Landscaping Industry Case Study
Landscape Rock Company Exceeds Revenue Goals with Digital Marketing
AZ Rock Express is a dirt, gravel, sand, and landscape rock supplier in Apache Junction, Arizona. The use of decorative gravel, also known as landscaping rock, is by far the most popular landscaping theme in Arizona for homes, apartment complexes, and even businesses thanks to its low maintenance and water conservation. Because of this, there is a huge demand in the Valley for landscaping rock and decorative gravel.
Learn more about how we were able to partner with AZ Rock Express and help them become the #1 landscape rock supplier in all of Arizona and exceed their initial business growth goals.
The Backstory
Just a little 'ol rock company in Arizona...
AZ Rock Express
AZ Rock Express supplies all types of rock and dirt products for landscaping, but the most popular by far is decorative gravel, more commonly referred to as landscape rock or screened rock. This screened rock comes in many different colors, types, and sizes, providing a variety of choices for home and property owners when they are planning a landscaping project. The business model is pretty simple. AZ Rock Express, and the many other rock suppliers in AZ, pick up the different types of rock from various rock mining quarries across the state, and either deliver it right to the job site or back to their rock yard where they stock it and have it available for upcoming local orders.
Starting Point - Challenge
In addition to the usual challenge of gaining visibility in the local search results, the client’s biggest hurdle was helping customers pick out the best landscaping rock for their home or project. Customers had two choices: come to the rock yard at AZ Rock Express and take samples home or request an at-home visit. This process was inefficient and at-home visits were hit and miss, making them costly for AZ Rock Express. They needed a modern solution that served both current and potential customers. Also, as we go over more here shortly, they also supplied commercial contractors who had the same pain point when meeting with their clients to plan their project.
This was good news! A challenge is just an opportunity waiting to be leveraged. We had our opportunity.
Initial Client Meeting
If you’ve read any of our other case studies or worked with us, you know that we put a lot of weight (of importance) on our initial (and subsequent!) meetings with our clients. We almost always find that “hidden gem” of opportunity that guides our campaigns and strategies to success and gives us a competitive advantage. This is especially important in highly competitive industries but has proven invaluable in all industries and business types.
This case study is another perfect example. While learning more about AZ Rock Express and discussing their business and model, we realized they actually have three types of customers: homeowners, property owners (or managers and HOAs), and contractors (residential, commercial, and landscapers).
This was a great revelation! Essentially, AZ Rock Express had a whole team of salespeople working for them so it only made sense to help these distributors and subsequently help AZ Rock sell more rock as well. We spoke to some of these contractors and landscapers and our strategy began to take shape.
Strategy
How about a landscape rock and decorative gravel online photo gallery?
One that could be accessed from computer, tablet, or a phone? One that would clearly showcase the different types of rock with an accurate representation of the rock’s colors, textures, and sizes.
Everyone agreed this would add immense value for customers, contractors, and landscapers alike. Customers would be able to choose what rock would best fit their home’s décor or project from the comfort of their living room. Contractors could show their clients different rock options on a phone or tablet wherever they met, making their process better and more efficient.
Course of Action
Our course of action started with designing an SEO-friendly website that had a professional looking rock gallery that is easily navigated and shared. We began with getting the pictures of all the different types of decorative gravel and rock. This was an interesting undertaking, but we had a good process and ended up with hundreds of high quality pictures. We would take about 5 pounds of each type rock and wash and rinse it really well to get the true colors. The washed rock was then spread out evenly on full size cooking sheet pans 26 by 18 inches, and then photographed outside in natural sunlight to get the truest colors. These photographs were then added to the different landscaping rock product galleries: Screened Rock, Fill Dirt & Minus, River Rock, Pea Gravel & Sand, and Rip Rap & Boulders.
Results
The strategy and hard work paid off. Today AZ Rock Express’s website rock gallery is the go-to gallery used by many contractors and landscapers, bringing in a consistent flow of website traffic with a good percentage of it converting to landscaping rock orders. We didn’t stop there, though. We also implemented our Local SEO campaign, including citation building and Google My Business page optimization.
AZ Rock Express ranks in the Google 3-Pack for numerous search terms and has tripled their yearly revenue, exceeding their initial goals.
KPIs, Stats & Analytics
- Phone calls
- Website submission forms
- Keyword rankings
Below are some reports and tips on how we were able to accomplish this.
Keyword Rankings
In this day and age, the customer’s purchase journey will almost always start with visiting Google or another preferred search engine search. The goal for most all businesses these days is obviously to be selected as one of those choices by the search engines and given a fair chance to compete. This is basically the definition of Search Engine Optimization; the process of “optimizing” your website and online assets according to Search Engine’s best practices and earn that spot to compete in those search results.
It starts with a keyword. What are people searching online to find your product or service? Which of these search queries most often lead to a purchase? And how competitive is it to earn that spot in the search results for that query? As we do with all clients, we structure our strategy and efforts accordingly to ensure we are providing the highest ROI by targeting the most relevant and valuable leads that translate into sales and profits.
In the case of AZ Rock Express, some of those search terms were, “landscape rock near me”, “pea gravel”, and “fill dirt near me” to name a few. (See keyword report below for more details.)
Website Submission Forms
Website submission forms are another great way to get leads, particularly requests for quotes. Of all of our clients, AZ Rock Express gets the most “Get a Quote” website submissions ever. A lot of that has to do with their business model, but every day anywhere between 4 to 8 quote requests come in, equaling over 80 a month. Of these, they generally close the sale on 80% of them.
The mobile landscape rock “get a quote” form does ridiculously well with a conversion rate of 40.4%. So out of every 10 people that see that form, 4 of them request a quote.
Landscape Rock Quote Forms
Phone Calls
The king of KPIs for AZ Rock Express, and most local businesses we partner with, is phone calls. They average 6 landscape rock orders a day from their Google My Business page. As mentioned earlier, they shared with me that they close about 80% of these and schedule the delivery right there on the phone.
Website Speed Test
Website speed isn’t exactly a KPI, but it is an important factor for SEO and user experience. We build and then optimize every website we build with this in mind.
Is Your Landscaping Design or Supply Company Getting Consistent Phone Calls From Online?
Let us help you earn that spot in Google's 3-Pack for your most valuable search terms -- landscaping company near me, landscaping services, lawn care, tree trimming services, rock spreading, and many other landscaping service related search queries.
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