Home › Guides › How Do You Market a Tree Service During Storm Season? A Week-by-Week Plan

How Do You Market a Tree Service During Storm Season?

By Ansh Singh · Updated November 8, 2026 · 8 min read

Short answer: Storm marketing for a tree service is mostly done before the storm. Spend the weeks ahead on a ready Google profile, an emergency page, a missed-call text and a plan for crew hours. When the storm hits, answer fast and say honestly what you can do and when. Afterward, ask for reviews and follow up with jobs you quoted.

Key facts

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, peaking around September 10 (NOAA).
A thunderstorm is severe at winds of 58 mph or more, or hail one inch across (NWS).
Build one strong emergency page with real hours and a tap-to-call number, not 40 near-copy town pages.
Answer calls in minutes, sort jobs by danger, and never promise a time you cannot hit.
Do not offer anything in return for reviews; Google and the FTC both restrict incentives.

A storm brings a burst of calls in a short time. A neighbor trade, roofing, sees the same rush, and our storm damage roofing marketing guide is worth a look. Tree work has its own twist: the danger is immediate. A limb on a roof or a trunk across a driveway cannot wait, so people call the first company that picks up.

When is storm season for a tree service?

It depends on where you work. The seasons overlap, so most regions have more than one.

Threat	When it is most common	Source
Atlantic hurricanes	June 1 to November 30, peak around September 10	NOAA National Hurricane Center
Tornadoes, Southern Plains	Peak May into early June	NOAA NSSL
Tornadoes, northern Plains and upper Midwest	Peak June or July	NOAA NSSL
Tornadoes, Gulf Coast	Peak earlier in spring	NOAA NSSL

The Hurricane Center adds that tropical storms sometimes form before and after those dates. NSSL says tornadoes can happen any time of year and have been reported in all 50 states.

Plain thunderstorms matter too. The National Weather Service calls a thunderstorm severe when it produces winds of at least 58 mph or hail of at least one inch across (NWS Binghamton: severe weather definitions). Those winds are enough to drop limbs and push over weak or rotted trees, which is the work you do. Ice and heavy snow bring trees down in cold regions as well. We have no sourced dates for those, so check your own local weather office.

The week-by-week plan

Count weeks back from the start of your region's first storm season. If you start late, begin at the week you are in.

Weeks 8 to 6 before: fix the base

Open your Google Business Profile and check every field. Google says to remove your address if you do not serve customers there, and to list your service areas, up to 20 (Google Business Profile help). Check your categories, your phone number and your hours.

Check that your website works on a phone, loads fast and shows your number at the top. If your site has no emergency page, you will build one next. Our tree service website checklist shows the rest.

Weeks 5 to 4 before: build the emergency page

Make a page called "Emergency Tree Service" that does five things:

Says what you handle: trees on houses, on cars, across roads and driveways, hanging limbs.
Says your real hours and how fast you usually respond. If you do not run 24 hours, do not claim it.
Lists the towns you cover.
Puts a tap-to-call number and a "text us photos" link at the top.
Says plainly that you carry liability and workers' compensation insurance.

Do not make 40 near-copies of this page for 40 towns. Google's spam policies name pages made to rank for similar searches that lead users to the same place as an example of doorway abuse (Google Search Central: spam policies). Make one strong page and list the towns on it. Our guide on service area pages for tree services shows how to do real town pages.

Weeks 3 to 2 before: set up the phone

During a storm you will have more calls than hands. Set up:

A missed-call text that says who you are, asks for a photo and the address, and says when you can likely come. See missed-call text back for tree services.
A voicemail greeting that says your hours and the best way to reach you.
One person who answers the phone, even if it is a family member or part-timer.

Week 1 before: set Google special hours

When a storm is forecast, update your Google profile. Google lets you set special hours for holidays and other temporary changes (Google Business Profile help: hours). If you will run extra hours, say so. If you will be booked a week out, say that too.

The National Weather Service issues a watch when severe storms are possible and a warning when danger is imminent (NWS: thunderstorm watches and warnings). Use a watch as your trigger to get the crew and trucks ready.

Storm days 0 to 3: answer and sort

This is when jobs are won. Rules for these days:

Answer in minutes. If you cannot, the text goes out for you.
Sort every call by danger: tree on a house, blocked road, hanging limb, cleanup. Do the dangerous ones first and tell the others honestly when you can come.
Never promise a time you cannot hit. A homeowner told "tomorrow" who is still waiting on day three will remember it.
Never pressure a homeowner at the door. Pushy door-to-door selling hurts the trade's name, and your best answer is a company that picks up the phone and keeps its word. This is our advice, not a sourced finding.
Give a written price before work starts, with your name, your insurance and the scope.

Post two or three honest updates on your Google profile and social pages: "Crews out in [town] today. Booked through Thursday. Call or text for emergencies." Real posts beat slogans.

Week 1 after: finish and photograph

Take photos before, during and after each job. Get permission to post them. Put your best removals, especially trees off roofs, on your site and profile with the town named.

Weeks 2 to 3 after: ask for reviews

Text each customer a link to your Google review page. Do not offer anything in return. Google's guidance says incentives for reviews are prohibited (Google: get more reviews). The FTC rule also bars buying fake reviews or tying rewards to a positive review (FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule Q&A). A short text is enough, and we have wording in tree service review request text.

Week 4 after: turn storm jobs into steady work

Call everyone you quoted but did not book. Offer the planned work: the next tree that looks weak, a trim before the next storm, stump grinding. Some will say yes now that the danger is fresh. Our guide on stump grinding marketing covers the follow-on work.

Then call the property managers and landlords who used you. Ask what they need before next season. See how to get commercial tree service contracts.

What paperwork should I have ready for storm work?

Storm jobs go fast, and that is when paperwork gets skipped. Keep a one-page work order in your truck with the scope, the price, the date and both signatures.

Some states require this. In Maryland, a licensed tree expert must use a written contract that carries the license number, the scope of work, anticipated dates, payment terms and signatures from both sides (Maryland DNR). Our Maryland page covers the state rules. Even where it is not required, a signed order protects you when a neighbor disputes what was agreed, and it shows homeowners you are a real company. Also keep your insurance certificate on hand, since property managers and adjusters will ask for it.

What should I not do during storm season?

Do not buy a rush of shared leads without checking the price per won job. In a storm, everybody buys them.
Do not claim 24-hour service if you cannot answer at 3 a.m.
Do not take work beyond your gear or training. If a tree is on a power line, say you will not touch it until the utility has made it safe.
Do not post stock photos of someone else's crew.

Common questions

How do I get tree service customers after a storm?

Show up where they search. They look on Google Maps and Search for "emergency tree service" or "tree removal near me." A complete Google profile with your service areas, honest hours, photos and reviews, plus a text that answers missed calls, wins more storm calls than any ad.

Should I run ads during a storm?

Possibly, but demand is already high and prices for clicks can rise. Make sure your profile, site and phone are ready first. If you do run ads, send them to your emergency page, not your home page, and watch cost per job won.

When should I update my Google hours?

When a storm watch is issued or your schedule changes. Use special hours for temporary changes and change them back when you return to normal.

Can I charge more after a storm?

Be careful. Some places limit price increases after a declared emergency, and we have not checked the rules for your state. Look up your state attorney general's page before you raise prices, and explain every price in writing.

If you want an emergency page and a profile that are ready before the next storm, see a free demo site. For the general plan, start with our tree service SEO guide.

Sources

About the author

Ansh Singh runs Contractor Websites. He builds websites for electricians, plumbers, roofers and other home service trades, and writes the guides on this site. More about Ansh Singh.

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