8 SEO Tips for HVAC (with Costs, Examples + a Free Checklist)

SEO for HVAC is a strategy that drives organic traffic to HVAC websites. It can cost between $1,500 and $5,000 or more. Learn how our experts use SEO to help HVAC businesses build visibility and get more customers (checklist included).

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just for tech gurus and marketing wizards. It’s for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) businesses too.

Think of SEO like the thermostat of the digital world: It can help you control how your brand appears online to visitors.

With the right strategy, SEO can feel like cool air on a hot summer day.

So how can you get SEO for HVAC started? We asked an expert.

Before becoming a senior SEO manager at HawkSEM, Hayden Pochop worked for an HVAC company, making him uniquely qualified to speak on this topic.

With this help, let’s go over how SEO can help your HVAC business rise to the top of search engines.

What is SEO for HVAC companies?

SEO for HVAC is the digital marketing practice of optimizing an HVAC company’s online presence to improve the chances of showing up on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs).

Sharing many aspects of a traditional SEO strategy, SEO for HVAC specifically targets potential customers who require HVAC services.

Marketers implementing SEO for these businesses might find themselves using tactics like:

• On- and off-page SEO
• Local SEO
• Content marketing
• Keyword research
• Answer engine optimization (AEO)
• Link building
• Mobile optimization
• Reputation and review management
• Social media integration
• Voice search optimization
• Video content
• Seasonal and trending keyword research
• Page speed and user experience optimization

HVAC businesses may find SEO useful for organically attracting more online visitors to increase leads, conversions, and sales.

Since HVAC businesses function locally or regionally, they can use SEO to improve their local search presence in things like Google Maps and the Google Local Pack.

8 steps to build an SEO campaign for HVAC companies

Launching an SEO strategy for HVAC businesses involves a fusion of basic SEO practices and industry-specific strategies.

Because a majority of people in the HVAC industry are small business owners or independent consultants who work with warranty companies, focusing more on local strategies to help improve search visibility and Bing or Google rankings is a preferred marketing method.

Here are some expert tips for improving your HVAC SEO:

1. Run an SEO audit
2. Optimize local SEO
3. Perform keyword research and implementation
4. Create quality content
5. Optimize for mobile
6. Evaluate your page speed optimization
7. Encourage customer reviews and testimonials
8. Have a backlink strategy

1. Run an SEO audit

Before starting your SEO journey, do an SEO audit. It shows where your SEO currently stands and where there are opportunities for improvement.

Whether you’re hiring SEO audit services or using SEO audit tools, this review should include:

• Site architecture
• Technical SEO analysis
• On-page and off-page SEO
• Mobile responsiveness
• URL structure
• Content
• Internal linking
• User experience (UX)
• Image optimization
• Local SEO performance
• Keyword and backlink gaps
• Competitors
• Social media integration

Further reading: SEO Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide + Free Checklist

2. Optimize local SEO

Since HVAC businesses serve specific geographic locations, local search is the best strategy to see short- and long-term success.

“Having a solid local SEO strategy is crucial for your business success,” says Pochop.

“That means your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) need to match exactly everywhere they appear online, you need genuine local reviews coming in steadily, and you need content that actually mentions the neighborhoods and towns you service.”

Local SEO tactics that work best for HVAC businesses include:

• Claiming, optimizing, and managing Google Business Profile (GBP) — formerly Google My Business
• Getting listed in local directories
• Ensuring the name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web
• Encouraging and managing online reviews (Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.)
• Using more local keywords (i.e., HVAC services in Manhattan, Kansas)
• Using Google Analytics (GA), Google Search Console (GSC), and ConversionIQ (CIQ) for SEO tracking and lead conversion

Optimizing content for local users may include:

• Adding local keywords to your page headlines
• Making posts and adding offers to your GBP
• Using listing management tools to register your business citations accurately across the web

Further reading: Local SEO: What It Is and How to Do It Right (Expert Tips)

3. Perform keyword research and implementation

Identify the right keywords potential customers search for. Pinpointing keywords can increase online search visibility.

Do this using Ahrefs, Semrush, Keyword Planner, Moz, or other keyword research tools that fit your budget.

Some HVAC terms and location-specific keywords you might capitalize on are:

• HVAC services
• HVAC repair service
• Emergency HVAC service
• HVAC services in [your location]
• AC repair in [your location]
• Air conditioner repair service

Use target keywords that naturally fit within your website content, titles, meta descriptions, and URLs. For example, don’t force strange keywords like “HVAC services near me” or “HVAC why doesn’t work.”

These kinds of keywords may negatively impact readability and make your content look less credible.

When doing your research, pay attention to search intent, keyword difficulty, and monthly search volume to determine the best keywords.

For example, a keyword with high search volume and low keyword difficulty is a great keyword to target in your content. High search volume and high keyword difficulty search terms may prove more challenging.

When you’re ready to add these keywords to your content, use tools like Yoast or Clearscope to add the appropriate keywords to your content.

And avoid using a keyword too often (keyword stuffing), so Google doesn’t drop your rankings.

4. Create quality content

The Google algorithm ranks quality content created by humans and with genuine intent. Sometimes, this poses challenges when implementing SEO — you need SEO-rich content that’s also informative and educational for your target audience.

For example, if you create content with many relevant keywords that don’t provide value, answer a question, or help solve a problem, it’s not quality content.

“Build real content around what you actually do, tailored for your exact audience — seasonal maintenance in your service area, emergency repairs and system replacements based on local codes — instead of one generic ‘services’ page trying to cover everything,” Pochop advises.

“Search engines reward depth, not vagueness.”

HVAC businesses should consider including maintenance tips, energy-saving advice, and guides on choosing the right HVAC system to really help your searchers.

Also, consider the Freshness Factor, which requires regularly updating content to keep the website fresh, engaging, and relevant to current times. Google loves updated content and prioritizes it over older content.

You’ll also need to craft multiple types of content (blog posts, whitepapers, webinars, infographics, etc.) to help website visitors descend through each phase of the sales funnel until they convert.

5. Optimize for mobile

More searches are taking place on mobile devices, so it’s more important than ever to have a mobile-friendly website. Ensure your site is responsive and offers a good user experience on all devices.

To optimize your website for mobile, evaluate these things:

• Responsive website design
• Loading speed
• Touchscreen navigation
• Readable content that doesn’t require zooming
• Minimal pop-ups
• Images optimized for mobile
• Accessibility features

It takes seconds to grab a user’s attention (and just as quick to lose it). If your website doesn’t load fast, the text is too small to view, or has too many pop-ups, it’ll negatively impact your search ranking.

6. Evaluate your page speed optimization

A fast and responsive web design provides an optimal user experience and is favored by search engines. Page speed tools that determine your current website speed include Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix, and Pingdom.

These give you a list of tasks to complete to improve your page speed. For example, fixing issues with server response time, JavaScript and CSS, image files, browser caching, and HTTPS requests.

Some items in page speed testing tools may require a developer’s assistance, so keep one on hand.

If you have a WordPress site, use caching and image-minimizing plugins to make your website faster. However, too many plugins can slow your website down.

7. Encourage customer reviews and testimonials

Encourage current and new customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, or other review sites. The more reviews you have on these platforms, the more likely it is for Google to recommend you as the preferred HVAC business to hire.

“Get serious about reviews,” says Pochop. “Not just collecting them, but responding to every single one, good or bad.”

Positive online reviews improve local SEO ranking for HVAC businesses because they build trust with potential customers and influence other users to inquire about your services.

You can also add these testimonials to your web pages to show you’re one of the best HVAC providers.

Be sure to respond to all reviews your customers leave to help build rapport with current and new customers. Create reply templates for both positive and negative reviews to make responding easier.

For example, a positive review template may look like this:

Hey [name],

Thank you so much for your kind review! We are pleased to know our HVAC techs provided a positive experience. We hope you choose us again for future HVAC needs.

Warm regards,

[Business name]

8. Have a backlink strategy

One huge ranking factor for any successful HVAC business is having quality backlinks from reputable, industry-related websites. You can generate these backlinks through partnerships, guest blogging, or local business collaborations to build your website’s authority.

SaaS-based services like Ahrefs and Semrush have link-building toolkits that analyze your and your competitors’ backlink profiles to assess where you can improve.

They search for gaps in your and your competitors’ backlink strategies to see which backlinks you can acquire. It also shows who’s currently linking from your website and whether they are “dofollow” or “nofollow” links.

A high-quality backlink for an HVAC business could be from a website like Angi. They offer lists of heating and cooling contractors or businesses for users searching for those services.

Using these strategies, you can significantly improve your online visibility, attract more relevant traffic, generate more leads, and effectively compete in the digital marketplace.

Why use SEO for HVAC businesses?

Around 20% of local HVAC contractors fail in the industry each year. And an even more alarming seventy percent of HVAC companies won’t make it past their first year.

But that doesn’t have to be you.

Even with these numbers, the global HVAC economy is set to surpass a whopping $296 million in revenue by 2028, meaning there are huge opportunities for HVAC businesses to grow.

So, how can HVAC businesses pass the first year with flying colors? Our answer: with a good SEO strategy.

“SEO matters because it puts you in front of the right people at the exact moment they have a problem and a credit card ready,” says Pochop.

“Paid ads can do that too, but the second you stop paying, you disappear. SEO is the only channel where the work you do today is still working for you two years from now.”

The truth is, over 50 percent of local businesses don’t have an SEO strategy. With most HVAC businesses operating locally or regionally, you might find you’re part of that statistic. But that doesn’t have to be you. If many other businesses aren’t using SEO, that gives you a huge advantage.

Having a strong SEO strategy can be the crucial component for the success of any HVAC company and HVAC contractors.

Here are some of the benefits of incorporating SEO in your HVAC marketing strategy:

• Competitive advantage
• More trustworthy and credible content
• Increased brand awareness and visibility
• Improved local traffic
• Website traffic growth
• Cost-effectiveness
• Long-term growth
• Improved sales
• High-quality leads

When implemented effectively, 46% of marketers said SEO leads to success. Over 53% also said they planned to increase their SEO budget in the next year because SEO tactics improved their content marketing overall.

Knowing this, brands and marketers should consider crafting an HVAC SEO strategy, which we will get to later.

Further reading: What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)? A Complete Guide

Cost of SEO for HVAC businesses

Costs can range anywhere from $1,500-$5,000 each month. Finding HVAC SEO services depends on the unique needs of your HVAC business, so consider:

• Scope of the SEO campaign
• Number of locations that need optimization
• Competition of local areas
• How aggressive the keyword strategy is
• Existing SEO strategies

Local SEO may come at a separate but worthy cost. Since ranking locally is important for HVAC businesses, investing $500 to $1,500 per month for local SEO can be beneficial. This budget can cover local link building and managing citations for each business location.

Be sure to discuss your options with the HVAC SEO company or marketing agency to ensure you’re meeting current needs.

3 examples of top-ranking HVAC websites

The HVAC industry is massive, so it helps to see how others use SEO and other marketing tactics to help their business grow.

Here are three of the best HVAC companies and how they’re ranking in Semrush.

1. Carrier

Carrier is one of the top HVAC companies. It generates almost one million monthly organic visits and has over two million backlinks.

With an authority score of 58, it’s clearly a reputable HVAC company in the industry. Judging its steady organic growth since 2013, its HVAC SEO strategy works.

2. Bryant

Bryant claims the second spot on the list of best HVAC companies, even with its lower SEO stats. The company saw staggering growth, indicating possible challenges along its SEO journey.

No matter those challenges, it still saw traffic growth over the years, giving it a well-deserved spot as a top HVAC website.

Each month, it brings in close to 100,000 monthly organic searches and nearly 90,000 backlinks. Its online marketing strategy resulted in an authority score of 39, lifting it past HVAC competitors.

3. Goodman

Lastly, we have Goodman and its impressive stats. While not as successful in overall organic search traffic and backlinks, it has a high authority score of 49 and nearly 300,000 monthly visits.

Over two thousand backlinks is also significant, helping it rank better than the average HVAC company.

It’s seen steady growth since 2013, showing its SEO strategy is working for its business.

Common mistakes to avoid with SEO for HVAC companies

Here are common mistakes to avoid to ensure their SEO efforts are effective:

• Neglecting local SEO: HVAC services are location-based. Avoiding local SEO optimization can mean missed opportunities, especially if competitors aren’t using it.
• Overlooking mobile optimization: Every website should be mobile-friendly to enhance the user experience and search rankings. If you’re having trouble bringing your website up to mobile-friendly standards, find a developer to help you.
• Using generic or irrelevant keywords: Targeting keywords that don’t align with your brand, local area, or HVAC services can lead to poor quality traffic.
• Ignoring customer reviews: Always be active in the reviews section of your business listings. Customer reviews on Google, Yelp, Angi, and Facebook help with local SEO rankings and brand perception. Not actively managing or responding to reviews seems like you’re inactive or ignoring customers.
• Poor website user experience: If a website has navigational challenges, poor site speed, or outdated information, bounce rates could increase and you could reduce the chances of converting.
• Duplicate content: Publishing the same content across multiple web pages or sites can result in SEO penalties. All content should be one-of-a-kind and valuable to the user.
• Inconsistent NAP information: Inconsistent Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) information across online directories and listings can confuse search engines and potential customers.
• Neglecting content quality: Be intentional with your content and delivery. Keywords can get you started, but if it lacks relevance and value it reduces the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Always keep your content engaging, relevant, and useful.
• Failure to leverage analytics: Your work isn’t done after launching an SEO strategy. Monitor your progress to maintain the health of your website and your strategy. Identify opportunities to improve using analytics and tracking tools like GA, GSC, Semrush, Ahrefs, and other tools.
• Ignoring Technical SEO: Technical SEO analyzes site structure, crawl errors, and sitemaps. These help index and rank a website properly, so don’t ignore it.

Pro tip: Another big red flag Pochop sees is “companies build a page for every town they service — which is actually smart local SEO — but then just copy-paste the same paragraph and swap out the city name.” He says each town page needs to earn its place with unique content — neighborhoods you’ve worked in, real jobs you’ve done there. Google can tell the difference between genuine and templated, and so can customers.

Common SEO terms to know

As you’re learning how to rank on Google, you’ll come across numerous SEO terms.

Plus, if you ever employ an SEO consultant or SEO services, knowing these terms can help you understand how SEO experts are employing these tactics.

They can also help you conduct your own research and improve your rank in Google search overall.

Here are the most important ones:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The process of increasing and improving website traffic gathered from search engines using keywords and content marketing.
2. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs): The list of pages that appear after the user performs an online search query.
3. Local Search: The process of optimizing a local business to appear in local online search queries.
4. Backlink: A link from a third-party website back to your website.
5. Conversion Rate: The percentage of online visitors who completed an action on your website, such as a download or purchase.
6. Link Building: A strategy that uses outreach to get other websites to link back to your website.
7. Keyword: The word(s) a user types into a search engine to find products, services, or information.
8. Keyword difficulty: Ranked on a scale from 0-100 to show how difficult it is to rank for a keyword.
9. On-page SEO: The process of optimizing your website’s content for search engines.
10. Off-Page SEO: The process of using external optimization tactics to help your website grow — this could include link-building, guest posting, and social media marketing.
11. Meta Tag: Snippets of text that describe what your page is about to a user.
12. Anchor Text: The highlighted text accompanying your hyperlink.
13. Alt Text: The text used to describe an image you place within the content of your web page.
14. Page Rank: A Google-determined value placed on each web page to determine its rank in search engine results.
15. Organic Traffic: The number of visitors who visit your website organically via unpaid SEO tactics, like blogging.
16. Domain Authority: A ranking score developed by Moz to help rank pages in search engines more effectively.
17. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) aka Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): AEO and GEO are the practices of optimizing your brand’s digital presence so AI-driven search systems can understand your business, trust your expertise, access your content, and reference your brand in AI platform answers.

10 tips for hiring HVAC SEO services

Ready to work with a reputable SEO agency?

Here are 10 tips to use to find the best HVAC SEO marketing company:

1. Look for specialized experience in the HVAC industry
2. Check their case studies and previous performance
3. Ask them what makes their strategy unique and successful
4. Review their references and reputation
5. Ask about reporting and transparency
6. Avoid “guaranteed ranking” or “rank overnight” language
7. Consider the cost vs. value
8. Inquire about SEO and PPC integrations
9. Examine their communication and customer service style
10. Consider their long-term commitments with other clients

A marketing company like HawkSEM can align with your business and help you reach your goals. Marketing agencies should provide examples of their growth. For instance, HawkSEM’s SEO services for HVAC companies helped NorthStock increase conversions by 53%.

A good marketing agency will always be transparent with you about what is and isn’t working. If not, it’s best to inquire elsewhere.

Free SEO checklist for an HVAC SEO campaign

Run an SEO Audit

• Check site architecture
• Technical SEO
• On-page
• Off-page SEO
• Mobile responsiveness
• URL structure
• Quality content
• Internal linking
• User experience
• Image optimization
• Local SEO
• Keyword and backlink gaps
• Competitors analysis
• Social media integration

Optimize for local SEO

• Claim your Google Business Profile
• Optimize your Google Business Profile
• Get listed in local directories
• Create consistent NAP across the web
• Manage online reviews
• Use local keywords
• Set up Google Analytics
• Set up Google Search Console

Conduct keyword research

• Choose a keyword research tool like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Keyword Planner
• Find HVAC-specific and location-based keywords
• Add keywords to content, titles, meta descriptions, and URLs
• Choose keywords with high search volume and low keyword difficulty
• Target keywords specific to your industry

Create quality content

• Identify users’ pain points
• Keep content genuine and valuable
• Regularly update content
• Produce content for all stages of the sales funnel (blog posts, infographics, white papers, webinars, etc.)
• Avoid duplicate content
• Always monitor progress using analytics tools

Optimize for mobile

• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
• Ensure responsive design
• Identify current loading speed
• Improve touchscreen navigation
• Make content readable
• Reduce the number of pop-ups
• Minify and optimize images

Evaluate page speed optimization

• Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix, or Pingdom
• Hire a developer to help with technical errors (optional)

Encourage customer reviews and testimonials

• Actively seek customer reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, Angi, and Facebook
• Create negative and positive review templates
• Respond to all reviews
• Incorporate positive reviews on your website

Develop a backlink strategy

• Acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable, industry-related websites through partnerships, guest blogging, and/or local business collaborations
• Run a backlink analysis
• Find backlink gaps and opportunities in your and your competitor’s backlink profiles
• Use link building tools to avoid manual cold emailing

Hiring HVAC SEO services

• Look for specialized experience
• Ask for an SEO services list
• Ask about on-page SEO services
• Ask about off-page SEO services
• Check case studies
• Identify their unique strategy
• Review their reputation
• Ask about transparency in reporting
• Inquire about SEO and PPC integration
• Assess their communication style
• Consider their commitment to long-term client relationships
• Determine keyword strategy aggressiveness
• Determine number of locations needed
• Ask about additional Local SEO costs
• Identify scope of the campaign

The takeaway

If you’re just surviving in the competitive HVAC environment and are ready to thrive, it’s time to embrace SEO.

Understanding the nuances of SEO and avoiding common pitfalls can better your online visibility and boost customer engagement.

“Companies that treat SEO as a checkbox lose to companies that treat it as an extension of good customer service,” Pochop adds. “Do right by your customers consistently, and make sure the internet can see that.”

SEO isn’t a short-term strategy. It’s a long-term commitment you must invest in daily to keep your online business successful. Create an impactful strategy to help your HVAC business reach new heights in the digital world.

Connect with our HVAC SEO experts for a free consultation. Let’s turn up the heat on your SEO strategy.

This article has been updated and was originally published in August 2024.