What I found
- Only 1 of 8 sites scored 90+ on mobile, the range Google's tool marks as good. The middle score was about 62 out of 100.
- On 5 of 8 sites, the main content took 5 seconds or more to appear in the test. On three it took over 19 seconds.
- One homepage weighed about 36 MB, roughly 90 times the lightest one.
- 2 of 8 had no tap-to-call link in the top of the page, the first place an emergency AC customer looks.
- The fastest site wasn't fancy. It was light, simple and put the phone number first.
How I checked
I picked 8 local HVAC company websites that show up when you search Google for AC and heating services in Tampa. For each page, on 5 November 2026, I ran:
- A Lighthouse mobile test (version 12.2.1, Google's free open-source speed tool), which simulates a mid-range phone on a slow 4G connection.
- A code check of the page: tap-to-call links, headings, business schema, booking options, license details and image counts.
One test per site, on one day. Scores move a few points between runs, and real visitors on fast Wi-Fi will see faster pages. The point is the comparison: every site got the same test, so the differences are real. Business names are hidden because this is about patterns, not calling anyone out.
The scorecard
| Site | Mobile score | Main content shows | Page size | Call link at top | Book online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company A | 92 | 3.3 s | 0.5 MB | Yes | No |
| Company B | 57 | 8.0 s | 3.3 MB | Yes | Yes |
| Company C | 88 | 3.3 s | 4.0 MB | No | Yes |
| Company D | 58 | 19.3 s | 3.8 MB | No | No |
| Company E | 80 | 3.8 s | 0.4 MB | Yes | Yes |
| Company F | 31 | 40.0 s | 36.1 MB | Yes | No |
| Company G | 55 | 36.8 s | 1.6 MB | Yes | Yes |
| Company H | 67 | 5.0 s | 3.9 MB | Yes | Yes |
"Main content shows" is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): how long until the biggest thing on screen, usually the hero image or headline, appears. Google calls 2.5 seconds or less good. "Call link at top" means a tap-to-call phone link in the header area of the page code.
What's going wrong
1. Pages are too heavy for a phone
Five of the eight homepages were over 3 MB. Company F's homepage loaded about 36 MB in the test, with over 700 images in its code. That's the size of a short video, just to show a homepage. A homeowner standing in a hot house on mobile data won't wait for that; they'll tap the next result.
Weight usually comes from uncompressed photos, image sliders, background videos, chat widgets and many tracking scripts all loading at once.
2. Fast-looking pages can still feel slow
Company G's page wasn't huge (1.6 MB), but its main content took over 36 seconds to show in the test, while the first text appeared after about 11 seconds. That usually points to something blocking the page from showing, like a large font, a slider script or a pop-up loading first. Page size alone doesn't tell you if a site is fast.
3. Two sites make calling harder than it should be
Companies C and D have phone links further down the page, but no tap-to-call link in the header. For HVAC, a big share of visits are urgent: no cooling, no heat, a leak. The phone number should be one tap away at the top of every page, on every phone.
4. Basic structure problems
- Company D has no main headline (H1) at all, so neither visitors nor Google get a clear "this page is about AC repair in Tampa" signal.
- Company F has 17 H1 headlines on one page and no business schema (the code that tells Google the company name, address and phone). Both make the page harder for Google to understand.
5. Some things most of them get right
All eight use HTTPS. Seven of eight have business schema. Six of eight show a state license number, which matters in Florida where HVAC contractors must be licensed. Five of eight let customers book online. The basics are there; speed and the first screen on a phone are where most of them lose people.
What the best one does
Company A scored 92 with the main content showing in about 3.3 seconds on a slow simulated connection. It isn't a flashy site. It:
- keeps the homepage under half a megabyte,
- puts the phone number and a tap-to-call link in the header,
- has one clear headline, a short list of services and visible license details,
- uses business schema and a simple contact form.
Its one gap: no online booking. Adding a "book a visit" option would catch customers who'd rather not call.
Fix-first list for HVAC owners
- Test your own homepage with Google PageSpeed Insights on mobile. If the score is under 50, start there.
- Shrink and compress images. Hero photos rarely need to be more than 200–300 KB. Remove sliders and background videos on mobile.
- Put a tap-to-call button in the header of every page, and make it stay visible as people scroll.
- Use one clear H1 that says what you do and where: "AC repair and installation in Tampa".
- Show your license number and service area near the top.
- Offer online booking for non-emergency visits like tune-ups and quotes.
- Cut scripts you don't use: old tracking pixels, chat tools nobody answers, unused plugins.