landscaping website packages are often slight adaptations of pre-built templates and you’ll likely be required to create all the written and visual content as well as give a high level of direction to the developer on what you want on each page.

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Landscaping Websites For True Leaders

As your commercial landscaping business grows, you’ll likely realize that shortcuts, half-measures, and cheap prices often lead to frustration and poor results. There are large commercial contracts on the line and we commend you for doing your research so you can get the most out of your commercial landscaping website.

The best landscaping websites create great first and continued impressions on both property managers and potential team members. Each page is helpful and compelling. The words jump off of the page and videos and photos connect to deep desires in all of us. Frankly, a great website leads to success for everyone it touches.

Request a Consultation

What our commercial clients have to say about investing in their websites

Whether you choose to use Landscape Leadership or not for your commercial landscaping website project or not, we hope that this in-depth resource has armed you with the necessary tools to find a successful partnership. If you’re ready to talk more about how we can help you please request a consultation

- Chad Diller

Vice President, Landscape Leadership

Learn how we can help you.

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