How Does Your HVAC Website Stack Up?
By: Will Housh
There was a day when HVAC websites were more like digital brochures. They were a way for contractors to advertise their services, with phone numbers and forms available for homeowners who needed help. These websites were simple, inexpensive to create, and updated infrequently. They were a requirement, but not a priority – they supported business efforts, but weren’t true money-makers.
Well, the times have changed. HVAC websites in 2022 are not only lead generators, but they’re money-makers. They are interactive, updated regularly, and a way for homeowners to shop for all HVAC-related products and services. HVAC websites today offer transparent pricing (crazy, we know!) and help walk homeowners through the purchase process before they’re even ready to buy. They’re useful not only in closing new business, but in helping contractors do business better with their existing customers.
Your website is the key to growth for your HVAC business. Read that twice.
YOUR WEBSITE COULD BE YOUR TOP “SALESPERSON”
Knowing that websites are important is one thing – investing time and money into making yours work harder for you is another.
The fastest-growing contractors we work with are those who have resolved to turn their website into an online store. The motivation behind this decision is often twofold for these contractors:
1. To better serve their existing customers and potential customers
2. To attract and qualify new customer leads
Contractors with online stores can sell filters, maintenance agreements, and even fully-installed systems through their own websites. With Contractor Commerce, filters can be drop-shipped and stores can be set up in just minutes, so unlike years ago when adding a store to your website was hard and expensive, there’s no real barrier to making this update today.
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HOW DOES YOUR HVAC WEBSITE STACK UP?
All of that said, you’re probably wondering – how is my website working for me today? What is the real value of my website, and how much money is it really generating for my business?
To help you answer these questions, we’ve compiled a list of metrics you should know – and tools to help you track them:
What: Website Traffic
Tool: Google Analytics
Write down a benchmark of your overall website visits from this past year, and work to increase this number through Search Engine Optimization or Paid Advertising. In the HVAC world, seasonality does play a big part, so also pay attention to trends during winter and summer months. Tip: enable something called “audience demographics” in Google Analytics to get even more data about your website visitors (like gender, age, interests and more).
What: Website Phone Calls
Tool: Call Rail
Tools like Call Rail can track how many phone calls you receive on your website and where they came from. These tools also will show you actual phone numbers of the callers sorted by city or region. Tracking phone calls will help you determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and the quality of the visitors who are visiting your website.
What: Website Leads
Tool: Gravity Forms
Depending on your CMS (the platform your website is built on), there are many form solutions out there that will do the same thing as Gravity Forms. Regardless of which you choose, you want to make sure forms on your website are set up to pull “hidden fields” like “source”, “landing page” and even “keyword”. These hidden fields will give you more insight into where you website visitors came from, which in turn will help you determine the effectiveness of your marketing and sales efforts.
What: Website Speed
Tool: Google Page Speed Insights
Page speed is important for two reason – first, slow websites will drive your customers crazy. Second, Google hates slow websites! If your website loads too slowly due to oversized images or sloppy code, your rankings on Google may be affected and visitors will be more likely to leave your website faster without taking action.
What: Overall Website Performance
Tool: GT Metrix
This tool is similar to Google Page Speed Insights in that it’ll show you how quickly your website loads, but it also will give you specific website items to clean up and an overall website grade based on these factors.
What: Website Rankings
Tool: Moz
If you have a website, you want it to show up on Google, right? Organically ranking on Google (meaning you don’t pay to be there) is one of the best long-term ways to grow your business. Specifically, you really want to show up when your customers are searching for things specific to your business, like “HVAC contractor near me”. In order to improve your visibility on Google, you have to first know where you’re showing up in the search results, and which keywords are driving that traffic. Tools like Moz will show you this, but also will give you tips on how to improve your website and content to better capture visitors on Google.
What: Website Sales
Tool: Contractor Commerce
I know we’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again – Contractor Commerce makes generating sales on your website EASY. Not only will you make more money on your own website through the sale of filters, maintenance agreements, and systems, but you’ll be able to easily track these sales in the Admin console of our system. Request a demo to see what the backend of Contractor Commerce (including dashboards, reporting & alerts) looks like.
What: Website ROI
Tool: ROI Calculator
We developed this interactive tool for contractors who are wondering how much money they’ll make by adding a store to their website. More specifically, this is for contractors who want to know what their return on investment will be.
Once you pull all of these metrics for your own website, see how you stack up to others in the HVAC industry. Request a demo with our team and we’ll share insight into what other HVAC contractors are seeing as it relates to the list above. Having been in Ecommerce ourselves since 2006, we’re prepared to walk you through best practices & share specific insight into what’s worked best in generating new customers online.
How Does Your HVAC Website Stack Up?
By: Will Housh
There was a day when HVAC websites were more like digital brochures. They were a way for contractors to advertise their services, with phone numbers and forms available for homeowners who needed help. These websites were simple, inexpensive to create, and updated infrequently. They were a requirement, but not a priority – they supported business efforts, but weren’t true money-makers.
Well, the times have changed. HVAC websites in 2022 are not only lead generators, but they’re money-makers. They are interactive, updated regularly, and a way for homeowners to shop for all HVAC-related products and services. HVAC websites today offer transparent pricing (crazy, we know!) and help walk homeowners through the purchase process before they’re even ready to buy. They’re useful not only in closing new business, but in helping contractors do business better with their existing customers.
Your website is the key to growth for your HVAC business. Read that twice.
YOUR WEBSITE CAN BE YOUR TOP “SALESPERSON”
Knowing that websites are important is one thing – investing time and money into making yours work harder for you is another.
The fastest-growing contractors we work with are those who have resolved to turn their website into an online store. The motivation behind this decision is often twofold for these contractors:
1. To better serve their existing customers and potential customers
2. To attract and qualify new customer leads
Contractors with online stores can sell filters, maintenance agreements, and even fully-installed systems through their own websites. With Contractor Commerce, filters can be drop-shipped and stores can be set up in just minutes, so unlike years ago when adding a store to your website was hard and expensive, there’s no real barrier to making this update today.
HOW DOES YOUR HVAC WEBSITE STACK UP?
All of that said, you’re probably wondering – how is my website working for me today? What is the real value of my website, and how much money is it really generating for my business?
To help you answer these questions, we’ve compiled a list of metrics you should know – and tools to help you track them:
What: Website Traffic
Tool: Google Analytics
Write down a benchmark of your overall website visits from this past year, and work to increase this number through Search Engine Optimization or Paid Advertising. In the HVAC world, seasonality does play a big part, so also pay attention to trends during winter and summer months. Tip: enable something called “audience demographics” in Google Analytics to get even more data about your website visitors (like gender, age, interests and more).
What: Website Phone Calls
Tool: Call Rail
Tools like Call Rail can track how many phone calls you receive on your website and where they came from. These tools also will show you actual phone numbers of the callers sorted by city or region. Tracking phone calls will help you determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and the quality of the visitors who are visiting your website.
What: Website Leads
Tool: Gravity Forms
Depending on your CMS (the platform your website is built on), there are many form solutions out there that will do the same thing as Gravity Forms. Regardless of which you choose, you want to make sure forms on your website are set up to pull “hidden fields” like “source”, “landing page” and even “keyword”. These hidden fields will give you more insight into where you website visitors came from, which in turn will help you determine the effectiveness of your marketing and sales efforts.
What: Website Speed
Tool: Google Page Speed Insights
Page speed is important for two reason – first, slow websites will drive your customers crazy. Second, Google hates slow websites! If your website loads too slowly due to oversized images or sloppy code, your rankings on Google may be affected and visitors will be more likely to leave your website faster without taking action.
What: Overall Website Performance
Tool: GT Metrix
This tool is similar to Google Page Speed Insights in that it’ll show you how quickly your website loads, but it also will give you specific website items to clean up and an overall website grade based on these factors.
What: Website Rankings
Tool: Moz
If you have a website, you want it to show up on Google, right? Organically ranking on Google (meaning you don’t pay to be there) is one of the best long-term ways to grow your business. Specifically, you really want to show up when your customers are searching for things specific to your business, like “HVAC contractor near me”. In order to improve your visibility on Google, you have to first know where you’re showing up in the search results, and which keywords are driving that traffic. Tools like Moz will show you this, but also will give you tips on how to improve your website and content to better capture visitors on Google.
What: Website Sales
Tool: Contractor Commerce
I know we’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again – Contractor Commerce makes generating sales on your website EASY. Not only will you make more money on your own website through the sale of filters, maintenance agreements, and systems, but you’ll be able to easily track these sales in the Admin console of our system. Request a demo to see what the backend of Contractor Commerce (including dashboards, reporting & alerts) looks like.
What: Website ROI
Tool: ROI Calculator
We developed this interactive tool for contractors who are wondering how much money they’ll make by adding a store to their website. More specifically, this is for contractors who want to know what their return on investment will be.
Once you pull all of these metrics for your own website, see how you stack up to others in the HVAC industry. Request a demo with our team and we’ll share insight into what other HVAC contractors are seeing as it relates to the list above. Having been in Ecommerce ourselves since 2006, we’re prepared to walk you through best practices & share specific insight into what’s worked best in generating specific insight into what’s worked best in generating in generating new customers online.
TRUSTED BY HUNDREDS OF CONTRACTORS
“It’s really easy to set up. I had an online store and was selling products within 48 hours of talking to these guys.”
Jeff K, Ductworks Heating & Air Conditioning“The Contractor Commerce team has been easy to work with and has even customized a few things to fit the needs of my business!”
Chris H, Dick Hill and Sons Heating and Cooling“We have several subscription customers already. This just means recurring revenue for us with no additional overhead or managing.”
Jason C, Advent Air ConditioningIndustry-Leading Contractors Use Contractor Commerce
“The fact is, consumers would rather shop online than in person. If you don’t build an e-commerce presence, you won’t have the opportunity. Now is the time.”
Lou Hobaica, Hobaica Services“It was scary-easy to get set up. It’s plug and play. I drive people to the site, and I collect on the backend. Contractor Commerce takes the order, processes the order, and ships it…any HVAC company would be crazy not to start an online store with Contractor Commerce.”
Bob Reilly, Courtney's Heating & Cooling“Working with the Contractor Commerce team is simple. It’s great. They’re understanding, and they will do anything possible in their power to accommodate your needs. It’s an added service for us…it’s good for our customers”
Jeremy Shellabarger, Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning“Having our website store powered by Contractor Commerce gives us a unique competitive advantage in our market. Our friends in the industry look at our website and say, ‘Wow! That’s super cool. I don’t know why my company isn’t doing this.”
Lizeth Melisa, Comfort Pro“Having an online store from Contractor Commerce is great for our customers! It is convenient and easy for customers to order filters. It saves time when they can go right to the website, place their order and have the filter delivered within a couple of days. Plus, the Contractor Commerce team is great to work with. They are very responsive and helpful and I know they really care about my success!”
Karen B, Liberty Comfort Systems“It’s really easy to set up. I had an online store and was selling products within 48 hours of talking to these guys.”
Jeff K, Ductworks Heating & Air Conditioning“The Contractor Commerce team has been easy to work with and has even customized a few things to fit the needs of my business!”
Chris H, Dick Hill and Sons Heating and Cooling“We have several subscription customers already. This just means recurring revenue for us with no additional overhead or managing.”
Jason C, Advent Air Conditioning