Google Ads for HVAC businesses catch people who are already looking for a contractor. Facebook and Instagram ads reach people who are not looking yet, so they suit offers and timing more than urgent repairs. Most HVAC businesses need search first and use social to fill the quiet weeks.
This page is written for any market. In the United States the trade is called HVAC and covers heating as well as cooling. In Australia and New Zealand people say air conditioning or ducted air. PreBuild works in Australia and New Zealand and is opening in the United States; it is not running ads for US HVAC businesses yet.
Google Ads for HVAC capture demand, Facebook creates it
A person who types “AC not cooling” into Google has a problem today. A search ad can put your business in front of them at that moment. You choose the words that trigger the ad, so the budget goes where the intent is.
Facebook works the other way. Nobody scrolls past a photo of a neighbour’s dog and decides to replace a ducted system. The ad has to interrupt, so it works best when the offer is concrete: a tune-up before the season, a free on-site quote for a replacement, a finance option if you offer one. Those people are earlier in the decision and need a call back that explains things.
Two rules of thumb that hold up in practice:
- Breakdowns and urgent repairs: search. Social ads rarely catch someone in the hour their system fails.
- Replacements, upgrades and new installs: both. Search catches the shopper, social keeps your name in front of the household that is thinking about it.
Keyword control matters in search. Google’s own help says broad match is the default match type for every keyword and reaches the most searches, while exact match gives the most control and reaches the fewest. For a small crew paying for each click, start tighter. Searches for HVAC jobs, courses, parts and “DIY” are the usual leaks. How to find and block them with the search terms report and negative keywords is in Google Ads for contractors.
Seasonal swings
HVAC demand moves with the weather, and the weeks you most want leads are the weeks every competitor wants them too. A sensible calendar looks like this:
| Stretch of the year | What to run | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before the peak | Maintenance and tune-up offers; replacement quotes on social | You fill the diary while it is quiet and catch homeowners who think ahead |
| During the peak | Search for repairs and fast replacements; tight service area | You can only attend so many jobs. Pause what you cannot serve |
| After the peak | Follow up old quotes; service reminders; new-build and renovation work | Demand is lower, so effort goes into jobs already half won |
The seasons run opposite in the two hemispheres. Peak cooling demand in Australia and New Zealand falls in the southern summer, roughly December to February. In most of the United States it is the northern summer, and heating adds a second peak in winter. Work out your own calendar from last year’s enquiries.
One platform note. Google has a seasonality adjustment tool, but its help page says it suits short events of about one to seven days and is less effective past 14 days, and that Smart Bidding already handles seasonal movement. A heatwave weekend fits. A whole summer does not. For a season, adjust your budget and your offers yourself.
Targeting a service area
An HVAC business sends a van, so a click from 80 kilometres outside your area is worth nothing. Google lets you target countries, regions, cities, postcodes or a radius around a location. Two details from that page matter:
- The broad option, “Presence or interest”, also reaches people who have shown interest in your area, not only people physically there. Google says “Presence” suits a business that only wants people who are in the area. If you only service a set of suburbs, check which one is selected.
- Location targeting is based on signals and is not 100% accurate, and a very small radius or area can mean ads show only now and then, or not at all.
Put your service area in the ad text and on the page as well. It keeps out people who would never get a visit, before you pay for the click. Google has a separate product for local trades, Local Services Ads, which charges differently and is worth reading about separately.
Landing page that gets the right questions
Send the click to a page about the job, not your home page. A short page for “replace my ducted system” should ask for what you need to quote: suburb, whether it is a replacement or a new install, house type, and a phone number that works. Our guide to a good ducted air enquiry lists those questions in full.
A form with more questions gets fewer submissions. It also gets fewer people who were never going to buy. Decide which one hurts you more. A business with a full diary wants fewer, better enquiries. A business with gaps wants more.
For repairs, put a phone number at the top and make it a tap-to-call button. People with a dead system ring.
Cost per booked install
Cost per click and cost per enquiry are not the number that pays your wages. The number that does is the ad spend divided by installs you actually booked. Google explains in its auction overview that your bid is a maximum and what you pay is often less, so you cannot fix the click price in advance.
That is why you track past the click. Google’s offline conversion import lets you send back which clicks became sales made by phone or in the office. Google’s page says these uploads moved to its Data Manager API from 15 June 2026, so follow the current instructions when you set it up.
Worked as an example only: if you spend $2,000 in a month and book 4 installs from it, that is $500 of advertising per install. Put your own numbers in. Compare it with what a signed install is worth to you, after materials and labour.
PreBuild sets up and manages ads in your own account, and its ducted air and HVAC page shows how it works for the trade. If you would rather weigh ads against buying leads, see buying HVAC leads.
Common questions
Are Google ads or Facebook ads better for HVAC?
Google search suits repairs and ready-to-buy replacements because people are searching now. Facebook suits offers and early-stage replacements. Most businesses start with search.
When should an HVAC business start advertising for summer?
Before the peak, while enquiries are slow. Use last year’s enquiry dates for your area. The peak falls in different months in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
How do I stop paying for clicks outside my area?
Use radius or postcode targeting, check whether Google is set to “Presence” or “Presence or interest”, and name your service area in the ad and on the page.
What should I measure?
Cost per booked install. That needs a record of which enquiries became jobs.