Did you know that the primary category you choose on your Google Business Profile can have significant implications for how well you appear online, and for what services? Join Don Marks, HLM's Content & SEO Marketing Manager, as he guides you through the considerations of choosing the best Primary Business Category for your Google Business Profile.
How Do Contractors That Provide Both HVAC and Plumbing Services Decide Which Primary Google Business Category to Choose?
Maximizing your visibility on Google Maps is one of the most effective marketing strategies for home service businesses.
One of the key influences on how your listing performs is choosing the appropriate primary category. Google uses this information to help determine your ranking in the maps section of Google.
Businesses that accurately categorize themselves tend to rank higher, which is crucial considering that higher rankings increase the likelihood of clicks, visits, and, ultimately, sales.
It's also important to note that while you can select additional categories, the primary category holds the most weight in Google's algorithm, making it the most important choice for your listing.
What Factors Should Be Considered When Choosing a Primary GBP Category?
HLM has worked with home service providers for over a dozen years, and this is a question that is often a part of the ongoing strategy. In assessing what category to choose as the primary for a business, it’s a great idea to work through a series of business questions and market research to help make the best decision:
- Has your business always offered multiple services?
- Do you utilize a CRM?
- Do you have historical data on the acquisition cost of a plumbing customer versus an HVAC customer?
- Do you have data on the expected value of a first-time plumbing customer versus a first-time HVAC customer?
- What is the difference in the lifetime value of HVAC versus plumbing customers?
- What services are you focused on achieving the most growth in?
- Does the name of your business include any keywords, like "John's HVAC," or "Reliable Plumbing"?
- What other advertising and marketing are you investing in?
- How many local competitors do you have? Is one service more competitive than another?
Search Volume Differences Between HVAC and Plumbing Services
Another factor that may influence deciding which is the appropriate category for a business owner to choose is the monthly search volume. With many home service verticals experiencing fluctuations due to seasonality and weather conditions, landing on the appropriate primary category to choose is a decision that requires evaluating several factors.
For Plumbing and HVAC Companies, there are two likely categories that you’d choose from (being “Plumbing,” and “HVAC,”) with some other options available, depending on your specific situation. General search volumes for each term are listed below:
- Plumbers - 246,000 Monthly Searches
- HVAC - 301,000 Monthly Searches
- Air Conditioning Contractor - 14,800 Monthly Searches
- Air Conditioning Repair Service - 22,200 Monthly Searches
- Heating Contractor - 9,900 Monthly Searches
- Furnace Repair Service - 5,490 Monthly Searches
Choosing the Right Category Likely Requires Conversation and Consultation
Choosing the right category for your Google Business Profile is a lot more complex if you offer multiple services.
The good news is that HLM has over a dozen years of experience in helping home service companies create the right digital marketing strategy to help achieve their business growth goals. Our team can help analyze your local market, evaluate your present visibility gaps, and provide you with the data to help determine which primary category makes the most sense for your business Google Business Profile.
