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Case Study / Plumbing and HVAC SEO
From 10 keywords to 406 in 11 months
A plumbing and HVAC service chain came to us with some existing online presence but only 10 keywords ranking on page one of major search engines. They wanted more local visibility and more calls.
Over 11 months of local SEO work, that number grew to 406 page-one keywords. Here is what we did, and what it produced.
Page-one keywords
Measured over 11 months
Growth
Increase in first-page rankings
Organic sessions
3,444 visits over the final six months
The context
The starting point
A plumbing and HVAC service chain with real reach across its region, but only a fraction of it showing up in search results.
They had the trucks, the technicians, and the track record. But when homeowners searched for help, competitors answered the phone.
“We were in every town we served. We just were not showing up when people searched for us.”
The problem
Ten keywords on page one
Across the major search engines, only ten search terms placed the company on the first page. Homeowners searching for emergency plumbing, AC repair, or HVAC installation mostly found competitors instead.
The goal
More local visibility, more calls
The company wanted to show up in local search results and map listings across every service area, and turn that visibility into phone calls, not just clicks.
What we did
Five workstreams, run together
Five pieces of work, run together across the campaign. Each one reinforced the others.
Keyword research
Extensive research into how customers actually search for plumbing and HVAC services, from emergency plumber queries to seasonal heating and cooling terms, then the plan was built around those real phrases.
On-page and off-page SEO
On-page work covers what sits on the site: page titles, headings, service pages, and internal links. Off-page work covers signals from other websites, such as links and mentions. Both were pointed at the targeted keyword terms.
NAP consistency audit and cleanup
NAP means name, address, and phone number. We audited and corrected those details across Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, and Bing Local so search engines could trust every branch location.
SEO-friendly content
We developed and distributed content built around the target keywords across relevant sites, so every service area and trade had a clear reason to rank.
Facebook page optimization
We cleaned up the company's Facebook page so its business details matched every other listing and supported the wider local search work.
The timeline
Page-one keyword growth
First-page rankings on the major search engines, measured from the start of the campaign.
Growth compounded month after month because every task in the campaign pointed at the same researched terms, and local visibility kept widening across every service area. Bar heights are proportional to the keyword counts.
The headline number
Coverage across every trade and every service area
The company started with 10 keywords on page one. Eleven months later it held 406, an increase of over 3,960%.
For a multi-location service chain that breadth matters more than any single ranking: it means showing up wherever the trucks already go.
The final six months
Traffic over the final six months
Site performance during the last six months of the campaign, compared with the previous period.
The takeaway
Why this worked
Research came first
The campaign was built around how homeowners actually search for plumbing and HVAC help, including emergency and seasonal queries. Nothing was built on a guess.
Listings had to match
Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, and Bing Local each carry the company's name, address, and phone number at every branch. When those records disagree, search engines lose confidence. Cleaning them up supported the local rankings across the chain.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How long does SEO take for a plumbing or HVAC company?
Was any of this paid advertising?
Why does NAP cleanup matter for local service businesses?
Will my company get the same results?
What was measured here?
Next step
Ready for results like this?
Contact Polaris Marketing Solutions to talk about your SEO strategy. We will look at where you rank now and what it would take to move.