About the Client
Citrus Landscape Solutions is a full-service landscaping company operating across Central Florida with locations in Sanford, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Melbourne. They offer landscape design, artificial turf installation, paver and hardscape work, sod installation, and ongoing maintenance. As the company expanded into new markets, they needed a digital presence that could generate leads in each city independently rather than relying on word of mouth and referrals alone.
Quick Facts
| Client | Citrus Landscape Solutions |
| Industry | Landscaping / Outdoor Services |
| Locations | Sanford, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Melbourne (FL) |
| Services | Custom Website, SEO, LSA Management, GBP Optimization |
| Client Since | December 17, 2025 |
| Website Launch | December 2025 |
| LSA/GBP Takeover | January 2026 |
| Last Updated | April 2026 |
The Challenge
Citrus Landscape Solutions was expanding from their Sanford headquarters into three new Florida markets: St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Melbourne. Each market had its own competitive landscape, and the company needed three things simultaneously: immediate paid leads to feed the crews in each city, growing organic visibility to reduce long-term dependence on ad spend, and optimized Google Business Profiles to capture the "near me" searches that drive most landscaping calls.
The LSA accounts were already running before REK came on board, but cost per lead was trending upward and the review profiles backing each market were thin. The website launched in December 2025, and within weeks REK took over LSA and GBP management across all markets. The challenge wasn't just getting leads. It was building a system where paid, organic, and local channels all reinforced each other across four separate markets.
Local Service Ads: Lower CPL, Higher Impression Share, More Leads
REK took over LSA management in early January 2026 for three markets: Lake Mary (serving the Sanford/Central Florida area), St. Petersburg, and Sarasota. The Lake Mary and St. Petersburg accounts had been running under previous management, so we have clear before-and-after data. Sarasota was a new market launched from scratch under REK.
The priority wasn't just getting more leads. It was getting more efficient leads. That meant optimizing profile completeness, accelerating review generation, tightening category targeting, and managing budgets to maximize impression share in each market. The results showed up across every metric.
Cost Per Lead: Down 22% in One Month
The blended CPL across all three markets dropped from $109.36 in February to $85.77 in March, a 22% improvement in a single month. Lake Mary saw the most dramatic shift, dropping 43% from $99.95 to $57.30 CPL, making March its most efficient month in the account's history. All three markets remain within the $80-$150 target CPL range for Florida landscapers, with Lake Mary now operating well below that floor.
| LSA Market | Feb CPL | Mar CPL | CPL Change | Mar Charged Leads | Top Impression Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mary | $99.95 | $57.30 | ↓ 43% | 89 | 98.00% |
| St. Petersburg | $119.43 | $111.75 | ↓ 6% | 50 | 98.10% |
| Sarasota | $127.95 | $139.48 | ↑ 9% | 23 | 98.10% |
| Blended | $109.36 | $85.77 | ↓ 22% | 162 | 98%+ |
Impression Share: 98% Top-of-Page Across All Markets
All three LSA profiles maintain a 98%+ top impression rate on Search, meaning Citrus Landscape ads appear above unpaid results in nearly every eligible auction. The absolute top impression rate (appearing as the very first ad) varies by market: Lake Mary leads at 42%, St. Petersburg at 31.58%, and Sarasota at 26.46%. The absolute top rate correlates directly with review volume and rating, which is why Lake Mary (79 reviews, 4.9 stars) dominates first position while Sarasota (8 reviews, 5.0 stars) is still building that presence. Combined ad impressions across all three markets total 73,732 in the reporting period.
| LSA Market | Ad Impressions | Top Impression Rate | Abs. Top Impression Rate | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mary | 29,874 | 98.00% | 42.02% | 79 | 4.90 |
| St. Petersburg | 34,636 | 98.10% | 31.58% | 29 | 4.40 |
| Sarasota | 9,222 | 98.10% | 26.46% | 8 | 5.00 |
| Total | 73,732 | 98%+ | — | 116 | 4.79 avg |
Lead Volume: 95% More Charged Leads Per Month Under REK
Before REK took over, Lake Mary and St. Petersburg were averaging a combined 83 charged leads per month (Oct-Dec 2025). Lead volume had been declining: 103 in October, 81 in November, 64 in December. Under REK management, that trend reversed immediately. January produced 92 charged leads (adding Sarasota as a new market), February jumped to 144, and March hit 162. That's a 95% increase over the pre-REK average, and the trajectory is still climbing.
| Market | Pre-REK Avg (Oct-Dec '25) | Jan '26 | Feb '26 | Mar '26 | Growth vs. Pre-REK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mary | 50/mo | 62 | 84 | 89 | +78% |
| St. Petersburg | 33/mo | 21 | 38 | 50 | +52% |
| Sarasota | N/A (new market) | 9 | 22 | 23 | New |
| Total | ~83/mo | 92 | 144 | 162 | +95% |
Total Charged Leads Per Month (All Markets)
The Review-to-Efficiency Connection
The data across all three markets confirms a direct relationship between review volume and LSA efficiency. Lake Mary (79 reviews, 4.9 stars) has the lowest CPL at $57.30 and the highest absolute top impression rate at 42%. Sarasota (8 reviews, 5.0 stars) has the highest CPL at $139.48 and the lowest absolute top impression rate at 26.46%. St. Petersburg sits in between on every metric. Review generation isn't just a reputation play. It's the fastest lever to improve ad placement, lower cost per lead, and increase the percentage of auctions where Citrus Landscape appears as the first result.
Google Business Profile: 142 Calls and 1,166 Interactions from Organic Local Search
REK took over GBP management for all four locations in early January 2026. Each profile was optimized with accurate categories, service descriptions, photo uploads, and a consistent posting schedule. The immediate focus was driving review volume and improving profile completeness to boost Local Pack visibility.
In the first four months, the four locations combined for 4,441 GBP impressions, 142 calls, and 1,166 total interactions. Sanford, as the most established location, led with 92 calls and 511 interactions. But the growth in newer markets tells the real story: Sarasota's calls jumped from 1 in February to 12 in March (a 1,100% increase), and Melbourne recorded its first-ever GBP calls in March.
| Location | Impressions | Calls | Interactions | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford | 2,677 | 92 | 511 | 79 | 4.9 |
| St. Petersburg | 871 | 29 | 254 | 29 | 4.4 |
| Sarasota | 464 | 19 | 169 | 8 | 5.0 |
| Melbourne | 429 | 2 | 232 | 0 | — |
| Total | 4,441 | 142 | 1,166 | 116 | 4.79 avg |
The Review-to-Revenue Connection
The pattern is clear across both GBP and LSA: locations with more reviews generate more leads at lower cost. Sanford's 79 reviews at 4.9 stars drive the most GBP calls (92) and the lowest LSA CPL ($84). Melbourne, with zero reviews, has just 2 GBP calls and isn't running LSA yet. Building the review base in St. Petersburg (currently 29 at 4.4 stars) and Sarasota (8 at 5.0 stars) is the highest-leverage activity for the next quarter.
SEO: Page-One Rankings and Growing Organic Traffic
The custom-coded website launched in December 2025, built HTML-first with Core Web Vitals targets and a site architecture designed for multi-location local SEO. In four months, the site has generated 421 organic clicks from 33,511 impressions in Google Search, with an average position of 20.8 that's improving monthly.
GA4 confirms the trajectory: 1,849 sessions, 6,766 page views, and a 4:29 average session duration, which signals visitors are engaging with the content rather than bouncing. Organic search and direct are the two primary traffic sources, with the portfolio and contact pages ranking as the most visited after the homepage, consistent with high-intent landscaping prospects evaluating the company before reaching out.
| SEO Metric | 5-Month Total |
|---|---|
| Organic Clicks (GSC) | 421 |
| Organic Impressions (GSC) | 33,511 |
| Average Search Position | 20.8 |
| Click-Through Rate | 1.26% |
| GA4 Sessions | 1,849 |
| Page Views | 6,766 |
| Avg Session Duration | 4:29 |
| Engagement Rate | 49.92% |
| Keywords in Search Console | 1,998 |
Keyword Rankings
The site is already ranking on page one for core service keywords. "Citrus landscape solutions" holds position 2.13 with a 24.62% CTR. "Landscaping" sits at position 2.99, "landscaper" at 2.89, and "landscaping company" at 2.45. These are competitive, high-intent keywords in a local market, and they're ranking within four months of launch.
Blog content is also gaining traction. A St. Petersburg native plants post reached position 5.78 with 367 impressions in its first full month live. A Sarasota sod installation post hit position 14.60 with 1,077 impressions. These content pieces capture informational queries that feed the top of the funnel while service pages convert the bottom.
What's Next for Organic
The exec summary from the March report identified specific opportunities: LSA is producing leads from cities like Venice, Bradenton, Daytona Beach, Lakeland, and The Villages with no dedicated landing pages. Building service-specific location pages for these cities would capture organic traffic from the same searchers currently coming through paid. Dedicated pages for landscape design, pavers, hardscape, concrete, masonry, and grading with local city modifiers would strengthen organic rankings and improve LSA landing page relevance at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does multi-location LSA management differ from running a single market?
Each LSA market has its own profile, budget, review base, and competitive dynamics. Lake Mary and St. Petersburg are higher-volume markets that generate more leads but also cost more in total. Sarasota is a newer, lower-volume market where the review base is still being built. Managing multiple markets means balancing budgets based on lead quality and cost per lead in each location, not just total volume. A lead in one market might cost $84 while the same lead type costs $117 in another.
Why are GBP calls and LSA leads tracked separately?
GBP calls come from the organic Google Business Profile listing in Maps and Search. These are free leads generated by strong local SEO and review management. LSA leads come from paid Local Service Ads that appear at the top of search results with a Google Guaranteed badge. Both generate real phone calls and messages, but they come through different channels with different cost structures. Tracking them separately shows the true ROI of each service.
What role do reviews play in LSA cost per lead?
Reviews directly impact LSA performance. Google's algorithm favors profiles with more reviews and higher ratings when deciding which ads to show. Lake Mary has 79 reviews at 4.9 stars and the lowest CPL at $84. Sarasota has 8 reviews at 5.0 stars and the highest CPL at $117. More reviews mean better ad placement, which means more impressions at the same budget, which drives cost per lead down. That's why review generation isn't just a reputation play, it's a direct lever on paid lead costs.
How long does it take for SEO to complement paid leads?
In this case, the custom website launched in December 2025 and started generating meaningful organic traffic within two months. By month four, the site had 421 organic clicks and was ranking on page one for core keywords like "landscaping" and "landscaper." Organic traffic is still a fraction of what LSA generates in lead volume, but it compounds over time without ongoing ad spend. The strategy is to use LSA for immediate lead flow while SEO builds long-term organic visibility that reduces dependence on paid channels.
Key Takeaway
Citrus Landscape Solutions shows what happens when paid, organic, and local channels work together instead of in silos. LSA generates immediate lead flow: 527 charged leads across three markets in under four months. GBP optimization produces free calls: 142 phone calls from organic local listings. And SEO builds the long game: page-one rankings for core keywords within four months of launch. The review-to-revenue pattern across every channel is the clearest signal. Locations with strong review profiles generate more leads at lower cost on every platform. For a multi-location service business expanding into new markets, that combination of immediate paid leads, growing organic visibility, and compounding review equity is the playbook.