For the last couple of years, I've worked with dozens of lawn care and landscape companies on how they can create a website that actually makes them money. It's hard to believe that many companies fork over thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to create a website, but never put any effort into how it will bring in new leads.

This is your first step to avoiding (or righting) that mistake! I've put together a list of six things all of the most successful green-industry websites use to capture dozens, and sometimes hundreds of leads every single month.

Enjoy! If you have any questions, please let me know.

Founder of ScheduleTalk​

Your "Above The Fold" area is what people see when they first land on your website. In many cases, this is where your visitors will decide whether you are worth their time or not. So, it is critical that this section is used to catch their attention. Here's how you can do that:

​The Headline: Use your headline to get them excited. This can be done by positioning yourself as a solution to a common pain-point (ex: My current company never shows up on time).

The Photo: Your photo (preferably a real one from a past job) should communicate quality and professionalism.

The Sneak-Peek: If possible, give your visitors a peek at what's "below the fold." This will pull their attention downward so they begin scrolling and reading through the rest of your website.

Anyone with the intention of potentially hiring you will have questions they need answered before they feel comfortable with what you have to offer. Your website should be focused on answering these questions and addressing the things that will influence their buying decision. These questions often include:

• ​What services do you offer?
  
• Where do you provide those services?
• Why should I choose you? / What makes you different?
• Who will I be working with? (About the company)
• How much experience do you have?
• What happens if I have a question or am not happy with the results?
• etc, etc, etc

You can make this even more effective by including questions that you've commonly heard from leads and clients.

You'll find that more people are ready to discuss their job or project if you immediately address the questions that commonly hold people back from hiring you.​

Videos are an incredibly valuable resource not only for making your business personal, but getting visitors closer to making a decision:

• ​55% of consumers​ use videos to make a buying decision
• 73% m​ore visitors​​ who watch a video will make a purchase

​The videos you record don't need to be super long or complicated - frankly, videos in the 3-4 minute range are perfect. The purpose of these videos is to address things people commonly want to know more about (similar to what we discussed earlier):

• Services: Talk about your services and describe what you do to ensure they see great results every visit
• About Us: Tell the story behind your business (when did you start, why did you start, etc)
• Why Choose Us: What do you do that separates yourself from the local competition
• Satisfaction Guarantee (If you have one): What happens if they don't see the results they were expecting?

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Establishing trust and credibility with your visitors is critical for generating leads. If people question your experience and the quality you can provide, they will skip your business and find a competitor.

If you want people to commit to your business and stop looking for other options, you need to make yourself look like the no-brainer decision. Highlighting things like:

• Testimonials (if you have tons of testimonials, be sure to highlight how many you've received - quantity is very important here)
• Real Pictures of Projects You've Completed - Let people see the results you've provided for others
• About Us Page - Tell the story behind your business. If your business feels personal and human, people will be more eager to contact you.
• Satisfaction Guarantee - People don't want to choose the wrong company. If they feel like you're not a good fit or haven't proven yourself, they'll move on. A guarantee eliminates any "risk" people feel when trying a company for the first time - less "risk" equals more leads.

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Once you've given your visitors everything they need to make a decision, you then need to provide them with a clear and simple way of contacting you (AKA. you Call-To-Action).

​Any added difficulty or hassle increases the risk of losing leads for silly reasons like a delivery arriving at their home.

Your first, and most important, objective is to get their contact information as quickly as possible so even if their attention gets pulled away for some reason, you can still follow up with them.

Provide buttons, short forms, and phone numbers throughout your website so it's crystal clear what they need to do next when they're ready to reach out.

Let me ask you this…

Would you rather call a company and potentially get stuck on hold (maybe not getting an answer at all) or send them a quick text and move on with your day until they respond?

​The vast majority of people (your leads & clients) vote texting.

They don't always have time or want to hop on the phone with a business, they want something easier...

Almost 90% of ​consumers​ say they'd prefer to communicate with a business via text messages. Think about it...

It's super simple and convenient for them. And, as we discussed earlier, making it easy for interested prospects to reach out is incredibly important for increasing the number of leads you're generating.

More data points about texting.​​

Texting shouldn't just be used exclusively on your website, but on all of your marketing materials. Social Media and Offline Marketing (door hangers, yard signs, and company vehicles) are also great places to leverage the benefits of texting.​