Google Local Pack for HVAC: How to Appear in the Top 3 Map Results

What Is the Google Local Pack?

Search "HVAC near me" on Google. Look at the results. Before regular search results, Google shows three businesses on a map. That's the Local Pack.

Those three businesses get 60% of all clicks. Everyone else fights over the remaining 40%. Being in that top three means your phone rings constantly. Missing from top three means competitors get the calls.

According to BrightLocal, 28% of Local Pack searches result in a purchase within 24 hours. For emergency HVAC searches, that number jumps to 45%. Someone's heating breaks. They search. They call one of the top three. Job booked within hours.

Getting into Local Pack isn't luck. It's systematic optimization of your Google Business Profile. Here's exactly how to do it.

Step 1: Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile

Sounds obvious. But 30% of HVAC companies haven't claimed their profile. Google created it automatically from web data. Nobody's managing it. No wonder they don't rank.

Go to google.com/business. Search for your company name. Two things happen:

If your business appears: Click "Claim this business." Google sends verification code. Usually postcard to your business address. Takes 5-7 days. Enter code. Profile is yours.

If your business doesn't appear: Click "Add your business." Fill in all information. Google verifies same way. Postcard with code.

Once verified, you control everything. Photos. Business hours. Service area. Reviews. Posts. All of it.

Birmingham HVAC company didn't even know they had Google Business Profile. Found it. Claimed it. Profile had wrong phone number (disconnected line). Wrong address. Wrong hours. No wonder nobody called. Fixed information. Calls started coming same week.

Step 2: Complete Every Single Field

Google rewards complete profiles. Profile completion score affects rankings. Incomplete profile gets buried. Complete profile gets boosted.

Here's what you must fill in:

Business Name

Use your actual registered business name. Don't stuff keywords. "Manchester HVAC Heating Repair Emergency Service" violates Google guidelines. Gets suspended. Use real name: "ABC Heating Services Ltd."

Business Category

Primary category must be "HVAC contractor" or "Heating contractor." Not "General contractor." Not "Home improvement." Google uses category to determine which searches show your business.

Add secondary categories: "Air conditioning contractor," "Furnace repair service," "Boiler supplier." Maximum 10 categories. Choose most relevant.

Service Area

Define everywhere you serve. If you serve entire city plus surrounding areas, list all areas:

• Main city name
• Surrounding towns
• Specific neighborhoods if large city
• Nearby postcodes

Leeds HVAC company only listed "Leeds" as service area. Missing calls from Wakefield, Bradford, Harrogate. Added 12 surrounding areas. Started appearing in Local Pack for searches in those areas. Calls increased 40%.

Business Hours

List accurate hours. If you're 24/7 emergency service, mark that. If you're Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, mark that exactly.

Special hours for holidays? Update them. Nothing worse than customer finding you on Google, calling during "business hours," getting voicemail because you're closed for Christmas.

Phone Number

Use local phone number. Not 0800 number. Not national number. Local number shows you're established local business.

Make sure phone number matches what's on your website. Google checks consistency. Mismatched numbers hurt rankings.

Website URL

Add your website. Seems obvious but 15% of HVAC profiles have no website listed. Missing massive opportunity.

Business Description

Write 750 characters explaining what you do. Include:

• Main services (heating repair, AC installation, emergency service)
• Service area (which cities/areas you cover)
• What makes you different (24/7, certified technicians, 20 years experience)
• Key benefits (same-day service, free estimates, guaranteed work)

Don't keyword stuff. Write naturally. Explain clearly. Help potential customers understand if you're right fit.

Attributes

Select all relevant attributes:

• Identifies as veteran-owned (if applicable)
• Online estimates
• Online appointments
• Onsite services
• Accepts credit cards
• Free Wi-Fi (if you have showroom/office)

These help customers filter results. More attributes selected means appearing in more filtered searches.

Step 3: Add High-Quality Photos (Lots of Them)

Photos make enormous difference. Google data shows profiles with photos get 42% more direction requests and 35% more website clicks than profiles without photos.

Minimum photos needed:

• Logo: Clear company logo (square format, 1:1 ratio)
• Cover photo: Hero image showing service vans or team (16:9 ratio)
• Team photos: 3-5 photos of your technicians
• Van photos: 2-3 photos of branded service vehicles
• Work photos: 10-15 photos of completed installations/repairs
• Office/warehouse: 2-3 photos of your location
• Equipment: Photos of tools and equipment you use

Target: 25-30 total photos minimum. More is better. Competitors in top 3 typically have 40-60 photos.

Photo quality matters:

• Good lighting (no dark, grainy photos)
• Clear focus (no blurry shots)
• Professional appearance (no messy backgrounds)
• Recent photos (not from 2015)

Newcastle HVAC company had 4 photos total. All from 2019. Dark. Poor quality. Added 28 professional photos showing current team, modern vans, recent work. Jumped from position 7 to position 2 in Local Pack within 3 weeks.

Step 4: Get Customer Reviews (The Right Way)

Reviews are biggest ranking factor for Local Pack. More reviews plus higher rating equals better rankings. Simple equation.

Average HVAC company in top 3 Local Pack positions has 45-80 reviews. Companies ranking 4-10 have 8-25 reviews. Correlation is clear.

How to get reviews:

Ask Every Happy Customer

After completing job, if customer is happy, ask for review. Simple request: "Would you mind leaving us a Google review? It really helps our small business."

Most customers say yes. They just need easy way to leave review.

Make It Incredibly Easy

Text them direct link to your Google review page. One click opens review form. No searching. No multiple steps. Just click and write.

Get your review link: Go to your Google Business Profile. Click "Get more reviews." Copy short URL. Text that to customers.

Offer Small Incentive

"Leave us a review and get £20 off your next service." Not payment for review. Just thank you for feedback. Perfectly legitimate.

This increases review rate from 15% to 40%. Worth the discount.

Respond to Every Review

Someone leaves 5-star review? Thank them. Someone leaves 3-star review? Apologize and offer to make it right. Someone leaves 1-star review? Stay professional, acknowledge issue, explain resolution.

Google tracks response rate. Profiles that respond to reviews rank higher. Shows you care about customer feedback.

Glasgow HVAC company implemented systematic review collection. Went from 9 reviews to 52 reviews in 6 months. Ranking jumped from position 6 to position 1 in Local Pack. Phone calls increased 180%.

Step 5: Post Regular Updates

Google Business Profile has posts feature. Like social media but specifically for Google. These posts appear in your profile when people find you.

Active profiles rank higher. Google rewards businesses that maintain fresh content.

What to post:

Service Updates

"Emergency HVAC service available 24/7. Call now for same-day repair." Include photo of service van or technician. Add call button. Direct way for customers to reach you.

Completed Projects

"Just installed new boiler system in Salford. Customer loving the energy savings." Include before/after photos. Shows proof of quality work.

Seasonal Tips

"Winter coming. Book your heating system check now. Avoid breakdowns during cold snap." Helpful information. Positions you as expert. Encourages bookings.

Special Offers

"£50 off AC maintenance this month. Keep your system running efficiently all summer." Creates urgency. Drives bookings.

Post frequency: Minimum twice weekly. Three times weekly is better. Posts stay active for 7 days then disappear. Keep posting to maintain active profile.

Bristol HVAC company started posting 3 times weekly. Nothing fancy. Just service updates and completed work photos. Engagement increased. Profile views up 60%. Calls from Google Business Profile up 40%.

Step 6: Use Google Business Messaging

Enable messaging in your Google Business Profile. Customers can text you directly from Google search results.

Many people prefer texting over calling. Especially for non-emergency inquiries. "How much does AC installation cost?" Easier to text than call.

Set up business messaging:

• Go to Google Business Profile dashboard
• Enable messaging
• Download Google Business Messages app on your phone
• Respond to messages within 24 hours (faster is better)

Response time affects rankings. Fast responders rank higher. Slow responders get buried.

Step 7: Build Local Citations

Citations are mentions of your business name, address, phone number (NAP) on other websites. Directory listings. Local business sites. Chamber of commerce. Trade associations.

Google uses citations to verify your business is real and established locally. More citations means stronger local authority.

Where to get citations:

• Yelp
• Thomson Local
• Yell.com
• Checkatrade
• Rated People
• TrustATrader
• Local Chamber of Commerce
• Trade associations (HVCA, FGAS)

Critical: NAP must match exactly across all citations. "ABC Heating Ltd" on your website but "ABC Heating Limited" on directory listing? That confuses Google. Hurts rankings.

Keep it consistent:

• Same business name everywhere
• Same address format
• Same phone number

Step 8: Optimize Your Website for Local Search

Google Business Profile gets you in Local Pack. But Google also checks your website. Well-optimized website boosts Local Pack rankings.

What Google looks for:

Location Pages

Create dedicated page for each city/area you serve:

• HVAC Services in Manchester
• HVAC Services in Salford
• HVAC Services in Stockport

Each page includes local information. Neighborhoods served. Local landmarks. Why customers in that area choose you.

Schema Markup

Add Local Business schema to your website. Structured data telling Google exactly what you are, where you are, what you do.

Includes:

• Business name
• Address
• Phone number
• Hours
• Service area
• Services offered

Technical implementation. Most HVAC business owners hire developer for this. Worth the investment.

Embedded Google Map

Embed Google Map showing your business location on your contact page. Reinforces your local presence.

How Long Until You Appear in Top 3?

Timeline varies based on competition and current state:

If you're completely new: 8-12 weeks to break into top 3 in smaller cities. 12-16 weeks in competitive cities.

If you're ranking positions 4-10: 4-8 weeks to move into top 3. You're close. Just need optimization push.

If you're barely ranking: 10-16 weeks. Need complete profile overhaul plus review generation.

Sheffield HVAC company went from not appearing at all to position 3 in 9 weeks. Liverpool company went from position 7 to position 2 in 5 weeks. Cardiff company took 14 weeks but they were starting from scratch with zero reviews.

Key factor: How aggressively you implement everything. Do all steps thoroughly and quickly, results come faster.

Measuring Your Progress

Track these metrics weekly:

• Local Pack position: Search your main keywords incognito. Where do you rank?
• Profile views: Check Google Business Profile insights
• Direction requests: How many people clicked directions?
• Phone calls: Track calls from Google Business Profile
• Website clicks: How many people visited your site from profile?
• Review count: How many total reviews? What's average rating?

Google Business Profile dashboard shows all this data. Check it weekly. Track trends. See what's working.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Buying fake reviews: Google detects this. Removes reviews. Penalizes your profile. Rankings tank. Never worth the risk.

Keyword stuffing business name: "Manchester Emergency 24/7 HVAC Heating Repair Services Ltd" gets you suspended. Use real business name.

Creating multiple profiles: One business, one profile. Creating extras to rank more gets all profiles suspended.

Ignoring negative reviews: Respond professionally. Shows you care. Helps rankings. Ignoring them hurts both.

Inconsistent NAP: Different business names or addresses across web confuses Google. Pick one format. Use everywhere.

The Bottom Line

Getting into Google Local Pack isn't complicated. Just systematic optimization of Google Business Profile plus supporting website work.

Complete your profile fully. Add 25+ photos. Generate 40+ reviews. Post 2-3 times weekly. Build citations. Optimize website. Rankings improve. Calls increase.

Those top 3 Local Pack positions get 60% of clicks. That's where emergency calls come from. That's where bookings happen. Get there and your phone rings constantly.

Start today. Claim profile. Add photos. Ask for reviews. Three months from now, you could be in top 3 getting 15-20 calls weekly from local customers searching for HVAC services.