The Situation
Client: HVAC company, 8 technicians, Dallas-Fort Worth metro Challenge: Paying $180/lead on Google Ads alone, inconsistent seasonality, no organic presence Goal: Reduce cost per lead to under $100 and stabilize lead flow year-round Budget: $5,000/month (ads) + $2,500/month (SEO)
The company had:
- ��Google Ads running for 2 years but costs kept climbing
- ��CPC for "HVAC repair Dallas" had risen from $8 to $14 in 18 months
- ��Zero organic rankings — didn't appear for any local search
- ��Seasonal revenue swings: 3x more leads in summer than winter
- ��No landing pages (ads pointed to homepage)
Phase 1: Google Ads Rescue (Month 1)
The existing campaigns were hemorrhaging money. Here's what we found:
Problems identified:
- ��3 ad groups targeting 200+ keywords with no structure
- ��Landing page was the homepage (4.2% conversion rate)
- ��No negative keywords (paying for "HVAC salary," "HVAC certification")
- ��No location bid adjustments (paying same for out-of-area clicks)
- ��No conversion tracking (flying blind)
Fixes implemented:
- ��Restructured into 12 ad groups by service type (repair, installation, maintenance, emergency)
- ��Built 6 dedicated landing pages — one per service, with schema, reviews, and click-to-call
- ��Added 847 negative keywords (job seekers, DIYers, students)
- ��Location bid adjustments +20% for service area, -50% outside
- ��Set up conversion tracking — phone calls, form fills, chat
- ��Implemented call-only campaigns for emergency keywords ("HVAC emergency Dallas")
Month 1 results: CPL dropped from $180 to $112 (-38%) with same budget.
Phase 2: Local SEO Blitz (Months 1-6)
While ads improved immediately, we started building the organic engine.
GBP Optimization
- ��Complete profile rebuild: 60+ photos, all attributes, service areas
- ��Weekly Google Posts (seasonal tips, promotions, before/after jobs)
- ��Q&A seeded with 15 common customer questions
Review Generation
- ��Automated post-service review requests via text
- ��Average: 12 new reviews/month
- ��Total: 72 reviews in 6 months (4.9 average)
Citation Cleanup
- ��Fixed 22 inconsistent NAP citations across directories
- ��Added to 45 HVAC-specific directories (Yelp, Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack)
Local Content
- ��10 blog posts: "HVAC maintenance tips Dallas," "how to choose an HVAC contractor," etc.
- ��3 location pages: "HVAC repair in [city]"
- ��Service area pages for 8 suburbs
Schema
- ��HVACBusiness schema with OpeningHoursSpecification, priceRange, areaServed
- ��FAQ schema on all service pages
Phase 3: The Blended Strategy (Months 3-12)
The magic happened when SEO and paid ads worked together:
How They Complemented Each Other
- ��SEO captured branded searches — "ABC HVAC Dallas" (was zero, now 120/mo)
- ��Paid ads captured non-branded — "AC repair Dallas" (SEO wasn't ranking yet)
- ��SEO reduced ad dependency — organic leads grew from 0 to 85/mo by month 6
- ��Ads filled the SEO gap — while content ranked, ads caught the overflow
- ��Remarketing — Meta retargeting caught organic visitors who didn't convert
Budget Reallocation Over Time
| Month | Ad Budget | SEO Budget | Organic Leads | Paid Leads | Blended CPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | $2,500 | 5 | 78 | $96 |
| 3 | $5,000 | $2,500 | 22 | 82 | $81 |
| 6 | $4,000 | $2,500 | 85 | 75 | $76 |
| 9 | $3,000 | $2,500 | 130 | 65 | $72 |
| 12 | $2,500 | $2,500 | 160 | 50 | $68 |
Results: 12-Month Scorecard
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per lead (ads only) | $180 | $92 (paid only) | -49% |
| Blended cost per lead | $180 | $68 (paid + organic) | -62% |
| Total leads/month | 118 | 210+ | +78% |
| Organic leads/month | 0 | 160 | — |
| Paid leads/month | 118 | 50 (with lower budget) | -58% |
| Ad spend/month | $5,000 | $2,500 | -50% |
| Revenue impact | $680K/yr | $1.2M/yr | +76% |
ROI: $7,500/mo × 12 months = $90,000 investment → $520K revenue increase = 5.8x return.
What Made This Work
- ��Ads gave instant results while SEO built — no "valley of death" waiting for organic
- ��SEO reduced ad dependency — organic leads grew to 76% of total by month 12
- ��Review flywheel — 72 reviews made both GBP and landing pages convert better
- ��Seasonal content — winter content ("furnace repair Dallas") captured off-season demand
- ��Budget reallocation — shifted $2,500/mo from ads to organic as SEO matured
Key Takeaways for Home Services
- ��SEO and paid aren't competitors — they're allies. Ads catch the now, SEO catches the future.
- ��Landing pages matter more than ad copy. A 4% to 8% conversion rate halves your CPL.
- ��Negative keywords are free money. 847 negatives saved $1,800/month in wasted clicks.
- ��Reviews are your #1 local ranking factor. 72 reviews in 6 months changed everything.
- ��Seasonal content extends your season. Winter content captured demand competitors ignored.
Related Guides
- ��Google Ads Cost: What Small Business Should Budget
- ��SEO vs Paid Ads: Which Delivers Better ROI?
- ��Local SEO for Contractors & Service Area Businesses
About the Author
Timothy Brown leads digital marketing strategy at Orometa, managing campaigns across Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn. With 150+ campaigns and $18M+ in ad spend optimized, he specializes in helping SMBs achieve 4.2x average ROAS.