Evidence
One primary market study and three client engagements. Every record carries the period it was measured over, the method used to measure it and the figures in full. Revenue totals are left off, because a revenue number says more about the size of the company than about the work.
Operational HVAC contractors in the measured study population
Business and keyword observations recorded
Published records: one market study and three client engagements
Attribution window on the documented case
Original research
A primary diagnostic study of local search visibility and Google Business Profile gaps across 319 operational HVAC contractors in the Denver metropolitan area. Five commercial queries were measured from a 25 point geographic grid, through position 40 where results were returned, then deduplicated into a population of unique operational listings.
| Market | Denver metropolitan area, including Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Westminster, Littleton, Centennial and Thornton |
|---|---|
| Collection date | September 2, 2026 |
| Population | 319 unique operational HVAC listings discovered across the measured result set |
| Target queries | HVAC contractor, AC repair, air conditioning contractor, heating contractor, furnace repair |
| Grid | 25 geographic coordinate points spanning roughly 30 km by 30 km across the metropolitan region |
| Rank depth | Listings evaluated through position 40 where map results were returned |
| Visibility definition | Share of successfully measured grid points where a listing ranked in the top 20 map results |
| Sweep execution | 112 of 125 planned coordinate-query sweeps completed, producing 853 observations |
| Failed measurements | 13 sweeps timed out or were rate limited upstream (10 on AC repair, 2 on furnace repair, 1 on air conditioning contractor). Each percentage below uses the evaluated subset with complete data for that field. |
The dataset is a point in time snapshot of 319 operational listings collected on September 2, 2026. Local rankings move with searcher proximity, search intent, competitor changes and algorithm updates, so these findings describe market configuration patterns rather than a single ranking factor. Google's own guidance is that local results are evaluated on relevance, distance and prominence.
Documented case, cabinetry
Unnamed at the request of the business
A workshop with no website, an unverified map listing and referral-only enquiries, carried through profile work, a mobile-first site and quote forms, then tracked for 6 months.
Zero website presence, an unverified map listing, and total reliance on personal referrals for new project enquiries.
Inbound enquiry volume and consultation conversion were tracked over a 6 month initial post-launch attribution period. An enquiry was counted when it was a direct phone call from the listing lasting over 60 seconds, or a completed custom project quote form submitted through the website.
6 month attribution window. Calls over 60 seconds and completed quote forms counted as enquiries.
HVAC, Denver metro
Aurora, Colorado
A 14-truck HVAC company with a claimed profile, no suburb pages and a booking path three taps deep. Profile rebuilt, six pages added, ads restructured by intent.
A claimed but unverified profile with 34 reviews at 4.6, ranking between 8th and 14th for furnace repair and AC repair across most of the measured grid, no pages for the three suburbs it actually served, and an enquiry form below a photo gallery.
Map pack positions read from the same 25 point metropolitan grid used in the Denver study and re-run monthly. Calls counted with a tracking number on the listing and the site; forms counted as enquiries on submission.
6 month attribution window. Positions from a 25 point grid re-run monthly. Calls over 60 seconds counted.
Roofing, Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
A roofing company working from a Facebook page and a door-knocking calendar. First website, corrected map category, review routine, and ads on storm and repair intent only.
No website at all, a map listing carrying the wrong primary category, 11 reviews, and every enquiry arriving by word of mouth or from people knocking on doors after a storm.
Quote form submissions and calls over 60 seconds counted as enquiries. Each signed roof recorded against the lead source that produced it, tracked over the first 5 full months.
5 month attribution window on signed work. Calls over 60 seconds and quote forms counted as enquiries.
Tree service, Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
A tree service with a verified profile, six photos and one page of website. Services and service areas set, town pages added, storm page, and ads on removal intent only.
A verified profile with six photos and no services listed, ranking outside the top 20 for tree removal and stump grinding across the service area, a single page website, and no call tracking of any kind.
Map pack positions read from a 16 point grid across the service area and re-run monthly. Calls over 45 seconds from the tracking number counted as enquiries.
4 month attribution window. Positions from a 16 point grid re-run monthly. Calls over 45 seconds counted.
Standards
These rules apply to everything published on this site, including the records above and the monthly reporting sent to clients.
Research, documented client work and general practice are kept apart, so the basis of a statement is never ambiguous.
Every percentage carries the count it came from. Data that could not be measured is never treated as a negative.
Grid size, attribution window and the rule used to count an enquiry travel with the figures they produced.
Qualified calls, form submissions, consultations and booked work are counted ahead of traffic estimates or a single keyword rank.
Collection dates sit with the figures, so a snapshot is not read as a current fact.
Reported figures, calculation subsets and attribution periods match the underlying records, without rounding up.
Individual market outcomes vary with competition, trade and service mix, and local rankings move with proximity, competitor changes and algorithm updates. Figures describe what was recorded over the stated period, not a forecast.
Send your business name and website. You get a hand check of the profile, the map pack, the site on a phone and your call tracking, by email.