How HVAC Companies Rank #1 on Google in 90 Days (Case Study)

The Starting Point

Heating Solutions Manchester had a problem. Good HVAC business. Qualified technicians. Fair prices. Happy customers. But zero visibility on Google.

They ranked page 3 for "HVAC Manchester." Page 4 for "heating repair Manchester." Not showing at all for "emergency heating repair." Their phone barely rang. Most work came from word of mouth and expensive Google Ads costing £3,200 monthly.

September 2024, they contacted us. Wanted to rank first organically. Stop wasting money on ads. Get consistent calls without paying per click.

We said yes. But with one condition: We track everything. Every ranking change. Every traffic increase. Every phone call. Document the entire process. Prove what works.

This is that story. Month by month. Week by week. Real numbers. Real tactics. No fluff.

Month 1: Foundation and Audit (Weeks 1-4)

First month focused on foundation. Can't build on broken ground. Had to fix fundamental problems before anything else.

Week 1: Complete SEO Audit

Ran complete audit of their website and Google presence. Found seven critical problems:

• Website loaded in 7.2 seconds (terrible)
• Mobile version barely worked
• One generic "Services" page listing everything
• Google Business Profile had 4 photos, last updated 2022
• Only 6 Google reviews
• Zero quality backlinks
• Content averaged 120 words per page

Also analyzed competitors. Top 3 ranking HVAC companies in Manchester all had:

• Fast websites (under 2 seconds load time)
• Dedicated pages for each service
• 40+ Google reviews
• Active Google Business Profiles with 20+ photos
• 15-30 quality local backlinks
• Detailed content (600-1,000 words per page)

Clear gap. Competitors invested in SEO. Our client hadn't. Now we fix that gap.

Weeks 2-3: Website Rebuild

Rebuilt website on modern platform. Focused on speed and mobile experience.

Changes made:

• Compressed all images (reduced file sizes by 80%)
• Implemented modern image formats (WebP)
• Enabled aggressive caching
• Upgraded hosting to faster server
• Rebuilt mobile version from scratch
• Made phone number huge and clickable on mobile

Results: Load time dropped from 7.2 seconds to 1.6 seconds. Mobile experience transformed. Google PageSpeed score jumped from 28 to 87.

Week 4: Service Page Creation

Created 8 dedicated service pages targeting specific searches:

• Emergency heating repair Manchester
• Boiler installation Manchester
• AC repair Manchester
• Furnace repair Manchester
• HVAC maintenance Manchester
• Emergency boiler repair Manchester
• 24/7 HVAC emergency service Manchester
• Central heating installation Manchester

Each page contained 700-900 words. Answered every question about that service. Included pricing guidance. Explained process step-by-step. Listed certifications and guarantees.

Month 1 Results:

• Rankings: Still page 3 (Google needs time to notice changes)
• Traffic: Slight increase (+12%)
• Calls: 4 calls from organic search
• Time invested: 45 hours

Month 2: Local Optimization (Weeks 5-8)

Month two focused on local visibility. Getting into Google Local Pack. Building review base.

Week 5: Google Business Profile Overhaul

Completely rebuilt their Google Business Profile:

• Added 35 professional photos (team, vans, completed work, office)
• Rewrote business description targeting key services
• Updated all business information
• Set accurate service area (all Manchester postcodes)
• Selected correct categories: HVAC contractor, Heating contractor
• Added attributes: 24/7 emergency service, free estimates

Weeks 6-7: Review Generation Campaign

Implemented systematic review collection:

• Created simple review request process
• Texted every satisfied customer with review link
• Offered £20 discount on next service for leaving review
• Made it incredibly easy (one-click to Google review page)

Results: Generated 18 new 5-star reviews in 2 weeks. Total reviews went from 6 to 24. Average rating held at 4.9 stars.

Week 8: Local Link Building

Started building local backlinks:

• Got listed in 8 quality Manchester business directories
• Joined Manchester Chamber of Commerce (earned link)
• Partnered with 3 property management companies (earned links)
• Got featured in Manchester Evening News for emergency work during cold snap (massive link)

Month 2 Results:

• Rankings: Jumped to page 2 for main keywords, page 1 for 3 long-tail searches
• Appeared in Local Pack for 2 emergency search terms
• Traffic: +67% increase from month 1
• Calls: 11 calls from organic search
• Time invested: 38 hours

Month 3: Authority and Rankings (Weeks 9-12)

Month three focused on pushing to position #1. Building authority. Cementing rankings.

Week 9: Content Expansion

Added detailed FAQ sections to all service pages. Created 4 helpful blog posts:

• "What to Do When Your Heating Breaks in Winter"
• "How Much Does Boiler Installation Cost in Manchester?"
• "Signs Your HVAC System Needs Emergency Repair"
• "Choosing HVAC Company in Manchester: Complete Guide"

Each blog post targeted long-tail keywords. Linked back to main service pages. Provided genuine help.

Week 10: More Reviews and Photos

Continued review generation. Added 12 more reviews. Total now 36 reviews at 4.9 stars.

Added seasonal content to Google Business Profile. Posted 3 times weekly about:

• Emergency service availability
• Completed jobs with before/after photos
• Seasonal maintenance tips
• Special offers for regular maintenance

Weeks 11-12: Final Link Push

Built 8 more quality links:

• Got manufacturer certification from Bosch (earned link)
• Partnered with 2 more property managers
• Got featured in Manchester home improvement blog
• Added to trade association directories

Also optimized existing pages based on performance data. Improved meta descriptions. Strengthened calls-to-action. Added service area pages for specific Manchester neighborhoods.

Month 3 Results:

• Rankings: #1 for "HVAC Manchester"
• Rankings: #2 for "heating repair Manchester"
• Rankings: #1 for "emergency heating repair Manchester"
• Rankings: Top 3 Local Pack for 8 different searches
• Traffic: +156% increase from starting point
• Calls: 28 calls from organic search
• Time invested: 42 hours

90-Day Total Results

After exactly 90 days:

What Actually Made the Difference

Looking back, three things mattered most:

1. Speed and Mobile Experience

Fixing website speed and mobile experience was foundation. Google couldn't rank slow, broken website. Once that improved, everything else worked better.

2. Service-Specific Pages

Creating dedicated pages for each service was game-changer. Generic "Services" page ranked nowhere. Specific "Emergency Heating Repair Manchester" page ranked #1.

Google needs specific pages for specific searches. Give Google what it wants.

3. Google Business Profile Optimization

Getting into Local Pack brought most phone calls. Top three local businesses get 60% of clicks. We got them into top three for 8 different searches.

Photos, reviews, and regular posts made massive difference. Google rewards active, complete profiles.

What Didn't Matter Much

Some tactics made minimal impact:

Social media: Posted on Facebook and Instagram. Got likes. Got shares. Made zero difference to rankings or calls. Social media doesn't drive HVAC bookings.

Directory spam: Initially added to 50+ random directories. Only the 8-10 quality local directories helped. Rest were waste of time.

Fancy design: Website looks professional but simple. Fancy animations and effects don't improve rankings. Speed matters. Clarity matters. Flashiness doesn't.

Challenges We Faced

Not everything went smoothly:

Week 3 setback: Website redesign had bugs. Contact form stopped working for 2 days. Lost potential calls. Fixed quickly but still frustrating.

Review generation struggle: First week got only 2 reviews despite asking 15 customers. Changed approach. Made it easier. Offered incentive. Then reviews started flowing.

Rankings plateau week 7: Rankings stuck page 2 for 10 days. Worried we'd plateaued. Then Manchester Evening News article published. Rankings jumped next day. Sometimes you need that one big push.

Could You Replicate This?

Yes. This isn't magic. Just systematic work applied properly.

Timeline might vary. Highly competitive cities (London, Birmingham) might take 120 days instead of 90. Smaller cities might see results in 60 days.

But the process works:

1. Fix website speed and mobile experience
2. Create service-specific pages with detailed content
3. Optimize Google Business Profile completely
4. Generate customer reviews systematically
5. Build quality local backlinks
6. Publish helpful content regularly

Do all six. Rankings improve. Calls increase. Revenue grows.

Skip one or two steps, results suffer. All six must happen.

What Happened After 90 Days

Results continued improving after 90 days. Rankings strengthened. More keywords hit page one. Calls kept increasing.

Six months in: 42 organic calls monthly. Ranking #1 for 23 keywords. Appearing in Local Pack for 14 different searches. Completely eliminated Google Ads. Saving £3,200 monthly.

Twelve months in: 58 organic calls monthly. Dominating Manchester HVAC search results. Hiring second team to handle increased demand.

SEO compounds over time. Rankings get stronger. Authority builds. More keywords rank. Visibility increases. Unlike ads that deliver same results forever, SEO improves year over year.

Final Thoughts

This case study proves what's possible. HVAC company went from invisible to #1 in 90 days. Not through magic. Through systematic SEO work applied properly.

Your market might differ. Your competition might be tougher. But the process works everywhere. Fix fundamentals. Build local authority. Optimize for local search. Results follow.

Stop paying £2,000-£4,000 monthly for ads. Invest that money in SEO instead. Build permanent visibility. Get free calls forever.

Start today. Three months from now, you could be ranking #1. Getting 20+ organic calls monthly. Keeping that ad spend in your pocket.