(02) 8020 5982
DIY SEO | Top SEO Tips for HVAC Contractors in Sydney
Top SEO Tips for HVAC Contractors in Sydney
In today's article we're going to dive into some of our top SEO tips just for HVAC contractors in Sydney.
While the steps in this post alone won't get you ranked number 1 on Google, they will help you improve your business's visibility so your customers have a better chance of finding you.
We'll also talk about some beginner level strategies to get your business ranked and showing up in some of your local search results.
While these steps are all fairly simple and actionable for the average business owner, they can be time consuming and for individuals who don't have a lot of experience with tech, they can also be confusing.
If you don't have the time or energy to dedicate to SEO but still want to benefit from it as a marketing tool, Branchlead can help.
Branchlead specialises in helping tradie service businesses in Sydney to acquire more customers, make more sales, generate more revenue, and grow their business.
Contact us today to see how we can help your Sydney HVAC business.
Why HVAC Contractors in Sydney Should Care About SEO
If you're an HVAC contractor in Sydney an effective marketing strategy is no longer optional. It's required.
When you look at the costs and benefits of different strategies (especially long-term vs. short-term), there are several options that work for HVAC businesses.
In the short-term paid ads are an efficient strategy to get quick wins but over time the cost of advertising increases and ends up costing you more than it is worth.
If you want an effective long-term strategy, then SEO is the only option.
Unlike paid ads the cost of SEO decreases over time (and SEO doesn't stop when you stop paying for it like paid ads do).
You may be wondering 'What is SEO?' and 'What does SEO look like?' for an HVAC contractor in Sydney.
SEO leverages Google search results to generate leads and sales for your business.
SEO works so well because, according to WebFX, 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
When you consider that, according to RedSearch, 62.6% of Australians use mobile search for general information, it's clear why SEO is so important.
HVAC contractors benefit most from local SEO which is a form of SEO strategy designed to target a geographical area or 'near me' searches.
This includes showing up on search results and on Google maps.
Why is that so important?
According to SOCi, businesses in Google's top 3 map listings ("3-Pack") get 126% more traffic and 93% more customer actions (like calls and quote requests) than other businesses.
Imagine what that amount of traffic and engagement could mean for your business.
If your business isn't showing up in Google search then you're missing out on a lot of local leads.
While partnering with a professional SEO agency will yield you the best results, you can still implement a basic SEO strategy on your own if you can't afford investing in professional help.
To give you a leg-up on your competition, we've put together our top 6 SEO tips for HVAC contractors in Sydney, as well as 6 common mistakes that business owners make.
If you follow the tips listed here, while not life-changing, you will begin to see an increase in customers reaching out to your business.
So, up next is our first tip:
Tip 1: Set Up Google Business Profile: Your Local SEO Foundation
One of the easiest and often most overlooked requirements to show up on Google and Google maps is to set up and optimise your Google Business Profile.
If you haven't set up yours yet, you can do that here.
The process of claiming and setting up your profile is pretty straightforward.
Be sure to add your business name, phone, hours, and services.
Make sure all of this information is accurate and consistent with any other places you have your business listed on the web.
Build trust with your customers by uploading real photos of your team, van, and job sites.
Encourage satisfied customers to leave you a review, and respond to all reviews professionally (even the bad ones).
With a city as big as Sydney it's important to list every suburb you service, not just Sydney. This makes it more likely that you'll show up on suburb specific searches.
Tip 2: Use the Keywords that Your Customers Would Type into Google
When you're creating content for your website, be sure to use keywords that match what your customers will actually type into Google.
Examples would be things like 'HVAC install Inner West,' 'air conditioning service Parramatta,' and 'emergency heating repair Sydney.'
If Google sees these keywords on your website, they are more likely to recommend you to the people searching for them.
You should try to use phrases like these naturally on your homepage, service pages, and any other pages on your website.
Avoid 'keyword stuffing' or just jamming a bunch of keywords together on your website.
Quick Tip: Google actually punishes your search ranking if they feel the keywords aren't used naturally.
These keywords are especially important in section and page headings.
The easiest way to come up with these keywords is to think about what your customers would be searching for, in Sydney that is typically all the way down to the suburb level.
There are tech tools that can be used to determine the easiest keywords to win and how much search traffic each keyword gets, but they can be a little too complicated and a bit too expensive for the average business.
Quick Tip: If you're not ready to partner with an SEO agency for all your content but you still want the best keywords, Branchlead offers keyword research services. Just contact us via our contact page, and we can provide you with the best keywords for you to target based on your target market, SEO strategy, and business size.
Tip 3: Answer Common Questions in Simple Posts on Your Site or GBP
You can post short bits of content on your website or on your Google Business Profile.
By answering common questions that customers might turn to Google to ask, you increase your chances of showing up which boosts your reputation and ranking.
Think of questions customers commonly have like "How often should I clean my air filters?" or "Why is my ducted heating blowing cold air?".
By providing short answers or guides to these questions, you build topic authority and your reputation on Google.
If customers find that you regularly help them resolve small issues or answer simple questions, when something big happens they'll already trust you and probably call you before any other HVAC contractor.
Tip 4: Make Sure Your Website Works on Mobile
According to RedSearch, 62.6% of Australians use mobile search regularly.
If your website isn't optimised for mobile, you'll not only lose mobile customers, but Google will also rank your site lower for all search users.
You need to make sure your site loads quickly and is easy to read and scroll on a phone.
Keep your website fast by removing or reducing the number of videos and images on your site or by enabling 'lazy loading' which doesn't load pictures or videos until someone scrolls to them.
Quick Tip: Want to know what your users experience when they access your site on mobile? Take out your phone and visit your site yourself. If you find it hard to navigate or feel it's too slow, chances are your customers do too.
Tip 5: List Your Business in Trusted Local Directories
One easy way to boost your ranking and get in front of more customers is to list your business on trusted local directories.
Google associates your reputation with directories and websites that your business is linked on, so make sure you're only listing yourself on reputable and trusted directories.
Some directories you can start with would be Yellow Pages, True Local, HiPages, Oneflare, or any other local directories for HVAC contractors in Sydney.
Make sure that your business name, phone number, and address are consistent across your website, GBP, and directories.
If Google finds inconsistencies they will damage your reputation and impact your rankings.
What's nice about many of these sites is they will also help you get in front of more customers and generate traffic and leads for your business.
Tip 6: Track Your Results and Improve as You Go
The key to making SEO work long term is tracking and optimising. You can use Google Search Console (here) to monitor your website.
With GSC you can see which search terms are bringing you traffic, how many clicks you are getting, what pages people visit on your site, and more.
GSC also provides you with information on things on your website that negatively impact your rankings and need to be fixed.
Quick Tip: We created a whole blog post on GSC and how useful it is for business owners to do their own SEO. Check it out here.
Be sure to check on your GSC at least once a month and see what is generating the most traffic for your business.
Quick Tip: For the less technically inclined, you can also track your leads the old fashioned way by asking your customers where they found you.
Top 6 Mistakes Sydney HVAC Contractors Make with SEO
Not claiming or updating their Google Business Profile.
Not consistently asking for reviews.
Not mentioning service areas on their website and in their content.
Only using one 'Services' page instead of posting multiple service-specific pages.
Copying content from competitors (this is a big no-no for many reasons!).
Ignoring mobile performance and site speed (this is more technical but is important as well).
What Happens When SEO Starts Working?
While SEO does take a while to work, some magical things happen when you finally get it right. These include:
Consistent inbound leads (without paying for ads)
Higher rankings in Google Maps which means more emergency calls and weekend jobs.
Less reliance on lead-gen platforms that charge you for leads.
What makes SEO even better is these results are just from doing it yourself.
Quick Tip: If you bring on a professional team like Branchlead, you can see even more growth faster without investing so much of your own time and energy.
Next Steps
So, what's next?
For most HVAC contractors (especially ones still working in their business), SEO can be pretty overwhelming when they start to think about all the time and energy they will need to dedicate to optimising for SEO.
The first thing you should do is set up and optimise your GBP if you haven't already. Then you can gradually work your way through the other tips.
You can also download our local SEO checklist for small businesses here. This checklist can serve as a guide to help you break the process down even further into actionable steps.
Ready to implement an SEO strategy for your HVAC business but not sure if you want to do it yourself?
Branchlead creates tailored SEO strategies especially for trades. We know how to get leads for HVAC contractors in Sydney.
When you partner with Branchlead we don't saddle you with lock-in contracts. All we do is help your business close more sales and grow, while providing you with regular reporting and data that you can understand.
Ready to partner with Branchlead and experience how SEO can help your business grow? Contact us today for a free strategy consultation.
Top SEO Tips for HVAC Contractors in Sydney FAQs
How long does SEO take to work?
This depends on your market and industry but it typically takes 3-6 months to see consistent results. With the right strategy in place you can often get some quick wins to offset your time and money invested, but SEO is a long-term strategy so as long as you are consistent you can expect to see better results over time.
Do I need a blog?
You don't 'need' a blog but posting content on your website once or twice a month with short, helpful answers to common questions can do wonders for your reputation and ranking, which increases the likelihood Google puts you in front of more customers.
What's the #1 SEO mistake HVAC businesses make?
The biggest mistake HVAC businesses make is not setting up or updating their Google Business Profile. For local SEO your GBP is the most important factor for localising your business.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask, ask, ask! Ask at the end of every job. When you're finished send customers a link via SMS or email to make it as easy as possible for them to do (and be sure to tell them you're sending it!).
Can I rank in multiple suburbs?
Yes, you can rank in multiple suburbs. Be sure to mention each suburb that you service on your site and your Google Business Profile. If possible, create separate pages on your website for each service area.
Should I hire someone for SEO?
A lot of basic SEO work you can do yourself. If you're struggling to dedicate the time to your business and posting content, or you're ready to really start scaling your business, then you should consider hiring someone or partnering with an SEO agency like Branchlead.
Does posting on Facebook or Instagram help with SEO?
It can, but not directly. For HVAC contractors we recommend focusing your efforts on your Google Business Profile and your website first. That's where most of your customers are going to be looking.
Is it worth paying for directory listings?
While in some situations this can be an effective strategy, it's also very risky. Typically it's better to stick to free or well-known directories, otherwise you can risk damaging your website reputation which will make ranking on Google almost impossible.
Get actionable steps to boost your online visibility and drive more traffic to your business.
