Google Reviews for Landscaping Businesses: The Fastest Way to Get More Local Jobs
The landscaping businesses getting the most enquiries in any Australian suburb are not necessarily the best — they are the most visible. And right now, visibility in local search is driven more by Google reviews than almost anything else. If you are sitting below 30 reviews while a competitor has 90, you are losing jobs to them before a potential customer has even seen your work. This guide covers exactly how landscaping businesses build their review count fast and keep it growing.
Why Google Reviews Drive More Landscaping Jobs Than Any Other Marketing
When a homeowner in your area decides to get their garden sorted, they search "landscaper near me" or "landscaping [suburb]." What they see is the local pack — three businesses, displayed by Google based on proximity, relevance, and prominence.
Review count and rating are the two strongest signals of prominence in the local pack. Google interprets more reviews as evidence that a business is active, trusted, and frequently used. A landscaping business with 85 reviews will consistently rank above one with 22 — even if the one with 22 reviews has been operating longer and does better work.
This matters more for landscaping than it might for other trades, because landscaping is a considered purchase. A homeowner getting a retaining wall built or a full garden redesign is spending $5,000 to $30,000. Before they call anyone, they read reviews. The businesses with strong review counts look established, reliable, and low-risk. The ones with few reviews look like they have not done much work — even if that is not true at all.
More reviews also drives more enquiries in a compound effect: more reviews leads to higher local ranking, higher ranking leads to more visibility, more visibility leads to more jobs, more jobs creates more review opportunities. The businesses that started this cycle 12 months ago are now very difficult to catch.
The Review Gap Between Landscapers in Every Suburb
Here is the reality in most Australian suburbs right now: there is usually one or two landscaping businesses with 60 or more Google reviews, and then a long tail of operators with 5 to 30 reviews.
The gap is not a reflection of work quality. It is a reflection of systems. The businesses with 80 reviews have a process that collects reviews consistently after every job. The businesses with 12 reviews ask occasionally, rely on customers to voluntarily leave them, and get a trickle.
If you are in the long tail, you are leaving local search visibility on the table. The good news is that you can close the gap — and in a relatively short time — by implementing the right process.
Why Most Landscapers Do Not Have Enough Reviews
It is not because they do not care. It is because asking for reviews manually is awkward and inconsistent.
The job finishes on a Friday afternoon. You and your crew are packing up the trailer, the customer is happy, everyone is tired. You are already thinking about the weekend and the two jobs you have lined up for Monday. Asking for a Google review in that moment either does not happen, or it is a passing mention that the customer immediately forgets.
Even when you do ask on-site, most customers need a direct link to actually leave a review. Telling someone "just search for us on Google" results in maybe 5 to 10 percent of them following through. Sending a link to the exact review form — directly to their phone — results in 20 to 35 percent follow-through.
The problem compounds because landscaping jobs are often one-off or infrequent. Unlike trades who might go back to the same customer every year for maintenance, a landscaper who builds a garden and does a great job may not see that customer again. The review window is short — a few days after job completion when the experience is fresh and the customer is delighted with the result. If you miss that window, you are unlikely to get the review.
Automation closes this gap by sending the request at the right time, with the right link, without you having to do anything beyond completing the job.
Building a Review System for Landscaping Businesses
The process that works for landscaping businesses is simple and requires minimal ongoing effort once it is running.
Step 1: Get your Google review link
Log in to your Google Business Profile, go to the "Get more reviews" section, and copy the link. Shorten it using Bitly or a similar tool so it fits cleanly in an SMS. This is the link that goes into every automated message.
Step 2: Set up your review request automation in Kabooyaa
When a job is marked as complete in your system, an automated SMS fires to the customer one to two hours later. The timing is important — the job is fresh, the customer is looking at the result and feeling good about the spend. That is the moment to ask.
The message should sound like a real person sent it. Not a form letter:
"Hi [Name], great working on your garden — really happy with how it came up. If you've got two minutes, a Google review would help us out enormously. Here's the link: [link]. Thanks, [Your Name]."
Step 3: Set up a single follow-up
If the customer does not click the link within 48 hours, one follow-up message fires:
"Hey [Name], just a quick follow-up on that review — no pressure at all, just means a lot if you get the chance. [link]"
Two messages. That is your entire review collection process. Set it up once, and it runs after every single job without any manual effort.
Step 4: Target your existing customer base
If you are starting from a low review count, automation alone will build you up over time — but there is a faster way to get initial momentum.
Your last 12 months of customers are a pool of satisfied clients who already know your work. A one-time personal SMS to that list — from your name, acknowledging the specific job you did — can generate a significant number of reviews quickly.
"Hey [Name], it's [Your Name] from [Business]. Hope the garden's looking great after we finished up last [month]. If you're happy with how the job came out, a Google review would mean a lot to us right now. Here's the link: [link]. No worries at all if not."
Expect 10 to 20 percent of recipients to leave a review. For a landscaper with 60 past customers, that is 6 to 12 new reviews from a single afternoon's setup work.
What Your Reviews Should Look Like Over 12 Months
If you start this process today and run it consistently, here is what the trajectory looks like:
| Month | New Reviews | Cumulative Total | Local Ranking Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 8–15 (from existing customer outreach) | 8–15 | Initial lift |
| Month 3 | 3–5 per month ongoing | 25–35 | Moving up |
| Month 6 | 3–5 per month ongoing | 45–60 | Map pack contender |
| Month 12 | 3–5 per month ongoing | 80–100 | Dominant in most suburbs |
The numbers assume a modest volume of jobs — five to eight completed per month. Busier landscaping businesses will move faster.
The compound effect is the important thing here. More reviews leads to more visibility, more visibility leads to more enquiries, more enquiries leads to more jobs, more jobs leads to more reviews. Once the cycle is running, it is self-reinforcing.
The Landscaping Review Advantage: Visuals and Specificity
Landscaping has one advantage over most other trades when it comes to Google reviews: the results are visible and specific. A customer leaving a review for a plumber typically writes "great service, fast, fixed the problem." A customer leaving a review for a landscaper can write about the specific project, the transformation, how the space looks and feels now.
These detailed reviews do two things. First, they are more persuasive to potential customers who are researching — specific detail reads as genuine. Second, Google's algorithm favours reviews that contain relevant keywords. A review that mentions "native garden redesign Sutherland Shire" or "retaining wall and turf installation" helps your ranking for those specific terms.
You cannot ask customers to include keywords in their reviews — that is against Google's guidelines. But you can set the stage by doing memorable, specific work and letting the review form do the rest.
Responding to Reviews — Why It Matters for Landscapers
Every review — five stars or three stars — deserves a response. Not because Google requires it, but because Google rewards it. Review response activity is a signal that your listing is actively managed, and businesses that respond consistently rank better than those that do not.
Your responses are also read by potential customers. When someone is comparing two landscapers with similar review counts, how you respond to a critical review tells them everything. A calm, professional response to a complaint — "Thanks for the feedback, [Name] — this is not the outcome we aim for and I'd like to make it right, please give me a call" — is often more reassuring than five additional five-star reviews.
For positive reviews, keep responses short and genuine. Use the customer's first name, reference the job where natural, and avoid copy-paste templates. Each response takes two minutes and contributes to the impression that you are a business that cares.
How Kabooyaa Handles Review Automation for Landscaping Businesses
Kabooyaa's review automation is built for Australian trade businesses. When you mark a job as complete in your pipeline, the review request SMS fires automatically — no manual follow-up needed. The follow-up message fires at 48 hours if the customer has not clicked the link.
This sits alongside Kabooyaa's other tools for landscaping businesses: lead pipeline management, automated quote follow-up sequences, and missed call text-back. For the full picture of how CRM fits a landscaping business, see our guide to the best CRM for landscapers in Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Google reviews does a landscaping business need to rank in the local pack?
In most Australian suburban areas, the map pack typically shows businesses with 50 or more reviews and a rating above 4.5. In competitive metro areas, the threshold may be closer to 80 to 100. The target is always to exceed the review count of your closest competitors in your specific suburb or service area.
Is it against Google's guidelines to ask customers for reviews?
No. Google actively encourages businesses to ask customers for honest reviews. What is prohibited is incentivising reviews (offering discounts or rewards), fake reviews, and review-gating (only asking customers you believe will rate you positively). Sending a consistent, honest review request to every customer after a genuine job is completely within the guidelines.
My customers are often older — will they know how to leave a Google review?
The direct link removes most of the friction. One tap and they are taken straight to the review form — they do not need to search for your business or navigate the Google interface. Most customers who are willing to leave a review can manage it with a direct link. If they struggle, the follow-up message can include a note: "If you have any trouble with the link, just reply here and I can help."
Should I respond to every review, including the five-star ones?
Yes. Responding to all reviews — not just negative ones — signals to Google that you are active and engaged. Keep positive responses short and genuine. The responses take very little time and the cumulative effect on ranking and perception is worth it.
What if I get a negative review after setting up automation?
Negative reviews happen to every business. The automated process increases your review volume overall, which means any negative reviews represent a smaller percentage of your total. More importantly: respond to negative reviews calmly and professionally, offer to resolve the issue privately, and let the ongoing stream of positive reviews do the work.
The Landscaping Businesses Winning Local Search Started Earlier
Every month you operate without a consistent review system, a competitor is building their count and pulling further ahead in local search. The businesses ranking at the top of local landscaping search in your suburb did not get there by accident — they built a review collection system and ran it consistently.
The setup takes less than an hour. The automation runs indefinitely. And the compound effect on your local search visibility — more reviews, higher ranking, more visibility, more calls — builds the kind of business that does not need to spend heavily on advertising because the phone rings without it.
Book a free demo at kabooyaa.com.au/book-a-demo and start building your review count on autopilot.
