Executive Summary
Hanselman built a name for itself as a landscaping company and garden architect by doing things the right way. The work was thoughtful, detailed, and consistently high-quality. People noticed, and over time that turned into a steady stream of referrals.
For a while, that was enough.
At first, referrals felt like a strength. They kept projects coming in and reflected how much clients valued the work. But over time, they became limiting. Growth was unpredictable. Some projects were a strong fit, others weren’t, and Hanselman had little control over what came next.
So the goal was not simply to grow. It was to create a more intentional path forward. To attract better-fit landscaping projects. To work with homeowners who valued their design approach. Hanselman wanted to build a landscaping company that could grow while staying true to its philosophy of making “your outdoor spaces a source of inspiration and enjoyment from every window, door, and living space“.
After partnering with Improve & Grow, the first step was building a clear, data-driven growth plan. From there, their website, messaging, and marketing campaigns were aligned around a specific target audience.
As lead volume increased, a new challenge emerged: not all leads were a good fit. Instead of chasing more volume, the strategy shifted toward improving lead quality through better messaging, targeting, and filtering.By year five, Hanselman had a marketing system that consistently generated qualified opportunities, giving them far greater control over the work they took on
The Challenge
Hanselman was not struggling, but they were constrained.
Referrals were their primary source of business. This created a steady baseline, but it offered little control over lead volume or project type. Some projects were ideal. Others were not.
They had experimented with Google Ads, Houzz, and direct mail, but results were inconsistent and difficult to measure. Without clear tracking, it was hard to understand what was working—or how to scale it.
Their website also failed to reflect the premium nature of their services. For a company focused on high-end, design-driven landscapes, the messaging did not clearly communicate their value.
As a result, they often attracted the wrong audience, while ideal clients did not always recognize them as the right fit.
The Solution
When Hanselman partnered with Improve & Grow, the goal wasn’t to try another set of tactics. They were looking for a clearer direction and a way to make their landscaping marketing actually support the kind of work they wanted to do.
Improve & Grow stepped in as a strategic digital marketing partner, starting with a Growth Action Plan. This wasn’t about jumping straight into campaigns. It was about understanding their business, defining their ideal client, and mapping out how their marketing could better reflect both.
From there, the work moved into execution, with each phase building momentum and revealing new opportunities to refine the strategy.
In year one, the website was enhanced to better communicate their approach and attract the right type of client. At the same time, Google Ads and SEO campaigns were launched with proper tracking in place, allowing for clear performance measurement.
Over the following years, the website was continuously improved rather than rebuilt all at once. Key pages were refined to clarify messaging and guide visitors toward taking action. SEO efforts expanded, increasing organic traffic, while paid campaigns were optimized based on real data.
As performance improved, a critical shift emerged. More leads didn’t automatically mean better opportunities.
By analyzing call recordings and form submissions, clear patterns surfaced—many inquiries were not aligned with the types of projects Hanselman wanted. This became a turning point.
Instead of pursuing more volume, the strategy shifted toward improving lead quality through stronger messaging, clearer positioning, and better qualification.
By analyzing call recordings and form submissions, clear patterns emerged. Many inquiries were not aligned with the types of projects Hanselman wanted. In response, messaging was refined and lead forms were updated to better qualify prospects.
The Results
Over a five year period, Hanselman transformed both the volume and quality of their pipeline, creating a more consistent and controllable flow of opportunities.
Lead volume increased from 107 to more than 350 per year. That gave Hanselman a much more consistent flow of opportunities instead of relying on referrals alone.
Organic traffic showed steady, reliable growth year after year, climbing from 2,659 visits to over 10,000. That growth came from ongoing SEO work focused on the types of projects they wanted, not just general landscaping searches.
In the early years, the conversion rate improved from 0.9% to 2.0%. That jump came from clearer messaging, better page structure, and making it easier for the right people to reach out.
In later years, conversion rate dropped slightly to around 1.4%. That wasn’t a performance issue. It was a result of two intentional changes.
First, the site began filtering out more low-fit inquiries through stronger messaging and lead qualification. Second, SEO expansion brought in more early-stage visitors who were still researching.
The result was a shift in what those leads actually looked like.
Instead of a mix of small jobs and general inquiries, more of the pipeline came from homeowners looking for high-end, design-focused work. That aligned much more closely with Hanselman’s goals, especially their push toward larger projects and Japanese-inspired gardens.
Traffic and lead volume both grew, but the bigger change was that the opportunities coming in were a better fit for the business.
What Changed
For Hanselman, the biggest change wasn’t just in the numbers—it was in how the business operated day to day.
Before this, most new work came through referrals. That meant the pipeline could feel full one month and quiet the next. It also meant they didn’t have much say in what types of landscaping projects came in. Some were a great fit. Others weren’t.
As their marketing improved, that started to even out.
They could see where leads were coming from, which channels were producing real opportunities, and what those opportunities looked like once conversations started. That visibility made it easier to adjust instead of guessing.
The lead quality reset in year three made a noticeable difference. By going through call recordings and form submissions, they could spot patterns in the types of inquiries coming in. From there, small changes to messaging and the contact form helped screen out a lot of the low-fit requests.
That meant fewer conversations that went nowhere and more time spent on projects that actually matched their work.
Over time, the mix of landscaping projects shifted. More inquiries came from homeowners looking for design-focused, higher-end gardens. Fewer came from people looking for basic or lower-budget work.
That changed how they planned their schedule and how they thought about growth. Instead of filling gaps, they were looking ahead and choosing which landscaping projects made sense to take on.
And just as important, they had clarity. Not assumptions or guesses, but real data showing where opportunities were coming from and how to improve them. That visibility allowed them to make better decisions and plan for growth with confidence.
Final Word
Hanselman did not need more visibility. They needed alignment between their landscaping marketing and the work they wanted to do. Once that alignment was achieved, the results followed.
Today, they have a predictable system for generating high-quality leads and a stronger foundation for long-term, sustainable growth.
If you want more control over your lead flow and the kind of work coming in, this is where we can help.