Bought HVAC leads vs leads you own: which to pay for

Two ways to get the phone to ring

There are two kinds of HVAC leads. Bought leads are ones you pay for one at a time, or per click: lead sellers, Local Services Ads, Google Ads. Owned leads come from things you control: your Google Business Profile, your website and its rankings, your reviews, your past customers and your phone number.

Neither is bad. Bought leads are fast. Owned channels are slow to build but don't send a bill for every call. Most healthy shops use both and slowly shift the mix toward owned.

Side by side

Not all bought leads are the same

Local Services Ads are a bought lead, but a fair one. Google charges for valid leads, says invalid or low-quality leads aren't charged, and once a customer reaches out, says the lead is yours to turn into a customer. Google Ads charge per click, and you control the keywords, the ad and the page.

Third-party lead sellers vary a lot. Before you sign with any of them, ask:

1. Is this lead sent only to me, or to other contractors too?
2. What counts as a lead I pay for, and how do I get credit for a bad one?
3. Is there a contract term or a monthly minimum?
4. Did the homeowner agree to be contacted by my company?
5. Can I see where the lead came from?

What owning your leads really means

Owning isn't just a feeling. It's whose name is on the accounts. Check these:

• Your Google Business Profile. You should be the primary owner. Google says owners have full control and managers have mostly the same access, except they can't add or remove users or remove the profile. An agency should be a manager.
• Your domain and website. In your name, so you keep them if you change vendors.
• Your phone number. If a tracking number is on your profile and trucks, make sure it can be moved to you.
• Your reviews. They live on your profile, so they're yours as long as the profile is.
• Your customer list. Every past customer is a future tune-up, repair or replacement.

Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. That's why the map spot, once earned, is one of the most valuable things an HVAC shop owns. See local SEO.

Building owned leads

1. Get your Google profile right: category, services, hours, photos. See how the map pack works.
2. Ask every customer for a review with review requests.
3. Build a website with a page per service and town.
4. Catch every call you can't answer with missed-call text-back, so paid and owned leads don't leak.
5. Use paid ads to fill gaps while owned channels grow, and track cost per booked job for each.

See all of it in one place on our plans page, or read the HVAC marketing guide.

Questions

Sources

• Google Local Services Help: How Local Services Ads work
• Google Local Services Help: How you're charged for leads
• Google Ads Help: Actual cost-per-click
• Google Business Profile Help: Owners and managers
• Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking
• Google: Guidelines for representing your business on Google