The development and role of artificial intelligence in search engine optimisation is changing the way in which clients can find garden and landscape designers online, says Dan Hoye
When a potential client wants to find a garden or landscape designer, a word-of-mouth recommendation has long been the most powerful route, offering reassurance that the work and the experience will live up to expectations. A recommendation from a neighbour, an architect, a landscaper or previous client often carries more weight than any advert. Awards and magazine features also help to build credibility and visibility over time.
In recent years, the internet has also become part of the search process. A name passed on by a friend is usually followed up by a quick look for that name online. A magazine feature leads to a website visit. Even the strongest personal referral is likely to be double-checked online by the potential client before they take the next step of getting in touch with the designer. They ‘have a look online’ not to discover that person, but to decide if they can trust them.
The current ‘norm’
This is the point at which curiosity becomes research and that process takes a fairly predictable path: the potential client will type a few words into a search engine, skim-read the results, and open up a handful of websites, most likely those at the top of the first page.
Search engines advise website owners that if they appear on page one of that search engine’s site, and their website looks professional, it is in with a chance of being visited by the person doing the searching.
Most garden and landscape designers’ websites have been built around that guidance. The person setting up the site is encouraged to use certain keywords, to write blog posts, and to shape their web pages around what the search engine wants to ‘see’, and such has been the dominance of the Google search engine in particular, its guidance is that which most website owners tend to follow.
Once live, the success of any website is measured by ‘rankings’, which are created and operated by the search engine (its algorithm), not by whether the website has actually helped clients to feel confident enough to get in touch with its owner.
The development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), however, is changing the nature of this research process.
Change is here
Now, searchers, including potential clients for garden and landscape designers, are doing something different.
Instead of searching and scrolling through listings on the internet, they are asking new tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s AI Mode to recommend someone to them. The searcher is not being shown a long list of links. They are being given a small number of names, suggestions of who to contact, often with an explanation of why those designers are a good fit for that searcher.
The biggest change is not really about technology. It is about behaviour. People are asking search questions through AI in the same way they would ask a real person. Their search string is not ‘garden designer London’, they are posing questions as if spoken, such as: ‘Who’s a good garden designer in London for a wildlife-friendly family garden?’; ‘How much does a garden designer usually cost for a small space?’; or ‘Do I need a garden designer or a landscape designer for this project?’
AI tools are being built to understand these kinds of questions and while AI does not ‘know’ what is true, it is designed to favour clear, well-structured information that aligns closely with the question being asked.
Sites that rely heavily on vague, poetic language or generic phrases can be hard for AI to interpret and it is why some designers are now receiving fewer enquiries via their websites. Nothing about their product – that is, their garden design work – has changed but AI cannot recognise the descriptions of it on the designer’s website.
Phrases such as ‘designed with a sense of place’ or ‘bespoke gardens’ may sound nice, but they do not really explain what a designer does or who might like that type or style of garden.
PEOPLE ARE ASKING SEARCH QUESTIONS THROUGH AI IN THE SAME WAY THEY WOULD ASK A REAL PERSON.
Make AI work for you
A website that clearly states who is the designer, where they work and what kinds of projects they specialise in is much easier for AI (and for potential clients) to understand.
Imagine a homeowner asking an AI search system to recommend a garden designer in the Cotswolds who works with sustainable materials. Two designers might be equally appropriate. One has a beautiful, atmospheric website full of imagery and broad statements. The other clearly explains their approach to sustainability, shows examples of local projects, and uses plain language to describe how they work. The second designer is far more likely to be recommended by AI search tools; not because they are better, but because their website is easier to understand.
AI tools tend to draw information from those places where designers explain their thinking: the service, FAQ, blog post, and project write-up pages. An article explaining how much a garden designer typically costs, or what is involved in designing a small garden, can be more likely to be found by an AI search than another polished gallery of images.
Location matters more too. Clear references to where the designer is based and where they work will help AI connect them to garden owners in the same area.
The same goes for specialisms. Designers who clearly describe the type of work they do – family gardens, courtyards, low-maintenance spaces, wildlife-friendly schemes – are much easier to match with a client.
Pages of projects play a big part here as well. Images are important but without words, they will not tell enough of the story. A few paragraphs explaining the brief, the challenges, and the design decisions will help AI (and potential clients) understand the value that the designer can bring to a garden.
Possible benefits
In a strange way, all of these adjustments to language and detail could make websites more useful and successful. Clear, well-written pages that explain what you do and how you work are now more important than visual tricks, or technical SEO.
The changes that need to be implemented are not complicated: have a homepage that says plainly what you do, where you work, and who you help.
Next, a services page that explains what it is like to work with you, with sections that answer real client questions. On your project pages, include your process for each, as well as photographs.
AI search is moving discovery away from lists, towards recommendations. Searchers – potential clients – are trusting AI answers rather than internet search rankings. For garden and landscape designers, that means visibility is no longer about shouting louder. It means being clearer.
DAN HOYE, SGLD AFFILIATED BUSINESS PARTNER
is a brand identity and web designer who specialises in strategic branding and building websites that convert visits into clients.
danhoye.com