Landscaper and gardener websites: what yours needs

The RHS's advice to people hiring a gardener or landscaper is a good guide to what your website should answer. It tells them to:

• ask for references and photographs, and ideally speak to previous clients
• find out how long you've been in business and what qualifications you have
• check certificates of competence and insurance where needed
• get estimates for each part of the work
• look for membership of a professional body, which gives "some degree of assurance"

For maintenance gardeners recommended by word of mouth, the RHS suggests asking for proof of formal horticultural training. If you have it, say so on your website.

A maintenance gardener can do this on one page. A landscaper usually needs more space for projects.

For landscapers, the project gallery is the most important page. A few tips:

• Before and after from the same spot. Stand in the same place for both photos.
• Label each project. "Porthleven, new patio and raised beds, 6 days" tells customers more than ten unlabelled photos.
• Show the boring work too. For maintenance gardeners, a tidy lawn edge and a cut hedge win regular clients.
• Ask the client first before you post photos of their garden, especially if the house can be recognised.

Gardeners and landscapers go to the customer, so your area matters more than your address. Name the towns and villages you cover on the website, rather than "Cornwall and Devon". People search for a gardener in their town.

On Google, set yourself up as a service area business. Google says a business that visits customers but doesn't serve them at its address should remove the address from its Business Profile, and you can add up to 20 service areas by town or postcode (Google). Keep the areas on your profile and your website the same.

Put these on your About page and near the quote button:

• Public liability insurance, with the level of cover.
• Qualifications, such as horticulture certificates or courses.
• Memberships. The Association of Professional Landscapers, for example, says its members are inspected every year for insurance, health and safety and quality of work, and it runs the TrustMark scheme for landscaping (APL). Only show logos for schemes you belong to now.

If you take garden waste away in your van, you probably need to be registered as a waste carrier. In England you register through GOV.UK. Registration is usually free if you only transport waste you produce yourself, and £191.02 otherwise. You're told whether you're "upper tier" or "lower tier" when you register, and upper tier must be renewed every 3 years for £130.25. Not registering can mean an unlimited fine.

Natural Resources Wales gives "a gardener taking green waste" as an example of a lower tier carrier, but treats fences as construction waste, which is upper tier (NRW). Check with the regulator for your country if you're not sure.

Putting your registration number on your website shows customers you're registered to take their waste away.

Most enquiries for landscapers start with "how much would it cost to...". Your quote page can save you wasted visits:

1. Ask for the town, a rough size, and a few photos of the garden.
2. Say whether you charge for a site visit or a design.
3. Give a sense of price where you can: hourly or day rates for maintenance, or "most patios we build are between £X and £Y" for landscaping, if you're comfortable sharing it.
4. Say how soon you're booking, so people know if you're free this month or next spring.

A WhatsApp link works well, because customers can send photos straight away.

Ask every customer for a Google review when the job is done, with a direct link. Landscaping reviews that mention the town and the job ("new patio in Helston") help other people in that town. Our Google review link guide shows how to get your link.

We design and set up websites for gardeners, landscapers and other small businesses, with clear pages about your services and the areas you cover. We also help you get found on Google with an accurate Business Profile.

• Website design for small businesses
• Getting found on Google