How Much Should a Landscaping or Hardscape Company Spend on Marketing?
It’s the question every owner asks and almost no one answers straight: how much should you actually spend on marketing? Spend too little and you stay invisible. Spend without a plan and you torch cash. Here’s the honest framework we use with landscape and hardscape clients.
The short answer: most landscaping and hardscape companies should budget 7–10% of gross revenue for marketing. Established companies coasting on a full schedule can run leaner at 5–8%; companies in active growth mode or under two years old should spend 10–15% (aggressive new businesses up to 20%). But that percentage is only a starting guardrail. What actually matters is whether each dollar comes back as a profitable customer, so the best operators budget from their numbers, not from a generic percentage.
What’s the right percentage of revenue?
The benchmarks are remarkably consistent across the industry:
- Maintain mode (schedule full, defending share): 5–8%.
- Growth mode (expanding, hiring, entering new areas): 8–12%, up to 15% in competitive markets.
- New company (under ~2 years): 12–20%, you’re buying awareness you don’t have yet.
Company size matters too: smaller companies spend a higher percentage. A sub-$2M shop typically runs 5–10%, while a $10M+ operation might spend only 1–2% because the absolute dollars are already large. One sobering stat to keep you honest, the average company wastes about 26% of its marketing budget on activities that generate zero revenue. The fix isn’t spending more; it’s tracking better.
What does that look like in real dollars?
Here’s how the math plays out at three common revenue levels, plus how we’d split it:
- $500K company (~10% = ~$50K/yr, ~$4,200/mo): SEO ~$1,250; Google Ads + LSA ~$1,400; website/conversion ~$600; content ~$550; reviews/reputation ~$400.
- $1M company (~8% = ~$80K/yr, ~$6,700/mo): SEO ~$2,000; paid search + LSA ~$2,000; website ~$1,000; content ~$900; reviews ~$500; CRM/tools ~$300.
- $3M+ company (~6% = ~$180K/yr, ~$15,000/mo): shift toward brand and multi-channel, SEO/content ~$5,000; paid (Google/LSA/Meta) ~$5,500; website + automation ~$2,500; reputation ~$1,000; the rest to video, drone, and testing.
A reasonable channel split for most contractors: SEO 25–35%, paid search/LSA 25–35%, website & conversion 10–20%, content 10–15%, reviews 5–10%.
The better way to budget: work backward from a booked job
Percentages are a sanity check. Unit economics are the real budget. Here’s the bottom-up method:
- Decide how many new jobs you want per month, say 20.
- Apply your close rate, at 50%, you need 40 qualified leads.
- Multiply by your cost per lead, at $75, that’s $3,000/month in lead-gen spend (before SEO and branding).
Now you have a budget tied to a goal instead of a vibe. For reference, 2025 green-industry Google Ads benchmarks: landscaping ~$104 per lead, hardscaping ~$153 per lead (the highest in the industry, but the jobs are far bigger). Local Services Ads run cheaper at roughly $15–$80 per lead.
Stop calling it a cost, it’s a return
The owners who win think in ROI, not expense. One hardscape firm turned $1,502 in ad spend into $210,000 in closed jobs, an outlier, but it shows the ceiling when exclusive leads meet fast follow-up. And don’t forget lifetime value: a one-time hardscape job earns more up front, but a maintenance client stays an average of ~7 years at 40–50% margins. The smartest play is using a high-ticket hardscape project as the front door to a long-term maintenance relationship, which means you can afford a higher cost per hardscape lead than you think.
The budgeting mistakes that quietly cost the most
- Underfunding. Spending 1–2% and expecting growth.
- Spreading too thin. A little on six platforms, enough on none.
- Marketing blind. No call tracking or attribution, so up to 30% of budget is wasted.
- Feast or famine. Only advertising when slow, which kills SEO momentum and referrals.
- Judging by percentage instead of cost per booked job.
One more reality check: 72% of home-services businesses plan to increase marketing budgets in 2026, and home-services ad costs are up ~45% over two years. Standing still means losing share. If you want a clear, stage-appropriate number for your business, that’s exactly what we map out, see our Growth Programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of revenue should a landscaping company spend on marketing?
Most landscaping companies should budget 7–10% of gross revenue. Established companies in maintain mode can run 5–8%, while companies in growth mode or under two years old should spend 10–15%, and aggressive startups up to 20%.
How much should a $1 million landscaping company spend on marketing?
A $1M company typically budgets 6–8% of revenue, or roughly $60,000–$80,000 per year ($5,000–$6,700 per month), split across SEO, Google Ads and Local Services Ads, website, content, and reviews.
What is a good cost per lead for landscaping and hardscaping?
In 2025, landscaping averaged about $104 per lead and hardscaping about $153 per lead on Google Ads, while Local Services Ads run roughly $15–$80 per lead. Aim to keep cost per lead well below your average job value.
Should I budget by percentage of revenue or by cost per job?
Use the percentage as a guardrail, then budget from unit economics. Decide how many jobs you want, divide by your close rate to get the leads you need, and multiply by your cost per lead. That ties spending to a goal instead of a guess.
Is a maintenance client or a hardscape client worth more?
A hardscape job earns more revenue up front, but a maintenance client stays an average of about seven years at 40–50% margins, making recurring maintenance worth far more over its lifetime. The best strategy uses hardscape projects as an entry point to win long-term maintenance contracts.
Ready to put this to work in your business?
We build done-for-you marketing systems exclusively for landscape, hardscape, and outdoor living contractors, the same playbook behind clients who consistently book high-ticket jobs. Book a free 15-minute discovery call and we’ll map out exactly how to fill your calendar with high-ticket work. Prefer to dig in yourself first? Grab the free Backyard Empire book.
Josh Blakeley
Founder of Landscape & Hardscape Contractor Marketing and author of Backyard Empire. A member of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), Josh has helped contractors book more high-value jobs through done-for-you marketing built only for outdoor living pros.