How to grow a landscaping business?
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What Does “How to grow a landscaping business?” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast brings together James Dooley and Kasra Dash to tackle a question they say comes up frequently: how can a landscaping company grow its customer base using modern marketing? The hosts begin by dismissing traditional advertising channels such as billboards, TV, radio, and magazines, citing high costs and poor KPI tracking. They then walk through a structured list of digital growth methods including SEO, PPC, organic social media, social media advertising, and professional lead generation services.
The conversation gets particularly detailed when the hosts debate the merits and pitfalls of each channel. Kasra Dash explains why PPC is risky in the landscaping space, noting that at ten to twelve dollars per click, even a few fraudulent or competitor clicks can consume a significant chunk of a daily budget. By contrast, both hosts champion SEO as a long-term asset-building strategy that not only drives leads but also increases business valuation when an owner eventually looks to sell. The discussion of retargeting uses a relatable ASOS shoe analogy to explain how staying visible to warm prospects dramatically improves conversion rates.
The episode closes with a practical recommendation that combines self-managed SEO and reputation management with a no-risk lead generation partnership through FatRank.com. James Dooley emphasises that having strong reviews, case studies, photos, and testimonials on a website turns a brand into the obvious local choice when a prospect compares competitors side by side. The hosts argue that running SEO alongside FatRank leads creates a compounding effect where each strategy reinforces the other.
“If you signed up with FatRank for lead generation and you are doing SEO and reputation management it compensates each other. Your conversion would be a lot better if you do both plays.”
— James Dooley
Who Are the Guests on “How to grow a landscaping business?”?
James Dooley is a digital marketing strategist and entrepreneur best known for his work in SEO and lead generation. Throughout the episode he demonstrates deep practical knowledge of how landscaping businesses can build sustainable online pipelines, covering everything from content and topical authority to the nuances of brand reputation management. He is the founder of FatRank, a lead generation company that works with businesses in competitive local service industries.
Kasra Dash is a digital marketing expert and frequent collaborator with James Dooley on the podcast. He brings a candid, experience-led perspective to the conversation, openly sharing his own negative encounters with PPC campaigns and explaining why he personally prioritises SEO as a long-term business asset. His grounded take on social media advertising, click fraud, and retargeting makes the discussion accessible to business owners who may not have a technical marketing background.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “How to grow a landscaping business?”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Traditional advertising channels like billboards, TV, and radio are expensive and nearly impossible to track with meaningful KPIs, making them poor investments for most landscaping businesses.
- SEO is the single most recommended growth strategy because it builds a long-term owned asset that generates inquiries and directly increases the valuation of the business if the owner ever decides to sell.
- PPC carries significant risks in the landscaping industry due to high cost-per-click rates of ten to twelve dollars and widespread click fraud from competitors, which can drain daily budgets with no return.
- Retargeting through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram keeps a landscaping brand visible to prospects who have already visited the website but not yet made an inquiry, improving overall conversion rates.
- Combining self-managed SEO and reputation management with a no-risk lead generation service like FatRank creates a compounding effect where stronger brand credibility converts a higher proportion of incoming leads into paying jobs.
“SEO from my own website. I would be attuned to that because it is a long term play but you are also building up an asset. If you are looking to sell your business in five or six years' time and your website generates its own inquiries that increases your business valuation.”
— Kasra Dash
Is “How to grow a landscaping business?” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it cuts through the noise of generic marketing advice and delivers channel-specific guidance that is directly relevant to landscaping business owners. The hosts do not just list options and move on. They weigh each channel against real-world considerations like budget size, risk tolerance, and business stage, giving actionable guidance for both established companies with a few thousand pounds to invest and newer businesses still building cash flow. The click fraud explanation alone, with the concrete example of a fifteen-dollar competitor click eating a quarter of a forty-five-dollar daily budget, is the kind of insight that could save a business owner significant money.
The episode also stands out for its honest treatment of brand reputation as a conversion factor. James Dooley makes a compelling case that when two landscaping companies charge similar prices, the one with stronger reviews, case studies, and project photos on its website will consistently win the job. That reframing of SEO from a rankings game to a trust-building exercise gives listeners a more complete picture of what digital growth actually looks like in a local service business. The practical recommendation to pair FatRank lead generation with organic SEO efforts gives listeners a clear, low-risk entry point for immediate revenue while they build longer-term digital assets.
Who Should Listen to “How to grow a landscaping business?”?
This episode is ideal for:
- Landscaping business owners who want to move away from traditional advertising and understand which digital channels deliver measurable returns
- Entrepreneurs in local service industries such as tree surgery, garden maintenance, or groundskeeping who face similar marketing challenges to landscaping companies
- Small business owners considering SEO for the first time who need a plain-language explanation of why it matters for both lead generation and business valuation
- Marketing managers working inside trade or home services companies who need to justify digital budget allocation decisions to senior leadership
Where Can You Listen to James Dooley Podcast?
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What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“Really appreciated the no-nonsense breakdown of PPC risks in this episode. The specific example of competitors clicking your ads and burning through your daily budget at ten to twelve dollars a click was eye-opening. It completely changed how I think about our Google Ads spend.”
“The part about SEO increasing your business valuation if you ever want to sell was something I had never considered before. James and Kasra made a genuinely compelling case for treating your website as a long-term asset rather than just a digital brochure. Practical and well-explained throughout.”
“I run a small landscaping company and have been wasting money on a local magazine ad for two years with nothing to show for it. This episode finally gave me a clear reason to stop and a realistic roadmap for what to do instead. The ASOS retargeting analogy made the concept click immediately.”
James Dooley: So how do I grow a landscaping company.
Kasra Dash: So that is a great question that we get asked quite a lot. For landscaping companies looking to grow there are different methods. All the traditional methods are places like billboard advertising, TV advertising, radio advertising, magazines and stuff like that. But I tend to stay away from traditional nowadays. It is expensive and it is hard to track KPIs.
James Dooley: So generally speaking the best methods, if I fresh them all out and then we can discuss further. The best ways to grow a landscaping company would be SEO, search engine optimisation through your website. We can expand on that in a minute with regards to content, topical authority and links.
You have got PPC which is bidding at the top of Google per click. Very expensive for landscaping but it can literally generate new leads today. Then you have being active on social media accounts. Making certain your brand has social media everywhere. That could be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and maybe even Pinterest because landscaping companies do quite a lot of nice visual jobs. If you can get some images and videos put on there for the landscaping jobs that you have done it can work very well. Then you have social media advertising. You definitely should be getting the retargeting pixel on your website. That means if they did not inquire you are still following them and showing them ads on social media like Facebook. Social media ads that could work well for landscaping would be Pinterest ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Twitter ads or YouTube ads. And then the last method we can touch upon is actually hiring a lead generation company.
Kasra Dash: So over at FatRank.com they have a no risk supply of inquiries if accepted. They do quite a lot of work with different landscaping companies whether that is landscaping for a public open space like a park or general landscaping and tree planting. There are lots of different sub niches within landscaping where they can help companies. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with FatRank.com to see whether you are accepted.
If you are not accepted they pass you on to someone they feel would suit your needs. That could be a PPC expert or an SEO expert.
James Dooley: But for landscaping companies looking to grow, what would you say out of the list are the best two or three things to do.
Kasra Dash: Definitely avoid traditional advertising. There is no chance I am sticking my brand on a billboard down the motorway that nobody sees. SEO from my own website. I would be attuned to that because it is a long term play but you are also building up an asset. If you are looking to sell your business in five or six years' time and your website generates its own inquiries that increases your business valuation.
PPC I have had bad experiences with so I avoid it at all costs. The issue is that you are paying per click. You then need to dig down into exactly what keywords convert into orders. There is a lot of click fraud. Competitors click on your ad to see the landing page. In the landscaping industry it is about ten to twelve dollars per click. Your competitor clicks on it and it just cost you fifteen dollars. So if your daily spend is forty five dollars that is a quarter of your budget gone just like that.
James Dooley: So if I am an established landscaping company and have a couple thousand or four thousand pounds to spend I will definitely invest that into SEO. If I am less established and do not have the cash I would go down the route of organic social media posts.
Kasra Dash: If I am being honest I would probably do both if I am established and I would also be looking to do social media ads. Getting people back onto the website. You know this yourself. If you go on ASOS and look at shoes then load up Facebook those shoes appear to you. It is like an online digital billboard. That is retargeting.
James Dooley: If you are a landscaping company and you are looking to grow online my best methods are start SEO. Not just for higher rankings but for branding. Look at your reviews. Make certain that if you are up against another competitor and your prices are similar and the client searches your name your brand looks strong.
Have you got lots of five star reviews. Nice photos of previous jobs. Case studies. Testimonials. Videos. I would be looking to do everything I can on your own website. But the truth is it can be demoralising when you are doing everything right and still not getting consistent leads. To compensate that alongside everything you are doing yourself, and like Kasra Dash said, you are improving the valuation of your company if you can generate your own leads. However instantly I would team up with a company like FatRank that can give you no risk inquiries so you only pay for jobs that you win. If you signed up with FatRank for lead generation and you are doing SEO and reputation management it compensates each other. Your conversion would be a lot better if you do both plays.
Kasra Dash: I think that is it. If you do have a landscaping company and you want a consultation call with us, maybe to guide you, check out FatRank. The link will be in the description.
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.