Step in the shoes of your customer. Imagine you just moved to an apartment across the town and the AC starts to malfunction. Since you need to find someone who can immediately fix your problem, the first thing that you’d probably do is search on Google for the nearest HVAC technician that has high ratings or tons of good reviews. That’s where Google My Business comes in.
Google My Business is a must-have tool for business owners like you who want to build your local online presence and get more qualified leads. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the steps on how to set up your HVAC Company’s GMB profile along with some tips on how you can optimize your business listing.
Google My Business for HVAC companies
Google My Business (GMB) is an online business listing tool that allows you to showcase your HVAC services to potential customers. Its purpose is to improve your brand’s visibility (not just on the Search Results Page but even on Google Maps!), help you with your SEO efforts, gain customer insights (i.e. how they found you, where they found you, customer actions, etc.), and set a positive impression about your business!
Here’s what a business listing looks like on Search Results:
Google Map Pack refers to the top three businesses that show up on local search results. These are the ones that have high ratings and tons of good reviews from their customers. It usually has all of the information that a potential customer needs (i.e. business name, contact details, location, website link, and business hours).
Ranking high in Google’s Map Pack will bring in tons of benefits such as an increased volume of traffic to your HVAC website, calls from your target audience, and most importantly putting your business in a competitive advantage.
What are the ranking factors on Google My Business?
1. Relevance
This refers to how well your HVAC company matches the search query of a potential customer. To increase the chances of your business showing up on relevant search queries, it’s best to complete all of the needed information in your Business Profile.
2. Distance
This refers to how far your business is from a potential customer’s location. If the location is not specified on the user’s end, Google will calculate the distance based on the information they have about the user.
3. Prominence
This refers to how popular your HVAC company is based on the number of reviews you get and how high your ratings are. That’s why gathering tons of good reviews will surely help your business stand out among your competitors.
Does Google My Business for HVAC Companies sound like a great idea for you?
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How to set up Google My Business for HVAC Companies
Go to https://www.google.com/business/. Then, click “Manage now.”
Click “Add your HVAC business on Google.”
Enter the name of your HVAC company and set “HVAC contractor” as your primary business category. Then, click “next.”
If your HVAC company has an office where your customers can visit, click “yes.” Then, click “next.”
Then, enter your HVAC company’s exact location. This includes the country/region, street address, city, state, and zip code. It’s important that you get this right because it’s where your business will be pinned on Google Maps.
There will be a list of relevant businesses that might be relevant to your HVAC company, if it doesn’t show up on the list, click “none of these” followed by the next button.
Since you will be attending to HVAC concerns of office and residential homes of your customers, click “yes.”
This is optional but you can enter the locations that your HVAC company will be serving.
Enter the contact details of your HVAC company. This includes your phone number and website (optional). After filling it out, click “next.”
Add all of the services offered by your HVAC Company. If there are other relevant services that you’re offering but don’t see from the list, you can “show more” or add a custom service. Then, click “next.”
Next, you’ll be setting your business hours. In the future, if there are changes in your business hours, you can easily update it as long as you have your HVAC company’s profile verified.
If you want to receive messages directly on your HVAC company’s Google My Business profile, toggle the switch that says “accept messages” to enable messaging.
To allow your potential customers to send quote requests, select “turn on” to enable this feature. Then, click “next.”
Start writing your HVAC company’s business description. This will serve as a rapport between your business to potential customers who want to get to know more about your HVAC business.
Add relevant photos of your HVAC company. This could be your business logo, services offered, or your team fixing the heat, ventilation, and air conditioning concerns of your customers.
You can also start creating your HVAC ads while creating your Business Profile but you can skip this step for later.
If you didn’t enter your HVAC company’s website earlier, Google will offer you customized domain names. If the suggestions offered to you don’t suit your preference, you can click “explore more domains” or “skip” this step.
You are one click away from publishing your HVAC company’s Google My Business Profile. Select “continue.”
Need help setting up your HVAC company’s Google My Business profile?
Tips on How To Optimize your HVAC Business Profile
Let’s say you already have a verified HVAC Business Profile. The next thing that you should do is to make sure that you’ll show up on relevant search results like whenever someone searches for “HVAC near me.”
To make that happen, here are some tips on how you can make the most out of your HVAC Company’s Google My Business Profile:
1. Choose the most suitable business category
Business categories tell search engines and potential customers what your business is all about. Your primary category should be set to “HVAC Contractor.” You have to choose the most suitable business category because it helps Google understand whether they should display your HVAC company’s profile on relevant search results or not.
Here are a few tips that will help you choose the business category for your HVAC business:
- Create a list of all relevant phrases and terms for your HVAC business
- Check out what category most of your competitors use
- Add secondary categories (e.g. if your primary category is HVAC contractor, you can use “Air conditioning contractor”, “Heating contractor”, or “Air conditioning service repair” as your secondary categories
2. Update your Business Profile for changes
Whenever there are changes in your HVAC company whether it’s your business hours, service locations, or contact details, you have to make sure that you also update it on your profile. Having an updated Business Profile helps Google provide the most accurate information to your potential customers. This way, your potential customers will be informed before they call your business to schedule an appointment.
Bonus tip: Did you know that you can now attach a link that directly brings your potential customers to the appointment scheduling page? Google has now made it easier for your customers to set an appointment in just a few clicks!
Two ways how to add an appointment link to your Business Profile:
Step 1: Go to your Business profile, then click “Edit profile.”
Step 2: After that, scroll down and click “Booking.”
Step 3: Enter the link to your appointment page. Then, click “save.”
If that didn’t work for you, try these steps instead:
Step 1: On your Google My Business Profile Manager, go to the sidebar and click “info”
Step 2: Click the pencil icon beside the “Appointment link” and enter the URL of your scheduling page
Step 3: Click “save changes”
Here’s what it looks like once added to your Business profile:
3. Add high-quality photos of your HVAC services
Business profiles that have actual photos of their businesses get more clicks and direction requests compared to those that don’t have them. If you haven’t yet uploaded relevant photos of your HVAC company, here are some ideas on what you can post for your potential customers to see:
- your business logo
- services that you provide
- photo of your team working
- the exterior of your HVAC office (if you have one)
Best practices when uploading photos to your HVAC Profile:
- should be in jpeg or png format
- recommended resolution: 720p x 720p
- size should be between 15 KB to 5 MB
- the image should be captured with good lighting and not much filter and alterations used
If you want to stand out among your competitors, you can also add a 30-second video to your Business Profile with a resolution of 720p or higher and a file size of up to 75 MB.
4. Indicate your service areas
If you’re getting tons of calls and questions from potential customers asking if you are serving specific areas in your target location, you might want to use the services feature that Google My Business offers. You can add up to 20 service areas to your Business Profile which may include cities or zip codes.
Note: When choosing your service areas, it should not be more than a 2-hour drive from your HVAC company’s office. Also, if you’re not serving a specific area, it’s best to just leave it blank and just focus on stating the areas that you’re covering.
5. List all of your services on your Business Profile
Since you want to provide all of the information that your potential customers are most likely to look for, don’t forget to include specific services offered by your HVAC company such as A/C system maintenance, Heating system installation, etc. This way, you also show up on other search queries aside from “HVAC near me.”
6. Gather lots of good reviews
Reviews matter not just for your potential customers but also play a huge role in your HVAC company’s reputation. In fact, the more reviews you have on your Business Profile, the more credible you become to your target audience. So, if you just recently established your HVAC company, gathering lots of good reviews can be your stepping stone to getting more new clients to your business!
When is the right time to ask for reviews?
Right after the service has been completed. If you see that your customer is satisfied with how you helped them fix their HVAC problems, that’s a perfect time to ask your customer to leave a review on your GMB profile. This can be done verbally (guiding them throughout the process), or provide a card that has detailed yet easy-to-follow instructions.
If a few days have already passed and you haven’t yet received a review, remind them by sending a follow-up email or a text message.
7. Respond to customer feedback
If you’re getting tons of reviews on your HVAC company’s business profile, it’s important that you respond to your customer’s feedback whether it’s a good or a bad one. Making this a habit sets a positive impression that your brand really cares about meeting expectations and providing high-quality services to your customers.
Best practices when responding to customer reviews:
- Respond in a timely manner
- Personalize your response (e.g. mention their name and the service you provided)
- Use keywords that are relevant to your business (e.g. if the review is about AC repair, mention it as you thank the reviewer)
- Invite them to do business with your HVAC company in the future (e.g. “If you encounter HVAC problems in the future, we’re just one call away.”)
- If it’s a negative review, stay professional. Talk it over with the customer.
8. Regularly post updates
Did you know that you can post on Google for free? Here, you can directly post updates whenever there’s something new to your HVAC company. For example, if you have an ongoing promo that you want to share with your potential customers, you can post that directly on your Business profile!
To give you an idea of what it looks like, take a look at this example:
For Google My Business posts, the recommended length is 150-300 words per post. Since potential customers who view your Business profile are not looking for lengthy posts, you have to make your posts short but full of impact. You can also attach a relevant photo to make it more appealing.
Best practices when posting on Google My Business:
- The recommended number of times you should post is at least once a week.
- Use high-quality and relevant photos
- Add relevant keywords to your HVAC business
- Test to see which CTA works best for your posts
- Make sure your landing pages are working
- Proofread before posting!
- Make sure to read Google’s GMB Content Policy
Check out our blog on How to Post on Google if you want to learn more about the types of posts you can publish.
9. Write a captivating business description
Your potential customers will get to know more about your HVAC company through your business description. You can write up to 750 characters but it is highly recommended that you mention all of the important details that a potential client wants to know in the first 250 characters of your business description. Also, the more relevant it is to your HVAC business, the better.
Best practices when writing your HVAC company’s business description:
- Use keywords that are relevant to your HVAC services (e.g. location-based keywords)
- Mention your service areas
- State how long your business has been operating along with your achievements
- Add value to your HVAC services
- Define your unique selling proposition
10. Immediately respond to questions raised by potential customers
Anyone who has a Google Account can raise and answer questions on your HVAC Company’s Google My Business profile. If someone (who’s not the owner of your HVAC company) answers a question raised by a potential customer, it might ruin the reputation of your business (especially if their response is misleading).
Because of that, you want to be the first one to know whenever there are new questions from your potential clients. This way, you can immediately address their concerns.
How to get notified for new questions:
Step 1: On your GMB dashboard, go to “Settings.”
Step 2: Scroll down to “Questions and Answers.”
Step 3: Check the box beside it to enable notifications.
You’ll receive an email whenever someone interacts with your HVAC Company’s Question and Answer section.
Can’t wait to get started with Google My Business for your HVAC Company?
Want to learn how to start creating ad campaigns for your HVAC company? Check out our blog about Google Ads for HVAC Companies to learn more.
Key takeaway
Google My Business is a useful tool for HVAC companies (like yours) who want to stay on top of the minds of your potential customers. If you haven’t claimed your business listing yet, now’s the time for you to take action. Just follow the tips and best practices we’ve mentioned earlier and you will start getting more calls from potential customers!
