Key takeaways
- Set HVAC contractor as the primary category and add Air conditioning repair service, Furnace repair service, and Heating contractor.
- Build the full services list once, including heat pumps and mini-splits, then reorder it in May and mid-October.
- Keep a heat-wave post drafted so it publishes the morning the warning is issued, and rotate photos with the season.
- Rebate posts belong in March, April, September, and October; name the program, not an unconfirmed dollar amount.
Start with the four categories, and pick the right primary
Google lets you choose one primary category and up to nine secondary ones, and the primary carries most of the ranking weight. For a full-service company, set the primary to HVAC contractor and add Air conditioning repair service, Furnace repair service, and Heating contractor as secondaries. Do not pile on categories you cannot back up with services and reviews.
Some LA owners swap the primary to Air conditioning repair service from June through September and back to HVAC contractor in October. It can help for "ac repair" searches in a competitive city like Glendale, but category changes sometimes take days to apply and occasionally prompt Google to ask for re-verification. If you do it, change once per season, never week to week, and leave the business name, address, and phone untouched at the same time. Most companies get more from the secondary categories plus seasonal services and posts than from flipping the primary.
Build the full services list once, then reorder it by season
The Services section sits under each category, and Google reads it when matching searches. Build it once and build it completely. Under Air conditioning repair service: AC repair, AC not cooling, refrigerant leak repair, compressor replacement, capacitor replacement, AC tune-up, AC installation. Under Heating contractor and Furnace repair service: furnace repair, furnace not igniting, furnace installation, furnace tune-up, heat pump heating. Under HVAC contractor: heat pump installation, ductless mini-split installation, mini-split repair, duct replacement and sealing, thermostat installation, indoor air quality, whole-house fan installation.
Write a one-line description on each service, with a price where you can commit to one, such as "AC tune-up, from $129." Then, each season, move the services people are searching for to the top of the list. Heat pump and mini-split services deserve a permanent spot near the top in Los Angeles; rebates have pushed those searches up every year, and a profile that only says "AC repair" and "furnace repair" misses the install buyers deciding in March and October.
Summer playbook: May through September
By mid-May the profile should be in AC mode. Update the business description so the first sentence says AC repair and names the cities you cover. Set summer hours honestly; if someone answers the phone until 8 p.m. in July, say so, because "open now" is a filter people use at 6 p.m. Move AC repair, AC not cooling, and same-day AC repair to the top of the services list. Add a fresh batch of photos: condensers on real roofs and side yards in your service area, a tech with a gauge set, a finished heat pump install. Winter furnace photos in July look stale.
Post weekly. The posts that get clicks during a heat wave are plain: "Excessive heat warning for the Valley through Thursday. Same-day AC repair in Northridge, Reseda, and Canoga Park. Call before 2 p.m. for a same-day window." Keep a draft ready so you can publish the morning the National Weather Service issues the warning, not two days later.
Fall and winter playbook: October through February
The first cold week in LA usually hits in November, and furnace calls spike for about ten days around it. Switch the profile in mid-October, before that week. Move furnace repair, furnace tune-up, heat pump heating, and "furnace not turning on" to the top of the services. Rewrite the description's first sentence around heating. Replace the photo batch with furnace and heat pump work, flue and venting, and a tech with a combustion analyzer.
Posts in this stretch do two jobs. The first is safety and maintenance: a furnace tune-up offer in October, a carbon monoxide reminder in November, a filter reminder in January. The second is rain season. When the first big storm comes through, usually December or January, rooftop package units and attic air handlers take water, and "heater not working after rain" becomes a real search. A post saying you are checking rooftop units and attic furnaces after the storm, with the cities you cover, matches that moment.
Rebate posts: LADWP, SoCalGas, and TECH Clean California
Rebates are the strongest post content you have in the shoulder months, because they turn a "maybe next year" replacement into a decision. The programs LA homeowners search for are LADWP's residential rebates for qualifying central AC, heat pumps, and smart thermostats; SoCalGas rebates on qualifying gas equipment, a list that has been shrinking as the state pushes electrification; and TECH Clean California, which pays heat pump incentives through enrolled contractors. Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena run their own utilities with separate rebates, so check which program applies to each city you post about.
Name the program, say you handle the paperwork, and link to your rebates page. Do not post a dollar amount unless you confirmed it that week, because amounts change and TECH Clean California has paused when its funds ran low. "LADWP heat pump rebates are open. We submit the application for you" stays accurate for months. Run these posts in March, April, September, and October, when buyers are planning rather than panicking.
Shoulder seasons: heat pumps, mini-splits, and the yearly calendar
March, April, and October are when install buyers shop, and the profile should lean into heat pumps and mini-splits then. Move heat pump installation and ductless mini-split installation to the top of services, post photos of finished installs with the brand visible, and answer the Q&A questions people actually ask: "Do you install Mitsubishi mini-splits?", "Can a heat pump replace my furnace?", "Do you handle the LADWP rebate?" Google allows you to post those questions yourself and answer them from the business account.
The whole year fits on one page: January, filter and furnace posts; February, early-bird AC tune-up offer; March and April, heat pump and rebate posts, mini-split services up top; May, switch to AC mode; June through September, weekly AC posts with heat-wave drafts ready; October, switch to heating, furnace tune-up offer, rebate posts; November and December, heating safety and rain-season posts. Put it in the calendar once and the profile stops going stale between emergencies.
Questions HVAC companies ask
Should I change my primary category to Air conditioning repair service in summer?
Only if you are losing AC repair searches to competitors with that primary, and only once per season. Category changes can take days to apply and occasionally trigger re-verification. Most companies do better keeping HVAC contractor as primary and leaning on secondary categories, seasonal services order, and weekly posts.
How often should an HVAC company post on Google Business Profile?
Weekly in summer and during the November cold snap, every two weeks the rest of the year. Posts drop out of the main view after about a week, so a monthly post leaves the profile looking inactive during the stretch when most people are searching.
Can I list heat pump and mini-split services if I mostly do repairs?
List what you actually sell and install. If you install mini-splits a few times a year, list it with a short description. Do not list services you subcontract without saying so, and do not list services you have never done; reviews and photos will not back them up.
Which rebate programs apply to my customers in LA County?
LADWP for City of Los Angeles addresses, SoCalGas for gas equipment across most of the county, and SCE for electric customers outside the municipal utilities. Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena have their own programs. TECH Clean California works through enrolled contractors on heat pumps. Confirm amounts before posting them.
