Avant Gardening — Google Ads Keyword Strategy

Overview

This article captures the keyword targeting direction established during the ^[1] kick-off meeting. It covers service-focused keywords, negative keywords, recruitment targeting, and geographic scope for Google Ads campaigns.

At the time of kick-off, Avant Gardening had no active Google Ads campaigns and no defined ad budget. Google Analytics was already in place. The strategy should be built from scratch, informed by the keyword research questionnaire completed prior to the meeting.

Service Categories & Keyword Focus

Avant Gardening's business is roughly 50/50 maintenance vs. landscaping/construction. Keyword strategy should reflect both pillars while prioritizing higher-margin services.

Primary Service Keywords

Service Area	Example Keywords
Landscape design & installation	`landscape design Madison`, `landscaping company Madison WI`, `yard design Madison`
Hardscaping	`patio installation Madison`, `retaining wall Madison`, `hardscape contractor Madison`
Garden design	`garden design Madison`, `planting design Madison`
Maintenance	`lawn maintenance Madison`, `landscape maintenance Dane County`
Natural / organic lawn care	`natural lawn care Madison`, `organic lawn care Madison WI`
Landscape lighting	`landscape lighting Madison`, `outdoor lighting installation Madison`

Note from Tim: Natural lawn care is a differentiator but currently a small revenue share. It's worth targeting as a niche positioning play, especially given Madison's eco-conscious demographic.

Profitability Guidance for Bid Prioritization

Tim noted that planting and design work carries higher margins than hardscaping or pure labor jobs. Keyword bids should reflect this:

Higher priority / higher bids: landscape design, garden installation, planting, natural lawn care
Medium priority: patio, retaining wall, hardscaping (competitive space, lower margin)
Lower priority / consider excluding: labor-only queries (hauling, removal), cheap/budget-focused terms

Recruitment Campaign Keywords

Staffing is one of Avant Gardening's biggest operational challenges. A parallel recruitment-focused ad campaign was discussed and approved in principle.

Target Recruit Profile

Tim described their best hires as individuals early in their careers, looking for stability and a good work environment — not necessarily experienced landscapers.

Recruitment Keywords

landscaping jobs Madison WI
landscape crew jobs Madison
outdoor jobs Madison
lawn care jobs Dane County

Messaging Direction

Ads should emphasize:
- Positive work culture and work-life balance
- Career growth opportunity
- Stable, established local employer
- Eco-friendly, values-driven company

Negative Keywords

The questionnaire identified terms to exclude to avoid low-quality or mismatched traffic:

free landscaping
DIY landscaping / DIY lawn care
cheap lawn care
mobile lawn services
Competitor brand names (unless running a conquest campaign — TBD)

Content idea noted: A blog post walking through DIY landscaping complexity ("here's everything that can go wrong") could serve as a soft conversion tool for users searching DIY terms — directing them toward hiring professionals. Flagged as optional depending on whether SEO/content is added to scope.

Geographic Targeting

Primary: Madison, WI and Dane County
Secondary: McFarland, Sun Prairie, and east/southeast Madison suburbs
Outer radius: Southern Wisconsin within reasonable driving distance (Avant Gardening charges travel time, which naturally filters out distant leads)
Exclude: Statewide or national targeting

Tim noted they are based in McFarland (southeast of Madison) and that proximity pricing makes east-side Madison jobs more cost-competitive for clients.

Competitive Context

Understanding the competitive landscape informs both keyword gaps and ad messaging:

Competitor	Notes
Bruce Company	Largest player in Madison; has a garden center; well-known brand; also does snow removal
Formecology	Eco-focused competitor — overlaps with Avant Gardening's natural lawn care niche
Alston	Small local firm

Avant Gardening currently ranks #4 organically for landscapers Madison (above Bruce Company), though this ranking is at risk while the website's lower-level pages are broken. See ^[2].

Seasonal Campaign Rhythm

Google Ads strategy should follow the natural seasonality of the landscaping business:

Season	Campaign Focus
Winter	Brand awareness / top-of-mind; begin building spring backlog
Spring	High-intent service campaigns; push design, installation, maintenance sign-ups
Summer	Maintenance, hardscaping, ongoing project work
Fall	Maintenance wrap-up; early spring booking; potential recruitment push

Snow removal is not a target for advertising — Tim indicated existing accounts are sufficient and they prefer to keep that quiet.

Ad Creative Direction

Before/after project photos — high priority for visual ads
Staff spotlight content — helps humanize the brand and supports both service and recruitment ads
Messaging themes: eco-friendly, personalized design, no cookie-cutter work, established local reputation

Open Items

[ ] Chris to complete keyword research using the questionnaire as a foundation (note: research run from France may skew results — verify with US-based tools or VPN)
[ ] Confirm ad budget with Tim once recommendations are prepared
[ ] Determine whether to run service and recruitment campaigns simultaneously or phase them
[ ] Assess whether conquest bidding on competitor brand names is appropriate
[ ] Coordinate keyword strategy with any future SEO scope (currently not in contract)

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