The HVAC industry has been growing in Canada, and the demand for quality heating and cooling systems is increasing due to the country’s colder climate and focus on sustainability. Thousands of homeowners are searching for HVAC services, with the estimated revenue generated in the heating and cooling market in Canada to be US$1.15bn in 2024. In today’s digitally driven world, homeowners rely heavily on search engines to find products and services they need from a Pro, and the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should not be overlooked. For an HVAC business, potential customers will actively be searching for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services. If your HVAC website has an effective SEO strategy, this will not only enhance your visibility but also establish credibility.
As an HVAC contractor, you can stand out when your prospective customers search for phrases such as:
- Air conditioning installation services
- HVAC companies near me
- Air duct cleaning services
- Furnace repair companies
You want your company to show up in the top few search results when people search for the above phrases. We’ve compiled a list of tips to rank in search engines when you are starting your HVAC business or trying to optimize it.
What is HVAC SEO?
SEO for HVAC companies is the process of optimizing your businesses content and improving visibility in search engine results pages, such as Google. The goal is that when a homeowner searches something like “ac and heating repair services”, your business will appear in the top search results, generating more leads and growing your business. SEO for HVAC involves various marketing techniques, such as keyword research, on-page and off-page SEO, Local SEO, social media, content creation, and more.
1. Using Effective Keywords
Keyword research is crucial for HVAC businesses because it helps you as a Pro understand what phrases homeowners are using when they search for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services. By knowing these keywords, you can optimize your website content to include them in better ways, making it more likely that your website will show up when potential homeowners search for those terms.
For example, an HVAC Pro in Ontario in the Greater Toronto Area, will have relevant keywords such as, “HVAC Companies Toronto,” “GTA AC Repair,” “HVAC Repair in the GTA” or “Air Conditioning Installation near GTA.”
Keywords should be used in your content strategically, such as page titles, articles, links, or image alt texts.
How to identify relevant keywords for your HVAC business
Utilizing SEO keyword research tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help expand your list of potential keywords. You can enter general terms related to HVAC services and see what other related keywords are suggested. Although these tools are not free, it may be worth it to invest for a short period of time to see what keywords you should be ranking for to improve your HVAC website’s keyword rankings. This also eliminates the process of guesswork when it comes to what customers may be searching for.
Another strategy is analyzing other HVAC Pro competitors in your area and seeing what keywords they are targeting. This can give you insights into keywords you can consider using.
Shown above is the keyword landscape for “HVAC Companies” in Canada. It would be very difficult to rank for this keyword as is it competitive and has a high search volume. While it is a relevant keyword to you as a contractor, you may want to find different variations of keywords or more specific ones to rank for that can help your HVAC Company appear in searches more easily.
Putting your keyword research into action
After doing your keyword research and identifying top keywords you want your HVAC business to rank for, you can input them into pages on your website.
If you want to rank high for “Air Conditioning Installation,” you should have a webpage dedicated to this topic. This will include the title using the keyword, use it in your tags and meta descriptions, and in image alt texts. Using the keyword periodically throughout your HVAC website can help your search engine results. This strategy can be done with all of the top keywords you want to rank for.
For example:
- On a homepage, you can write: Air Conditioning Services
- On the service pages, you can include headings such as, “Air Conditioning Services in the GTA”
- In your image alt texts, you can include the phrase, “HVAC technician installing air conditioning unit”
2. Creating The Right Informative Content
Optimizing your HVAC website content for target keywords involves strategically incorporating these keywords into various elements of your website to improve its visibility. Besides service pages, you can write relevant blogs that targets HVAC questions and tutorials that can be helpful for homeowners.
A blog allows HVAC contractors to showcase their expertise with informative content that can help to educate homeowners on HVAC topics. The blogs can answer common questions and give tips on topics such as:
- Choosing the Right Air Conditioning Unit
- Does Your Home Need a Heat Pump?
- How to Know When You Need Air Duct Cleaning
You can use the keyword research tools stated above to help you figure out what blog topics will be helpful to write about. Writing blogs like this is also a great way to show that your HVAC business is skilled and knowledgeable in the industry. In your content, be sure to include videos, images, and visual content to help explain your HVAC services, such as a photo of what an air filter that needs to be changed may look like, or different images of the AC units you provide. These content marketing strategies will help you stand out in the HVAC industry.
3. Creating Location Pages on Your Website
By creating location pages on your website, you can specify certain locations where you offer your HVAC services. For example, if you have an HVAC company in the GTA, there are many towns and cities within it that you may want to rank higher for than others.
Your home page can include general HVAC terminology and all of the services you provide. This may include AC Repair, Air Duct Cleaning, Heat Pumps, etc.
Your location pages would be different pages for different areas, such as Toronto, Mississauga, Scarborough, etc. It may be written as, “HVAC Company in Mississauga.” This way, when someone is searching for HVAC services in a certain area, SEO will help boost these pages higher on search engine results.
4. Meta Descriptions and Meta Tags
Meta Descriptions
The meta description is a summary of your website’s content that appears beneath the title in search engine results. Meta descriptions can influence click-through rates. A well-written meta description describes the page’s content and includes relevant keywords. If your page is all about changing air filters, the meta description should explain a brief summary on what the content will be about and the location.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are snippets of text that provide additional information about a webpage’s content to search engines. Including relevant meta tags related to HVAC services, such as keywords, the services, and location information, can help improve your website’s relevance and visibility in search results. Including local keywords in your meta tags for air duct cleaning in Mississauga could look like: “HVAC Air Duct Cleaning in Mississauga.”
5. Mobile Optimization
Optimizing your HVAC website for mobile-friendliness is crucial for your SEO and business overall. Your job is on-the-go and so are your customers. Homeowners should be able to search for your HVAC services while they could be out of their homes as well. Incorporating a mobile-friendly design, easy scroll experience, and resizing content to fit on phone screens will ensure that your website is used by potential customers. Have clear menus, and most importantly, your contact page and a click-to-call button for easy use for a homeowner to call you for a job.
6. Business Citations and Online Directories
Local business citations can help your business rank higher on search engines and it’s a great way to showcase your business so more customers will discover you. Creating accurate, up-to-date citations is essential for your business in the HVAC industry. Some citations can be published in certain website directories such as:
- Google My Business
- HomeStars
- Yelp
- Yellow Pages
- Bing Places
- Facebook Marketplaces
- Nextdoor
Include details such as your mobile number, company name, address, and website. This will also help your SEO.
When your business is posted accurately on directories, it’s an easier way for homeowners to find your company. Here are a couple of great business citations you should create:
Create a Google My Business Listing
Creating a Google My Business listing is a great way to showcase your services. Google My Business is a free business listing that can help you become more visible online and is critical for local HVAC SEO.
Regularly updating your website and having positive written reviews on your listing can make you stand out against other HVAC Pros. It will also display your location so you can show that you target your services for homeowners in specific areas. Adding as much detail as you can will make it more likely that customers searching for HVAC services will find you.
A few things to add to your Google My Business listing is your area you work in, hours of operation, a mobile number, and a link to your website. If your HVAC business is on the go, you may not have an address. A good practice to improve SEO is including a list of your HVAC services you provide, images of your work including before and after shots or AC systems you have installed and answer a few common questions customers may have.
Create a HomeStars Profile
You can also create a free HomeStars profile, the largest marketplace in Canada for homeowners to get connected with home service professionals. Your HomeStars profile is a great backlink to use on other websites, and its also a way to generate leads for your HVAC services. If you are a premium Pro, you can input your HomeStars profile link and reviews to your Google My Business listing as well.
Positive Written Reviews on Google
Written customer reviews play a pivotal role in establishing credibility, trust, and authority within the HVAC industry. Search engines like Google prioritize websites with genuine, positive reviews, as they are considered reliable and relevant. Without positive reviews, your HVAC business may struggle to retain customers. You want homeowners to search for your company plus reviews and see a high rating.
After completing a job, a good practice is to ask your customer for a review if they liked your HVAC service.
7. Get Noticed With Backlinks
Backlinks are links that are created when one website will include a link to another in their pages or content. In this case, a website can link to your HVAC business in areas of their website that makes sense. The use of backlinks is a big factor when it comes to off-page SEO. Having backlinks gives your HVAC business more credibility and trust from people searching for your services.
Link building and other websites linking back to your business can help with your SEO. For your HVAC business, you can build more backlink authority by giving reviews or creating guest content on other websites such as a blog or video. This can include an informative article that will provide value to another website’s target market, such as HVAC tips, guides, or infographics. If you have reviews of positive experiences from your services, you can share them with others as a helpful testimonial for their customers if they are looking for an HVAC service. This is a great way to build credibility, trust, and boost your SEO.
8. Social Media
For HVAC businesses, posting content on social media accounts is crucial for your marketing and to attract more customers. In an industry like HVAC, a lot of your work in the trade is a high skill level and knowledge that customers may not have and that is why they put their trust in you for their homes. Sharing images, informative content, videos, guides, or even posting your work on an Instagram story can boost your trust with customers, get people engaged with your company, and increase your chances of being found by more homeowners looking for HVAC services.
Posting content
An example of social media content to post is live Instagram stories of you fixing an AC unit, changing an AC filter, or giving a run-down of your tasks of the day. You can share positive testimonials you receive on LinkedIn from happy customers, along with images of before and after shots. Another great tip is including a FAQ on your social media page, to show credibility and trust with your work and knowledge of the HVAC industry. These social media strategies can help improve your search engine rankings, and your social media website can also be shown on Google searches. Staying active on social media and posting regularly is a great way to build a community and stand out among competitors.
You can share your social media links on your website, Google My Business listing, and HomeStars profile. This also adds backlink opportunities.
9. SEO Tips to Avoid
While creating SEO friendly content with keywords and creating citations is crucial for your HVAC business to grow, there are a few SEO tactics that should be avoided as they can do more harm than good.
Overusing keywords
While using relevant keywords in your content and website pages is key for SEO, it is possible to overuse them and use a keyword too many times in your copy. Doing this can lead to penalties on search engines, and overall make your website hard to find and lead to fewer conversions.
Poor keyword research
As an HVAC contractor and expert, you may think you know many of the keyword’s customers may be searching for, in categories such as duct cleaning, air filters, or heat pumps. However, without doing the proper research and using keyword tools, you are only guessing and could be ranking for keywords you don’t want to or that don’t have much search volume. Focusing on specific search queries can help you write personalized content that can help you rank faster for purchase-ready keywords of your services like, air conditioning installation in Vaughan, etc.
Avoid duplicate content
If you have two pages dedicated to air filters, make sure the titles and content focus on different topics. Keep your titles unique and different on all your pages, to avoid duplication & search engine confusion.
Poor URL structure
The URL of your website and its pages is very important when it comes to SEO. Use URLs that are simple and clear. For example, a page dedicated to air conditioning in Mississauga can be written as, “yourwebsite.com/air-conditioning-services-mississauga.” This is easy to read, concise, avoids numbers, and filler words. Not having specific website URLs can also cause duplication issues on search engines which can affect your SEO.
Poor linking strategy
Internal linking is an essential part of SEO for your content and web pages as they help customers with navigating throughout your site, and it also helps search engines like Google to understand the structure of your website. However, excessive linking can also negatively affect your SEO. A good tip is including 5-10 links per 2,000 words.
Improve Your HVAC Businesses Reputation with SEO Marketing
Implementing these effective SEO strategies is essential for maximizing online visibility and attracting more leads.
By optimizing keywords, creating relevant content, and ensuring a user-friendly experience, HVAC businesses can attract leads, secure more jobs, increase their website traffic, and maximize their online presence. Embracing SEO not only enhances brand visibility but also fosters trust, credibility, and long-term success in a competitive industry.
Our HomeStars platform reaches 8 million visitors annually in Canada. It has a strong domain authority with numerous helpful resources and allows Pros to publish their free company listings on our platform. Your HVAC business will be shown to homeowners, and appear in search results when a homeowner is looking for HVAC Services online in your area.
If you’re looking to improve your HVAC company’s online presence, you can get in touch with us to ensure your business is being found by homeowners who are looking for an HVAC Pro.
