Complete List Of Blog Posts For Landscape Designers

Ok, not “complete” but a pretty good list

You are a landscape designer who wants more clients. You want these clients to find you online and then hire you, or at least seriously consider it. Your blog is going to be a huge foundational piece of making that happen. But what should you write about?

I have been writing on my design firm’s website for over 15 years and have found that certain types of posts are really effective. I’ll tell you the kinds of posts to write and even give you some examples.

Write about your style and design philosophy

If you enjoy designing naturalistic landscapes, explain why. What draws you to that kind of garden? When did you become interested in it? Why do you think your clients should care about it? What are the benefits, the joys, the challenges? If there something distinctive about the way you approach a particular kind of garden, tell us about it.

Like me, you are probably interested in more than one style or hybrid gardens. For example, I design a lot of modern gardens plus quite a few Japanese gardens. Each has its own in depth content on my site. I also love midcentury homes, so I write about designing gardens for them.

Keep each post specific to one style or approach. They don’t need to be long. They should be specific and include as many pictures from your own portfolio as you can. If you use jargon, like “matrix planting” be sure to briefly explain it and then link to something that is more of a deep dive (like I just did).

Write about common garden features, methods, and materials

What design elements show up over and over again in your designs? Make a list and then give each item on your list its own post (or page on your website, if it is important enough). For example, I have posts on kinds of water features, patios, privacy screens, patio covers, fire features, outdoor kitchens, artificial turf, and boulder features.

Are there certain methods or techniques that are important in your designs? Perhaps you subscribe to some of these principles (from perhaps my favorite landscape design blog post of all time) when you design. Do a brief post on each one, keeping in mind that your audience is a potential client. Here is an example of this kind of post, from my blog. It is very simple, not particularly well written, and yet has helped me sell dozens of clients on charred cedar.

Also consider the materials you use most often. I personally love bluestone, Corten steel, and all kinds of gravel. Each of these materials has at least one blog post on my site.

Potential clients will find these posts in in their journey to hiring a designer, while they are just figuring out what their dream garden is. You’ll be shaping their preferences and putting yourself as option number 1 when they decide to work with someone. These posts are also fantastic resources during the design and sales process. Instead of typing up an explanation of a design element, you just send them to the post.

Write about the stuff you don’t like

I wish it wasn’t true, but a negative take is often more powerful than a positive one. Don’t like artificial turf? Think outdoor kitchens are a waste of money for most people (like me)? Wish people understood messy camellias are? Tell them and don’t hold back.

Write about money and budget

This is a huge one. So many people want to know what a landscape design will cost prior to contacting a designer. They have never hired one, don’t want to be embarrassed, and don’t want to waste your time. You know who people like this end up hiring? Yardzen or Tilly.

And since there is no point in going through the design process for a patio your client can’t afford, write about it. Give hard numbers, provide examples. These posts will get lots of traffic, earn links, and save future clients the heartache of falling in love with something they just can’t pay for.

Write about your design process

Make sure every step of your design process is clearly spelled out, both in your contracts and on your website. Prevent confusion with transparency. For example, I collect my design fee in full prior to beginning any design work. I know this isn’t the way everyone does it, so I have a post that explains it. In my post, I acknowledge that some people might be nervous about that. But then I explain why they shouldn’t be nervous, and in fact, will be benefitted by a process that is so clearly defined that I can charge a flat fee. I get questions but almost never pushback.

Write about your local landscape industry

Dedicate a post to your favorite nurseries. Give another one to landscape contractors you trust. Write up a list of landscape maintenance teams that do good work. Have other posts for arborists, irrigation specialists, fencing companies, deck builders, etc. I get a ton of local traffic from posts like this. And everyone who reads them is someone local to me and is considering spending money on their property.

But take it step further and write about direct competitors. If someone doesn’t hire you, who should they hire? Marcus Sheridan (back when he was just a guy with a pool company) pioneered this approach. When done with grace and tact you can make your competitors look good, while getting yourself in front of their potential clients.

Is that enough to get you started? You could easily write a post a week for the next year, just based on these ideas. But here is a super specific bonus tip: write a post that lists and defines all the vocabulary you frequently use with your clients. I have found that these kinds of posts are link and traffic magnets. Most of the traffic is not local, so it won’t “convert”, but those links are gold.