You’re building a marketing plan. Your services are listed, the website’s up, maybe you’ve started posting on social. But without a plan for Google Ads, you're missing where most of your customers start.

Google handles over 80% of all online searches and dominates digital ads across search, maps, and display. If your Google Ads aren’t set up right, you could be wasting money and missing leads.

This blog breaks down 7 clear strategies to help landscapers run Google Ads effectively and turn that search traffic into real leads.

1. Choose the Best Google Ads Type for Your Landscaping Business

Once you've decided to advertise, the next step is choosing the right campaign type. Campaigns group ads together by purpose, budget, and location. Google offers several types, each suited to a different kind of goal or service.

To illustrate how this works, we will follow a landscaping business that utilizes different campaign types to reach local customers year-round.

Search Ads

Search ads appear when someone types a relevant query into Google, like “landscaping services near me” or “lawn care [City].” This is the most effective way to reach people actively searching for your services. 

For example, if a homeowner searches for “Landscape designers for my home,” your ad could pop up, encouraging them to click and learn more.

Display Ads

Display ads are visual ads that appear across Google’s Display Network, which includes over 2 million websites, apps, and videos. These ads are perfect for building brand awareness. 

A banner ad for your landscaping services might read, “Professional Landscaping Services to Transform Your Yard,” and be seen by potential clients as they browse other websites.

Shopping Ads

If you sell landscaping products, such as garden tools, outdoor furniture, or plants, shopping ads can help you display your products alongside your services. These ads show product images, prices, and descriptions directly in Google search results. 

For example, someone searching for “garden tools” might see your ad showing the products you sell along with a link to your services.

Local Ads

Local ads are essential if you want to target people searching for services in their area. These ads appear in Google Maps and local search results. 

For instance, if someone searches for “landscaping in [Your City],” your ad will appear, helping you reach nearby customers who are ready to book.

2. Choose the Right Campaign Structure

Most landscaping businesses start their ads with good intentions: create an account, toss in a few keywords, set a budget, and wait for leads. But in most cases, the phone doesn’t ring.

Google Ads can be effective, but most campaigns are often set up too broadly. Google shows your ad too broadly, and the clicks don’t lead to work. And that’s where the money leaks out.

To fix this, you need to structure your campaigns the way your services are delivered..

How to Organize Your Campaigns

Keep it simple and focused. Here’s how:

• Service-based campaigns: Set up separate campaigns for each service, like lawn care, tree trimming, or garden design. This helps ensure your ads are directly relevant to the service someone is searching for.

• Location-based campaigns: If you serve multiple cities or neighborhoods, set up campaigns targeting each area. This lets you focus your ad spend where it matters most.

Pro Tip: Within each campaign, create ad groups based on specific services or keywords. For example, under your “Lawn Care” campaign, you might have ad groups for “weekly mowing” and “seasonal lawn treatments.”

3.  Google Ads Keyword Strategy for Landscapers: What to Use & What to Block

Choosing the right keywords is key to making your Google Ads effective. If your keywords are too broad or irrelevant, your ads won’t reach the right people, and you’ll waste budget. 

Here’s how to find the best keywords for your landscaping business:

Focus on Relevance

High search volume is appealing, but if a keyword is highly competitive, the cost per click can be too high. For example, terms like “lawn care” are often expensive and competitive. 

Instead, aim for more specific keywords that better match what people are searching for when they need your services.

Pro Tip: Use long-tail keywords—phrases like “affordable lawn care in [City]” or “tree trimming service near me” that have less competition and are more likely to convert.

By choosing the right keywords and using negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic, you’ll ensure that your ads reach people who are ready to book your services.

Add Negative Keywords to Stop Wasted Clicks

Negative keywords tell Google who not to show your ad to. They help block people who aren’t likely to book your service, like DIYers, job seekers, or researchers.

Here are some common examples landscapers should consider adding:

• “DIY”

• “free landscaping app”

• “landscaping jobs hiring”

• “landscaping education”

• “botanical garden”

To add these, just place a minus sign in front (like -DIY or -landscaping education). This prevents your ad from showing if the search includes that word.

Choosing the right keywords and filtering out the wrong ones helps Google send your ad to people who are actually looking for your services. It cuts out junk traffic, lowers your costs, and gets your ads in front of people who are ready to book.

Also Read: How to Effectively Market Your Landscaping Business

4. Write Clear Ads That Match What Customers Search

Your ad copy is the first thing a potential customer sees. If it’s too generic, too clever, or trying to say too much, you lose the click. Effective ad copy should match the customer's needs and clearly indicate the next steps to take.

Focus on the Headline First

Your headline is what decides whether someone even reads the rest. It should mention the service and reflect the search.

Bad: “Get the Lawn You Deserve”
Better: “Weekly Lawn Mowing in [City] – Book Online Today”

If someone searches for a specific service and your headline matches it, they’re more likely to click.

Description

The description should give a reason to choose you—something simple and useful. Don’t repeat the headline. Add clarity.

Example: “Serving [City] homeowners with weekly mowing, clean-up, and fertilization. Easy booking and flexible scheduling.”

CTA

Tell them what happens next. Don’t assume the user knows what to do.

Examples:

• “Get a Free Quote”

• “Book Now”

• “Call for Next-Day Service”

Here’s how that might look for different services:

• Lawn Care

  • Headline: Weekly Lawn Mowing in Fort Collins

  • Description: Reliable mowing, edging, and cleanup. Flexible scheduling, no contracts.

  • CTA: Get a Free Estimate

• Tree Trimming

  • Headline: Expert Tree Trimming – Fort Collins Area

  • Description: Safe, clean cuts for trees and shrubs. Same-week service available.

  • CTA: Book Now

• Garden Design

• Headline: Backyard Garden Design in Fort Collins

• Description: Custom flower beds and layouts. Designed to fit your space and budget.

• CTA: Schedule a Design Consultation

5. Run Seasonal Campaigns That Match How Customers Search

Landscaping demand shifts throughout the year. In fact, search interest for landscaping services peaks in April, with average Google Ads budgets climbing above $1,000 that month, nearly double March’s spend.

Spring brings clean-ups and planting. Summer focuses on mowing and fertilizing. Fall is a great time for pruning and removing leaves. Winter slows down or turns into snow work if that’s part of your service.

Running the same campaign all year doesn’t work. People search when they need a specific service, and your ads should match what they’re looking for in that moment.

Structure Campaigns by Season

Set up a separate campaign for each season. Organize your ads around the services people are searching for most during that season.

Example: Spring Campaign

• Yard Clean-Up: “spring yard clean-up [City]”, “lawn debris removal” → Ad: “Spring Clean-Up – Book Local Crews Today”

• Garden Prep: “garden bed prep”, “flower bed installation near me” → Ad: “Get Your Garden Ready – Expert Planting Available Now”

Example: Fall Campaign

• Leaf Removal: “leaf cleanup service”, “fall yard cleanup near me” → Ad: “Leaf Removal for [City] Homes – Get a Quote Today”

• Tree & Shrub Pruning: “fall tree trimming”, “shrub pruning service” → Ad: “Prune Before Winter – Flexible Scheduling Available”

This structure keeps your ads focused and relevant. Instead of running a single generic campaign year-round, you show the right service at the right time. 

It also helps with budget control, spend more during busy seasons, pause or scale back when work slows down.

Applies Beyond Search Ads

This strategy also works with Display and Video Ads. Update banners and video messages to reflect seasonal services. 

A banner showing “Spring Clean-Up Packages” in March is far more useful than one that still mentions summer mowing.

The goal is to match your message to what people need and when they need it.

Also Read: 5 Effective Landscaping Advertisement Strategies

6. Set the Right Budget and Bidding Method for Each Service

Most landscapers either guess their ad budget or spread it evenly across all their expenses. That’s how you end up spending too much on small jobs, or not enough where it counts.

Set Budget by Job Type

Some jobs bring in more than others. Your budget should reflect that.

• Routine work like weekly mowing or trimming? Smaller daily budgets are fine.
  
  
  

• Larger jobs like tree removal, clean-ups, or hardscaping? These cost more to win but pay more when booked. Allocate more budget where it’s worth it.

Pick a Bidding Method That Fits

Google gives you options for how to pay per click. Keep it simple:

• Maximize Clicks – Good when starting out, and you want traffic

• Maximize Conversions – Switch to this once you’re getting leads and want more of them

• Manual CPC – Use if you want to set limits on click cost and control spend closely

Start with a method that matches your budget and the volume of leads you have. Once you begin seeing which campaigns bring actual leads, switch to a bidding strategy that gives you more control.

7. Track What’s Working

If you’re running ads but not tracking what happens after the click, you’re guessing. Some ads bring in real jobs. Some just burn through the budget. The only way to know the difference is by checking a few key numbers.

Here’s what to look at:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR):  This tells you if your ad is catching attention. A higher CTR usually means your headline and offer match what people are searching for.

• Conversion Rate: Of the people clicking, how many are actually calling, booking, or filling out a form? If the number’s low, the problem might be your landing page, not the ad.

• Cost Per Click (CPC): Shows how much you’re paying every time someone clicks. Use this to control spending and compare which campaigns are more expensive to run.

• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): How much are you paying to get one new customer? That’s the number that really tells you if a campaign is worth it.

While reviewing his performance, Aaron sees that his “tree trimming Fort Collins” campaign has high click-through rates but few leads. He updates the landing page to show pricing and availability above the fold. Conversions pick up within a week.

Google gives you the tools to track all of this. Most of these numbers are available right in your Google Ads account, so you don’t need extra software to see what’s working.

Conclusion

Google Ads can work well for landscaping businesses, but only when the setup is done right. That means spending in the right places, targeting the right people, and writing ads that match what customers are actually searching for.

If you have time to manage that yourself, it’s worth testing. If not, hiring someone who knows the platform can save you from wasting budget.

Struggling to Get Leads from Google Ads? Try GushPro Instead.

GushPro connects you with real homeowners near you who are looking for landscaping services. No need to manage campaigns or guess what’s working. You get qualified leads from your local area, and you only pay for the ones you take.

• No monthly fees

• No long-term contracts

• The first 3 leads are free

Connect with local leads now—Try GushPro and get qualified inquiries without the hassle.