In a perfect world, HVAC contractors like you would have a consistent stream of job bookings so you could spend all your time serving customers and generating revenue. In reality, you likely spend a big part of each day placing ads and making phone calls to follow up on potential leads.
By implementing search engine optimization (SEO), you can automate lead generation and potentially achieve the ideal situation where your phone rings multiple times daily. A comprehensive SEO strategy is the ultimate digital marketing tactic to increase your contracting business’s revenue.
In this post, our marketing pros at Relentless Digital discuss the revenue impact of SEO services for HVAC companies. We also share how an SEO strategy contributes to sustainable business growth and an increased SEO ROI over the long term.
The Importance of Search Engine Optimization in Digital Marketing
Search engines play an integral role in your target market’s pursuit of information and services. For example, suppose a homeowner in your service area needs directions on an HVAC filter change or wants to research air conditioning brands. In this case, they will likely use their mobile devices and do an online search.
Similarly, when someone needs an HVAC repair or new cooling system installation, they will also do an online search using search terms such as “HVAC contractor near me.” A search engine like Google uses its users’ search intent to provide the most relevant and valuable results for their queries.
SEO practices aim to optimize your website pages to appear among these top results, significantly increasing your online visibility. The sections below take an in-depth look at the different ways an SEO-focused marketing approach can lead to increased traffic, higher conversion rates, and revenue growth.
Better Visibility in the Search Engines and Organic Traffic
More visibility is the primary aim of an SEO strategy. The first search results pages of Google and other search engines are your website’s richest organic traffic sources. By increasing your organic search traffic with SEO, more potential customers can view your content and offers, which ultimately drive revenue.
Incorporating relevant keywords into your onsite content ensures that your website generates traffic that’s organic. In other words, with proper keyword research, most of your site traffic will need what your business offers.
Content marketing is a great example of an SEO strategy that uses keywords to increase search volume. For instance, a review guide discussing a selection of high-end cooling units might appeal to someone who needs an HVAC installation shortly.
The combination of high-quality content creation and keyword research goes a long way toward increasing relevant site traffic, generating more leads, and increasing company revenue.
Positive User Experience
Google and other search engines aim to provide their users with the most valuable and relevant organic search results for their queries. Keywords are essential in helping Google determine the most relevant results, but they are not the only ranking factor.
Your SEO efforts should also focus on site usability. SEO factors relating to website user-friendliness include the loading speeds of your home page and other pages, how easy your website is to navigate, and whether your site is mobile-friendly.
Page loading speed is a crucial ranking factor that some businesses ignore. If your site visitors have to wait longer than five seconds for a business web page to load, they are likelier to click away and visit a competitor’s website. Similarly, if your website’s navigation is confusing, and your visitors can’t immediately find your contact forms, they might become frustrated and leave your site.
Every professional SEO strategy focuses on website user-friendliness. By focusing on SEO, you create the powerful first impression that you care about your customers’ convenience. You are also less likely to lose traffic and potential new customers to a competing company, which maximizes revenue.
Longer Average Time on Page and Bounce Rate
Search engine optimisation tactics contribute to longer average time on page, a crucial key performance indicator in digital marketing. You want your website visitors to spend the longest possible time on your landing pages or website. The longer someone spends on your site pages, the more likely they are to take the desired action, such as:
- Making demo requests
- Signing up for your newsletter
- Requesting a service estimate
Various SEO factors contribute to a good average time on your pages. For example, you must create content that provides your visitors with practical and industry-related information. Factors relating to site user-friendliness, such as page loading speeds, will also improve your visitors’ average time on your site pages.
Examples of other SEO tactics that promote site engagement include:
- Adding internal links
- Using SSL security technology
- Creating featured snippets
These SEO tactics aim to demonstrate your business’s value and incentivize users to contact you so that you can grow your revenue.
Multiple Touchpoints Throughout the Buying Process
Implementing SEO tactics that include a keyword strategy ensures that you’ll appear in the search engine results at every stage of your customer’s buying process. Your SEO strategy should focus on all members of your target audience, even if they don’t currently need an HVAC repair or installation service. Using SEO to interact with prospective leads at every stage of the buying process is ideal for your business model.
For example, suppose your site features a blog post on the benefits of an energy-efficient HVAC system. In this case, you create a touchpoint at the first stage of the customer decision-making process: problem recognition.
Similarly, review guides and other content on HVAC system options establish touchpoints at the purchasing process’s information search and alternatives evaluation stages. If the same customer interacts with your company at every stage of their decision-making process, they will likely contact you the day they need an HVAC installation.
Optimal Ad Campaign Support
Ideally, your digital marketing strategy should include paid ads and SEO. During the first few months after launching your SEO campaign, paid advertising can be an effective way to generate traffic while you wait for your page’s ranking to improve, which is SEO’s primary purpose.
Do you want to launch a paid advertising campaign on Google or a social media platform? With SEO, you ensure that you send paid traffic to optimized, user-friendly, and high-converting pages, maximizing your return on investment (ROI).
When you pay for clicks, you want to know that you are promoting a fast-loading and mobile-friendly page. SEO tactics ensure that the landing page has an intuitive and engaging layout with language that resonates with your lead.
Onsite optimization might take some time to improve your ranking, but it immediately enhances conversions. Running an SEO and paid ad campaign simultaneously can maximize your SEO ROI.
Maximum Customer Retention
Generating more visitors to your website is a primary benefit of SEO. However, business owners often forget that page optimization can help retain existing customers, which costs five times less than acquiring new customers. Taking advantage of a customer’s lifetime value is crucial to maximizing revenues over the long run.
The SEO factors that reduce customer churn include online visibility for every search term relating to HVAC. Easy access to your website via your Google Business Profile makes contacting your business quick, easy, and convenient.
For example, suppose an existing customer needs an emergency HVAC repair service. In this case, they can search your business name or use the term “HVAC contractor” and then find you in the “Google 3-pack.”
Quality content, a significant SEO requirement, is also a magnet for existing customers. If your customers know that your website is a leading source of information on HVAC systems, they will keep returning to learn more and make the most of their installations.
Automatic Customer Care
Relevance and value are the primary objectives of SEO content marketing. By creating valuable and rich content in keywords, you will increase your ranking in the search results and turn your website into a customer care platform. You might even provide customer service to your competitors’ clients, attracting them to your business.
The best way to take advantage of this SEO benefit is to create new pages containing frequently asked questions, standard problem troubleshooting, and other helpful content. You can develop this content by finding keywords with high search volumes and relying on your own experiences.
For example, let’s say you find that several homeowners encounter the same issue with a specific unit, and you know how to resolve the problem. In this case, you can create a video or article that provides your target audience with instructions that are easy to follow. When someone in your service area searches for this problem, they are more likely to become a lead.
Establish Authority
When Google users do an online search using specific keywords, they trust that the search engine will provide them with the best results for their query. Google’s platform has a highly favorable opinion among its users for various reasons.
Google has never been a data breach source. Also, most people believe that, unlike some social media platforms, Google doesn’t amplify divisive content or promote misinformation.
A top ranking in Google’s search results will automatically establish trust and loyalty among your target audience. If Google believes that your business is the best result for your prospective leads’ keywords, why shouldn’t the searcher?
The SEO tactics you implement to boost your ranking, such as informative blog articles, will also help you become an authority in your service. Website content allows you to demonstrate your expertise as an HVAC contractor and gives you a competitive edge in the local market.
Real Data on Potential Revenue for HVAC Contractors
All of the above benefits contribute to an increase in your SEO ROI and company revenue. However, it would be best to quantify your SEO campaign’s revenue, ensuring that you don’t spend valuable resources on an ineffective strategy.
How much revenue can you earn from SEO as an HVAC contractor? Use the conversion data in Google Analytics to calculate your SEO ROIs, a free tool that helps track your website traffic. To use the conversion data, you need to assign a value to one lead conversion and then determine how many conversions are the direct or indirect result of your SEO strategies.
You can also do an onsite optimization, technical SEO, or external link audit to track the performance of your SEO campaign.
According to The Data-Driven Trades, a report on the SEO performance of five HVAC companies, SEO services can potentially drive a 30x return. In other words, for every $1 you spend on SEO services, you can expect a $30 return in income. Most businesses can reasonably expect the same results from an SEO campaign.
Which SEO Platform Drives the Most Leads?
According to the report from The Data-Driven Trades, Google My Business and Google’s organic results are the platforms to target with your SEO strategy. Google My Business, now Google Business Profile, delivers a match rate of 35.39% and booked job rate of 26.12%. The match rate from the Google organic results is slightly lower at 35.08%, with a booked job rate of 21.47%.
However, despite providing slightly better results, the average cost per booked job with Google Business Profile is $125.44. On the other hand, the average cost per booked job with Google organic results is $138.98.
While it is critical to optimize your site for organic results, your main objective should be to optimize your Google Business Profile and rank in the 3-pack.
Revenue Increase With SEO: Start Making It Happen
As an HVAC contractor, you might understand the benefits of SEO, but how can you take advantage of them? At Relentless Digital, our professional digital marketing team can provide you with a custom SEO solution that fits all your requirements.
Whether you need to grow your ranking, interact with your target audience on social media, or increase your website visits, we can help. Contact us at 262-720-5739 to schedule a consultation with our reputable HVAC marketing team and learn more about Google My Business SEO.
