Rented leads vs leads you own
Rented: Thumbtack, Angi, HomeAdvisor and Bark fill the pipeline quickly, which matters in a slow season. But the lead is usually shared, you compete on response speed, the price per lead climbs as demand rises, and none of it belongs to you when you stop paying. (Google Local Services Ads is the one paid option that works differently, you pay per contact rather than for a shared lead, though it too stops when the spend stops.)
Owned: a Google Business Profile that ranks in the map pack, real reviews from real jobs, and pages that show up for "AC repair" and "furnace replacement" in your service area. These leads are yours alone, and the work compounds so your cost per lead falls over time.
Free things you can do this week to get more HVAC leads
Five free moves that bring in more HVAC calls, no per-lead fee required.
- Set the most specific Google Business Profile category. Use "HVAC contractor," "Air conditioning repair service," or "Furnace repair service" for your core work, then add the others as secondary categories. The primary category is the top signal for the local map. (5 minutes)
- Text every recent customer a review link within a day of the job. Ask them to mention the service ("fast AC repair in July"). Steady reviews rank better than a one-time push. (15 minutes)
- Post to your profile weekly with a seasonal tune-up offer, a finished install, or a maintenance tip. An active profile ranks ahead of a dormant one. (10 minutes a week)
- Put your emergency and after-hours availability and your service area front and center on your site, with click-to-call that works on a phone. (20 minutes)
- Claim your free Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, and Nextdoor business listings. Free spots your competitors often skip. (30 minutes)
These build a lead source you own, so you lean on the paid platforms less every season, not more. When you want it running consistently, that is where we come in.
Why this matters most in HVAC
HVAC demand swings hard with the weather, so the temptation is to buy leads heavily in peak season and go quiet the rest of the year. The problem is that an owned channel takes a few months to build, so if you only think about leads when the phone stops ringing, you are always renting at the worst possible price. Building your Google Business Profile, reviews, and local rankings during the slower months means the free calls are already flowing when the next heat wave or cold snap hits, and you can lean on paid platforms less.
Where Fivenson sits
Local SEO Foundation from $1,500/month for a single service area, Growth SEO at $2,500 to $4,500/month where most clients start, and Discovery Infrastructure at $5,000 to $10,000+/month when AI answers are in scope. A one-time SEO Audit and Roadmap starts at $1,500, credited if you continue.
Fivenson Studios has worked in Ann Arbor since 2012, holds a 5.0 rating from 132 five-star reviews and an A+ with the BBB, and everything we build is yours from day one.
Common questions
How much do HVAC leads cost on the platforms?
Shared HVAC leads commonly run anywhere from about $25 to well over $100 each depending on your market and the job type, and they are often sold to several contractors at once. Exclusive leads cost more, and prices tend to climb over time.
What is the best long-term source of HVAC leads?
The channel you own: a strong Google Business Profile, consistent reviews, and local pages that rank for AC and furnace searches. It takes a few months to build, but the calls are exclusively yours and get cheaper over time rather than more expensive.
How fast can SEO bring HVAC calls?
The Google map pack can move within a few weeks for a well-optimized profile. Broader organic rankings usually take three to six months to produce steady calls, which is why the best time to start is before your busy season, not during it.
Should I keep buying leads while I build SEO?
Yes. Keep the paid platforms running for cash flow, build your owned channel alongside them, and taper the paid spend as your rankings and reviews start producing. Running both is how most HVAC companies grow fastest.