4 Ways To Improve Your HVAC Company’s Google Business Profile in 2022
When it comes to generating repair & replacement leads for your HVAC company, there is no doubt that local search engine optimization plays a huge role. According to Chat Meter, local searches such as “Near Me” or “Close By” have grown more than 900% in the past two years alone.
At Rival Digital, we believe that the success of your business relies heavily on the success of the local SEO strategy you have in place. And when we are talking about local SEO, the primary thing we are talking about is overall optimization and performance of your Google Business Profile (see also: Google My Business).
Though there are other factors that play into your local SEO such as service area pages, local listings, and more, the cornerstone of a well-rounded local SEO strategy is your Google Business Profile.
In this article, I am going to share four ways to enhance your local search presence so you can dominate your market in 2022 and beyond!
Keep Your Company Information Updated
Before you try digging into some of the more advanced and technical aspects of Google Business Profile optimization, it’s important to make sure you nail the basics. Did you know that 30% of HVAC businesses don’t even have a website link included on their listing?
Be sure to complete the following items before moving on in this guide:
- Link your website
- Add your office phone number
- Keep your office hours updated
- Select a Primary Category (ex. HVAC Contractor, Plumber, etc.)
- Add the services that you offer
The top HVAC companies in the country got to where they are by making sure they get the basics right. In the digital marketing world, these are some of the basis that you should absolutely take care of before trying to get fancy with local SEO.
Respond To All Reviews
The review section of your listing is a spectator sport. The average consumer reads roughly seven reviews before making a decision to contact a company for service. So make sure that you have gone through all of your reviews and have left a response either thanking them for their business, or addressing the situation if it is a negative review.
The Importance of Responding To Negative Reviews
It is just as important, if not more important to respond to negative reviews as it is to respond to positive reviews. When you leave a negative review un-responded to you are essentially telling review spectators that you don’t care to rectify situations that haven’t gone according to plan.
Here’s a guide for responding to negative reviews:
- Gather information from both parties (the customer & the technician)
- Address the situation head on
- Provide your side of the story
- Offer a solution
Below, we’ll play out a scenario and walk you through a bad response to a negative review and a good response to a negative review.
The Review: “These guys suck! I had them install my new furnace and my house is still cold! They’ve come back 3 times and still no sign of it being fixed. AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!!!”
Bad response: “Whatever, you’re lying. We told you that your ductwork sucked and needed to be replaced but you decided that you know more than us and didn’t listen to our recommendation. Don’t listen to this guy, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
Good Response: “Jim, we regret to hear that you had such a negative experience with our company. We pride ourselves on offering quality heating & cooling services to our customers and are sad to hear that we let you down.
Before installing your new gas furnace, we noticed that all of your ductwork was ripped and leaking air into the attic. We advised you that we would need to either repair or replace your existing ductwork prior to installation or else your furnace wouldn’t work as efficiently as possible, but you declined service.
We would like to correct the situation and make things right. Please give us a call at 777-123-1234 so we can get your system operating properly.”
It sucks to get bad reviews. But with a well formulated response, you can turn it into a huge wow-ing factor for potential customers. Besides, it’s actually helpful to have a healthy mix of positive and negative reviews, as some customers lose trust when all of your reviews at five stars.
Eric was a guest on the BuiltBy podcast and discussed more strategies for strengthening your online reputation. If you would like to learn more about how to create a rock solid online reputation, check it out!
Add Photos and Videos Regularly
One of the easiest ways to spruce up your Google Business Profile is to post photos & videos! Though this may require more effort on your end, or require you to hire an HVAC marketing agency to manage it for you, it can help attract customers to your business.
Ideas of photos to post:
- Images of completed jobs
- Images of your team at morning meetings
- Images of your trucks or fleet
- Images/video of local involvement (parades, golf scrambles, etc.)
When posting images to your listing, try to stay away from stock images. Though there is a practical time and place for stock images in your marketing strategy, it will help you local search presence better to post real images of your team & brand.
Publish Google Posts Weekly
Last but certainly not least is to publish posts on your GBP weekly. Though Google posts aren’t necessarily a huge ranking factor for local search, they can help increase conversions on your listing. Post relevant content that will help homeowners looking for heating & air conditioning services. For example, if you are running a $79 furnace tune-up special, post an image of a technician completing a tune-up and mention the special, and include a booking link for them to schedule service.
Another practical way to utilize Google posts is to re-share or re-purpose your blog content to drive traffic to your website. If you recently created a post called “4 ways to lower your energy bill this winter,” then create a post for each of the four tips. Boom! Now you’ve got four separate posts to make.
Google Post Best Practices:
- Always add a call-to-action (CTA) button in every post ex. Call Now, Learn More, etc.
- Add images to draw attention to the post. Recommended image size is 1200 x 900 pixels
- Keep the post short! Less than 100 characters is ideal
Consistency is key when it comes to publishing posts on Google. Make sure that you sit down and create a strategy that you can execute consistently.
Partner Up With A Team That Specializes In HVAC SEO
We understand that keeping up with your Google Business Page can be an absolute grind. And if you are a busy owner/operator, sometimes it’s the last thing you think of. If you are wanting to dominate your local search presence in 2022, it might be worth while to find a partner that understands the ins and outs of HVAC SEO. At Rival Digital, we specialize in helping HVAC contractors build a rock solid online presence.
One call and you’ll know if we are a fit or not. If you are interested in learning more about our service offerings, contact us today! We would love to learn more about your business and see if it a strategic marketing partnership would make sense.
