5 Questions That the Best HVAC Websites Always Answer

While good HVAC websites look great, the best HVAC websites do something more: They answer people’s most basic questions about your company.

The more questions you answer upfront, the more confident homeowners feel about contacting you, which means you’ll get more qualified leads.

But what are the questions that most homeowners have about HVAC companies? I’ve got the answers. Not because I’m a mind reader, but because I’ve done the research while working with dozens of HVAC clients.

After looking through analytics on HVAC websites, talking to several CSRs and technicians, doing user testing on HVAC websites, I’ve determined that the top 5 questions are the following:

Let’s say my AC breaks down in the middle of summer. I need to tell at a glance why I should choose you over a competitor.

Here’s a way you SHOULDN’T go about doing that: Deals and coupons. I’m not saying to NOT include coupons. But I am saying that you shouldn’t make those your main selling point. Here’s why: Someone will always have a better deal than you.

“Oh you offer $30 off on your repairs? Well, I’ll offer $40 off!”, says your competitor. This leads to a price war—a war you most likely won’t win against smaller technicians with little overhead.

Instead of differentiating based on coupons, dig into a what makes you different and then provide proof of that differentiating factor. Most marketers call this a Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
A basic USP looks like this: “Convince (audience with problem) that (point of difference) because (points of proof).” But there are other templates.

Related article: 7 Proven Templates for Writing Value Propositions That Work

If you say your point of difference is that you have the “best customer service”, then ask yourself, “How exactly do we have the best customer service?” Without proof, a differentiating factor is just an unbelievable boast.

For example, one HVAC client told me “We have the most integrity!” That sounded like a boast. So I dug deeper by asking “How?”

They said, “Because we don’t pay our techs and plumbers based on commission.” Bingo! Proof behind the promise. Homeowners can trust a technician that’s genuinely trying to help them, not sell to them. So I worded their home page headline like this:

Another example: Advanced Air came to us with a simple but effective point of differentiation: They have the most 5-star ratings in their area. Providing the proof was easy: provide a link to all the reviews.

If you’re struggling to discover your differentiating factor and the proof behind it, hire a good copywriter who can help you find it.

See also:

• “How much does a check-up cost?”
• “What’s the cost to just come out and tell me what’s wrong?”
• “Do I get a refund on the trip charge if I get the repair?”

Do you want fewer negative reviews on Yelp? Then stop hiding your diagnostic/trip charge fees for your repair services. I’ve read too many 1-star negative reviews that say, “No one told me that that there was a trip charge for a diagnosis!”One way to reduce the pain of the trip charge/fee for homeowners? Waive the charge if the homeowner decides to get a repair.

But how and when should you talk about diagnostic fees? Let’s explore that issue more in the next question…

Every CSR and HVAC tech I’ve talked to says that the final price isthe #1 question most homeowners have. So, the more you hide price, the more you stress homeowners out, the shadier your look, and the less likely they are to contact you.
Now, I know EXACTLY what you’re thinking: “But the final price depends! There are too many factors.”

You’re right that the price depends. But you can provide price ranges and averages. Other websites already do this:

Price estimates from Home Advisor.
And you can also list the major factors that affect the price. I’ve never encountered an HVAC service that was too complex to break the price down into a few major factors. Here’s how we presented price with our client Red Cap Plumbing & Air:

As you can see, people can get the big picture (average cost, cost range). And then they can see why that price varies so much:

• For repairs, the final price depends mainly on the part that you need to replace. So we included prices ranges for 5 common repairs.
• For installations, the cost mainly depends on the AC unit’s features.

Finally, we provided the diagnostic price (for repairs) or free estimate (for installations) to get an “accurate price”. See? Showing price isn’t so hard once you see how it can be done.

Related article: HVAC Blogging Pro Tip: Mention Price Online To Get More Customers

See also:

• “What happens if something goes wrong?”
• “Do you guarantee your work?”

If you’re not listing a rock-solid guarantee on your website, you’re losing out on leads.Here’s why: People love certainty. They love it because they’re naturally loss averse. So much so that they’ll pay a premium to get a more absolute outcome. In behavioral economics, this is called the certainty effect.

To answer this question, you should list that you have a “100% satisfaction guarantee.” However, the guarantee needs to have enough details for people to believe you (because anyone can just say “100% satisfaction guaranteed”). To add concrete details to your guarantees, answer this customer’s question: “OK if I’m not satisfied, what happens EXACTLY?” I asked that question to the owner of Advanced Air and he was very explicit what happens. So I made it explicit on their website:

See also:

• “Are you available 24/7?”
• “Can you get the job done today?”
• “What’s your phone number?”
• “If I contact you online, how long until you’ll contact me back?”

Make sure people know how and when they can get a hold of you. It should be crystal clear from your website’s navigation. For example, Red Cap’s website calls attention to their phone numbers and schedule buttons by making them red, which contrasts with the black and white backgrounds.

Note: I want to be crystal clear here. I’m NOT saying you should make your call-to-actions (CTAs) and phone numbers red. I’m saying that primary CTAs should contrast with the other colors on your website. A good designer can help you do that.

Also, once the homeowner is on the schedule form page, they can clearly see:

• How to contact the company
• When the company will contact them back
• What times and days the company is available

So, now that you know the common questions homeowners have, how do you start answering them on your HVAC website? To be frank, properly implementing the answers on your website requires a team: a copywriter, a website designer and a developer. Lucky for you, you get get all that at Rocket Media.

We’re a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping premium HVAC companies that want to do right by their customers.

Contact us for HVAC web design help.