Google Maps for landscapers and lawn care: what gets you into the top 3
"Lawn care near me" and "landscapers near me" are some of the busiest local searches in the US. Here's what the businesses Google shows first had in common, and the order to fix things in.
Landscaping and lawn care businesses that reached the top 3 in our searches had a median of about 39 Google reviews and 33 photos, against 13 reviews and 16 photos for the rest. Most used Lawn care service or Landscaper as their primary category. Reviews and photos of your work are the biggest gaps.
What customers type into Google
US searches a month, from Ahrefs. Every one of these shows a map with three businesses at the top.
| Search | Searches a month (US) |
|---|---|
| lawn care near me | 123,000 |
| landscaping near me | 96,000 |
| landscapers near me | 90,000 |
| landscape design | 40,000 |
| tree trimming near me | 26,000 |
| lawn mowing service | 14,000 |
| irrigation repair | 12,000 |
| sod installation | 9,700 |
What the top 3 have
We ran "landscaping" and "lawn care service" from 5 points around each of Orlando, Winter Garden, Kissimmee (30 Google Maps searches, October 27, 2026) and compared every business that reached the top 3 with the ones ranked 4 to 20.
| Top 3 | Ranked 4–20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Google reviews (median) | 39 | 13 |
| Star rating (median) | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Photos (median) | 33 | 16 |
| Website on the listing | 82% | 64% |
| Profile claimed | 97% | 86% |
| Businesses counted | 61 | 245 |
- Reviews are the biggest gap: about 39 in the top 3 against 13 for the rest, three times as many.
- Photos doubled (33 against 16). Landscaping is visual, and the leaders show it.
- Lawn care service was the most common primary category in the top 3 (56%), with Landscaper second (23%).
- 82% of the top 3 had a website on the listing, against 64% of the rest.
Our own searches, Central Florida. These are patterns, not guarantees: Google also weighs distance and relevance, and every area is different.
Categories the top 3 use
Primary category (the one that matters most): Lawn care service (56% of the top 3), Landscaper (23% of the top 3), Landscape designer (7% of the top 3).
All categories seen on top-3 profiles:
- Lawn care service 75%
- Landscaper 34%
- Landscape designer 26%
- Tree service 13%
- Landscape lighting designer 10%
- Lawn sprinkler system contractor 10%
Only use categories for work you really do.
Five fixes, in order
- Claim and verify your profile. See is my business on Google Maps?
- Choose Lawn care service or Landscaper as primary. Pick the one that's most of your work, then add the other plus Landscape designer, Tree service or Sprinkler contractor if you do them.
- Ask every customer for a review. After a finished install or the first month of maintenance. See how to get more Google reviews.
- Post before-and-after photos every week. Your best advert. Aim to pass 35 photos, then keep adding through the seasons.
- Add your website and reply to every review. See how to reply to reviews.
What it costs
The scan is free. If you want us to track it every week and tell you what to do next:
- Foundation, $75/month ($50 for the first 25 businesses, for 12 months): 5 searches, weekly scan, what moved and who took your spot, full fix checklist.
- Growth, $150/month ($100 for the first 25 businesses, for 12 months): 10 searches, close-up scan, top 10 competitors with alerts, monthly PDF.
- Premium, $300/month ($200 for the first 25 businesses, for 12 months): 20 searches, 2 service areas, review replies, 4 Google posts a month, and the one thing to do each week.
Questions
Should I use Landscaper or Lawn care service as my main category?
Use the one that describes most of your work. In our searches Lawn care service was the most common primary category in the top 3, and Landscaper second. You can add the other as an extra category.
I'm a service-area business. Can I still rank on Google Maps?
Yes. You can hide your address and set the area you serve. Google still ranks you from your business location, so reviews and a complete profile matter more the further out you want to show.
How many photos should I have?
The top-3 group in our searches had a median of about 33. Keep adding real job photos every week rather than uploading a batch once.