HVAC PPC that answers the emergency call
When a furnace dies at 11pm in January, nobody scrolls past the first results. HVAC PPC puts your company at the top for those searches, and Google Ads lets you decide exactly which jobs, hours and towns you pay for.
Two kinds of HVAC searches, two different campaigns
Most wasted HVAC ad budget comes from treating every search the same. A homeowner with no heat and a homeowner pricing a new system behave nothing alike, so I build them separately.
Emergency repair
"Furnace not working", "AC repair near me", "no heat emergency". People call within minutes and rarely compare more than two companies. These campaigns are call-first: call assets, ads scheduled around the hours you actually answer, and a tight radius you can reach fast.
Replacement and installation
"New AC unit cost", "heat pump installation", "furnace replacement". Higher value, slower decisions. These ads send people to a page with financing info, brands you install and a quote form, and they're judged on booked estimates, not instant calls.
What I build into every HVAC account
Call tracking
Calls from ads and from your website counted as conversions, with a minimum call length so wrong numbers don't count.
Negative keywords
"HVAC jobs", "HVAC school", "DIY", "parts", "manual" and similar searches blocked from day one, then refined weekly from the search terms report.
Service area
Only the towns you serve, using the "presence" location setting so people merely reading about your area don't trigger ads.
Ad schedule
Bids raised when your phones are staffed, lowered or paused when nobody can pick up. A missed emergency call is paid for and lost.
Budgeting around the weather
HVAC demand follows temperature. Your ad budget should too, instead of staying flat all year.
What you get each month
- Search campaigns for repair and for replacement
- Call and form tracking set up and checked
- Weekly search term review and negative keywords
- Ads and assets: calls, sitelinks, financing and service callouts
- Budget shifts ahead of hot and cold spells
- Plain-English monthly report: cost per call and booked job
Search ads vs Local Services Ads
Google also offers Local Services Ads, which can appear above regular ads and charge per lead instead of per click. HVAC is one of the categories they cover in many areas, but availability and the screening requirements depend on your location.
| Google search ads (PPC) | Local Services Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay for | Each click | Each lead (call or message) |
| Control | Keywords, ad text, landing page, schedule | Mostly job types, area and budget |
| Setup | Days | Business screening and verification first |
| Best for | Specific services and replacement jobs | Fast phone leads with a trust badge |
Many HVAC companies run both. I can help you set up and watch Local Services Ads alongside your search campaigns; Google runs the screening.
Check these first
- Can someone answer the phone?Emergency ads only pay off when calls are answered. If calls go to voicemail after 5pm, schedule ads accordingly.
- Does the landing page load fast on a phone?A homeowner sweating in a hot house won't wait. See HVAC website design for what that page needs.
- Is your Google Business Profile complete?Ads build trust faster when your rating and reviews back them up. See HVAC SEO.
- Do you know what a job is worth?Hypothetical example: if an average repair is worth $350 in profit and one in four calls books, you can afford up to about $87 per call and still break even.
HVAC search terms, grouped by intent
Grouping keywords this way lets each group get its own ad and landing page, and its own budget.
| Group | Example searches | Send them to |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency heating | furnace not working, no heat, heater repair near me | Heating repair page with a big call button |
| Emergency cooling | AC not cooling, AC repair, air conditioner stopped working | AC repair page |
| Replacement | new AC unit, furnace replacement, heat pump installation | Installation page with financing and a quote form |
| Maintenance | AC tune-up, furnace maintenance, HVAC maintenance plan | Maintenance plan page |
| Block these | HVAC jobs, HVAC certification, DIY, parts, wholesale | Added as negative keywords |
Brand terms (people searching your company name) usually cost little and protect you from competitors bidding on your name, so I often include a small brand campaign too. Competitor names are a different matter: bidding on them can be expensive and rarely converts well for local HVAC, so I only test it if you ask.
Match types matter as well. I start with phrase and exact match on the high-intent groups, watch the search terms report weekly, and only widen to broad match once conversion tracking has enough data to guide Google's bidding.
HVAC PPC questions
How much should an HVAC company spend on Google Ads?
It depends on your area, competition and how many jobs you can handle. Clicks for urgent HVAC repair searches are often expensive, so check estimates for your own towns in Google's Keyword Planner, start with a budget you're comfortable testing for a few months, and judge it by cost per booked job.
Is the ad budget included in the $250?
No. The $250 a month is my management fee. The ad budget is paid directly to Google from your own ads account, so you always see exactly what was spent.
Should HVAC ads run 24/7?
Only if someone answers 24/7. Paying for an emergency click that reaches voicemail usually loses the job to the next company. I schedule ads around your real answering hours.
Are Local Services Ads better than PPC for HVAC?
They're different. Local Services Ads charge per lead and need Google's screening; search ads charge per click and give more control over services and landing pages. Many HVAC companies use both.
Do you work with an HVAC advertising agency I already use?
If you already have an agency, the free Google Ads checklist on this site can help you review the account. If you switch to me, the ads account stays in your name either way.
Related pages
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