My work photographs well. Do I need written testimonials too?

Photos show what you built. They cannot show whether the crew arrived on the day promised or whether the invoice matched the estimate. A client's sentence about that fills the gap that a picture leaves, and the pair together is what persuades.

Is it a problem that landscaping is seasonal?

It helps to plan around it. Ask in June and again in October, when the work is fresh and the client has been outside enjoying it. Testimonials collected in the off season sound like recollection, and ones from a good month sound like someone who just walked the yard.

Should I ask for a testimonial after a one-day mulch job?

Only if the client mentions something specific. Save your asking for the bigger projects, where the client has spent real money and has a story about the before and after. A short job with a thin reply will not do much for the page.

Can I use a testimonial that mentions a competitor?

Better not. Leave out the other company's name and keep the part about your crew. If a client wrote that the last company left, say, a torn fence, your site gains nothing from repeating it.

landscapers

Testimonials for landscapers

Turn "who did your yard?" into your next job.

Your work is visible from the street, which means your best marketing is a neighbor asking who did it. A few lines from past clients answer that before the neighbor has to knock.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

A few weeks after planting, once the beds have filled in and the lawn has stopped looking new.

Hi Elena, this is Carlos from Tallgrass Yard Care. I drove by yesterday and the hydrangeas along the fence look great. Could you tell us in your own words how the backyard was before and how you use it now? I keep a page of what clients say for people comparing landscapers. Here's the link: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Landscaper testimonial examples

The kind of thing landscapers collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

It was a mud patch with a broken fence. Now it is where we eat every weekend. They came back a month later to check the new planting had taken.

Elena M. · Homeowner

Example

The quote listed every plant by name and where it would go. When the crew found a buried drain line on day two, they called me before they dug further and rerouted the bed around it.

Howard T. · Homeowner

Example

We run a small church and the lawn had gone to weeds over one wet spring. The same man came every second Thursday, and nobody had to remind him about the edge along the parking lot.

Marjorie C. · Church treasurer

Example

The patio has been through two winters and not one paver has shifted. A neighbor asked me who laid it before I had finished my coffee.

Chidi O. · Homeowner

The buried drain line and the edge along the lot each show a moment when the customer was watching the work. A landscaper's proof is partly visible from the road already, so the words that count are the ones about what nobody could see: how the crew handled a surprise, and whether it held after the weather.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

The first sunny day after the planting is in and everything has settled.

The single biggest reason landscapers have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

What did the space look like before?
How did we keep you updated during the work?
What do you use the space for now?

Or an email

For an HOA board member or a business owner who commissioned the work for a shared space.

Subject: The entrance beds at Willow Court

Hi Marjorie,

The spring cleanup is finished and the entrance beds have their new mulch and the replaced boxwoods. I will be back in two weeks to check that everything took.

Would you tell me, for the page on my site, how the board decided to hire us and what residents have said since? Boards that find us are usually asking one thing: will the crew show up when they say they will?

It takes a few minutes, with no login involved: [your link]

Thanks, Carlos

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a landscaper first

Google Maps
People searching "landscaper near me" in April see a map with the closest crews first. A profile with fresh photos and recent reviews is the one they tap.
Houzz
Where homeowners planning a full backyard redo browse project photos and read what others said about the designer before sending any message.
Nextdoor
Somebody's new patio or hedge draws a comment, and the reply is usually a company name. That thread is often the only quote request a small crew gets in a week.
Facebook garden and neighborhood groups
A photo of a bare yard with the question "who does good work?" collects a dozen names. Yours appears only if a past client types it.
Your own website
The buried drain line and the pavers that never shifted belong beside your photos. Client testimonials next to before-and-after photos are what turn a browser into a booked site visit.

Questions landscapers ask

My work photographs well. Do I need written testimonials too?: Photos show what you built. They cannot show whether the crew arrived on the day promised or whether the invoice matched the estimate. A client's sentence about that fills the gap that a picture leaves, and the pair together is what persuades.
Is it a problem that landscaping is seasonal?: It helps to plan around it. Ask in June and again in October, when the work is fresh and the client has been outside enjoying it. Testimonials collected in the off season sound like recollection, and ones from a good month sound like someone who just walked the yard.
Should I ask for a testimonial after a one-day mulch job?: Only if the client mentions something specific. Save your asking for the bigger projects, where the client has spent real money and has a story about the before and after. A short job with a thin reply will not do much for the page.
Can I use a testimonial that mentions a competitor?: Better not. Leave out the other company's name and keep the part about your crew. If a client wrote that the last company left, say, a torn fence, your site gains nothing from repeating it.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free