The internet is really good at making you a liar

Ah, the internet.  What a wonderous tool to help you grow your HVAC company.  What a confusing, royal pain in the rear it is. Just when you think you have a handle on how it works, it changes.  Just when you think your website is perfect, it needs an update.  Or something is no longer compatible.  Or JavaScript rolls out an update and suddenly things look wonky on your site.

Trying to predict the frequent shifts in what Google considers “best practices” is like trying to predict the stock market.  Grasping all the different platforms, functions, strategies and rankings is like hanging on to a wiggly 2-year old.  No matter how hard you try to keep your arms around it, eventually it gets away from you.

One thing I’ve learned is that the internet is really good at making you a liar.  What you know to be true today will certainly change over time.  What is industry-standard now, is outdated in 3 years.  I taught things about the internet 6 years ago that are patently false today.  I’m not happy about that.  That’s why I’m constantly reading, studying, and asking questions of my expert staff.  (Hint: hire people who are smarter than you, and learn from them.)

As an HVAC business owner, it’s important that you stay informed and current, and it’s also vital to align yourself with an internet supplier you can trust.  Because you should be running your company, not learning how to code.

HVAC internet suppliers are everywhere!  

It seems that internet suppliers have “discovered “HVAC in recent years, and a new one crops up practically every month.  Many claim to have years of HVAC experience–which can’t possibly be true.  Case in point: I met with a competitor who approached me about merging our companies.  The owner told me he had been in business almost 4 years and admitted didn’t know much about HVAC.  That’s why he wanted to merge our companies.  But his website said they had 20+ years HVAC experience! (They had clearly added up the 1 to 2 years their dozen employees had, and came up with 20 years.)

HVAC is a special snowflake

HVAC can’t be marketed like other service industries.  So make sure you ask questions before you sign on with an internet marketing supplier.

Here’s a list to get you started.

• What is your experience with HVAC? (No, your ACTUAL experience.  Not the combined number of years that your employees have worked there!)
• How many HVAC contractors do you have as clients?
• When should I expect to see results?
• What is a reasonable ROI for my campaign?
• How will I receive tracked results?  How often?
• Do you intend to remove the Google Analytics from my website?  If so, why?
• What is the breakdown of my internet budget? (retargeting, PPC, SEO, pre-roll video, mobile ads)
• Is someone actively managing my campaign?   Making adjustments based on what is tracking well?
• Is your keyword research done by a person or an app?
• How long of a contract will I have to sign?
• Will my website files and domain belong to me if I choose to discontinue with you after the contract ends?

If you don’t get the right answers give our online/website experts a call at 315.685.9500. Ask for Jeannie, our digital guru.  (She actually prefers to be called Digital Sorceress, but will take your call either way!)