How Much Should an HVAC Company Spend on SEO?

Owners ask this in every HVAC business forum, and the replies run from "nothing, do it yourself" to several thousand dollars a month. This is the view of 90 Leads, the marketing company that publishes HVAC Cheat Sheet. It sells SEO, so weigh it accordingly, and compare it with what other shops in your market tell you.

The short version

It depends on two things: what you can afford, and how fast you want to grow.

SEO is a slow process. Without someone actively managing it, it is slower still, close to a dead crawl. So the question is less "what is the right number" and more "how much steady work can I pay for each month without hurting the business."

What the money buys

A reputable SEO company has real costs behind the work: someone writes the articles, someone earns the links and mentions, someone keeps your Google Business Profile current. The amount of work done in a month is tied to what you spend that month.

These are rough figures from one company, not an industry price list. Use them to judge proposals: if a quote is far above this, ask what extra work you get each month. If it is far below, ask what is being left out.

Don't break the bank on it

The return on SEO can be slow to come back. A shop that needs the phone to ring this month should not pour its marketing money into something that pays off later.

For a cash-strapped business, paid ads are typically the better spend. Google Local Services Ads and search ads can produce calls soon after they are approved, and you can turn them down when the schedule is full.

A sensible order for most small shops:

1. Fill out your Google Business Profile and ask every customer for a review. This costs time, not money.
2. Put the first marketing dollars into paid ads so jobs come in now.
3. Set aside whatever SEO budget you can afford on top of that, even a small one, so the slow work has started.
4. Raise the SEO budget as the business grows.

What to ask before you sign

• What exactly gets done each month? Ask for a count: articles, links or mentions, Google Business Profile posts and updates.
• Will I see it? You should get a monthly report listing the work, with links to it.
• Who owns the website and the content if I leave? It should be you.
• How do you report results? Calls and booked jobs matter more than rankings. See cost per booked job.
• Is there a long contract? Be careful with any agreement that locks you in before you have seen a few months of work.

Google's own advice on hiring an SEO is worth reading before you talk to anyone. It lists questions to ask and practices to avoid, such as guaranteed rankings.

Common mistakes

• Paying for SEO and nothing else when cash is short. The payback is too slow to carry a shop that needs jobs now.
• Stopping and starting. A few months on, a few months off, means paying for the slow start more than once.
• Paying without knowing what was done. If the report doesn't list the month's work, ask for it.
• Judging it after one month. Give it long enough to work, and judge it by calls and booked jobs.
• Spending more than the business can carry. Start small and increase it as revenue grows.

FAQ

Sources

• Google Search Central: Do you need an SEO?
• Google Business Profile Help
• Spending figures: 90 Leads.

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HVAC Cheat Sheet is published by 90 Leads, a marketing company that works with home service businesses, including HVAC contractors.