Excavating · October 19, 2026

Excavating company marketing: the 8 pages your website needs

An excavating company website needs eight pages to win search traffic: a home page, one page each for foundations and basements, land clearing, grading and drainage, septic systems and utility trenching, a page for builders and commercial clients, and a projects page with real photos. Each page should name the job, the area you serve, what affects the price and how to get an estimate, with your phone number at the top. Most excavators run a one-page site, so eight focused pages is often enough to outrank them.

By Marco Savone, co-founder of Scusa Media. Sold and marketed for a Metro Detroit exterior remodeler before starting the agency.

Why pages matter more than ads for excavators

People do not search for 'excavating company'. They search for the job: 'septic installation near me', 'land clearing Oakland County', 'basement excavation cost'. Google matches each search to the page that answers it best. If your site has one page called Services with a bulleted list, there is nothing for Google to match.

Paid ads still work for excavators. Commonly reported ranges are $40 to $150 per residential lead on Google and Meta. But builder and commercial work, the steady jobs that fill a season, mostly comes from being found in search and being easy to check out. A general contractor who finds you on Google will read your site before calling. Eight clear pages answer the questions they would otherwise ask a competitor.

Page 1: Home

Say what you do and where in the first line: 'Excavating, land clearing and septic in Oakland and Macomb counties.' Put a tap-to-call phone number and an estimate button at the top. Show three real job photos, your Google rating and review count, and links to each service page. Skip the slogan about quality. Every competitor says it.

Pages 2 to 6: one page per job type

Foundations and basements. Cover new home digs, additions and basement work. In Metro Detroit, mention clay soil and the deep frost line, since footings and drainage there are a common question. In Miami, talk about the high water table and limestone, and when dewatering is needed.

Land clearing. Lot clearing, tree and stump removal, brush and debris hauling. Say what size lots you take, what equipment you bring and how you handle permits and erosion control.

Grading and drainage. Rough and finish grading, yard regrading, French drains and standing water fixes. Homeowners with a wet basement or a flooded yard search for this, and it is easy money left on the table when no page exists.

Septic systems. Installation, replacement, repair and perc testing support. One 2026 Michigan cost guide puts a full residential system at roughly $8,000 to $25,000, with soil and permits as the biggest swing. Give a range like that and explain what moves it. A page that talks about price earns more trust and more calls than one that hides it.

Utility trenching. Water and sewer lines, electrical and gas trenching, line replacement and tie-ins. Builders and plumbers search for this when their own crew is booked.

Page 7: Builders and commercial

This page is for general contractors, home builders, developers and property managers. List your equipment, crew size, service radius, insurance and bonding, safety record and how fast you can mobilize. Add a short form or email for bid packages. A builder comparing three subs wants to know you can show up and carry the job, not read a story about your family business.

Page 8: Projects

Real photos and short write-ups: the job, the town, the problem, what you did and how long it took. Before and after shots of a cleared lot or a regraded yard do more selling than any paragraph. Add new projects every month. Each one is a fresh, local page Google can show and a link you can send a builder.

What every page needs

A clear title with the job and the area, like 'Septic installation in Oakland County, MI'.

The phone number and an estimate button at the top and bottom. On a phone, the number must be tappable.

What affects the price: soil, access, depth, haul-off, permits. Ranges beat 'call for a quote'.

Three to five real questions customers ask, answered in plain words.

Two or three real photos from that type of job, not stock images.

Links to the other service pages and to your projects page.

What about city pages?

Add a page for a town only when you have real work and photos there. A page for every town with the same text swapped is the kind of thin content Google ignores. Start with the eight pages above. Then add a page for your two or three busiest areas, each with local projects and local details.

The other half: Google Business Profile and follow-up

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing people see. List every service from your eight pages, add equipment and job photos every week and ask for a review after every job. Excavators with strong work and six reviews lose to weaker companies with fifty.

Then answer fast. In a 2026 Jobber report, more than half of home service customers expected a reply within the hour, and only about one owner in five said they reply that fast. When you are in the cab of a machine, missed-call text-back and a booking link keep the lead warm until you can call.

Questions people ask next

How many pages should an excavating website have?

Start with eight: home, five job-type pages (foundations, land clearing, grading and drainage, septic, utility trenching), a builders and commercial page and a projects page. Add town pages only where you have real work to show.

Should I put prices on my excavating website?

Give ranges and explain what moves the price: soil, access, depth, haul-off and permits. You do not have to quote a number, but a page that talks about cost gets more calls than one that says 'call for a quote'.

How long until new pages show up on Google?

New pages are often indexed within days, but ranking for competitive local searches usually takes three to six months. Reviews, real photos and links from local suppliers and builders speed it up.

Do excavators need a blog?

Not at first. Eight strong service pages and a projects page updated monthly do more than a blog. Add articles later that answer real customer questions, like what a perc test is or how long a basement dig takes.