Dominating the “Map Pack”: A Local SEO Strategy for a Residential HVAC Contractor
Client: A single-location, independent HVAC repair company in a competitive metropolitan area.
Challenges We Faced
The client was a skilled local contractor but was invisible online, losing all high-intent emergency service calls:
No “Map Pack” Ranking
The company was on page 3+ of Google Maps for critical keywords like “AC repair near me” and “emergency furnace repair.”
Unoptimized GMB
Their Google Business Profile (GMB) was unclaimed, had incorrect service hours, and featured only two 3-star reviews.
A Single “Services” Page
The website had one generic “HVAC Services” page, making it impossible to rank for specific, high-profit jobs.
Inconsistent Local Citations
The company’s name and phone number were wrong on key directories like Yelp and Angi, confusing Google.
Slow, Non-Mobile-Friendly Site
The website was slow and difficult to use on a phone, causing users to bounce.
Get More Service Calls
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Our Approach – How We Solved These Challenges
Local SEO for HVAC Contractors
This was our first priority. We claimed, verified, and fully optimized their GMB profile, including adding 24/7 emergency hours, uploading photos, and launching a Review Management Platform (like Podium) to get new reviews.
Service-Specific SEO
We split their single “Services” page into 12 new, unique, and highly-optimized pages for each core service (e.g., “AC Repair,” “Furnace Installation,” “Ductless Mini-Split Installation”).
Local Keyword Research
We targeted high-intent, emergency keywords (e.g., “24/7 AC repair [city]”) and long-tail service keywords to attract qualified homeowners.
Off-Page SEO & Local Citations
We used Local Citation Tools (like BrightLocal) to clean up 50+ incorrect citations and build 25 new ones on high-authority home service directories.
Results
| Metric | Before | After | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Click-to-Call” (from GMB) | 10/mo | 150/mo | +1400% |
| Rankings in “Map Pack” (“AC repair near me”) | 25th+ | 3rd | +22 spots |
| Online Service Bookings | 5/mo | 55/mo | +1000% |
Free Local SEO Audit
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Advice for Marketers & Brand Owners
- Your GMB Profile is your #1 lead-gen tool. For an HVAC contractor, a fully optimized GMB is non-negotiable.
- Create a separate page for every service you offer. A “Furnace Repair” page will always outrank a generic “Services” page for that query.
- Actively ask for reviews. A steady stream of 5-star reviews is the fastest way to build trust and dominate the Map Pack.
- Mobile speed is critical. “Emergency repair” searches happen on a phone in a moment of panic. If your site is slow, you’ve lost the job.
Extra Factors That Made It Work
- The new review generation strategy was a key driver, taking the client from 2 reviews to 75 in 6 months.
- The new Service-Specific SEO pages allowed them to rank for high-value keywords for the first time.
- A UI/UX Analysis led to a “Book Service Call” button being made “sticky” on the mobile site, dramatically increasing conversions.
