Author Archives: HVAC Webmasters

Sep '24

7 Best HVAC Websites | Website Design Guide

The quality of an HVAC website is somewhat subjective, but data reveals how the top-performing websites share common traits that build goodwill with visitors and result in new customers.

HVAC website design is essential to every successful digital marketing campaign, and most HVAC companies view their website first and foremost as a lead generation source.

However, when tactically designed, your website is not just a lead source and a sales rep; it’s a powerful brand ambassador that can significantly enhance your digital marketing efforts.

Throughout this page, I will showcase the seven best HVAC websites of 2024 before outlining my comprehensive website design guide, which is based on more than ten years of data and design experience.

Best HVAC Websites

The best HVAC websites don’t merely showcase your work; they establish credibility.

In the digital marketing world, this credibility is known as E-E-A-T, which stands for expertise, experience, authority, and trust.

My agency, HVAC Webmasters, has a unique approach to crafting HVAC websites, backed by our 10+ years of experience and thousands of successful projects.

Based on that experience, here are my picks for the 7 best HVAC websites of 2024:

1) A 100% Guarantee Heating & AC

A 100% Guarantee’s website makes things simple for the visitor with clear and convincing calls to action and an appealing color scheme.

The chatbox on the bottom right makes contacting their business more accessible than ever, and the main navigation menu shows prospective customers their service options.

In addition, the review widget provides social proof to build trust with potential customers.

2) Air Essentials

Air Essentials grabs visitors’ attention with a featured CTA (in red) offering a free estimate. Talk about making a first impression.

The site continues to impress visitors with trusted products and brands, such as Carrier, Goodman, Rheem, and Lennox, which help establish credibility within the heating and cooling industry.

The homepage describes service types, showcases Google reviews through an embedded widget, and outlines the booking process in a numbered 1-2-3 format.

3) DRX Air Duct

DRX Air Duct’s website is all about establishing its brand. The color scheme, top images, and truck wraps drive home their well-known brand and build instant trust with potential clients.

The homepage shows even more authority by showcasing DRX Air Duct’s social media pages, video content, and unique images.

The company even showcases how they accept Bitcoin as a payment form to appeal to customers with cryptocurrency.

4) Executive Heating & Air Conditioning

Who inspires more trust than an executive? The HVAC website below features their Executive-like logo and truck wrap to build instant trust with visitors.

If that weren’t enough, a prominent image of a family introduces their company to personalize the experience.

The homepage builds authority by showcasing online reviews from Google and other sources and featuring additional unique images of their staff and equipment.

The main navigation menu outlines the different services they offer.

5) Hometown Heating & Air Conditioning

Hometown Heating & Air Conditioning’s website features a sleek, simple design matching the brand color scheme and provides an excellent user experience.

The “schedule an estimate” button at the top right of the homepage allows users to sign up, which converts many leads quickly.

The company’s featured image of its owner appears prominently on the homepage, building trust with prospective clients.

Additionally, illustrations of primary HVAC services give prospects some insight into potential solutions.

6) Woolace and Johnson

Woolace and Johnson is one of the best-looking HVACR websites ever. The truck wrap establishes brand authority from the start, and the rest of the homepage details services and provides social proof.

Woolace and Johnson, like several other websites on the list, features a review widget to showcase third-party reviews and encourage visitors to take action.

The top-right phone number matches the site’s color scheme and stands out to visitors intending to schedule HVAC services soon.

7) Mission Critical Comfort Solutions

MCCS shows why personalization is so essential for website success. Their homepage features a staff picture so potential customers can immediately connect with the brand.

The subsequent video further drives home their brand personalization and encourages prospects to take action.

The “Request A Quote” CTA gives website users a straightforward course of action, and the extensive navigation menu details each service provided to customers.

Qualities of The Best HVAC Websites in 2024

While each website offers unique value, they also share common qualities that are pillars of a successful HVAC website.

Incorporating the common themes of these seven websites will give your HVAC company a chance to convert online customers and grow your brand in 2024.

Branding

Websites that feature their logo and unique brand images convert at a 164% higher rate than non-branded sites.

The best way to brand an HVACR website is to match the logo colors with the site theme.

In addition, companies can drive home their brand by showcasing truck wraps, staff members wearing company shirts, and videos with a brand introduction.

Calls To Action (CTAs)

Every high-conversion website must have a prominent CTA so that users can take action.

A great-looking website without an accessible CTA fails to convert the visitors it inspires.

Imagine doing all that work just to lose out to competitors.

The CTA is essential to lead generation and perhaps the most critical aspect of your company website.

Personalization

Stock photos fail to establish the level of trust that custom photos do on a website.

Personalization is about connecting with visitors on a personal level.

Prospects who see the company owner, staff members, and truck feel an emotional connection.

At the very least, they know they’re dealing with an honest company, not a spammer or con artist.

Social Proof

Every HVAC website talks about how great their company is, but how many of them can prove it with data?

Showcasing 3rd party reviews is the best way to publish social proof and increase conversion rates.

Ensure the review widgets feature third-party reviews, like Google Reviews, because people are less likely to trust feedback that comes directly from the company.

Anybody can alter the text of reviews and paste the doctored testimonial on their site, but a reviews widget pulls the feedback directly from Google, presenting an extra layer of credibility.

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HVAC Website Design Guide (2024)

HVAC website design is the intentional configuration of a heating and cooling website, including layout, user interface, and aesthetic imagery.

Experienced HVAC web designers focus on optimizing user experience and conversion rate to maximize traffic impact from SEO, PPC, and other sources.

Aside from converting traffic, web design can influence your broader web presence and brand recognition.

For example, inbound links from Facebook, Google Business Profile, and Yelp all lead to your official website.

Digital footprints leading back to a primary domain increase your brand’s authority and legitimacy.

Below, I’ll go into greater detail on each aspect of the website design process.

Website Presentation

Most users notice a website’s front end immediately.

Factors like colors, white space, aesthetics, and overall user experience influence how they perceive your site and business.

Many of these factors work subconsciously; users may not pinpoint their reason for gravitating to a website.

However, their on-site behavior is the ultimate measure, as users who submit their contact information find your site useful and convenient.

Check out some of the factors that influence your website’s presentation.

Color

Palettes are critical in modern design.

They inform the visitor’s experience but create cohesion between the brand and platform.

The diversity of a palette stems mainly from an HVAC company’s logo.

A logo with many colors will distract the average user, but a logo with only one color will bore them.

In modern website design, it is ideal to use two or three colors, a primary and one or two secondary.

White Space

The phrase “white space” refers to empty spaces between images, text, and content blocks.

Modern consumers prefer digestible information since they can become overwhelmed by excess.

The function of white space is to foster a feeling of organization and conciseness.

Both can improve the visitor’s experience and influence behavior metrics like bounce rate, pages per site, duration on site, etc.

Aesthetics

If you’ve ever heard a visitor discuss the “feel” of a website, aesthetics are at play.

Aesthetics, defined as the “appreciation of beauty,” might not be something HVAC contractors consider for their business.

But make no mistake; everyone considers aesthetics in website design.

That includes your prospective customers who are reading about heating & cooling services.

A visually appealing website can benefit any type of business, including HVAC.

Website Functionality

A website’s look and feel generate its first impression, but its functionality can make or break its effectiveness.

Imagine that users attempting to navigate to other sections of the site via a smartphone browser can’t seem to scroll down or click the desired page links properly.

Once something like this occurs, the site’s visual appeal is rendered irrelevant.

Users will leave a website for functional reasons instantly (literally) and never return, regardless of the site’s visual impression.

Use across devices (mobile, tablet, desktop), site speed (loading time), URL structure, menu links, and user interface all contribute to functionality.

Navigation

Nine times out of 10, the most frustrating part of a poorly designed website is its navigation.

Users who cannot scroll properly and quickly get to other website sections will become discouraged and exit the site.

Mobile websites are typically the most complicated to navigate, so designers should pay closer attention to mobile design.

Since the screen is smaller than a tablet or desktop monitor, it should be incredibly convenient for users to navigate the site and its elements, primarily with their thumb and index finger.

Site Speed

Over half of internet users will exit a website that does not load within 3 seconds.

That puts HVAC websites on the clock immediately after users click on their results.

With each passing year, the user’s minimum speed expectation increases.

You can check your existing website speed using Google PageSpeed Insights, which generates a report that includes potential ways to increase its speed.

URL Structure

A website URL hierarchy is integral to a site’s functionality for users.

If you have pages for each service, the URLs should be both logical and hierarchical.

Let’s say you provide both residential and commercial HVAC services.

If so, a page for residential AC repair should be categorized as a child page underneath the parent page for residential HVAC services.

A sound hierarchy closely relates to your HVAC SEO efforts and helps users navigate your site.

Menu Links

Useful HVAC websites link every critical page from the homepage menu.

When converting traffic into customers, you want them to see all your services and easily access the one that intrigues them.

In alignment with the structure, menu links should have main categories (parent pages) and subcategories (child pages).

You should also have a Contact Us page and an About Us page to help connect with the visitors.

User Interface (UI)

User interface, often shortened to UI, focuses on the user’s projected need from your website’s functionality standpoint.

According to Usability.gov, UI combines interaction design, visual design, and information architecture.

They break down UI elements into four sections: input controls, navigational components, informational components, and containers.

They stress simplicity, consistency, and purpose as the driving principles of an effective user interface design.

Website Coding

Most visitors judge a website based on its front-end presentation, not realizing that back-end coding is often a necessary factor in how the site appears and how the user initially accesses it.

Coding is complicated and foreign to most, making a webpage’s source code unreadable to the average visitor.

Still, the designers’ heavy lifting occurs in that same code, ultimately determining its success or failure.

Codebase is a primary factor with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Schema Markup, and more.

Although AI models and no-code website builders have turned everyone into amateur designers, they still lack the professional touch of a seasoned web designer.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the code used to create every website. HTML annotates text with tags, suggesting that a browser displays it as the designer intends.

The language uses a series of tags that range from very basic to very complex.

For example, text surrounded by a <strong> tag on the back end is bolded on the front end.

HTML is closely associated with SEO because the HTML language includes header, title, and meta tags.

A CMS like WordPress makes HTML alterations simpler from an SEO perspective, but the design itself still requires in-depth knowledge of the coding language.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is code instructing a browser on displaying HTML.

While HTML tags suggest things like bolded text, the CSS code instructs the browser on what that will look like on the website’s front end.

CSS references what designers call rules.

A CSS rule contains three parts: a selector, a property, and a value.

More advanced CSS mechanisms like inline link CSS and internal CSS always play a role aside from CSS rules.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a code language that provides interactivity to websites.

When combined, HTML and CSS can formulate a custom webpage, but without JavaScript, it will remain static (it won’t move).

The code of JavaScript makes a webpage respond to user events like hovering, clicks, or commands.

JavaScript can be an asset to website design or a hindrance if misused.

For example, bloated JavaScript slows down websites and negatively influences site speed.

Schema Markup

Schema.org or Schema Markup is a vocabulary of semantically related tags inserted into HTML to help Google interpret the page.

Microdata tags from Schema.org help search engines like Google better categorize and promote pages on search results.

Schema is fundamental to SEO and is perhaps the most critical optimization element of a website’s codebase.

Since schema comes from search engines’ instructions, we know that Google considers it when pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked.

Mobile Design

Because phones are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, contractors have an infinite window of opportunity to reach their most extensive consumer base.

Most of your leads will find your website through a phone or another mobile device.

With this in mind, you should focus on mobile design elements that foster more conversions.

For example, a mobile design should feature a clickable number so users can quickly call your office.

Mobile Usability

Since most homeowners will access your company’s website on a mobile device, optimizing it for usability is paramount.

The foundation of usability is speed, which means your site should load instantly on smartphones (assuming the user has a fast internet connection).

Secondly, your mobile navigation must be suited to the mobile user, meaning easily clickable menu items and calls to action.

Finally, your website images must be easily viewable on a mobile device and not partially hidden or challenging to consume.

Mobile Layout

How can you, as a web developer, intrigue the mobile user through your website?

You have limited time and space and must make the most of it.

A layout should be instructive and straightforward while creating urgency for the visitor.

Layout factors to consider include height, width, image and logo placement, and space.

Custom Design

Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace help the average person create nice-looking websites.

The disadvantage of templates and website builders is their lack of customization.

From the placement of a logo on the page’s layout to the palette color scheme on the CSS style sheet, customization can greatly increase conversion rates and satisfy users’ needs and attention spans.

Complete Control

Tired of your website’s footer showing text like “designed with Weebly?”

If so, a custom design may be for you.

With custom design, you control what appears on your website and where it appears.

There are no mandatory code insertions.

Instead, you can add your logos, awards, and badges of honor to your header and footer.

Company Branding

With custom web design, you can brand your HVAC company in a way that is not replicable through website builders.

A unique codebase, layout, and color scheme can differentiate your website from others in the same industry and service area.

At first glance, the differences between a template website and a custom one may seem minimal, but Google sees them differently.

Perhaps most importantly, users growing accustomed to your brand through website design can only help expand awareness and foster a long-term, sustainable online presence.

Responsive Design

Potential customers may access your website on a smartphone, desktop, tablet, or other device.

With this in mind, your site must feature a responsive design.

Google has gone as far as to recommend responsive design principles to professional heating and air web designers.

Since designing a site for each device, brand, and model is not plausible, the best solution is a responsive web design, sometimes shortened as RWD.

Viewport

The area immediately visible to users is known as the viewport.

As you might imagine, viewports vary by device, so an iPhone viewport differs from one on a Dell PC monitor.

Before mobile’s emergence, designs often focused on desktop viewing, distorting viewport on mobile devices.

The mobile viewport directly impacts user experience and, ultimately, sales.

Breakpoint

Breakpoints are browser measurements that change the display based on a specified range.

In responsive design, breakpoints usually adjust to the width of the screen.

Sometimes, a breakpoint might shift the viewport from displaying two to four.

Designers should focus on breakpoints by device rather than the model.

Graphic Design (UX)

A website’s graphics are part of its visual presentation but can be considered an entirely different skill from a designer’s standpoint.

Graphics can be everything from logos to interactive buttons and everything in between.

Graphics are often tied into a site’s color scheme but are not the color scheme itself.

While websites use code and tags, visual artists use digital art studios like Adobe Suite.

Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop can all help create graphics for your website and other marketing materials.

Logo Design

An effective HVAC company logo is both simple and memorable.

Logo designers should focus on solid colors that are easy on the eyes.

VistaPrint outlines what each color evokes from the perspective of the typical consumer.

For instance, blue is one color that people often associate with trust and professionalism, making sense when you understand why it’s on at least half of all logos.

Buttons

Buttons make a significant difference in website conversion rates.

For example, a red button CTA outperforms other common colors by 34%.

The button’s font, styling, and visual aesthetics will also impact its effectiveness.

Infographics

Infographics are visual graphs or charts that unify content marketing, graphic design, and web design.

They’re a way of threading everything the user consumes together in one cohesive construct.

Like logos and buttons, an infographic can be extremely helpful or discouraging.

Some have become so popular that they earn inbound links to the image address, which helps SEO.

User Experience (UX)

The goal of every HVAC website is to generate HVAC leads, and there’s no safer way to accomplish this than through enhancing the user’s experience and inspiring them to complete a call to action.

A website visitor’s experience relates to everything previously discussed on this page, from aesthetics and visual presentation to navigation and website functionality.

While a single metric cannot measure UX, data can paint a general picture of its performance, such as bounce rate, pages per session, etc.

Google understands website visitors’ behavior better than ever and uses that information to inform its rankings.

Behavioral Metrics

We can best understand UX through user metrics like bounce rate and pages per session.

Although we can all subjectively visit an HVAC website and form opinions, Google Analytics data will provide data-driven insights.

Behavioral tracking can benefit any local service website by engaging users and encouraging participation in sales funnels and calls to action.

Website SEO Optimization

An HVAC website design is only helpful if potential customers visit it.

SEO and content creation are the best ways to ensure a sustainable website traffic stream.

Creating a topical keyword map and targeting relevant keyword terms on each website page allows your website to harness the power of HVAC SEO for lead generation.

For example, when a nearby homeowner searches for “ac repair near me” in the heat of summer, your website can appear as the first result on Google.

Once you achieve rankings like these, the hard work of your design pays off tangibly.

Keyword Targeting

Your HVAC website should have multiple pages for each service, including an individual page.

Each page will target one or more keywords that match the user intent of your ideal customer.

For example, a homeowner needing electric furnace repair might search for terms like “furnace repair,” “electric furnace repair,” and “electric furnace repair” cost.

By creating a website page that targets these keywords, you can attract qualified leads and convert them.

Website Authority

Every website domain has an authority score based primarily on backlinks.

Different tools, such as Moz, Majestic, and Ahrefs, measure this authority differently, and Google’s internal measurement is not available to the public.

However, HVAC companies can get a general feel for their website’s authority with the abovementioned tools.

You can improve your score by securing backlinks from credible websites like those of other local businesses you partner with or sponsor.

Content Creation

Ranking on Google requires quality content on each website page and proper keyword targeting.

The idea of content has evolved over time. Users are no longer interested in reading long blocks of text and now prefer visual elements like photos, videos, and clickable buttons.

You can utilize a tool like DataPins to showcase your recent HVAC jobs. This is a modern form of content tailored to the needs of modern users.

Combining modern content with sound on-page SEO strategies (like title tags and meta descriptions) allows you to rank well in search results and generate consistent leads.

Final Thoughts

HVAC website design is a crucial component of your company’s online success.

Using the above concepts, you can transform your website into a lead source, sales rep, and brand ambassador.

My experience in website design for HVAC companies spans 10+ years, and I have worked on hundreds of heating and cooling designs.

While this resource reviews the nuances and details of the best HVAC websites, it can prove overwhelming for contractors without much design experience.

For a personalized discussion about your existing HVAC website and how my agency can implement these concepts, call my personal cell phone at (800) 353-3409.

Sep '24

The Essential HVAC Google Ads Guide (2024 Update)

Google Ads (formerly known as AdWords) is an online advertising platform for HVAC companies and other businesses to promote their services through ads on Google Search, YouTube, and other web entities within Google’s Display Network.

Below, HVAC SEO Webmasters outlines everything you need to know about Google Ads for HVAC.

Key Takeaway

Google Ads are a quick way for HVAC companies to reach local customers on Google search results (and other Google-related platforms)

Google Ads Basics for HVAC

One of the essential assets that Google Ads affords its customers is audience targeting. This is crucial for HVAC customers who run a local business.

After all, what good would it do to have your ads run in New York when you operate in Kentucky?

Understanding Google Ads’ basics prevents your HVAC company from overspending on advertising campaigns.

Geo-Targeting

The first thing you need to know about Google Ads for HVAC is that you can pinpoint a specific display location for web surfers. Geo-targeting will help you reach people that you can reasonably service.

Keyword Research

The second thing you need to know is which keywords you choose and bid on are very important. We will get to the bidding process in a bit. You must ensure you have a list of keywords you want to rank.

For example, if you want an ad that promotes your A/C tuneup service, you would choose keywords that are directly related to A/C tuneup, like “AC tuneup services,” “AC efficiency,” “Air conditioner maintenance,” and the like.

Ad Appearance

Next, you can choose how your ads appear on actual searches and which keywords to use.

For example, you can display your ads only when the exact keyword used to search matches the keyword(s) you selected for your ads.

You can also set the broad match option to display your ad for specific keywords and search queries. one or more of the keywords you have selected for your ad.

Bidding

Lastly, you should know that Google Ads works on a bidding system.

You can’t simply pay for an ad based on a specific keyword you want to target and hope it will reach the top rankings.

Google Ads show up at the top of search engine results pages. But you will have to bid for the top spot.

A Primer on Google Ads for HVAC

Now that you know some of the basics of Google Ads for HVAC, let’s consider how you can maximize your investment.

Headline Practices

First and foremost, your headlines must align with the content visitors will read or hear about when they click the ad.

So if your ad headline reads “Furnace Repair,” you better ensure the landing page is at least chiefly about furnace repair. Also, it helps to include the keyword in your headline.

Free Extensions

If you pay for Google Ads, you can access free ad extensions. Ad extensions allow more information to be displayed along with your basic ad.

This information can include specific links to pages on your website, contact information, a link to your location or service area via Google Maps, promotional offers you may be running, and more.

Google also offers you tools to track the effectiveness of your extensions.

Remarketing Ads

Remarketing or retargeting ads display ads to people who have interacted with your website in the past, or have demonstrated interest in your services.

Ads can appear on any site within the Google Ads network and are very effective.

Retargeting ads give businesses an average boost of 43% in conversion rates.

Use Conversion Tracking

Conversion tracking is another Google tool, and it’s invaluable if you use Google Ads for HVAC.

Conversion tracking gives you critical insights into how well your ads are performing.

The data it provides can help you tweak your ads as necessary and allow you to calculate your advertising ROI accurately.

The 5 Google Ad Types

There are five main types of Google Ads.

Search Ads: show up on relevant Google search engine results pages.
Video Ads: Run before, after, or during YouTube videos.
Display Ads: These are seen on many Google partner websites.
App Ads: Appear on various mobile apps within Google’s marketplace.
Shopping Ads: Displays pricing information and ads on relevant Google search engine results pages.

AI for Google Video Ads

The emergence of AI empowers Google video ad campaigns to auto-optimize for users viewing YouTube on various devices and placement areas.

Google’s AI feature can convert existing assets like text and images into video ads and then adjust them for various formats (i.e., vertical dimensions for YouTube Shorts).

The “Trim video” feature converts long-form videos into reduced bumper ads (six seconds) and allows voiceover audio to highlight a specific HVAC service.

The video AI feature can prioritize one of three goals:

Awareness: Maximize the visibility of video ads
Consideration: Increase the number of engaged views of video ads
Conversion: Optimize video ads for a conversion goal like lead generation or website traffic

Quick Google Ads Tips for HVACR

It’s essential to understand every keyword your ad campaign targets and why. Blindly bidding on recommended keywords is a common pitfall for novice HVAC companies.

Here are a few extra tips to help you get the most out of Google Ads for HVAC companies:

Target Less Popular Keywords

If your advertising budget is scant, bidding on less competitive keywords that are still relevant to your services may be more beneficial.

Invest in Good Copy

No matter how much you pay for your ad, it will be worthless if your landing pages have a poor headline or poorly written content.

Take the time to write compelling ad copy or hire an agency/freelancer.

Closely Monitor Performance

Keep a watchful eye on how many new HVACR leads you get from your Google ads.

Google Ads can be highly effective when properly analyzed. However, it’s essential to monitor their performance regularly.

You can even tweak high-performance ads for better conversion.

Google Ads Management Services

At HVAC Webmasters, we specialize in PPC ad campaigns for HVAC contractors. We can help you advertise on Google, Bing, and mobile platforms.

We can ensure your ads reach the right audience, support your ads to rank higher, and increase your sales.

Learn more about how our PPC ad services can bolster your conversions by talking to us.

Jun '24

27 Proven HVAC Marketing Strategies (To Generate Leads)

HVAC marketing is essential to customer acquisition for modern heating and cooling companies.

However, both HVAC advertising and HVAC digital marketing are often the source of dismay for local companies who deploy the wrong marketing strategies or hire the wrong agency.

As the founder of my digital marketing agency, HVAC Webmasters, I know first-hand the frustrations of HVACR contractors who’ve experienced grave disappointment with other advertising agencies.

Many of these service providers make marketing seem overly complex – confusing, hard-working business owners looking to expand their promotional reach.

Free Download: Basic Marketing Plan Template for HVAC Companies (PDF)

Having spent the past 11+ years working directly with thousands of HVAC companies on marketing campaigns, I’ve compiled 27 proven strategies for promoting a heating and cooling business in 2024.

1) Search Engine Optimization

One of the most popular digital marketing techniques is HVAC SEO or search engine optimization.

The strategy consists of refining web content, URLs, links, and user experience to rank more effectively on Google, naturally driving more traffic and business to your company.

SEO is a massive industry, and most local companies now invest in some form of SEO.

There are right and wrong ways to execute search optimization, and HVAC contractors should invest in the right services to help them achieve their goals.

Despite being the most cost-effective marketing strategy for exclusive lead generation, SEO garners a lousy reputation in HVAC circles.

The discrepancy in perception and reality comes from the lack of trustworthy marketing agencies in the heating and cooling industry.

Some marketers continue to deploy obsolete or black-hat SEO methods, such as mass-producing blog posts on their clients’ websites, whether intentionally malicious or inexperienced.

Google’s Helpful Content Update aimed to demote websites that created content for search engines rather than people.

HVAC websites were one of the worst offenders in this area, resulting in hundreds of thousands of HVAC websites losing organic traffic.

Modern SEO requires branded digital signaling and E-E-A-T, something few agencies are capable of or willing to implement for their clients.

The ones that achieve it dominate SERPs and generate the most inexpensive and highest-quality leads in the marketplace.

2) Pay Per Click Advertising

Advertising is a form of marketing, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads are the most popular digital advertising method.

Most HVAC companies gravitate towards pay-per-click ads because they produce quick results without much effort.

Google Ads is the top pay per click platform in the HVAC industry and the one that produces the most consistent results.

Proper campaign management is essential to generating a profitable ROI with Google Ads, and avoiding wasteful spending is the most integral strategy.

While short-term lead generation is appealing, a long-term PPC investment can yield negative ROI without careful planning.

In most cases, PPC works best as part of a broader digital marketing strategy that includes SEO, reputation management, and remarketing or pixel tracking.

The challenge for local business owners is avoiding the sales tactics of PPC agencies that require long-term agreements.

Many HVAC contractors I’ve worked with spent years in bad contractors with advertising agencies that used deceitful billing tactics to hide their Google Ads fees.

Once they finally break free from the term agreement, they will be trepidatious about reinvesting in Google Ads.

The good news is that with proper management and a synergistic digital marketing campaign, PPC can still return a sizable profit for HVAC customer acquisition.

3) Social Media Advertising

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok have become increasingly important in the HVAC advertising ecosystem.

More and more of your target customers spend their time on these social media platforms.

Advertising to these consumers directly on these social apps is a great way to expand brand awareness.

You should note that because social media fosters positive scrolling, unlike Google, which attracts active searching, the conversion per click will be far lower.

With that being said, targeted advertising, as part of a broader digital marketing campaign, is not always aimed at direct lead generation.

By building brand awareness on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, you can attract your target customers through a funnel that ultimately results in new clients.

Perhaps your social ads can offer a lead magnet that asks for an opt-in in exchange for a guide, checklist, or coupon for your audience.

Once they opt-in to your service funnel, you can reach them consistently through email or remarketing (more on that later).

Remember that some of your audience is not currently seeking air conditioner or furnace repair, but they will inevitably need it at some point.

If your company can stay at the top of their mind, it will likely be the one they contact when the need arises.

Schedule a Free Marketing Consultation!

4) Google Maps Optimization

As a local HVAC company, you want your Google Business Profile to rank in Google Maps results, just as you want your website to rank in Google Search results.

When your website and business profile rank on the top of Google (in the Maps and Search sections), it creates a halo effect for searchers.

“Who is this HVAC company ranking simultaneously on Google Maps and Google Search?”

When you get searchers asking this question, your conversion rates will immediately increase.

Ranking on Google Maps requires optimizing your Google Business Profile and website in tandem.

Google Maps uses information from your website, so ensure your business URL is inserted into the website field of your Google Business Profile.

From there, add original photos to your profile and make sure your contact information is updated.

Next, you should focus on requesting Google reviews and responding to existing ones to help build your listing’s prominence.

Optimizing Google Maps search results can increase your HVAC company’s visibility, build credibility, and increase conversion rates.

Screenshot of Google Maps 3-Pack Featuring HVAC Companies

5) E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness and is an acronym coined by Google.

Because Google is your #1 marketing channel as a local contractor, aiming to meet their publicly requested standards is the key to maximizing success.

You can demonstrate these E-E-A-T qualities using various strategies, including attaching your licenses and awards to your website homepage and embedding a review plugin for verified 3rd party customer reviews.

Publishing content that contains expert information that only you can know is another way to showcase expertise.

On your website, outline what makes your services unique and include images and proof of recent jobs.

In addition, ensure your website is secure with HTTPS and site security so users feel comfortable with your business.

Implementing E-E-A-T on your business website will help set up your long-term brand online.

6) Check-ins

Check-ins are a form of schema markup that allows HVAC contractors to showcase proof of recent jobs.

For example, performing an AC coil repair in a nearby town of 5,000 people would generally go unnoticed by your website visitors.

However, with check-ins, you can show each job, including its service type and location.

As you might imagine, seeing proof of your jobs helps customers build trust with your services.

The same applies to search engines like Google, which value unique content that demonstrates expertise.

You can use software tools like DataPins or NearbyNow to generate check-ins from various heating and cooling jobs throughout your service areas.

Regular check-ins ensure your website stays fresh with new content daily or weekly.

7) Citations

Citations, often called NAP citations, showcase your HVAC business’s name, address, and phone number.

Your business must secure citations on significant directories like Yelp, Bing Places, and local chamber of commerce websites.

Angi’ and HomeAdvisor are valuable citations, too.

You want your citations to have consistent NAP information to build digital credibility.

However, there is one caveat when it comes to citations, which is that many are meaningless.

Citations from directories that are not indexed on search engines like Google won’t help your business.

If you pay for these kinds of citations, you are wasting money.

It’s not enough that the directories’ homepages are indexed; the interior pages with business information must also be indexed.

8) Community Outreach

Community outreach is a legitimate way for HVACR companies to establish a local presence and build credibility with future clients.

Participation in local events and organizations helps your business positively associate with your community.

As digital platforms like Google work to credit businesses that build an authentic brand offline, these types of tasks become even more critical.

Offering a free HVAC service to non-profits in your area is an excellent way to open the door to future relationships.

You might even consider hosting a speaking event or workshop where you outline the benefits of energy efficiency and AC maintenance for commercial producers.

Another form of community outreach comes from internships or apprenticeships with local colleges.

As these various engagements accumulate, your brand will grow and expand in more ways than you can imagine.

9) Sponsorships

Sponsorships can help your HVAC business quickly increase brand awareness in your community.

Little League teams and local charities are easily attainable sponsorships you can pursue immediately.

By sponsoring a local sports team, your logo can appear on their jerseys, promotional items, and even on signs within the field of play.

This visual association helps foster trust from your local consumer base.

To expand your brand from an industry standpoint, you can sponsor trade shows, HVAC-related events, and local groups.

These offline marketing strategies will fuel your online campaigns in 2024.

10) Public Relations (PR)

Public relations or PR is a legitimate way to market your heating and cooling business.

Unlike link building, which is aimed at algorithmic manipulation, digital PR naturally builds links while spreading brand awareness.

PR involves working with journalists to publicize your company’s achievements, innovations, and community endeavors.

Depending on your market, you may be able to earn a local TV spot on the news station.

Authentic links from credible institutions like local news websites are invaluable for digital marketing.

Furthermore, promoting your company through more traditional advertising channels (newspapers, magazines, etc.) allows you to cover all bases in brand awareness.

11) Email Marketing

Email marketing has become a critical promotional tool for HVAC businesses to nurture leads and increase customer acquisition.

Email subscriber lists allow companies to keep their audience informed about new services, discounts, and seasonal HVAC recommendations.

Consistent and informative newsletters keep your brand in front of your target customer’s eyes.

Within the scope of email marketing, segmentation becomes increasingly essential.

The more customized your email lists are to specific audiences, the more they will open and engage with their email sequences.

For example, people who previously scheduled furnace maintenance can be alerted to needing a check-up at a specific target date during winter.

Email marketing also helps increase customer acquisition by nurturing leads who have not become customers.

A large section of your audience is not ready to buy immediately, but offering a lead magnet in exchange for an email opt-in allows you to continue to nurture the lead through the sales cycle.

Using email marketing software, HVAC companies can track analytics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates through dashboard analytics.

From there, companies can adjust their campaigns to increase success.

12) Content Marketing

Content marketing is a great promotional strategy when adequately utilized.

However, the modern perception of content marketing is going awry.

Most HVAC companies believe in mass-producing blog posts to give Google fresh content.

Unfortunately, this strategy has the opposite effect of its intention.

Google’s Helpful Content Update demotes websites that engage in such content mass production.

Content marketing, the right way, involves strategically updating existing content.

New content should only be created and published if a similar page does not exist.

Your content efforts should maximize existing pages instead of cannibalizing them with hundreds or thousands of pages covering the same topic.

You can check out my content marketing video below to better understand this process.

13) Customer Referral Programs

Customer referral programs help heating and cooling companies market their business through word of mouth.

When satisfied customers refer family or friends to your services, you gain great new clients already invested in your brand.

The referral program incentivizes your existing client base when they refer new customers.

Their referrals can be tracked by providing each partner with a unique code to ensure they receive proper credit for bringing in new customers.

Examples of incentives include discounts, card or cash rewards, and complimentary services.

You can promote your referral program through your email subscriber list of existing clients and spread awareness on your social media channels, such as Facebook.

Referrals are some of the best leads your company will get from any marketing strategy, as the conversion and repeat customer rates are exponentially higher than other channels.

14) Direct Mail

Direct mail is considered an old-school marketing strategy but it still works in 2024.

The primary benefit of direct mail is hyper-regional targeting, which allows you to drill down your efforts to specific neighborhoods where your services are most coveted.

With this in mind, you should customize your mailers and marketing materials for the location you are covering.

Examples of direct mail include postcards, letters, and brochures, each of which vary in expense.

To maximize your broader marketing campaign, include QR codes on your mailers so users can quickly access your website through their mobile devices.

You can follow up with these leads through email sequences and retargeting campaigns.

Like digital marketing strategies, tracking success rates with direct mail is essential.

Evaluating ROI is the key to maximizing a multi-channel marketing approach for HVACR businesses.

15) Billboards

I’ve witnessed the impact of HVAC company billboards on trickle-down marketing.

As drivers pass by a witty billboard for an HVAC company, they are likelier to search for the brand name, increasing brand signals on search engines.

While many of your billboard impressions will come from locals who are target customers, some will come from travelers and commuters who are not candidates for your services.

That doesn’t equate to a wasted impression; their brand engagement can contribute to your broader marketing campaign.

The downside of billboards is that they use relatively random targeting despite high-frequency impressions.

In addition, their full impact can only be reached with a high-quality execution of the visual and text elements.

Any HVAC-related billboard should feature bold fonts, in-your-face images, and, most importantly, a witty slogan.

Because HVAC services vary by season, it is essential to run billboards that align with seasonal trends, such as furnace repair during a cold winter or AC repair during a hot summer.

Lead attribution for billboards is more challenging than digital advertising methods, as the customer’s entry point can rarely be traced directly to their sight of your billboard.

You can, however, measure your overall campaign engagement during billboard campaigns compared to times when you are not running billboards.

Graphic Showcasing an Example of a Billboard Opportunity

16) Print Advertising

Newspapers and magazines have grown virtually obsolete in the past decade, and investing in advertising on these platforms might seem like a waste.

However, those who continue to read newspapers trust them more than ever.

Research indicates that 82% of people trust print ads.

Older demographics like homeowners and local residents still rely on print for trusted service recommendations and other information.

While this group is a smaller subset of your clientele, it represents a potential market inefficiency if competitors fail to target them.

As a result, If you can target local newspapers with HVACR advertisements, the ROI could prove surprisingly favorable.

Visual appeal plays a crucial role in executing a successful print ad.

Make sure to invest in the highest quality images to foster visual engagement.

Another factor with print advertising is consistency.

It is not enough for readers to see your ad one time and never again.

You should repeatedly run ads in the same publications to build a rapport with the subscribers over time.

17) TV Commercials

Let’s be clear: YouTube is now the top platform for video consumption worldwide.

Digital ad spending officially overtook television ad spending over 7 years ago.

However, television ad sales have increased by 5% since then.

The trend indicates that as the competition diminishes, the ROI increases.

HVAC contractors looking to establish themselves in their local community may still benefit from a television spot.

When creating TV commercials, focus on a clear, engaging message highlighting a unique value promotion.

Another TV commercial strategy is highlighting a customer testimonial to build trust with viewers quickly.

Your content’s audio and visual quality is paramount, so don’t try to go cheap on professional video and audio production.

18) Radio Ads

While music streaming services have replaced the radio, a surprising number of consumers still listen.

A study shows that the average American still consumes 13+ hours of radio weekly.

Some of HVAC contractors’ most reliable clients have not entirely transitioned online and may need coaxing to connect digitally.

Tracking radio ROI is simple and one of the reasons companies still invest in advertising.

Targeting local radio stations allows service area businesses like HVAC companies to promote services within a specific community.

Because radio is an audio-exclusive platform, its success or failure is rooted it script and voiceover quality.

Even if you nail both of these, including a simple call to action (CTA) at the ad’s end is critical so listeners can take the next step.

Another factor to consider with radio ads is the time slots, as rush hour traffic times will reach the widest audience.

Consider mentioning your website and social profiles within your ad to align with your broader strategy.

19) Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships allow HVAC companies to access the customer bases of complementary businesses and create mutually beneficial opportunities for both parties.

Real estate agents or agencies, HVAC suppliers, and new home builders are examples of complementary businesses to an HVAC company.

In particular, referrals from real estate agents are highly valuable and can consistently produce new customers for your business.

Strategic partnerships can form organically or through digital outreach, leading to co-branded promotions and marketing efforts between entities.

For example, a joint press release citing your company and a real estate agency can increase brand awareness for both.

Finding new partnership opportunities often involves attending community or industry events where others seek collaboration.

The best partnerships are rooted in defined terms and frequent communication so everyone is on the same page.

20) Video Marketing

Video is a winning marketing strategy in the HVAC industry, presenting an excellent way to engage with future clients through YouTube and your business website.

Recording and publishing HQ videos allow you to showcase services, highlight expertise, and initiate the preliminary sales process with your customers.

For the modern customer, video outperforms text by conveying detailed information through an attention-keeping medium.

As you know, HVAC systems are highly complex, and most homeowners can’t visualize services based only on text.

From a promotional standpoint, video marketing is outstanding for SEO, conversion rate optimization, and lead generation.

You can publish videos directly on YouTube (one of the largest online platforms) and then embed them directly into your website’s pages.

Including videos on your website increases on-site engagement, decreases bounce rates, and sends positive signals to search engines about user experience.

Modern smartphones can record high-quality videos for small businesses, but you can also invest in a microphone to enhance the audio quality.

Video analytics are made simple through YouTube’s analytics dashboard, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console data for pages featuring videos.

21) Free Giveaways

Offering valuable services for free is a quick way to engage potential customers.

A commonly used giveaway for an HVAC company is a free system inspection or seasonal maintenance check-up.

The consumer receives immediate value while your technicians can quickly identify potential long-term services the client will require.

If you choose against the free services route, you might consider giving away a tangible product like a smart thermostat or air filter.

Clients will notice quick changes in their HVAC system performance and attribute them to your brand.

You can promote your various giveaways using social media, email lists, and website content to maximize your reach.

You can also partner with other complementary service providers to reach even more potential clients.

You can monitor the number of people who apply for your free giveaway and then track their future engagement with your company after the service or product is presented.

Analyzing this data will help you refine future giveaways to maximize reach and success.

22) Truck Wraps

Wrapping your company work trucks creates a moving billboard for your HVAC brand.

Because your technicians service various cities within your service area, their truck wraps will consistently reach your target audience.

An effective truck wrap design features your company logo, color scheme, phone number, and other branding elements.

I recommend including a QR code and website URL to expand your exposure to a digital interface.

The text on your design should be legible from afar, as many onlookers will have to process the information while driving.

Another important factor when investing in vehicle wraps is durability, as these designs must withstand rain and other inclement weather conditions.

Like billboards, attributing leads directly to a truck wrap is challenging, though you can include a unique promo code if you value precise lead attribution.

It’s important to remember that a broad digital marketing strategy synergizes, so multiple impressions of your brand on various channels combine to foster a new customer.

23) Marketing Materials

Marketing materials like brochures, business cards, and flyers continue to be effective for HVACR companies.

All materials should feature exclusive and unique images and precise and engaging text.

These materials can be distributed at industry or community events, in-person run-ins, and direct mail campaigns.

While digital marketing and QR codes have replaced much of the function of business cards, many older consumers still prefer the formality of table promotional material.

HVAC companies can also use marketing materials to improve repeat customer rates by sending swag to existing clients.

For example, calendars, magnets, and branded pens represent materials worth sending to your customers.

Finally, consider equipping your technicians with service reminder stickers that feature your company logo.

24) Podcasting

HVAC podcasts are one of the industry’s most untapped marketing channels. They present a unique and engaging medium for connecting with future customers.

Podcasts allow HVAC business owners to share first-hand insights and establish themselves as an industry leader.

Podcasts can be distributed through platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Amazon for easy access to a broad range of listeners, many of whom prefer to consume audio content while driving, working, or exercising.

Brainstorming your HVAC podcast starts with defining your target audience and choosing a niche topic within the HVACR industry.

Most top-performing podcasts regularly feature guests, allowing you to invite employees and others into your network to your show.

This is also an excellent opportunity to highlight strategic partnerships and create incentives for new partners to engage with your business.

To gain popularity in the podcasting forum, you must invest in high-quality recording equipment and podcasting editing software.

Furthermore, you must purchase podcast hosting and pay a monthly fee to host your episodes.

You can outsource these assignments to 3rd-parties if you don’t have an in-house producer to help.

Promote your podcast on all your other marketing channels, including social media and your website.

Encourage new listeners to subscribe for future episode updates and leave reviews and feedback.

While monetizing your podcast is certainly attainable after growing your subscriber base, the main goal here is to gain new customers and build brand authority.

Learn More: The Best HVAC Podcasts of 2024

25) Niche Specialization

HVAC business owners in large metropolitan markets often ask me how to stand out from competitors in marketing.

I tell them a quick way is to focus on a niche specialization.

In the HVAC industry, specialization can be as broad as commercial HVAC or as granular as air duct cleaning.

I’ve worked with companies who have niched down and garnered quick success in their marketplace.

This strategy works because consumers with a specific need are more likely to engage with a company that precisely meets that need.

You quickly establish topical authority by demonstrating the nuances of a service or sub-category within the broader HVAC industry.

The downside to this method is that it can restrict your ability to scale later.

Scaling problems are particularly difficult when your niche is included in your business name.

For example, a company named Jim’s Commercial HVAC will have trouble converting residential customers.

With digital marketing, you will have avenues to widen your target, though they won’t be as clean as branding your company with a more generalized HVAC name.

26) Multiple Business Locations

HVAC companies that scale quickly often feel an urge to open up new locations.

This marketing strategy does work as long as you properly account for budgeting, staffing, and local SEO strategy.

If your new business location is within an hour’s drive from your primary location, you can add new localized content to your existing website.

You will also rank better on Google Maps in your new location since you can now verify a business address in that city.

While these scenarios present positive outcomes within HVAC marketing campaigns, opening up locations further away, and sometimes across state lines, can create various problems.

As Michael King of iPullRank describes, adding content about other states to an established HVAC website can dilute its regional authority and create a gap in its vector.

In layperson’s terms, ranking in your target city becomes harder when you attempt to expand to a far-away location.

The best strategy in these cases is to create a new website for the new location and attach the appropriate Google Business Profile to that URL.

27) Private Label

Investing in custom-branded HVAC equipment and products presents a unique marketing opportunity for heating and cooling companies.

Because you can sell these products on your website under your own brand name, you can create organic traffic and consumer demand toward your brand without being a supplier.

Various suppliers offer private-label equipment opportunities for HVAC companies throughout the U.S.

Installing these products inside customers’ homes keeps your brand on their minds the next time they require maintenance or other HVAC services.

You can even record video how-to guides on private-label equipment to enhance your YouTube channel and other social media accounts.

While a private label is not required for a successful marketing campaign, it generates a positive ROI when properly utilized.

Other HVAC Marketing Considerations

Purpose

My experience working with thousands of business owners over the past decade has proven that most companies invest in marketing to generate HVAC leads and acquire new customers.

While marketing has ancillary benefits, like building consumer trust, its true motivation is lead generation.

Cost

A standard marketing budget is 9.5% of your company’s revenue, which means the cost varies depending on how much you can afford to spend.

Additionally, marketing costs vary depending on the type of channel you invest in, from Facebook Ads to a local radio spot.

SEO Services: $500-$10,000 per month
Website Hosting: $20-$100 per month
Facebook Ads: $150-$300 per month
Google Ads: $1,000-$10,000 per month
Billboards: $250-$4,000 per month
Print Ads: $250-$5,000 per month
Radio Ads: $800-$20,000 per month

How To Launch Your HVAC Marketing Campaign

Putting these marketing strategies into action requires officially launching your campaign.

My list outlines the proven success of promotional efforts in both the digital and traditional realms.

Since these techniques generate business growth, new customers, and more revenue, quickly putting them into action is the best way to yield results.

My 11+ years of first-hand experience as the owner of HVAC Webmasters, during which I’ve worked directly with 1,000+ HVAC companies, allowed me to develop a comprehensive marketing plan that leverages SEO, digital branded signaling, and software to grow HVAC businesses across the United States.

Use my outlined strategies to start growing your HVAC marketing campaign today.

Schedule a Free Marketing Consultation!

Jun '24

12 (Effective) Methods to Generate HVAC Leads in 2024

HVAC leads are everywhere, but 99.9% are distributed to a select group of companies and 3rd-party lead sellers throughout the United States.

Nearly 5 million people search for HVAC and related queries monthly, but heating and cooling contractors pay $300-$400 to buy leads from an intermediary.

This scenario highlights a significant problem within the heating and cooling industry.

When I started my digital marketing agency, HVAC Webmasters, in 2013, I found that some of my clients could generate leads for as little as $5 per lead.

The difference was that I helped them build their own online brand rather than relying on 3rd parties.

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve further enhanced this process using a series of data-driven lead generation methods.

Below, I’ll outline 12 effective ways to eliminate the middleman and generate exclusive HVAC leads in 2024.

1) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is one method you’re probably tired of hearing about.

The irony is that, when done properly, it’s still the best way to get exclusive HVAC leads.

Unfortunately, most SEO companies provide low-quality services.

They don’t understand the nuances of the algorithm with concepts like E-E-A-T and digital branded signaling.

My agency, HVAC Webmasters, developed a software tool called DataPins so that heating and cooling companies can rank for thousands of queries in their local service areas.

Using DataPins, this Mesquite, TX-based company ranks in its closest major city (Dallas) for legitimate keywords:

Most companies don’t realize that over half of Google clicks come from hidden and long-tail terms.

They are phrases like goodman ac repair pembroke pines, fl.

Ahrefs and SEMrush won’t detect search volume for these terms, but users still search for them.

They also search for variations of this phrase that add and subtract stop words like “in” and “for.”

The subtle nuances of SEO are boring and overwhelming, which is why most digital marketing agencies ignore them.

But I’m telling you right now that your competitors who are consistently bringing in new customers know about these intricacies.

You don’t have to dive into every technical crevice of search engine optimization; you have to be willing to listen to advice on how to leverage the best methods to acquire leads.

2) Reviews and Reputation Management

When companies that perform worse services outrank you on Google, it’s not because Google dislikes you.

Instead, it’s because Google doesn’t know you’re a good company.

Why not? Because you don’t have enough online reviews to boost your reputation.

The light bulb moment occurs once you realize customer reviews (especially on Google Business Profile) directly generate exclusive HVAC leads.

10+ Google Reviews: Foundation
20+ Google Reviews: Credible
50+ Google Reviews: Significant
100+ Google Reviews: Expert
200+ Google Reviews: Authority
500+ Google Reviews: Trustworthy
1,000+ Google Reviews: Powerhouse

So, how do you go about getting more reviews?

It starts with investing in reputation management software that automates review results through SMS and email.

Various tools can accomplish this for your company, including DataPins and GatherUp.

While technology is the basis for increasing review frequency, it works best when combined with a personal touch.

Ensure each technician asks the customer for a review upon job completion.

When you combine personal and digital requests, you 40x your review responses.

Using a plugin to share customer reviews directly on your website can further enhance your lead acquisition process.

As website visitors see other customers who’ve experienced your services, they convert at a higher rate.

The more you see your results, the better you’ll understand how these methods feed off one another.

3) Google Ads (PPC)

So many AC companies are skeptical of SEO because it takes too long.

While the industry cliche that “SEO takes six months” is inaccurate, it can take several months to see consistent results.

During this period, it’s worthwhile to invest in Google Ads, often known as Pay Per Click.

Too many contractors rely on PPC for long-term lead generation when its best function is supplementing your SEO presence in the short term.

Be careful who you hire to run your Google Ads campaign. They may lock you into long-term agreements or use shady tactics like black-box billing.

The lightbulb PPC moment occurs when you realize it supplements your other channels.

Your ROI skyrockets when you can strategically turn Google Ads on and off throughout the year.

A broader digital marketing campaign maximizes the results of paid advertising

Consider a scenario where you pay for clicks for “ac repair near me.”

What does the user see after clicking on your ad?

Is it a landing page that incorporates video content and customer reviews?

Or is it a generic text page that fails to demonstrate your company’s experience?

The former will make your PPC campaign a lead generation tool, while the latter will render it a waste of time and money

4) Referral Programs and Networking

Referral programs are simple; you incentivize customers to tell friends and family about your company and its services.

Incentives can include:

Limited-time Discount
Lifetime Discount
Tiered Discounts (Based on # of Referrals)
Gift Cards
Smart Home Upgrade
VIP Membership
Exclusive Product Access
Sports Tickets

Referrals are one of the most old-school lead-gen techniques because they have worked in previous eras.

Word of mouth was the lifeblood of many HVAC companies long before the digital marketing age.

Today, referral programs are integrated into digital marketing campaigns, which helps them spread even faster.

While modern technology will streamline referrals in 2024, its essence is grounded in traditional marketing.

Ultimately, consumers trust friends and family more than reviews, making referrals a lead generation goldmine.

The caveat with referrals, of course, is that your services must live up to the hype.

Ensure your technicians maintain a high service standard. Otherwise, it can undermine your entire program.

5) Social Media Marketing

Much like online reviews, a strong social media presence contributes to your lead generation.

Every HVAC company should have a Facebook and Instagram account at a minimum.

It’s 100% free to create Facebook and Instagram business accounts through the Meta platform.

However, you must take it further if you want to funnel the leads.

Here are my two pro steps:

Create a YouTube channel
Start a Podcast

These are the two most untapped social media marketing techniques for HVAC lead generation.

YouTube content is more popular than ever, especially YouTube Shorts

I recommend publishing 2-3 YouTube Shorts per week on your channel.

HVAC podcasts are rare, but they absolutely help generate leads.

Starting a podcast requires a hosting account and an RSS feed.

From there, you can submit your podcast to major platforms like Apple and Spotify.

You can reach out to employees, business associates, and industry experts as podcast guests.

The goal is not always to directly acquire new customers from your podcast.

Instead, you are building a strong brand that will influence other channels and attract new clients

6) Email Marketing

Email marketing produces a 40:1 ROI, meaning you earn $40 for every $1 spent.

With that being said, email marketing also FAILS for many HVAC companies.

The main reason for failure is a lack of segmentation and personalization.

I recommend using an email marketing tool like Aweber to build and segment your subscribers.

When you segment your subscribers by interests, service types, locations, and other variables, open rates increase by 82%.

Screenshot Showing AWeber Email Subscribers

7) Website UX

Hearing that you “need an HVAC website” is boring advice.

Every company knows they need a website, but not all understand what kind of website generates leads.

Websites with specific UX (user experience) principles consistently generate exclusive HVAC leads.

These are the principles:

Red Calls to Action: CTAs that are the color red convert 10x more
Site Speed: Sites that load in less than a second cover 10x more
Mobile Navigation: Sites that are easy to navigate on smartphones convert 20x more
Original Images: Unique images convert 30x better than stock photos

Once you realize that only certain types of HVAC websites convert, you begin to make the proper connection between your website and lead generation.

Hiring a cheap website designer is not always the best strategy, as they may throw something together that fails to convert.

The same can be true of using website templates and themes that don’t attract conversions.

Although website design is not rocket science, there are proven techniques that drive conversions.

Contacting a reputable web designer with experience in the heating and cooling industry is a good place to start.

By fostering a positive user experience, you invest not just in your website but in your brand.

8) Delete Blog Posts

Most HVAC lead generation articles preach blogging and content marketing as a viable methods to gain customers.

Unfortunately, this advice will cost you leads instead of gaining them.

Deleting blog posts from your website is a real method to get more HVAC leads.

Google’s Helpful Content Update and March 2024 Content Update targets websites that create content for search engines, not people.

The HVAC marketing industry is one of the worst offenders of this type of content, primarily in the form of blog posts.

NOBODY wants to read “3 ways to tell if your AC is broken.”

Here’s how you can tell how much Google dislikes your blog posts.

Navigate to your Google Search Console dashboard.

Click on Pages.

Next, it will show you how many of your pages are not indexed.

You can scroll down to “Why Pages Aren’t Indexed” and click on Crawled – currently not indexed.

Here, you will see a list of all the pages Google found but chose not to index.

For many sites, this list is full of blog posts.

Export the list to your computer and open up Microsoft Excel or import it to Google Sheets.

Now, delete each of these posts from your website one by one.

As Google recrawls your website, they will find a higher percentage of quality pages, helping your leads

9) Digital Branded Signaling

Relying on one platform for leads is a mistake, whether it’s Google, Facebook, or a lead seller.

The theory of digital branded signaling is a cutting-edge way to generate exclusive HVAC leads in 2024.

Digital branded signaling is a holistic effort to generate brand “signals” across the web.

You’ll need a cohesive marketing campaign demonstrating your real HVAC jobs.

In addition, you must ensure that your brand presents consistency from your logo to your business address and everything in between.

Share photos of recent HVAC projects on your website, social platforms, and business listings.

As your brand builds broad credibility (across multiple platforms), it increases the potency of each.

Essentially, the sum of all your signaling is greater than its parts.

HVAC companies who’ve successfully established branded digital signaling 40x leads within 6 months.

10) Incorporate QR Codes

Have you ever dined at a local restaurant and noticed a QR code on the table or coaster?

This form of modern digital marketing is used in other industries but rarely HVAC.

That makes it an untapped opportunity for your company to increase its HVAC leads.

Add QR codes to all of your marketing materials, including:

Business Cards
Flyers
Truck Wraps
Email Signatures
Brochures

QR codes should serve as a lead generation funnel for HVAC companies.

For example, when a prospect scans your QR code after seeing your truck wrap, they are brought to your website landing page to book a service.

You can utilize a free QR code generator, like this one from Adobe, to create your own code.

Leveraging this digital method will help your company stand out from competitors.

11) Specialize Within the HVAC Industry

Newer HVAC companies in large markets tend to get stuck in the gig economy, living lead to lead and job to job.

Competing for HVAC installation and air conditioning repair services is difficult for a brand-new company.

That’s why niching down and specializing in a sub-category within the HVAC industry can help you generate leads quickly.

Examples of specialty HVAC categories include:

Commercial HVAC Systems
Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems
Smart Home Integration
Ductless Mini-Split Systems
Radiant Heating Systems
HVAC System Retrofits
Green and Sustainable HVAC Solutions
HVAC System Design and Consultation
Dehumidification Systems
Wine Cellar Cooling Systems
HVAC for Historic Homes
High-Efficiency HVAC Systems
Emergency HVAC Services
Custom HVAC Fabrication
Pool Dehumidification Systems
Ventilation Systems for Industrial Kitchens
Zoning HVAC Systems

You might wonder how niching down brings in new prospects.

It creates a two-pronged reaction.

First, search engines favor HVAC websites with topical authority.

In other words, if you specialize in commercial HVAC systems and create pages supporting them, Google will assign more credibility to your company for this sub-category.

Secondly, customers convert at a higher rate when especially seeking your niche service.

For example, a commercial restaurant requiring HVAC repair is likelier to choose your service than a general HVAC company offering commercial services.

HVAC Specialty Categories for Lead Generation Cover

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12) Integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is a trending topic across all industries, including HVAC.

But did you know that AI can help you generate HVAC leads?

From funnel creation and optimization to customer relationship management, the powers of AI can directly influence lead acquisition.

Some of the ways HVAC companies can integrate artificial intelligence into lead generation include:

AI Chatbots
Predictive Analytics
Dynamic Pricing Models
Automated Follow-Ups

Seeing how an on-site chatbot can funnel a prospect into a scheduled sales meeting will open your eyes.

Furthermore, AI can help predict the prospect’s behavior, optimizing their sales presentation for increased conversion rates.

Integrating AI into your lead generation process can make a significant difference in 2024.

Not only can AI increase your leads, but it can increase their conversion rates, resulting in more sales.

Final Thoughts on HVAC Leads

When I founded HVAC Webmasters in 2013, I never dreamed that the wealth of HVAC leads available would be distributed to the top 1% of all HVAC companies.

Unfortunately, social media disinformation and a lack of clear education around this subject have led to a select few controlling the lead cycle.

After reading this article, I hope that will change and that more HVACR companies will implement a proven system to generate exclusive HVAC leads.

While I crafted this page with actionable insights, I understand that applying these concepts can initially feel overwhelming.

If you want a personal plan for integrating each step of your lead generation process, call me at (800) 353-3409 to maximize your HVAC leads in 2024.

Jan '24

HVAC Facebook Ads: 11 Suggestions To Consider in 2024

HVAC Facebook ads offer intriguing benefits for growing your business and getting more heating and cooling customers in 2024.

Generally, HVAC contractors want to target homeowners in need of home services. You can achieve this with Facebook Ads for HVAC.

For example, Facebook allows you to utilize its AI-driven Advantage+ audience targeting to reach potential customers for an affordable cost.

Cost of Facebook Leads for HVAC Companies

The process of putting up your ads on Facebook may not be as time-consuming or expensive as you think, either. Nowadays, clicks from Facebook ads cost an average of just $0.60 per click.

That’s a paltry price when you consider the sheer number of people who use Facebook daily and the number of people your ad can reach.

Facebook Ad Tips for HVAC Companies

The HVAC industry is very technical, and as a contractor, you may not have the time or expertise to devise an effective Facebook ad campaign. But that doesn’t change the fact that HVAC Facebook ads can hugely impact your business.

If you have never considered using HVAC Facebook ads, now is certainly the time. If you are interested or already have a social media advertising campaign in place, we want to help you make it more effective.

In the following guide, HVAC Webmasters will highlight tried and true Facebook ad strategies to help you get the highest ROI on your social media ad campaign.

1) Invest in Facebook Video Ads

Five hundred million people watch 100 million hours of video content on Facebook daily. 100 million hours! That’s an astounding figure, but ask yourself this question: Is your HVAC business getting a piece of that pie?

Facebook video ads can be beneficial as the medium steadily takes over static ads. However, you must be careful about the kinds of video ads you post on Facebook.

We suggest including captions for anything said in your advertisement because 85% of people watch video ads with the volume turned off. You may not need anyone speaking at all.

Videos displaying infographics with narrative captioning and some affordable, public-domain music playing in the background can be beneficial for getting your point across.

The best HVAC Facebook Ads examples incorporate a video that engages users while they scroll through the popular social media platform. Remember, users don’t log in to Facebook with the intention of buying things but will engage with content that entertains them.

2) Keep Your Ads Short

Did you know that Facebook allows you to create video ads that are as long as 240 minutes? That’s a lot of creative freedom, but when was the last time you watched an ad that was longer than a movie? The best practice is to keep your video ads short.

The American attention span is getting shorter almost every year. Nowadays, you can get your point across in just a few seconds without losing your target audience’s focus. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is an excellent tool for creating cheap, short, and compelling ads for your HVAC business.

Concise Facebook Ads perform better for HVAC companies than long and complicated advertising.

3) Optimize for Mobile

People watch Facebook video content on their phones more than half the time. Nowadays, you must optimize every aspect of your online presence (your website, landing pages, etc.) for mobile. The same goes for your static and video HVAC Facebook ads.

Be aware that just because your ad has earned you many clicks on a desktop doesn’t mean it will play well on mobile devices. Smaller file ads usually work better for mobile users but test all your Facebook ads on a mobile device.

Most Facebook users access the social media platform from their mobile app, making optimizing smartphone ads imperative in 2024.

4) Use the Facebook Ads Manager App

The Ads Manager app is an excellent tool for any HVAC technician or contractor who doesn’t have much time to create Facebook ads.

While you should always do your best to craft thoughtful and compelling ads, sometimes you just need the ability to implement your ad ideas from wherever you are.

The Facebook Ads Manager app comes in very handy. It allows you to create basic ads right from the app.

Within the app, you can create new ads, delete old ones, see how your current ones perform, and manage your Facebook ads budget and payment. It even allows you to select a target market for your ads.

While some ad creation features are still unavailable on the mobile app, it’s still a convenient tool.

Source: FB Engineering

5) Leverage Remarketing

Facebook ads are an excellent opportunity to use remarketing because the platform allows you to target potential leads based on five different categories.

These include people who have interacted with your business in person or over the phone, visited your website, connected with you on Facebook, and more.

Retargeting is a great chance to convert leads who are still undecided because you will focus your ads on those unconverted leads.

6) Conduct Simple A/B Testing

A/B testing is a method of gauging what is working in your ad campaign and what isn’t. You can easily and quickly apply this method to your HVAC Facebook ads.

The A/B testing method entails making a small but definitive change in your current ad(s) and seeing how your audience responds.

In the case of Facebook ads, you would see if your change increased or lowered the ad’s click-through rate. It’s a great way to refine your current ads and make them more effective while figuring out what message, image, or font isn’t connecting with your target audience.

Data reveals more than our cognitive bias ever can, so performing A/B tests on your HVAC Facebook Ads is critical to maximizing your ROI.

7) Utilize Ad Templates

Whether you are creating a static ad or a video Facebook ad, it can help you take advantage of the templates they offer. These templates allow you to choose the intent of your ads.

For example, Facebook has templates for advertisements geared towards customer acquisition, selling products, and showcasing your business.

Customer acquisition and business showcase ads would be the most effective for HVAC business owners. You may sell products like filters, but the chances are that’s not a massive part of your business.

Facebook offers advertising templates that are proven to work within its algorithm. While crafting your own message is essential, working from a template foundation gives you a significant head start.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/business/help

8) Make Lead Acquisition Easy

Facebook Lead Ads is another mobile-centric tool that can help you generate more leads. However, if the process is too complex, people won’t become leads.

In terms of HVAC, becoming a lead usually entails providing a name, phone number, and email address or requesting further information about your services or a quote for services.

For mobile users, doing all that from their phone can be a huge chore, and they may choose not to do it at all. However, Facebook Lead Ads make it easy for people to fill out an instant, mobile-optimized form to divulge information that will qualify them as leads.

Facebook Lead Ads for HVAC companies speed up the nurturing process that normally takes place with traditional lead generation methods. Facebook delivers their contact information immediately.

Source: FB Developers

9) Use Data and Analytics

Analytics can be a bit technical, so you may want to enlist some help. However, if you can manage it independently, Facebook Analytics provides powerful tools to help you define your target audiences and craft better ads.

One of the most valuable tools is Facebook Pixel. It allows you to attribute conversions back to actual Facebook ads, so you will know exactly how effective an ad is and whether or not it is making you money.

Source: https://business.facebook.com/

10) Know The Specs

Understanding specs goes hand in hand with our point about optimizing your ads for mobile users, but this is more inclusive of desktop users.

Facebook sets the required specs for its ads, including the kind of files it accepts, the size they can be, the word count, and even the aspect ratio.

And different types of Facebook ads have additional spec requirements. For example, Facebook Canvas ad specs vary from Lead Ad specs.

So why should you be aware of these figures? If you don’t adhere to them, people may only see half of your ad. And a cluttered, disjointed ad smacks of an unprofessional business.

11) Target Your Local Market

Finally, focusing on your local market would be best since any HVAC business will undoubtedly be local. Luckily, Facebook allows you to display your ads specifically to users in your area.

You can further refine your audience based on age, gender, interests, and more, but localizing your ads should be your priority as an HVAC contractor.

In other words, if you don’t use any other targeting criteria, at least use local market targeting. Facebook’s Advantage+ audience targeting will take care of the rest.

Facebook Advertising Services for HVAC Contractors

Running a successful heating and cooling business goes well beyond Facebook ads for HVAC. We want to help you manage your business’s marketing and advertising.

We are HVAC Webmasters and work with people in your industry, specifically, providing them with lead generation services, local SEO services, web design, and more. Contact us and find out how we can earn you more customers.

Dec '23

Are AI Websites Worth it for HVAC Companies in 2024?

At HVAC Webmasters, we’ve been working with companies for 13 years and are always on the cutting edge of new technologies.

Several tools like DataPins, Wix, and CodeWP can produce some or all the components of a successful HVAC company website with AI.

Remember that we are still in the early stages of AI website development, and many of the current limitations will be eliminated within months.

As a result, learning about AI website design today can set the stage for a more robust digital marketing presence in 2024.

Key Takeaway

AI websites are worth consideration for HVAC companies in 2024, but the process will still require human oversight.

Why HVAC Companies are Asking About AI Websites

ChatGPT has changed the digital marketing landscape forever, and many HVAC companies wonder how it might impact their marketing efforts in 2024.

You’ve probably heard about all of the crazy things ChatGPT can do, from creating content to writing software code. You may have even heard ChatGPT can create an entire HVAC company website.

While ChatGPT 4 cannot currently produce an entire website, it can write the necessary code and outline the various design elements. Furthermore, it can write all of the website’s text content (though we don’t recommend it).

However, Open AI, ChatGPT’s Large Language Model API, can assist other software tools with AI-generated websites.

What are AI Websites?

AI can use programmed algorithms, machine learning, and a database of code snippets to create a website. These differ from traditional websites that are manually coded and designed by humans.

AI Website Creation Tools

While ChatGPT cannot spit out a website from scratch, some available tools have this capability. However, none are foolproof and often require additional human editing.

DataPins

DataPins uses AI assistance to populate your website with pins that are consolidated Local SEO signals based on your HVAC jobs. So when you perform a Trane AC repair job in Jacksonville, FL, your AC repair page and Jacksonville location page both get new content.

Wix

Wix has an AI feature called ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) that can produce an entire website based on the HVAC company owner’s initial inputs, like company name, location, and services.

CodeWP

CodeWP is not so much a one-click website generator but rather an AI assistant for WordPress development. The tool can exponentially speed up the WordPress website design process, giving it unique value in the marketplace.

AI Website Benefits for HVAC Companies

If you’re thinking about switching from a traditionally designed website to an AI-generated one, consider the benefits of such a switch.

After all, what’s wrong with websites designed by actual human beings? Let’s be clear: in many cases, a manually designed HVAC website will outperform an AI website with things like conversion rates, SEO, and design nuance.

However, we are still in the early stages of AI website development, and within six months, that gap may close. That’s how quickly AI is advancing at its current pace.

Let’s look at some of the current and potential future benefits of AI websites for HVAC companies.

Speed

First and foremost, AI can and will be able to create websites more quickly than humans. Tools like Wix can do this today, and we are not far away from other tools achieving the same output.

Cost

The labor required for human website dying is more costly than artificial intelligence. Many HVAC companies will switch to AI website generation because of the reduced cost of the process.

Integration

The true power of AI is in its integration with other tools, like accounting software, field office software, and review/reputation platforms. AI can help integrate these various aspects of an HVAC company’s presence into a superior digital showcase.

AI Website Use Cases for HVAC Contractors

Imagine you are out repairing an American Standard AC unit in Fort Worth, TX. You document the job through your field service management app and send the payment details to your Quickbooks accounting software.

AI can quickly translate that job completion into website content. You can showcase your recent jobs, list prices in your online price book, and boost your SEO rankings in a single click.

That is one of several use cases for AI websites in the Heating and Cooling industry.

Check out some other use cases below:

New Service Pages

Suppose you perform a service like a circuit control board replacement for the first time, but your website lacks a page describing the offering.

AI can auto-generate a circuit control board replacement page on your website and populate it with content from your on-the-ground experience.

Logo Replacement

Suppose you want to change or update your logo with a superior graphic and color scheme. How can you quickly replace every instance of your logo on your existing website? You won’t have to with AI, which can achieve this task in a single click.

HVAC Pricebook Generation

You’ve probably visited an e-commerce website before and noticed all the products with pricing and checkout buttons. Could you offer something similar on your HVAC website?

AI allows you to insert flat rate books, services, products, and schedule buttons on your website.

Loading Speed Optimization

What if your AI website could auto-detect heavy image files and refine them to speed up your website? AI websites can do that and will continue to progress throughout 2024.

It may even reach the point where the website can display resources based on the user’s internet connection and device, optimizing each user’s experience.

Final Thoughts on AI Websites for HVAC

HVAC companies should consider using AI websites in 2024 and research their ongoing advancements as the year progresses. While traditional website designs outperform AI-generated websites in most cases, the day is coming when that flips for good.

At HVAC Webmasters, we constantly advance and adapt to new technologies and algorithms, ensuring our clients are on the cutting edge of each innovative progression.

By partnering with our agency, you will stay relevant in your local marketing and enjoy the benefits of all the latest technological advancements, including AI.

Aug '23

HVAC Flat Rate Pricing Explained in Simple Terms

You might have heard about HVAC flat rate pricing from industry chatter or browsing various websites and publications.

Here’s the deal: HVAC companies can increase profit margins with flat rate pricing.

Key Takeaway

Flat Rate Pricing creates a consistent price for each HVAC service, allowing companies to set client expectations, streamline payments and billing, and scale their businesses in 2024.

HVAC Flat Rate Pricing Formula

The flat rate formula is straightforward:

(Standard hourly rate x typical job time (in hours)) + (standard cost of materials) + (standard cost of materials x credibility/reputation markup) = Flat Rate

Your company’s flat rate will vary by service type since different jobs take longer and require more expensive materials.

Benefits of Flat Rate Pricing for HVAC Companies

Adopting a flat rate pricing structure presents several benefits:

Generate more HVAC leads
Solidify customer expectations
Foster greater employee morale
Increase business scalability
Streamline collections and billing

Generate More HVAC Leads

Pricing consistency creates more clarity for the consumer, increasing lead generation. Prospects who view the pricing beforehand are more likely to inquire about your services.

Research shows that transparent service prices can also increase consumer’s overall trust in your company and brand.

As a result, publishing a price book on your website or Google Business Profile can increase HVAC leads exponentially.

Of course, other factors will determine how frequently prospects view your price book, which makes marketing and search engine optimization particularly beneficial.

Solidify Customer Expectations

Hourly + materials pricing models, often called time and materials (T&M) pricing, are the culprit for most negative reviews.

We’ve all experienced those Google reviews where customers spew anger and hatred while threatening your company. The concrete price structure eliminates the concept of “haggling.”

The negativity surrounding traditional HVAC pricing stems from not setting the proper expectations for the client. Flat rate pricing ensures they are aware of the costs upfront.

You might get pushback after completing the job, but they cannot refute expectations. In addition, an estimated 92% of homeowners prefer flat rates.

Foster Greater Employee Morale

Your techs will also benefit from the flat rate pricing because they will be appropriately compensated for each service and deal with fewer customer tirades.

Furthermore, techs won’t have to deal with “haggling” from homeowners while on the job because the terms are already established.

Having a clear vision of each service’s payout helps organize employees’ minds and perform at a higher and more consistent level.

This can also help recruit new employees for your business, incentivize workers to seek jobs with your company, and help your hiring team project salaries.

Increase Business Scalability

Much like HVAC marketing, flat rate pricing removes your business from the gig economy and allows you to scale your business.

Charging an hourly rate makes projecting future earnings nearly impossible, while flat rate pricing makes it straightforward.

As you grow your business from a startup to a powerhouse, these financial implications make a significant difference.

The flat rate model also helps you refine and adjust pricing to match market trends and take advantage of boosts in business credibility and reputation.

It can even be used in marketing materials like emails, direct mail, and conversion-ready website landing pages.

Streamline Collections and Billing

Flat rate pricing streamlines collections and billing, making it more digestible for customers and easier to collect.

Furthermore, it reduces the complexity of your invoices and fulfills the client’s pre-set expectations. Moving your heating and cooling company into the digital age is a win-win for everyone.

Flat rate pricing, in combination with HVAC invoice software, can change the scope of your business.

Customers view your company as modern and progressive, while your collections become smooth and quick. Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about unpaid invoices from previous jobs.

Potential Downsides of Flat Rate Pricing

Business decisions come with potential risks, and you should know about them regarding flat rate pricing.

While it is the consensus choice for scaling HVAC companies, here are potential downsides:

Miscalculations: Incorrectly calculating a flat rate price for a specific service can blow your margins and lead to bankruptcy
Customer Complaints: Some customers are likely to complain about the cost, especially when the job takes less time than expected.
Monitoring Competitors: Requires consistently monitoring competitor prices so that you don’t price yourself out of the market.

What Others Are Saying About HVAC Flat Rate Pricing

Business questions: Do you flat rate or T&M? Semi rant warning
byu/t0x1k_x inHVAC

Flat Rate Pricing vs Time and Materials Pricing Question
byu/arseniic_ inHVAC

Help me with service pricing and T&M vs flat rate.
byu/SoggyOlive inHVAC

Sample Pricebook PDF

HVAC Flat Rate Pricing PDF Download

Final Verdict

Flat rates can benefit HVAC companies and is the consensus choice for selling your business. Traditional T&M models lead to more negative reviews and on-the-job negotiations.

Conversely, flat rates allow HVAC companies to project future earnings and set realistic client expectations upfront.

May '23

How Search Generative Experience Impacts HVAC Companies

Search Generative Experience (Blog Cover)

Google’s new search generative experience (SGE) will change HVAC SEO as we know it. Users will still use Google to search for local HVAC companies, but how they land on results will change drastically.

As the owner of HVAC Webmasters, I have worked with thousands of contractors over the past 12 years.

The good news is that SGE does not necessarily change which HVAC company receives a click on Google search results. The goal of appearing on SERPs for HVAC-related queries remains unchanged, but how SERPs appear to the end user will drastically change.

How to Rank Your HVAC Company With Generative AI

Google’s official document on Search Generative Experience is publicly available, but our job is to translate industry jargon into digestible and actionable advice.

SGE Snapshot Optimization

SGE will feature snapshots that answer specific queries and provide card links to organic results. However, Google’s examples of these snapshots at its Google I/O Conference were limited to informational queries meaning it’s yet to be revealed how they will look for local queries.

However, for informational or all content, snapshot optimization will become a priority for HVAC websites. As a result, many of the principles of an existing SEO strategy will also apply to snapshot optimization. Google’s document outlines as much with this quote:

“That’s why we built a customized integration of generative AI in Search that is rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems, which we have been honing for decades.”

Still, content creators should place a greater emphasis on addressing future clients’ specific questions in a human-like context. In addition, their previous Helpful Content Update will likely be enhanced by SGE as it holds content to a higher standard of authority and accuracy.

Local SGE for HVAC Companies in 2023

Google does briefly mention “local places” in their SGE document by stating:

“Similarly, SGE will provide context about local places, using AI-powered insights that make it easy to compare and explore options.”

While we can’t draw any conclusions based on this excerpt, we can project that Google Maps and the Local Map 3-Pack will remain integral to Google’s Local SERPs. However, these SERP features may have expanded capability based on AI, especially when comparing nearby companies.

Investing in your branded entity and customer reviews is one way to prepare for SGE in 2023. It is crucial to verify your company’s credibility through real feedback. In addition, you can utilize Local SEO software like DataPins to compile Local SEO signals that lend themselves to Google’s search generative experience.

Summary of Google’s Search-Generative Experience

SGE will change SEO for HVAC companies but won’t replace it. Ranking in Google’s new AI-driven SERP snapshots will serve the purpose of modern SEO and drive new business to your company. However, how users interact with SERPS will change drastically.

We can bet on Google’s commitment to the user click. When you consider that Google makes over 75% of its revenue from Google Ads, it must continue to foster an environment of clicks. If users were to stop clicking on websites (even in the AI era), they would have no reasons to click on ads either.

If you are an HVAC company interested in modernizing your digital marketing strategy in 2023, it’s time to get serious about the search generative experience and how to optimize your HVAC company for modern Google users.

Mar '23

How AI-Generated HVAC Content Impacts Your SEO Rankings

The emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT and Jasper has presented HVAC companies with an essential question regarding their SEO strategy: should we use AI-generated content on our website?

While the age of AI is undoubtedly upon us, the trajectory of this technology and its best use cases remains murky at best. A recent open letter from high-level professionals has called for a 6-month pause on AI advancements as analysts attempt to gain some regulatory hold on this rapidly growing technology.

Unregulated AI advancements, which are currently outpacing Moore’s Law, present threats to businesses, society, and humanity at large. HVAC companies are not immune from these dangers and should consider them before jeopardizing any aspect of their business.

Source: ChatGPT

Publishing AI-Generated HVAC Content for SEO Purposes

Google’s stance on AI-generated content is somewhat vague as they’ve stated that AI content in and of itself does not violate their guidelines but that the mass production of any content, without proper oversight, can be penalized by its algorithms.

If we look more closely at Google’s actions rather than their words, we’ll find they are exploring ways to penalize HVAC content generated for SEO purposes. The August 2022 Helpful Content Update was the first revelation of their general intent regarding AI content.

While the Helpful Content Update language does not explicitly target AI content, it implies that its use is subject to new algorithmic refinements. As a result, relying on AI tools to generate your HVAC website’s content is dangerous at best and reckless at worst.

Can AI-Generated Content Rank on Search Engines?

AI-generated content can rank on search engines for various keywords across all niches. However, multiple studies have concluded that AI-generated content can incur penalties and sudden traffic drops after extended use. Just because something ranks initially does not make it a sound long-term strategy.

The distinction most people miss is that AI content quality varies largely by its initial inputs. Asking ChatGPT to produce an article based on its pre-trained knowledge is not going to produce valuable insights for readers.

However, feeding ChatGPT new and original information for an article can produce something valuable. The concept of originality aligns with Google’s own messaging regarding AI-generated content, which is not about how it is produced but who it is produced for.

If you can use AI to assist you in writing valuable content for humans, it has a good chance of ranking on search results. Unfortunately, most people in the SEO industry are seeking shortcuts and are not going to take the time and effort to feed these tools original and unique data.

As a result, outsourcing your HVAC content generation process to a robot is an unwise business decision and not something any reputation marketing agency would recommend.

If you believe your content writers or marketing agency is currently publishing low-quality AI content, you can run tests with this AI Content Detector tool. It’s important to note, however, that these detectors can produce false positives.

Can Google Detect AI-Generated Content?

With AI detection tools like Open AI Detector and Originality AI available to the public, Google can likely detect AI content on any website. In addition, their AI detection tools are probably more advanced than those currently open to the public and more in line with the pace of OpenAI’s language models like GPT4.

Source: Writer.com

The Impact of AI Chatbots on Bing and Google

Bing’s adoption of ChatGPT into their search engine interface is a bold and potentially industry-shifting move that can help Bing overtake some of Google’s longstanding market share dominance. While the early returns on behavioral shifts in search engine users remain low, it’s enough to be noticeable and cause disruption.

Google is concerned enough to fast-track its own AI chatbot, Bard, to maintain search engine supremacy. However, their counterstrike may not be enough to keep Bing entirely at bay, as early SEO analysis finds Bing’s AI chatbot as a superior tool to Bard.

While the chatbot wars are interesting, their emergence has yet to impact HVAC SEO in any tangible way. For example, users seeking HVAC services are still mainly clicking through to Google Maps listings and top organic listings rather than relying on answers from a chatbot. Furthermore, Bing’s chatbot cites sources for its solutions, ultimately leading users to top-ranking organic results.

Alternative Ways to Use AI to Improve HVAC SEO

While mass-producing HVAC content with OpenAI is foolish, using AI for alternative SEO enhancements should be encouraged. Simply ignoring AI would be as big a mistake as using it recklessly. Below, HVAC Webmasters outlines some of the best use cases for AI.

Brainstorming

GPT can help HVAC companies brainstorm ideas for articles, topics, keywords, titles, and creative projects. Think of ChatGPT as a personal intern who is not to be trusted with high-level business practices but can provide some exciting ideas for new projects.

Summarizing

Are you looking to write an article based on an HVAC-related YouTube video? You can use an AI-powered tool like Summarize Tech to generate a clear video summary. But, again, DO NOT copy and paste the content onto your website. Instead, use it to save time from watching the entire video frame by frame.

Coding

One of the most innovative use cases from ChatGPT and other AI software is bridging the gap between coding and the commoner. You can have ChatGPT create HTML, CSS, and other coding projects on your behalf. Of course, like with content, the software can only be trusted with oversight from an experienced and trained developer.

Still, the ability to fast-track the development of plugins, widgets, apps, and website designs is a significant advantage for HVAC companies.

Image Generation

While much of the focus of AI has been on text-based content, tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Canva’s Text to Image app empower HVAC companies to produce unique images for website content.

ChatGPT 4 (the paid version) now offers DALL-E-powered image generation directly inside the ChatGPT platform.

The key to adequately using AI-generated photos is to avoid prompts that include human beings. You should only generate AI images of non-human things like air conditioners, furnaces, etc.

In many cases, AI-generated images are as good or better than royalty-free stock photos. However, the legality of how these images are generated remains up in the air. So, always proceed with caution.

Canva Text to Image App Example (Screenshot)

AI Websites

Some tools are now capable of producing AI websites for businesses. While ChatGPT cannot currently produce a website from scratch, other platforms have technology that generates entire business websites. These tools are still in their early stages, so we can expect the quality to improve over time.

ChatGPT can also assist with writing content for your website, writing code for your website theme, and evaluating the conversion rate components of your current design. Because of the speed at which AI is advancing, it won’t be long until ChatGPT can create an entire website.

Final Thoughts on AI and Its Impact on HVAC SEO

As the #1 HVAC SEO company in the world, HVAC Webmasters has a duty to explore emerging trends in our industry. Using AI content on your website is dangerous and may result in an algorithmic penalty that results in a loss of rankings. As a result, our policy is to create original human-generated content on our client’s websites.

While we strongly discourage HVAC companies from using AI software to generate and publish content, we encourage the exploration of AI to help with other areas of your HVAC SEO campaigns. As technology advances and regulations allow us to determine the best use cases, we will continue to find ways to help our clients dominate Google rankings in 2023.

Feb '23

7 Best HVAC Podcasts to Stream in 2024 (with/Episodes)

Heating and cooling professionals can gain valuable insights from HVAC podcasts. But where should you start, and what are the best podcasts for HVAC professionals?

At HVAC Webmasters, we’ve been at the forefront of the podcast medium, which helps solidify a brand in 2024.

As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the seven best HVAC podcasts:

1) The HVAC Marketing Plan

The HVAC Marketing Plan podcast hosted by Nolen Walker and Jason Landry of HVAC Webmasters provides a wealth of digital marketing information related to SEO, content marketing, Google algorithms, and website design.

In the age of con artist marketing, The HVAC Marketing Plan is a ray of light for companies looking to succeed in an oversaturated marketplace. The HVAC Marketing Plan offers actionable insights that can help companies get ahead and stay ahead of competitors online.

From Local SEO tips to recommended tools, Nolen and Jason have been in the HVAC marketing industry for over a decade. As a result, their insights are rooted in expertise rather than sensationalism and clickbait.

The podcast episodes are thorough and provide everything an HVACR company needs to succeed locally with digital marketing.

Check out the podcast on YouTube:

2) HVAC School

For improving your craft, HVAC School is the most hands-on Podcast for HVACR professionals. This podcast, hosted by Bryan Orr, offers a wealth of industry-related training information and insights.

HVAC School consistently delivers can’t-miss content, from troubleshooting the modern ECM to setting realistic customer expectations. Whether a beginner or veteran of the HVACR industry, this podcast should be saved in your library.

Check out the podcast on YouTube:

3) HVAC Know it All Podcast

The HVAC Know It All podcast is hosted by Gary McCreadie as he shares his experience, opinions, and tools for HVAC professionals. In addition, listeners gain first-hand insights into one of the industry’s most connected participants.

From interviewing other HVAC professionals to hosting state-of-the-industry episodes, Gary McCraedie consistently delivers high-quality podcast content for listeners throughout the HVAC space in 2024.

Check out the podcast on Spotify:

4) HVAC Financial Freedom

HVAC Financial Freedom is a podcast made specifically for residential HVAC contractors. Host John Victoria interviews other successful contractors and industry experts who provide valuable insights into business growth, startups, and scalability.

The podcast also dives into the pitfalls of the digital marketing industry for HVAC companies and gives insider tips to generate more business in the heating and cooling space. This is a must-listen podcast for HVAC pros.

Check out the Podcast on YouTube:

5) HVAC Success Secrets: Revealed

Hosted by Thaddeus Tondu & Evan Hoffman, HVAC Success Secrets: Revealed offers valuable insights into maximizing your HVAC business. The podcast covers culture, business growth, and strategy to help companies thrive in a competitive marketplace.

The episodes cover various topics, from business culture to field management software integration, each through the lens of true HVAC professionals. Anyone looking to maximize their business should subscribe.

Check out the podcast on Spotify:

6) The Engineers HVAC Podcast

Tony Mormino hosts The Engineers HVAC Podcast, which educates the HVAC community, including mechanical engineers, contractors, building owners, and maintenance personnel. Tony is a long-time veteran of the HVAC industry, having started back in 1997.

The episodes cover industry-related scenarios along with technical engineering components. For example, one episode is titled: Heat Pump Water Heaters, Electrification, and Decarbonization.

Check out the podcast on Spotify:

7) Building HVAC Science

Building HVAC Science is a niche podcast and, as the name suggests, covers building science, HVAC diagnostics, and a broad array of sub-topics like comfort, health, and safety. Building performance expert Bill Spohn is the podcast’s host and provides valuable insights.

Episode topics range from home retrofitting to industry myth-busting with guest appearances from other industry experts. This podcast is a dream come true for listeners intrigued by the technical aspects of HVAC diagnostics.

Check out the podcast on YouTube:

Starting an HVAC Podcast

If these podcasts entertain you, consider starting a podcast yourself. A podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube can expand brand awareness and promote essential brand signaling for your digital marketing presence. At HVAC Webmasters, we can help you start a podcast.

If you believe your company can share unique insights into the heating and cooling industry, it makes sense to start as soon as possible.