AdWords 101 for HVAC Companies

Fact: 40,000 searches are conducted on Google every second .

Fact: The internet is comprised of more than 1 billion websites.

Reality: The chances of your HVAC business coming up on the first page of a Google search are quite slim. Unless, that is, you’re being intentional with your online marketing strategy. There are multiple ways to boost your visibility, but today we’re going to focus on just one: pay-per-click (PPC) advertising through AdWords.

Landing an organic (read: free) spot on the first page of Google search takes time and effort. While most businesses are willing to put in the work, the waiting is another story. It’s tough to be patient while your SEO kicks in and your reviews generate results.

There’s where PPC ads through Google AdWords come in. Done correctly, AdWords will zip your website to the top of the search rankings immediately (as in: even above the organic searches). And here’s the best part: You only pay for the ads when people click on them. In short, AdWords offer high potential ROI with very little risk.

Think ads aren't a bit deal? Check out this web search for "Seattle Plumbers".

Did you notice that? The first SIX companies shown to this customer are from ADS. The first organic result from SEO isn't until the 10th listing on the page .

Yeah. Ads are a big deal. Use them smartly, and you'll have more HVAC leads coming in every single day.

Of course, done correctly is the operative phrase. When setting up your AdWords campaign, you’ll be presented with many choices, and you’ll need to make good decisions. While the goal is to get more traffic to your website, you don’t want just any traffic; you want qualified leads to click on your ad. To that end, pay particular attention to the “Location” section of the set-up process.

Click Advanced Search at the bottom right of the Location panel.

On the next screen, click Radius, enter your service area details, then click Save.

Remember: You’re paying for every click on your ad, so you only want to show it to people who can reasonably become your customers.

One of the happiest features of AdWords is that you get to decide how much to invest in your marketing efforts. However, it can be tricky to determine exactly what that budget should be. Even though you’re only paying for each click on your ad, the cost of those clicks varies widely depending on the keywords you’ve chosen, if your competitors are using those same keywords, and what their budget is. (Technically, AdWords uses an Ad Auction to determine how much you pay for a given click versus your competitor. If you want to learn more about that, watch this video on how the ad auction works.)

Told you it’s tricky.

Basically, when someone types in a search, Google looks to see which of its advertisers are using the keywords used in their search. Then it looks to see who’s willing to pay the most for each of those keywords and, as you likely guessed, serves up the ad that’ll make them (Google) the most money. For beginners, it’s wise to select the option to “Maximize conversions” and let Google determine how much your keyword bids should be, based on the daily budget you’ve established.

So how much of an investment should you make? For HVAC companies just beginning their AdWords efforts, I recommend setting your first month’s budget somewhere between $1,500-$2,000, or about $50-65 per day. This will offer you a sufficient baseline test of your keywords, and you’ll generate enough traffic to be able to track conversions. As you experiment and learn more about what ads actually generate results, you can adjust your budget from there.

Within each AdWords Campaign, you can have multiple ad groups. For HVAC companies, I recommend creating one ad group for each of your major service categories. Give the ad group a name, type the category in the “Get keyword ideas” box, then click the + next to the keywords you’d like to include in the ad group.

Keep in mind that keywords are the words and phrases your potential customers will be typing into Google to try to find a solution to their problem.

When you’ve created your ad groups, click Save and Continue.

Next, you’ll create individual ads within each ad group. Yes, there are ads within ad groups within campaigns. That hierarchy becomes more and more important the more pervasively you advertise with Google.

And right now you might be thinking, “Why do I have to create so many ads? Can’t I just go with one and call it good?” No, and here’s why: People will be using different search terms, so you’ll need different ads to appear based on the specific problem people are hoping to solve.

As with all things AdWords, you have many decisions to make on this form. Click on the circled question marks to get details about each element of the ad.

When your ad is set, click Save and Continue, then go on to the next one.

(If you want to learn more about how, watch this video on how to optimize your ads in AdWords.)

AdWords are a short-term solution to getting your HVAC company some search love while you’re waiting for your long-term solutions to kick in. And yes, they’re worth the investment if you set them up correctly, track your conversions, and make adjustments along the way.

Setting up AdWords for maximum success is a tricky endeavor. And we’re really good at it. Let’s talk!