Author Archives: HVAC Webmasters

Oct '18

Pros & Cons of an HVAC Career (Salary, Lifestyle, Etc.)

Choosing a career in the HVAC industry presents various pros and cons. However, HVAC is an excellent career choice for contractors looking to earn a competitive salary and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

As the owner of HVAC Webmasters, a digital marketing agency for HVAC professionals, I’ve worked with thousands of contractors over the past decade-plus. My clients have spanned from brand-new companies to established franchises.

As a result, startup contractors come to me for advice about the pros and cons of an HVAC career.

Key Takeaway

Unlike other jobs nationwide, HVAC technicians are unlikely to become obsolete. After all, homes and buildings will always need heating and cooling maintenance, regardless of how “smart” the technology evolves.

Pros and Cons of an HVAC Career

Diagnosing and fixing problems can be a rewarding experience. Driving four hours to find out the homeowner has a couch in front of their air vent is less compelling.

This balancing act of an HVAC career will offer a palette of pros and cons depending on the job.

Compare the Pros and Cons of HVAC careers below:

Pros

Opportunity

There’s a shortage of HVAC technicians throughout the country. The average age of an HVAC contractor is around 54, which highlights the opportunity for a younger generation to infiltrate the marketplace.

Several companies will even offer tuition reimbursement for individuals looking to jumpstart their careers.

Education

Another primary advantage of HVAC as a career is its educational path. Most jobs require a four-year degree of some sort to even get in the door.

College debts can create massive debt for students not guaranteed profitable employment and often work extra to pay off debt.

On-The-Job Experience

On-the-job experience is where you’ll hone your skills to the next level, which can be years in the making.

Still, if you can learn on the job, you’ll earn money while sharpening your skills and making yourself more marketable while transitioning to the next tier of HVAC business success.

Job Security

If you achieve your goal of becoming a skilled technician, the position’s long-term security is considerable compared to other industries like finance and technology.

Few people are skilled in heating and cooling repair than in finance, and you can go to school to change that.

Cons

The cons of becoming an HVAC technician are not unlike those of other service-type jobs. The physical exertion required to do the job is immense and something you must be prepared to handle.

Becoming a full-fledged heating and cooling expert also takes time, probably even longer than your education will last.

Hard Labor

While tradespeople often enjoy the grind of hands-on labor, the work itself is hard. It requires physical exertion, uncomfortable positioning, and getting your hands, in some cases, very dirty.

Road Travel

Depending on your company’s service areas, an HVAC career may require extensive driving or road travel throughout your work week.

For example, some HVAC companies service regions that span 6 hours of driving time, which may dissuade some from wanting to make a career in HVAC.

Dynamic Schedule

One downside of being an HVAC contractor is the unpredictable schedule. Depending on your position within a company, your schedule can vary significantly.

Your hours depend on the time of year (season), days of the week, and sometimes randomness. This dynamic schedule makes it hard to keep a routine.

Safety Hazards

HVAC technicians assume potential safety risks, including chemical exposure, respiratory illness, and electrical dangers.

Of course, companies and individuals can and should take precautions to decrease these risks. However, a career in HVAC is still more dangerous than the average job.

HVAC Salary Expectations

When paired with the position’s high demand and long-term sustainability, it’s hard to find a financial reason to dissuade yourself from choosing HVAC as a career.

Check out some more context about the different salaries below.

Entry Level HVAC Technician

An entry-level HVAC service technician can earn upwards of $54,000 annually, a significant salary for such a position.

Not every HVAC employee is a service technician, however. Some start as rough-in installers or helpers, and other less profitable titles.

HVAC Technician

The average HVAC technician earns around $69,748 annually, although it varies by work location. Having multiple skill sets will likely increase this salary’s high-end range.

HVAC Business Owner

Meanwhile, HVAC company owners earn a salary of around $80,306 per year. However, the top earners make around $225,000 annually.

HVAC Industry Jobs

There are two ways to categorize jobs in the HVAC industry: by niche and by position. For example, residential HVAC services is a niche in which a senior-level technician is a position.

Everyone can strive for multiple types of niches and positions in their career. Some technicians even target multiple niches and rise through positional ranks rather quickly.

Meanwhile, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the names of the most common HVAC positions:

HVAC Technician
Engineer
Estimator
Fabricator
Installer
Pipefitter
Refrigeration Technician
Service Manager
Sales Associate

The more niches you become an expert in, the more on-the-job experience is required, and the longer it will take to become a full-fledged expert within your field. Different jobs include:

Once you move through the ranks to professional, mid, and senior levels, different options within each will manifest themselves.

Everything from systems designer to team supervisor is on the table during your trajectory.

Expanding Your HVAC Career With Marketing

A comprehensive digital marketing campaign can benefit HVAC technicians who start their own businesses.

As the long-time owner of HVAC Webmasters, my expertise with growing businesses is based on 14+ years of hands-on experience.

I recommend that new HVAC businesses claim and optimize their Google Business Profiles and invest in a business website with SEO and DataPins.

If you would like to learn more about how marketing can influence the trajectory of your HVAC career, contact me to discuss your unique challenges.

Jun '18

Should HVAC Companies Use a Virtual Location?

HVAC companies should NOT use a virtual address. There’s no upside to risking your Google My Business suspension since it will account for at least 60% of your web traffic.

Instead, you can list your address as an SAB (which will hide it publicly), or if you choose, you can publicly list your office address without designating it as an SAB.

Attempting to expand your local SEO reach is something every HVAC company should try, but virtual offices are not allowed for Google My Business listings.

Of course, not every GMB listing with a virtual address gets banned, but you are putting your company at risk should you move forward.

Google Guidelines on Virtual Offices

Google’s official statements on the matter are perplexing since they state that virtual offices are not allowed unless staffed during business hours. But how can a virtual office be staffed?

Evidence shows that listings that previously attempted to list a virtual office as their address are getting banned by Google.

A service area businesses should not use a virtual office for verification unless it is staffed by the business in question during listed hours. It looks like you've already noted these guidelines, but you can view them here as well: https://t.co/zSeTlHClVD. Thanks! – Ally
— Google Business Profile (@GoogleMyBiz) February 3, 2020

Why Do HVAC Companies Use Virtual Offices?

An HVAC contractor or company would invest in a virtual office address for two primary reasons.

First, if the contractor currently lists their home address as their business location. This setup has several disadvantages, most notably the lack of status associated with a home business address.

Second, HVAC companies looking to expand their business to new areas often cannot afford a physical office space overhead.

Virtual offices allow companies to expand their service area without ever renting physical property.

In addition, it’s much easier to attract clients from a community where your address resides and can help you earn more trust by proximity.

HOA / Zoning Immunity

Some cities and homeowners associations have legislation prohibiting certain homes from being used as business addresses.

Such restrictions are problematic for startup contractors based out of their homes. Investing in a virtual address eliminates problems like these.

In addition, because virtual offices are located in areas that are not restricted, they can be used as the listing for your HVAC company while allowing you to continue using your home as your business base.

Professional Presentation

Marketing is more about perception than reality. A consumer subconscious prefers professional-looking businesses and is far more likely to trust them based on that quality alone.

A professional business address inspires that trust, unlike a home address that does not.

For example, a consumer looking for HVAC services in their area is more likely to consult with a professionally addressed service than one perceived to be working out of their home.

Doing great work is most important, but you must first generate leads.

Service Area Expansion

The #1 reason why companies of all kinds invest in a virtual address is to expand their business. You may be based in a particular city or zip code but see tremendous opportunity in a neighboring location.

If you know your company has the resources to meet those demands, establishing a 2nd address can stimulate lead generation.

In addition, consumers in this external area are far more likely to trust a company within their location, zip code, etc. Ensure you have the equipment and human resources to accommodate an expanded service area.

Virtual Office Alternative for HVAC Companies

Google prohibits listing a virtual address for HVAC SAB companies. Still, most HVAC contractors service multiple cities, towns, and zip codes within the general radius of their primary location.

So, how can your company expand its service area without violating Google’s guidelines?

DataPins

DataPins, which is a local SEO software for HVAC companies, inserts geo-coordinates from each job you complete. DataPins automatically publishes pins with schema markup to validate both a service and a service area.

Each time your company completes a job, the software pulls geo-coordinates from the location and publishes them directly on your website.

Pins appear on a corresponding page; for example, a furnace repair in Atlanta shows up on the furnace repair page and the Atlanta page, respectively.

City Pages

HVAC companies can publish individual city pages for each of their service areas. For example, if you are based in Dallas, you can create service pages for Plano, Mesquite, Frisco, and every other town you work in.

DataPins can enhance city pages by automatically adding new and unique content when you complete jobs in the respective locations.

Physical Offices

If your primary goal is to appear on Google Maps in a high-population area, you must purchase physical office space and verify it through Google My Business.

Sometimes, moving your business location is a smart strategy for SEO. You must weigh the pros and cons of moving your business to a new location.

May '18

Essential HVAC (Niche Citations + Business Listings)

Building NAP business citations sets an excellent foundation for a successful online marketing campaign.

However, thousands of directories are on the web, making it difficult to narrow down the best ones to list your business in.

As a result, HVAC companies often ask me which business listings are most important for SEO.

Based on my 14+ years of experience running HVAC Webmasters, I’ve developed a list of the most important citations for HVAC businesses in the United States.

Essential Niche Citation Sources for HVAC Professionals

Pro Tip: Most HVAC directories are free to join, claim, and optimize.

Google My Business

Google My Business (AKA Google Business Profile) is the essential business listing for HVAC companies looking to increase their online presence.

Claiming your listing makes your business eligible to rank on Google Maps and the Google Map 3-Pack.

A completed listing with a company logo, contact information, and an about-us section contributes to greater visibility on local searches.

Benefits of GMB listings include:

Google Affiliation: GMB listings are eligible to rank on Google search results
Local SEO: GMB signals influence local organic search rankings
Brand SERPs: Listings can appear as knowledge graphs for branded search

Yelp

Yelp remains one of the most popular business directories for all businesses, including HVAC companies. Though it is not a niche-specific directory, its brand is synonymous with online reviews and reputation.

Because of the platform’s long-standing recognition, consumers often form opinions of HVAC companies based on Yelp listings.

The benefits of an optimized Yelp listing are:

Local Reputation: Yelp influences a business’s reputation
Local SEO: Yelp listings improve local optimization
Review Generation: Yelp displays company reviews

Angi’

Angi (formerly Angie’s List) prides itself on being a platform for crowd-sourced reviews. It is a commonly consulted directory for consumers in the market for specific home services, such as HVAC.

Angi’ started as a subscription-based service but is now available for public consumption. Optimizing your business listing on this platform contributes to a superior online reputation.

Benefits of Angi’ listings include:

Local SEO: Listings can improve local SEO
Niche Audience: Visitors are interested in home service trades like HVAC
Review Generation: Listings include reviews

HomeAdvisor

Founded in 1998, HomeAdvisor has developed strong brand recognition in the HVAC industry for nearly 20 years. HomeAdvisor is powered by the previously mentioned Angi’ and attracts many of the same visitors.

Optimizing your listing and its accompanying reviews can make or break your business’s lead generation. As is the case with other directories, uploading your company logo and additional unique photos is highly recommended.

Benefits of HomeAdvisor include:

Local SEO: HomeAdvisor listings contribute to local SEO
Niche Audience: HomeAdvisor is a niche directory for home service companies
Review Generation: HomeAdvisor listings display reviews

Facebook

Not only is Facebook a social media platform, but it is also one of the most trusted local business directories. Consumers searching for HVAC companies often find Facebook business pages on the first page of results.

Because of its community-based networking, Facebook’s recommendations for various HVAC business pages often serve as digital word-of-mouth referrals.

Advantages of Facebook include:

Customer Interaction: Facebook listings foster interactions with real consumers (rather than anonymous users)
Local SEO: Facebook business pages serve as a citation and social media signal, expanding its local SEO impact
Review Generation: Facebook reviews (called recommendations) are among the most trusted on the internet

Houzz

Although Houzz initially markets to home builders, remodelers, and interior designers, it is well-known in the contractor niche. The website’s 90 Domain Authority makes it a must-have citation for HVAC companies.

Houzz can also be utilized as a lead generation and software service, though we recommend relying on your own digital properties to generate HVAC leads.

Still, claiming your free business listing on Houzz creates a valuable and authoritative HVAC citation that can boost your credibility.

Benefits of Houzz Include:

Domain Authority: Houzz’s 90 Domain Authority creates noteworthy SEO link equity via your listing’s nofollow URL
Niche Audience: Houzz is a niche directory for home service companies

Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a popular community platform where users can exchange recommendations with neighbors. Local HVAC businesses can take advantage by claiming a free citation, uploading photos, and creating posts that show up on neighborhood news feeds.

Nextdoor also offers an advertising option for HVAC companies looking to increase their visibility in specific zip codes.

While the advertising feature is something to consider, claiming your business listings should be the first step to benefiting from Nextdoor.

Benefits of Nextdoor Include:

Digital Word-of-Mouth: Earn business credibility in local communities and neighborhoods
Local SEO: Nexdoor listings help build valuable local SEO signals

List of Hyper-Niche Citations for HVAC

Niche directory websites can drill down to more specific industries, such as heating and cooling. Although directories listing all types of contractors are typically more valuable and credible than ones drilled down to only one niche, there is value in the topical relevance of these granular citations.

It can help your web presence to join these hyper-niche directories AFTER joining the essential ones.

URL
https://www.airconditioningprofessionals.com/
https://www.airconditioningup.com/
https://findacrepair.com/
https://www.goodhvaccontractor.com/
https://www.goodhvaccontractors.com/
https://www.heatingin.com/
https://www.hvaclocals.com/
https://www.hvacyellowpages.com/
https://localac.net/
https://www.localhomeservicepros.com/
https://www.usaheatingcontractors.com/

Scaling Your HVAC Niche Citations

While HVAC businesses can build citations one by one for free, there comes a time when scaling your citations throughout the web becomes a sound digital marketing investment.

Various platforms offer citations and NAP consistency services for an affordable fee.

My agency, HVAC Webmasters, also offers this service, so feel free to contact me to get started.

Apr '18

6 Places to Free HVAC Images For Your Website

Startup HVAC companies often face the challenge of creating a website before having official business photos to place on the Home, Service, and About Us pages.

The good news is that finding free HVAC images for your business website is easier today than at any other time in history.

Where to Get Free HVAC Photos

Google Gemini
ChatGPT
Canva
Pixabay
Stable Diffusion Online
Job Photos

Below, HVAC Webmasters’ reveals six surefire places to find free HVAC photos:

1) Google Gemini

Google’s powerful generative AI tool can produce free, high-quality images of everything from AC units to thermostats. Gemini can generate almost any HVAC-related amenity.

One thing to note is that images with people can only be generated with Gemini Advanced, which is unnecessary for most startup HVAC companies.

Simply type in your prompt, such as “Please generate an image of an outdoor AC unit,” and let the AI work its magic.

Google Gemini

2) ChatGPT

ChatGPT 4.0 with DALL.E can produce realistic HVAC photos for your business website. Unlike Gemini, ChatGPT will generate images involving people, but we recommend against these photo types.

People still look too unrealistic to include on a business website. Instead, focus on equipment, tools, and various work settings.

Access to additional tools like DALL·E, Browsing, Advanced Data Analysis, and more requires a ChatGPT Plus subscription of $20 per month.

ChatGPT

3) Canva

Canva’s free AI image generator, Dream Lab, can produce original HVAC-related photos for your business website.

Using a text prompt such as “thermostat inside a home.” you can generate a wide range of HVAC images for your website.

Canva also has a stock photo library and API access to Pixabay’s stock photo library. However, free accounts don’t have access to all of these photos.

Similarly, free Canva accounts are restricted to a finite number of AI image generation credits, but you should have enough to fill up your basic business website.

Dream Lab

4) Pixabay

Pixabay is a library of royalty-free images and stock photos, which HVAC contractors can download for free.

These are NOT AI-generated photos like the platforms above. However, there are fewer suitable photos for HVAC industry professionals.

For example, a search of HVAC Repair yielded only two photos. Still, two is better than nothing.

You’ll want to search for broader phrases like “home interior” to find more free photo options that may contain AC units or thermostats.

Pixabay

5) Stable Diffusion Online

Stable Diffusion Online is similar to Canva’s AI image generator, allowing you to choose from different image styles before generation.

Like Canva, you’ll want to choose the photo style to produce the most realistic image for your website.

Stable Diffusion Online’s free plan allows users to produce up to 10 AI images daily.

The caveat is that these images receive a clearly visible watermark, making them less appealing for your business website.

You must upgrade to the $7 monthly plan to remove these watermarks.

Stable Diffusion Online

6) Job Photos

One way to get free HVAC images is to take the photos yourself. Modern smartphones can take high-quality pictures of your staff, vehicle, equipment, and projects.

Research shows that website visitors convert at a 35% higher rate when presented with original images than when presented with stock photos.

Perhaps you have some existing images that can lend credibility to your business. For example, one of our clients is a veteran and published a photo of himself in uniform on his business homepage.

You can also use a tool like DataPins to associate your job photos with mini-maps, geo-coordinates, schema markup, and captions for consolidated E-E-A-T website signals that boost your Local SEO.

DataPins

Optimizing HVAC Photos For Web Use

Whether you take original photos or download stock images online, you must optimize them for web use. With images captured via smartphone, you can use Dropbox or email to upload the files to the internet; at this point, you can access them on your computer and make the necessary changes.

Modern cameras usually come with a USB cord to upload photos onto your PC or Mac, while stock images downloaded from the internet are already on your hard drive.

Once you have the files on your computer, follow these steps:

Step 1 – Compression: Compress images with tools like Optimizilla
Step 2 – File Name: Make a copy of your image file and rename it with lowercase letters (i.e., ac-repair-job.jpg)
Step 3 – File Type: Convert Your Image File to WebP format using a tool like Tiny IMG’s webp converter
Step 4 – Upload: Using a content management system like WordPress, upload the photo to your library
Step 5 – SEO: Enter relevant ALT Text on uploaded images for SEO purposes

Competing Online With Visual Elements

The modern consumer expects to see visual content when visiting a business’s official website or social media page. You can use the resources above to ensure your HVAC company meets their expectations.

As your company grows from the startup phase to a well-oiled machine, you will gain more photo opportunities and platforms on which to share them.

Still, everyone has to start somewhere. For many startup contractors, it starts with free HVAC images.

Jan '18

HVAC Domain Names: Picking The Best Website Name

For many heating and cooling companies, the new year means launching a new website. While you can develop aspects of your website over time, one decision you will be stuck with is your HVAC domain names.

You might think this decision is simple, but rushing into a domain name registration without considering all of your objectives can be a costly decision. That’s why HVAC Webmasters presents this guide to picking an HVAC domain name.

Branding

Your domain name is a direct reflection of your company’s brand. In today’s vast digital marketing world, having a poorly branded domain name can mean the downfall of your entire business.

Therefore, in choosing a branded domain name, ensure that it is:

Concise: You want a name that users can easily pronounce and read on your business card and other marketing materials
Memorable: You want your name to jump off the business card, website, or social profile so that people can recall it later
Relevant: You’d like to get heating, cooling, HVAC, or a similar industry term in the name

Remember, your domain name will travel with your business everywhere it goes. You may even go as far as investing in a car wrap with your domain name printed right on your truck.

It won’t make any difference if the domain fails to exhibit any of the above qualities. With that said, a well-thought-out domain name can catch the eye of prospective customers.

Source: https://instantdomains.com/

Domain Suffix

A domain suffix, sometimes referred to as a top-level domain (TLD), follows your domain name after the period. In other words, the .com, .net, and .org you see on websites are domain suffixes.

In almost every case, you’ll want to choose a .com suffix for the following reasons:

Innovation: If your .com choice is already taken, choose a more creative domain name instead of changing the suffix
Recollection: Because .com is most common if you tell a customer that your website is .net, they might forget later on and type a .com, bringing them to a different website
Reputation: The internet has its fair share of spammy, shady websites, and many of them don’t use a .com suffix, which can be an indicator of a risky site

You may note that particular government and non-profit institutions use .org or .edu, but these suffixes are only available with proof of validation. Domain registrars regularly release new suffix variations, such as .tv or .club, but none will provide the immediate authority ascribed to .com.

Keyword Placement

Keywords can complicate the domain registration process. Many companies mistakenly believe that using manipulative keywords as their domain name can drive tons of traffic to their site.

Google warns against exact-match domain names and can penalize your site for using one. See below:

Exact Match Domain Name: cheapHVACinTX.net
Relevant Keyword Domain Name: SmithBrosAC.com

As you’ll see in the first example, using the word cheap can be exploitative, especially if your services are not considerably more affordable than others in the area.

Furthermore, the keyword cheap and the suffix .net make your website look spammy and thus unreliable. The second example shows how using a relevant HVAC keyword combined with your brand name creates a memorable option.

Next Steps for Choosing a Domain Name

Once you identify an available domain name that fits your business goals, it’s time to purchase it.

The pricing of available domain names can range from approximately $5.99 to $15.99 per year depending on the provider, the term agreement (i.e., one year, two years, multi-year), and whether the domain is considered an “exact match.”

Upon purchasing your domain, you can also choose to pay for domain name privacy, which hides your basic personal information from the registration data on whois.com and other registrars.

If you require assistance with the domain registration process, reach out to HVAC Webmasters.