Google Ads for HVAC contractors: how to structure campaigns for replacement jobs

Most HVAC Google Ads accounts we audit have the same shape. One campaign called "HVAC," a mix of repair, maintenance and install keywords, broad match everywhere, and a conversion that counts every phone call over 30 seconds. It gets calls. It just does not tell you which calls turned into a full system changeout.

This post is how we structure Google Ads for HVAC contractors who want replacement jobs. It covers campaigns, keywords, negatives, location settings, landing pages and tracking. We are new to the US market and have no US client results, so there are no case studies here. The budget numbers are planning figures, labeled as such.

How should HVAC contractors structure Google Ads for replacement jobs?

One Search campaign per replacement service line, each with its own budget, keywords, ads and landing page. Use phrase and exact match, a shared negative keyword list, location targeting set to people in your service area, and conversions that count booked estimates. Keep repair and maintenance out of these campaigns entirely.

Splitting by service line matters for three reasons:

1. Budget control. In July you may want AC replacement to get most of the money. In November, heat pump heating.
2. Relevant ads. A search for "heat pump installation" should see a heat pump ad and land on a heat pump page.
3. Clean reporting. You can see cost per booked estimate by service line and move money to what books.

We do not run ads for single repairs, window units or one-off ductless mini-split heads. If you want repair calls, run them in a separate account structure with a separate budget, so they never compete with replacement campaigns for the same dollars.

What campaigns should an HVAC company run on Google?

For replacement work, three Search campaigns cover most of the demand: AC replacement, heat pump installation, and AC plus furnace or full system replacement. A brand campaign for your own company name is a small fourth. Each gets its own landing page for your service area.

Add city or neighborhood modifiers ("ac replacement mesa az") as keywords inside the same campaign rather than building a campaign per city. Unless your budget is large, a campaign per city splits too little money too many ways.

Which keyword match types should HVAC contractors use?

Start with phrase and exact match. Google says broad match ads "may show on searches that are related to your keyword, which can include searches that don't contain the direct meaning of your keywords." For a replacement-only campaign that means paying for repair and parts searches. Tighter match types keep spend on buyers.

Google's own definitions, from its keyword matching help page:

• Broad match: the default. Ads may show on related searches, including ones without the direct meaning of your keyword.
• Phrase match: ads "may show on searches that include the meaning of your keyword."
• Exact match: ads "may show on searches that have the same meaning or same intent as the keyword."

Note the wording: even exact match is defined by "same meaning or same intent," not identical words, so none of these is a hard fence. That is why the search terms report and the negative list matter more than the match type. Once conversion tracking reliably reports booked estimates, a broad match test in one campaign can find searches you missed. Before that, broad match mostly spends money learning the wrong lesson.

Which negative keywords should an HVAC Google Ads account use?

Exclude repair, parts, DIY, jobs, training, rental and cheap-fix searches from replacement campaigns. Google describes negative keywords as a way to "exclude search terms from your campaigns." Unlike normal keywords, Google says you need to add synonyms and singular or plural versions yourself.

A starting list we use for replacement campaigns:

• Repair and service: repair, fix, service, tune up, maintenance, recharge, freon, leak, capacitor, contactor, fan motor, thermostat
• DIY and parts: diy, how to, parts, filter, manual, wiring, youtube, home depot, lowes
• Work and training: jobs, salary, hiring, technician, school, certification, license exam
• Wrong product: window unit, portable, car, rv, mini split (when the campaign is central systems only)
• Wrong customer: rental, apartment, landlord, cheap, free, used

Google's negative keyword help page explains the three negative match types. Negative broad is the default, and your ad "won't show if the search contains all your negative keyword terms, even if the terms are in a different order." Review the search terms report weekly and add anything that did not book.

What location settings should an HVAC contractor use?

Target the cities and ZIP codes your crews actually install in, and set location options to reach people who are in those areas. Google's default, "Presence or interest," also shows ads to people outside your area who show interest in it, which suits a hotel more than a service-area business.

Google does recommend "Presence or interest" for most Search campaigns because it captures more conversions (Google Ads location targeting). That advice is written for all advertisers. For a contractor who cannot send a truck to someone researching Phoenix from Chicago, those extra conversions are mostly noise. We start on "Presence" and only test the wider option if lead volume is too low.

Two more settings to check:

• Radius vs city list. A radius around your shop often crosses into areas you do not serve. A list of cities and ZIP codes is more work to set up and much cleaner.
• Ad schedule. Run ads when someone can reply inside 60 seconds. With an AI receptionist replying for you, that can be around the clock.

What should HVAC Google Ads say?

Match the search, name the service area, and give one clear next step. For "ac replacement," the headline should say AC replacement, the city, and "free in-home estimate." Mention financing if you offer it. Leave out a headline price, because tonnage, ductwork and efficiency make any single number misleading.

Headline ideas for an AC replacement ad group:

• AC Replacement in Mesa
• Free In-Home Replacement Estimate
• Financing Options Available
• Licensed Arizona HVAC Contractor
• Installed Within Days, Not Weeks (only if true)

Add a call asset, sitelinks to your heat pump and full system pages, and a structured snippet for the brands you install. Keep every claim true. If you cannot install within days in July, do not say so.

Where should HVAC Google Ads send people?

To a landing page for that service line and service area, with a short qualifier, not to your home page. The page should repeat the ad's promise, show your license and reviews, and ask six questions before the homeowner books: home type, current system and age, replace or new install or repair, timing, budget range, and own or rent.

The qualifier does two jobs. It filters out renters and repair-only requests before they reach your calendar. It also hands your comfort advisor the answers before they arrive. Only qualified leads go to the CRM, where they get a text and a call inside 60 seconds. More on page design is on our HVAC Google Ads page.

How do you track HVAC Google Ads to booked estimates and sold jobs?

Count a booked estimate as the main conversion, then send sold jobs back to Google Ads with offline conversion import. Google describes it for cases where an ad "starts a customer down a path that ultimately leads to a sale in the offline world," such as a signed contract. Then bidding learns from sales, not clicks.

How it works in practice, per Google's offline conversion import help page: the click ID Google attaches to the visit is saved with the lead. When that homeowner signs, you "give that GCLID back to Google Ads along with a few details about the type of conversion it was and when it happened." In most cases we can pass booked estimates from the CRM into the field service software you already use by webhook or a Zapier-style automation, and send results back the same way.

How much should you budget for HVAC Google Ads?

In our system Google gets $1,500 a month by default and $2,500 in peak cooling months, as part of at least $4,000 combined with Meta. Split the Google budget across campaigns by season, and turn it down when your install lead time runs past about three weeks.

The $100 to $130 figure is our blended planning assumption across Meta and Google. It is not a Phoenix or Arizona figure, and your own data replaces it after the first month. Your real cost per lead may be higher or lower, and it moves with the season.

How does Google Ads work in a hot market like Phoenix?

In a market with a long, extreme summer, replacement searches spike whenever systems fail, so Google carries more of the budget for more of the year. Phoenix Sky Harbor averages about 173 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 111 days at 100°F or more (NOAA climate normals).

Utility programs also shape ad copy. SRP's Cool Cash rebate terms require an Arizona-licensed contractor, a cooling load "estimated consistent with ACCA Manual J or equivalent procedures," airflow within 10% of the blower's rated capacity, refrigerant charge within 5% of spec, and that "both the indoor air handler and condensing unit must be replaced" (SRP Cool Cash terms). If your crews do that work anyway, "full system replacement, done to utility rebate standards" is a strong, true line. Check current amounts with SRP before using a number. More on the market is on our Phoenix HVAC marketing page.

Should HVAC contractors run Google Ads or Local Services Ads?

They do different jobs. Local Services Ads charge per valid lead and list several contractors together. Search ads charge per click, let you pick the searches and send the homeowner to your own page and qualifier. We run Search ads for clients and not Local Services Ads, but they can sit side by side.

Google says that with Local Services Ads "you pay for valid leads," which include messages, answered calls and booking requests, and that low-quality leads may be credited automatically (Google Local Services Help). If you run both, compare them on cost per sold job, not cost per lead. For the wider question of what else to spend on, see how to get more AC replacement jobs, and to budget the whole account, how much HVAC marketing costs.

Sam

Co-founder. Audits, strategy and media buying

Sam runs every strategy call and buys every ad. Before going HVAC-only, he ran a performance marketing agency: SEO, Meta and Google ads, CRM automation.

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