Google Ads for HVAC Companies — Lead Generation
The 30-second recipe
- Start with
- Google Search campaign targeting high-intent repair, replacement, and installation queries
- Add next
- Performance Max — add it once you have 30–50 tracked conversions in the account; it needs that data to optimize across Google's full inventory without wasting budget.
- Not yet
- Performance Max — not until you have conversion history. Running PMax cold means Google's automation has nothing to learn from and will burn budget on low-quality placements.
- Wait for
- Roughly 30–50 conversions (calls + form fills combined) recorded in Google Ads before expanding to Performance Max.
- Measure
- Cost per lead (CPL) by service type, call duration (filter out calls under 60 seconds), and lead-to-booked-job rate tracked in your CRM.
The whole recipe is below ↓
This is a recipe, not a guarantee. How well any ad campaign performs depends on things no recipe can control: your budget, how crowded and expensive your industry's auctions are, the products you sell and what you charge for them, how well your website actually converts visitors, the quality of your customer support, your reviews and reputation, your creative, and plain timing. A perfect recipe on top of a weak offer or a broken website will still lose money — ads amplify what's already there, good or bad.
The budgets shown are suggestions only — yours could and should vary with your available funds and your goals. Follow this recipe with caution: make sure every step lines up with your budget and your business, and edit where necessary. We explain why each step exists, but nothing here is one-size-fits-all. Before you spend a dollar, be blunt with yourself about the list above — get your house in order, then use the recipe to learn and test. That's what it's for.
Check the rules that govern your industry before you run anything. Plenty of businesses carry advertising obligations that have nothing to do with the ad platforms: licensing boards, professional advertising standards, rules about what you may claim and how you must substantiate it, age restrictions, and consent laws covering email, texting, and calling. Those rules are yours to know, they vary by state and country, and they override any step in this recipe.
If you work in a licensed or regulated field — health and medical, legal, financial and lending, insurance, real estate, alcohol, firearms, cannabis, childcare, education, anything with a board or a license behind it — confirm what applies to you before you spend a dollar, and ask your attorney or your licensing body if you are not certain. Nothing on this site is legal advice.
This recipe uses Google Search exclusively to start, then layers in Performance Max once conversion history is established — because HVAC is a search-driven category where people type “AC repair near me” the moment something breaks, and capturing that intent is the highest-leverage first move. Meta and other discovery platforms can work for HVAC seasonal promotions but deserve their own recipe.
This is for HVAC companies with little or no paid-ad history, a modest daily budget, and a need for real leads — phone calls, form submissions, booked appointments — not just clicks. The core problem is that HVAC auctions are competitive and expensive, so every dollar has to go toward people who are actively looking to hire, not browsing.
What can you afford to pay for a customer?
Advertising can only cost what's left after everything else. Put in what a typical order looks like and this works out the rest.
These are your numbers as you've typed them. Connect your store and we'll work this out from your actual orders instead — including the costs most people forget.
Tracking and Foundation
Before a single dollar goes to ads, get measurement right. Install the Google Ads conversion tag (or import goals from Google Analytics 4) for two actions: phone calls from ads (use Google's forwarding number, minimum 60-second call duration) and form submissions (thank-you page or GA4 event). Set both as Primary conversions. Set up Google Tag Manager if you don't already have it — it makes future tag changes faster. Link Google Ads to GA4 and to Google Search Console. Verify conversions are firing in Tag Assistant before launching any campaign.
Compliance note: HVAC contractors are licensed trades in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Check your state licensing board's rules on advertising claims (e.g., restrictions on using "licensed" or "certified" without the specific credential), and review TCPA/state consent requirements if your landing page collects phone numbers for callbacks or SMS follow-up — those rules vary by jurisdiction and override anything in this recipe.
Set up call tracking and form tracking in Google Ads before spending anything. A lead you can't measure is a lead you can't optimize. Also double-check your state's rules on how HVAC contractors are allowed to advertise — some boards have specific requirements about credential claims.
New to "funnel" talk? What top, middle, and bottom mean
Think of every person who could ever buy from you as water moving through a funnel. Top of funnel is strangers — people who've never heard of the business. Campaigns here buy attention and first visits, not sales, so expect cheap clicks and few purchases. Middle of funnel is people who've shown interest — they visited, engaged, or are comparing options. Campaigns here re-engage and build the case. Bottom of funnel is people ready to buy right now — searching for exactly what you sell or abandoning a cart. Campaigns here convert; the clicks cost the most because the intent is worth the most. Full funnel means automated campaigns that work every stage at once. One thing that surprises people: recipes usually start at the bottom — capture the demand that already exists before spending money creating new demand at the top.
High-Intent Search — Repair, Replacement, and Installation
Launch one Google Search campaign targeting bottom-of-funnel queries: people who need HVAC work now. Use phrase and exact match only — no broad match at this stage, because broad match on a small budget will bleed spend on irrelevant queries before you have the negative keyword list to control it.
Structure: one campaign, 2–3 ad groups split by service type (e.g., AC Repair, Furnace Repair, HVAC Installation/Replacement). Each ad group gets its own tightly themed keyword list and its own Responsive Search Ad (RSA) with at least 10 headlines and 4 descriptions. Pin your phone number or a strong CTA to position 1 of headlines. Enable call extensions (now called "Call assets") and location assets. Use "Maximize Conversions" bidding to start — switch to Target CPA only after you have 30+ conversions.
Budget: allocate the full daily budget here until the Search campaign is profitable. Do not split budget with other campaigns yet.
Honest caveat: CPL in HVAC Search can range from $30 to $150+ depending on your market, your landing page quality, your reviews, and your offer. The settings here get you in the auction — your website and reputation close the lead.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Targets people actively searching for HVAC services right now — the highest purchase intent available in the channel.
- In Google Ads, click '+ New campaign' and select the 'Leads' objective.
- Choose 'Search' as the campaign type, then check both 'Website visits' and 'Phone calls' as the ways you'll get leads.
- Name the campaign (e.g., 'Search — HVAC Leads — [City]'), set the location to your service area (use 'Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations' — NOT 'Presence or interest'), set language to English.
- Set daily budget to your full available daily budget (e.g., $40–$80/day). Set bidding to 'Maximize conversions' with no Target CPA yet.
- Under 'Ad schedule', run ads during your business hours plus a few hours on either side — HVAC emergencies happen evenings and weekends, so don't go dark entirely.
- Create ad groups by service type: one for AC/cooling repair, one for heating/furnace repair, one for installation/replacement. Add the relevant phrase and exact match keywords to each group (see keyword list).
- In each ad group, create one Responsive Search Ad with 10–15 headlines (include city name, service type, a trust signal like 'Licensed & Insured', and a CTA like 'Call for Same-Day Service') and 4 descriptions. Pin a strong headline to position 1.
- Add Call assets: go to Assets > Call, add your business phone number, enable call reporting, set minimum call length to 60 seconds.
- Add Location assets (link your Google Business Profile) and Sitelink assets pointing to your top service pages.
- Under 'Keywords', confirm match types are phrase or exact only — no broad match terms. Add the negative keyword list at the campaign level before launch.
"AC repair near me"
"air conditioner repair [city]"
[ac repair [city]]
"HVAC repair near me"
[hvac repair [city]]
"furnace repair near me"
"furnace repair [city]"
[furnace repair [city]]
"air conditioning installation [city]"
[ac installation [city]]
"HVAC replacement [city]"
[hvac replacement [city]]
"emergency HVAC repair"
[emergency ac repair [city]]
"central air repair near me"
[central air conditioning repair [city]]
"heat pump repair [city]"
"AC not cooling [city]"
free
DIY
how to
jobs
careers
hiring
school
training
course
certification
window unit
portable ac
This is the core campaign: show up when someone in your area searches for AC repair or furnace replacement. You're only targeting people who are already looking to hire, which is why this comes first and gets all the budget. The ads themselves matter, but so does what happens after the click — a slow or unconvincing landing page will kill your CPL regardless of how good the targeting is.
Google Local Services Ads — Verified Leads at the Top of Results
Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a separate product from Google Ads — you pay per lead, not per click, and Google's "Google Guaranteed" badge appears next to your listing. For HVAC, LSAs often appear above standard Search ads, making them a high-visibility complement. Set up LSAs at ads.google.com/local-services-ads. You'll need to pass a background check and license/insurance verification — Google requires this for HVAC. Set a weekly lead budget, choose your service types (HVAC repair, installation, etc.), and set your service area by zip code or city. Dispute leads that are clearly wrong (wrong service, outside area) — Google credits those back.
LSAs run independently of your Search campaign and don't share budget. Think of them as a parallel lead source, not a replacement.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Captures highest-intent local searchers at the very top of Google results, paying only for direct contacts rather than clicks.
- Go to ads.google.com/local-services-ads and click 'Get started'.
- Select your business category: 'HVAC' (includes heating, ventilation, air conditioning).
- Enter your business location and service area (zip codes or radius around your city).
- Complete the verification steps: submit proof of business license, liability insurance, and consent to a background check for business owners/technicians. This is required for HVAC — Google will not approve the listing without it.
- Set your weekly lead budget (start with $150–$300/week; you can adjust after seeing lead volume and cost per lead).
- Select the specific services you offer (AC repair, furnace repair, installation, etc.) so Google matches you to relevant searches.
- Set your business hours — LSA calls outside your hours go to voicemail; make sure someone checks and returns them quickly.
- Once approved, monitor leads in the LSA dashboard. Dispute any leads that don't match your services or service area within 30 days to receive credits.
Local Services Ads are Google's pay-per-lead product for trades — you only pay when someone contacts you directly through the ad, and the 'Google Guaranteed' badge builds trust fast. The catch is you have to pass a license and background check first, which takes a week or two. Worth doing in parallel with your Search campaign setup.
Negative Keyword Maintenance and Search Term Audits
This is an ongoing phase, not a one-time setup. Every week for the first 6 weeks, pull the Search Terms report (Keywords > Search Terms) and do two things: (1) add irrelevant queries as negatives at the campaign or ad group level, and (2) identify any high-converting queries that aren't in your keyword list and add them as exact match. Common HVAC waste terms to catch early: brand names of competitors you don't want to pay for, DIY/how-to queries, job-seeker queries, and HVAC supply/parts searches (you're a service company, not a parts retailer). After 6 weeks, move to bi-weekly audits.
Every week, look at what search terms actually triggered your ads and clean up the ones that wasted money. This is the single highest-ROI maintenance task in a Search campaign — skipping it means you're slowly funding irrelevant clicks.
Performance Max — Full-Funnel Automation After Data Exists
Once your Search campaign has generated 30–50 conversions, add a Performance Max campaign. PMax uses your conversion data to find leads across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps. Without that data, it's essentially a black box spending your budget on guesses.
Setup: create a new campaign, select 'Leads' objective, choose 'Performance Max'. Set a separate daily budget (start at $20–$30/day, keeping Search at its current budget). Create one Asset Group with: 3–5 images (job site photos, technician photos, before/after), 5 headlines, 5 long headlines, 5 descriptions, your logo, and a video if you have one (Google will auto-generate a basic video if you don't, but a real one performs better). Add audience signals: upload your customer list if you have one, add in-market audiences for 'Home Services > HVAC' and 'Home Improvement'. Set a Target CPA based on your Search campaign's actual CPL.
PMax will compete with your Search campaign in some auctions — that's expected. Watch for cannibalization by checking if Search impression share drops significantly after PMax launch.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Spans the full funnel across Google's inventory — works only after conversion data exists to guide the automation.
- In Google Ads, click '+ New campaign', select 'Leads' objective, then choose 'Performance Max' as the campaign type.
- Set a daily budget separate from your Search campaign — start at $20–$30/day.
- Set bidding to 'Maximize conversions' with a Target CPA equal to your Search campaign's current average CPL.
- Create your first Asset Group: upload 3–5 images (technician on the job, branded truck, team photo), write 5 headlines (max 30 chars each), 5 long headlines (max 90 chars), and 5 descriptions (max 90 chars). Include your city name and a clear CTA in at least 2 headlines.
- Add your logo and, if available, a 15–30 second video. If you skip video, Google will auto-generate one from your assets — review it before launch.
- Under 'Audience signals', add: your customer email list (if you have 100+ contacts), Google's in-market segment 'Home Services > Heating & Cooling', and a custom segment built from your top-performing Search keywords.
- Add your Call asset and Location asset (same as Search campaign).
- Set location targeting to your service area with 'Presence' setting only — same as the Search campaign.
- After 2 weeks, review the Insights tab for top-performing asset combinations and replace underperforming headlines/descriptions.
Once Google has enough data about what a real lead looks like for your business, Performance Max can find more of them across all of Google's properties automatically. Don't rush this — launching PMax cold is one of the most common ways to burn budget in HVAC advertising.
Measurement Discipline and Budget Decisions
Track these metrics weekly: CPL by conversion type (calls vs. forms, and by ad group/service type), call duration (filter out anything under 60 seconds as likely not a real lead), impression share and impression share lost to budget vs. rank (tells you whether to raise budget or improve Quality Score), and lead-to-job rate from your CRM. Google Ads CPL is a vanity metric if half the leads don't convert to booked jobs.
Budget decisions: if you're losing significant impression share to budget (>20%), raise the daily budget before adding new campaigns. If you're losing to rank, improve ad relevance and landing page experience first. Don't add Performance Max until Search is profitable. Don't add broad match keywords until you have a robust negative list built from at least 6 weeks of search term data.
Reminder: budget figures are suggestions — scale to your funds and goals.
Knowing your cost per click isn't enough — you need to know your cost per booked job. Connect what happens in Google Ads to what happens in your CRM or scheduling software. That's the number that tells you whether to spend more or fix something first.
The recipe card
- Before anything else: confirm the advertising rules for your own industry and location — licensing board requirements, professional advertising standards, what you may claim, age restrictions, and consent rules for email, texting, and calling. They override every step below.
- Start with Google Search targeting repair and installation queries — that's where HVAC purchase intent lives.
- Track phone calls (60-second minimum) and form fills as conversions before spending a dollar on ads.
- Set up Local Services Ads in parallel — the Google Guaranteed badge and pay-per-lead model make it a strong complement to Search.
- Don't touch Performance Max until you have 30–50 conversions — cold PMax wastes budget in competitive HVAC auctions.
- Your CPL depends as much on your landing page, reviews, and offer as on your ad settings — the recipe gets you in the auction, not the job.
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Talk to Gorilla PublicRecipes on this site are educational, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of results. You are responsible for each platform's ad policies and for any laws, licensing rules, or consent requirements that apply to your industry and location.