Plumbing and HVAC Website Trends for 2019

Your HVAC or plumbing business is pretty successful, right? Maybe it’s not really successful, though—or at least not as rolling-in-the-dough successful as you’d like to be. Yet. But you’re a smart cookie, so you know getting to the next level’s going to require more customers, which requires more leads, which requires better marketing. And these days, a good bit of “better marketing” is wrapped up in your HVAC website or plumber website. Most small business owners make a huge mistake when it comes to their website. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, I want to remind you of some basic website principles. Keep in mind these aren’t trends; these are expectations. In other words, if your current site doesn’t meet these bare minimum standards, you’re losing sales. No question. Your HVAC or plumbing website must be mobile-responsive. That is, it must adjust to the dimensions of whatever screen someone’s using to view it. Photos must resize. Text must resize. People should only have to scroll up and down, not side to side. There must be plenty of space between buttons for someone to navigate with their fingers without accidentally hitting six other buttons. Your HVAC or plumbing website must be fast. Not only must your site load quickly, but the content itself should be fast. Here’s what I mean: Potential customers must know within three seconds of landing on your site if you have the solution to the problem they’re experiencing. That means your web header should be exceedingly, abundantly clear and concise—not excruciatingly, ridiculously clever and cute. Your HVAC or plumbing website must be secure. Go to your website and take a look at the URL bar. If it still reads “http” instead of “https,” you have a problem, friend. Google takes cybercrime seriously, and if your site doesn’t appear secure, there’s a good chance it’s not showing up in search results. Your HVAC or plumbing website must use the right words. And by “right” words, I mea “words people are typing into Google.” Those are called keywords, and it’s one of the primary ways Google decides if it’s going to list your site among the first results or on page 7. The Website Mistake Most Plumbing and HVAC Businesses Maker Now, here’s the mistake I see a lot of businesses make: They think they can “buy a website” and never have to think about it again. But that’s absolutely not true. Google is a living, breathing entity (OK, not really, but kind of) serving living, breathing humans. People are fickle and demanding (and generally lovely, of course) and technology is evolving at break-neck speed. Put those things together, and you have yourself a recipe for constant change. Here’s the truth, as irritating as it is: Your website is something you have to manage. Yeah, I know you already have plenty of stuff to manage already—people, cashflow, schedules, vehicle maintenance records, lunch plans maybe—so you’d really rather just set up your site and forget it. Don’t do that. Your website is the primary way you’re going to get new customers, so you can’t neglect it. Why does this matter to you? Because, as the Google announcement explains, “This will help customers be more informed about costs so you can spend your time talking to customers who are more committed, instead of answering price questions.” In other words, the new Homewyse estimate feature improves the quality of your leads. Who doesn’t love quality leads? Your Website Isn’t (Primarily) a Marketing Toolr As we look at plumbing and HVAC website trends for 2019, I’m going to challenge you to make a paradigm shift: Stop thinking about your website as primarily a marketing tool, and start thinking about it as primarily a customer service tool. With that mindset—and the willingness to pay attention to your site and make adjustments as necessary—you’ll get more leads, more customers, more jobs, and more money. With that in mind, here are a few HVAC and plumbing website trends you should manage: Pricing front and center. People want to know what something’s going to cost them, and they want to know right now. They don’t want to have to give up their email address to get a quote. They don’t really want to call you. They just want to know what kind of a hit their savings account’s about to take. So put on your customer service hat, and make things easy for your customers: Tell them what your prices are. (If you don’t offer flat rate pricing, you should. Read more here.) “Buy now” button. Most websites have way, way too many menu options, which makes it super difficult for customers to actually do what they came to your site to do: Hire you. Streamline your menu bar so it contains two or three options, and toss everything else in the footer. Then put a brightly-colored button in the top right corner of your site with a bold call to action: Hire Us! Request Service Now Speak to a Technicianr You get the idea. Make it easy for people to become your customers. Pro tip: In addition to all the other “stuff” you’re putting in your website footer, put a link to a sitemap. Google loves a good sitemap, and many HVAC and plumbing websites don’t have one. (Or at least one that's easy for Google to find.) Add a bot. I’ve yet to meet someone who loves automated phone systems, but people love website bots. I’m not sure if it’s more because we dig anonymity or if it’s because we’ve simply grown used to 24/7 support, but website chat windows are everywhere. Load your bot with answers to common questions or pricing information or anything your customers will find helpful and valuable. The best bots start solving your customer’s problem immediately–even while you sleep—either by text or voice. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered. (And it’s nowhere near as expensive as you think.) This company (

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) does a great job with that. Pro tip: If your chat window will never be staffed by an actual human, be sure that’s obvious in the window. Managing expectations is an important element of good customer service. Videos. And more videos. And more, more videos. Content marketing isn’t a new idea. (I write about it my book, which you can snag here.) For a long while, businesses have been focused on content marketing for Google’s sake, putting up keyword-stuffed blog posts that no one—and I mean no one—had any interest in reading. That’s a waste of time and effort and is unlikely to bring you more leads and customers. Now, good blog posts—content your customers will find useful and/or entertaining—are still a useful addition to your online presence. People are more likely to read them, which signals to Google that you know what you’re talking about, which gives Google a reason to include you in search results. But these days, videos will capture Google and your customer’s attention even faster. Use a video in your website header—happy customers or friendly-looking techs. Create a DIY area on your site, and share simple how-to videos. If you’re thinking, “I don’t have the budget or time for that,” I get it. But keep in mind your videos don’t need to be Academy Award winners. Make sure your audio’s good and your lighting’s decent, and create something your customers will appreciate. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, ask your techs for questions they frequently get in the field—then answer them. Reviews. These days, no one hires anyone without first vetting them through online reviews. Make it easy for people to see yours by having them auto-populate onto your website. You may need a little help from your web developer to make this happen, but it’s worth doing. Graphics and typography. 2019 is bringing plenty of funky visual trends… but I’m not going to talk about any of them. Why? Because design is secondary to function. There are lots of cool HVAC and plumbing websites out that look great and are doing those businesses absolutely no good. So don’t get all hung up on flat, asymmetrical illustrations and outlined, san-serif fonts. Instead, focus on how your site works. HVAC & Plumbing Website Strategy That Gets Results You have expertise in plumbing or HVAC, and you don’t have time (or interest) in learning the ins and outs of websites. Still, you know it’s important—and so you might be a little frustrated. So, how about we handle it for you? At

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