What You’ll Learn in this Guide
47 out of 50 HVAC owners we talked to last month couldn’t tell us what their marketing was actually doing. They knew they were spending $4,000, $5,000, $6,000 a month. They had reports full of numbers. But when we asked “What does it cost you to book a job?” Blank stares. Turns out most were paying $400, $600, even $800 per job. Their competitors down the street? $180.
Most HVAC companies are invisible on Google and don’t even know it. You could be spending $4,000 a month and stuck on page 2 for AC repair—while your competitor pays the same and books three weeks out. Same city. Same budget. He’s turning away work. You’re wondering where the calls went.
This isn’t about getting scammed. Your agency is probably doing something. They send reports. They run ads. But they don’t understand local service businesses. They’re treating your HVAC company like a software startup. Your competitor figured this out six months ago. That’s why his phone’s ringing and yours isn’t.
The guy wondering where the calls went and the guy turning away work? The difference is five things. Five checks you can run yourself in about 10 minutes. No logins. No software. No dashboards. Just you, Google, and a phone you’ve never searched from before.
You’ll see exactly what’s broken, what your agency should be doing but probably isn’t, and the one email that makes bad agencies panic. AC season is 90 days out. That’s barely enough time to fix this if you start now.
Downloaded by 400+ HVAC owners this month
Guide highlights
If you're not in the top 3 on Google, 70% of clicks go to your competitors. Page 2 might as well not exist. Here's how to check—takes 10 seconds.
Not cost per lead. Not cost per click. Cost per booked job. We've seen owners paying $600, $800, even $1,300 per job while their competitors pay $180. If your number's over $300, your agency's got some explaining to do.
When's the last time your agency touched your Google Business Profile? If it's been more than 30 days, they forgot about you. Takes 60 seconds to check.
Click your own ad. Where do you land? If it's your homepage, call your agency today. This single mistake bleeds money. Homepages are for browsing. Service pages are for booking jobs.
Send your agency one email: "What did you do last month?" Good agencies list specific work. Bad agencies say "we made optimizations." You'll know a red flag when you see it.
Six yes-or-no questions. If you mark 4+ in the "Bad" column, it's time for a second opinion. Takes 2 minutes.
Phoenix: Page 4 → #2 in 5 months. Cost per job dropped from $487 to $106. Added 4 techs by month 8. Dallas: Invisible → #1 in maps. Turned off paid ads at month 6—didn't need them.
AC season is 90 days out. That's not enough time to fix bad rankings from scratch. Barely enough if you start now. Here's what to do today, tomorrow, and this week.
Table of contents
The Reality Check
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47 Out of 50 HVAC Owners Don’t Know This Number
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Two Companies, Same City, Different Results
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Your Competitor Figured This Out Six Months Ago
Check #1: The Google Test
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How to Search Yourself the Right Way
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Map Pack, Organic, Paid Ads: What to Look For
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Why Page 2 = Invisible
Check #2: The Only Number That Matters
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The Cost Per Job Formula
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Benchmarks: Good, Okay, and Problem
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What to Do If Your Agency Can’t Give You This Number
Check #3: The Neglect Test
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Google Business Profile: Why It Affects Your Ranking
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How to Compare Yours to Competitors
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The 30-Day Rule
Check #4: The Ad Test
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Why Homepages Kill Conversions
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What a Good Landing Page Looks Like
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The 30-Second Check
Check #5: The Accountability Test
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The Email Template to Send Today
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Good Answers vs. Bad Answers
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Red Flags That Mean Nothing Happened
Your Scorecard
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Six Questions to Grade Your Marketing
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0-1 Problems: Keep Going
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4+ Problems: Get a Second Opinion
What Happens When You Fix This
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Case Study: Phoenix, Arizona (33 Technicians)
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Case Study: Dallas, Texas (19 Technicians)
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Same Budget, Different Agency, Different Results
What Now
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Option 1: Fix It Yourself
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Option 2: Get an Outside Look
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The 48-Hour Action Plan
Is Your Marketing Agency Actually Working? Your Competitor Already Knows the Answer.
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