Full transcript
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Hey, this is Jeremy Ashburn with PushLeads and in this video case study I’m going to show you how we’re doing with a plumbing company based in central Northern South Carolina and we’ve been working with them for six to eight weeks right now and seeing some really great results So let’s take a look So if you could see the screen right here, what I’m showing you here is They currently have this 1.46 Okay, so this is a tool that tells us how much of the market do they have and When we started out you could see they were at 0.18 way less than 1 % We hovered to 0.28 and then if you look at the last couple weeks We’ve gone to 1.16 and now 1.46. So what does this mean? Well, basically the higher this number is the more keywords that are taught on the top of Google and so in the last two weeks We’ve seen a 400% increase between May 28th and June 4th And then in the last week we saw a 25% increase So the higher this number is the more keywords are the top of Google and you can see they’ve gone up Well, whereas Ken’s plumbing one of the other competitors has been as high as 3.46% and now they’re going down the 2.1% So anyway, this basically means that you’re getting more of the digital market share Okay, so the the higher this is the more keywords you own and if we look at the rankings This shows us exactly what’s happened for this client here.
1:31 From 1:31
So you can see here professional plumber is Now at the top of Google and this moved up to 50 positions and then plumbing is position two plumber service is position two Plumbing repair plumbing services all of these are at the top of Google and all of these have moved up in the last couple weeks Really from Google’s fourth or fifth page or sometimes the seventh or eighth page all the way to the top here And so this is translated into a lot more traffic their traffic has started to go up and up and up So we started tracking it here on We had to do a new tracking program new Google Linux, but their traffic has gone from 32 to 189 and so in the last a week We’ve seen 315 visitors June 5th to 11th. Anyway, that’s the plumbing side now on the HVAC side You can see here that we’re starting to get momentum. It’s a little more competitive started with 0.06 and now we’re up to 0.59% we’re starting to see some improvements there and if we look at the rankings here We can see that they’ve gone up that we got to heat an air here heating and air services All of these keywords are now that we’ve got three keywords that weren’t at the top and now they are at the top of Google So my point about all this is this is a company is paying for us to get 15 keywords to the top of Google And we’re doing something called SEO. So that basically means that we’re getting that we are Doing a lot of changes inside the site and getting other websites to connect to the site And we’re doing that on a daily and weekly and monthly
3:01 From 3:01
basis as well as you know publishing blog posts on the site and You know just doing a lot of inside tweaks and outside tweaks and all that translates into this kind of growth So if you are looking for this kind of growth You know if you have a plumbing company or HVAC company or you’re a dentist or a lawyer or whatever, you know service You provide we actually specialize at helping service companies grow And so if you want to see this kind of growth and want to start really taking away business from your competition and growing Then just reached out to me. My number is 828 -329 -4777 You could email me Jeremy J .E .R. E .M .Y. at PushLeads .com and I have a whole team of people that do You know, SEO we can do Google ads. We can do web design You know, we can do a variety of things we can do read targeting and remarketing So just wanted to let you know we’re available. We’re taking on clients and we’re definitely growing I’d love to help you grow if you’re interested. Thanks a lot. I’m Jeremy Ashman with PushLeads. I’ll talk to you soon
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Key Takeaways
A plumbing and HVAC company in central-northern South Carolina hired PushLeads roughly six to eight weeks before this case study was recorded. In that short window, their plumbing market-share score jumped from 0.18 to 1.46, weekly site traffic climbed from 32 to 315 visitors, and multiple keywords moved from page four through eight all the way to position one or two on Google. The HVAC side is newer but already trending upward from 0.06 to 0.59.
- Market-share score rose from 0.18 to 1.46 on the plumbing side in about six weeks.
- Weekly organic traffic grew from 32 sessions to 315 sessions.
- Keywords like “professional plumber,” “plumbing,” and “plumber service” moved up as many as 50 positions to reach page one, positions one or two.
- HVAC is more competitive but still moved from 0.06 to 0.59 market-share score in the same period.
- The work included on-site technical changes, external link building, and regular blog publishing.
- A competing plumbing company (Ken’s Plumbing) dropped from 3.46 to 2.1 during the same window.
- Results like these are achievable for plumbers, HVAC companies, dentists, lawyers, and other local service businesses.
What Six Weeks of SEO Actually Did for a Plumbing and HVAC Company
Six weeks of focused local SEO work moved a South Carolina plumbing and HVAC company from near-zero Google visibility to ranking in positions one and two for their most important service keywords, while weekly traffic increased almost tenfold from 32 to 315 visitors. That is the short version. If you want to understand why those numbers moved so fast, it comes down to a combination of on-site corrections, external link acquisition, and consistent content publishing that compound on each other week over week.
When we at PushLeads took this client on, their website was functionally invisible. A market-share score of 0.18 means they owned almost none of the keyword real estate that their potential customers were searching. Competitors like Ken’s Plumbing held scores as high as 3.46, which translates directly into more phone calls, more quote requests, and more booked jobs. Our job was to close that gap as efficiently as possible.
What the numbers now show is that the gap is closing quickly. The plumbing market-share score hit 1.46 at the time of recording, with a 400% jump between May 28 and June 4 alone, followed by another 25% increase the following week. The HVAC side started even lower at 0.06 because HVAC is a more competitive category, but it has already reached 0.59 and is building momentum. Neither of those numbers happened by accident. Every point of growth traces back to specific, repeatable actions we took on and off the client’s website.
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Understanding the Market-Share Score and Why It Matters
A market-share score measures how many of your target keywords you currently rank for at the top of Google relative to the total keywords being tracked, giving you a single number that represents your overall Google visibility in your market. The higher it is, the more searches in your service area are finding you instead of a competitor.
When this client started, their score of 0.18 meant they were capturing almost nothing. A score of 1.46, while still well below what Ken’s Plumbing once held, represents a dramatic shift in a short time. More importantly, Ken’s Plumbing dropped from 3.46 to 2.1 in the same period. That is not a coincidence. When one business rises in Google rankings, competitors often fall because search results pages have limited space at the top.
What does a local SEO market-share score actually measure?
A market-share score tracks your percentage of top-Google-ranking keywords across a defined set of terms for your service area. For this client, we were tracking 15 keywords covering plumbing and HVAC services. As more of those keywords moved to page one, positions one through three, the score went up. It is a useful single metric for clients who want to see progress without digging into a spreadsheet of individual keyword positions every week.
Why did Ken’s Plumbing score drop at the same time our client’s rose?
Google has a finite number of top positions for any given search. When a newer, better-optimized page earns position one or two, the page that previously held that spot drops. Ken’s Plumbing going from 3.46 to 2.1 is a direct sign that our client’s improvements pushed their competitor down. This is how local SEO works in practice. You are not just improving your own numbers; you are actively taking market share from businesses that are not investing in their online presence.
How long before a market-share score reflects meaningful business impact?
In this case we saw significant movement by week six. That is faster than average and reflects a site that had correctable technical issues rather than fundamental domain problems. For most local service businesses, the first measurable ranking improvements appear between weeks four and ten, with traffic and lead volume following two to four weeks after rankings improve. The lag exists because Google needs to re-crawl and re-index pages before searchers see the new positions.
The Specific Keywords That Moved and by How Much
On the plumbing side, “professional plumber” reached position one after moving up 50 positions, while “plumbing” and “plumber service” both reached position two, and “plumbing repair” and “plumbing services” also climbed to the top of Google within the tracked period. Each of those terms started on page four, five, seven, or eight, meaning they were generating zero practical traffic before we started.
Reaching page one, especially positions one through three, is where traffic actually materializes. Studies on click-through rates consistently show that the majority of clicks go to the first three organic results. Being on page five is functionally the same as not ranking at all from a traffic standpoint. The jump this client experienced from page seven or eight to position one or two is the difference between a website that is a cost center and one that is a lead source.
Which plumbing keywords are worth targeting first?
Start with high-intent service keywords that include your city or region, such as “plumber in [city],” “emergency plumbing [city],” and “water heater repair [city].” These terms signal that a searcher needs help now rather than doing research. Broad terms like “plumbing” without a location modifier are harder to rank for and convert at lower rates. For this client, terms like “professional plumber” and “plumbing repair” were chosen because they match the language someone uses when they are ready to call a plumber, not just learning about plumbing.
How many keywords should a local plumber or HVAC company target at once?
For a local service business, fifteen keywords is a reasonable starting set. This client’s campaign was built around exactly fifteen keywords covering both plumbing and HVAC services. That number is large enough to generate meaningful traffic if you rank for all of them, but small enough to focus effort and resources effectively. Spreading across fifty or a hundred keywords in the first few months usually means none of them move fast enough to generate leads.
Why did HVAC keywords take longer to move than plumbing keywords?
HVAC is simply a more competitive category in most markets. There are more established companies, more Google Ads spend, and more websites with years of content and backlinks competing for those terms. The client’s HVAC score started at 0.06 versus 0.18 for plumbing, which suggests there was even less existing content and authority on the HVAC side of the site. Starting from a lower baseline in a more competitive niche means the early weeks show smaller absolute gains, but the trajectory from 0.06 to 0.59 shows momentum is building.
How Traffic Grew from 32 to 315 Weekly Visitors
Weekly organic traffic for this client grew from 32 sessions per week to 315 sessions per week in the period we tracked, a roughly tenfold increase that followed directly from the ranking improvements on the plumbing side. Traffic growth is a lagging indicator, meaning it rises after rankings improve, not at the same time.
The sequence is predictable. We make on-site and off-site changes, Google re-crawls the site, rankings shift, and then more searchers find the pages and click through. For this client, setting up a new tracking program was part of the early work, which is why the baseline starts at 32 rather than showing pre-campaign data. The important thing is that from the first data point we can see to the most recent, the trend is consistently upward.
Why did we need to set up a new tracking program for this client?
Many small service businesses either have no analytics installed correctly or have tracking that was set up years ago and is no longer accurate. Before we could measure results, we needed clean data. Setting up proper tracking is one of the first things we do with every client because you cannot manage what you cannot measure. Without a reliable baseline, it is impossible to prove that the SEO work is generating real results or to identify which pages and keywords are driving the most leads.
What is a realistic weekly traffic goal for a local plumbing or HVAC site?
For a single-market local service company, reaching 200 to 500 weekly organic visitors within the first three to six months is a reasonable goal if you are starting from near zero. This client hit 315 in roughly six weeks on the plumbing side, which is toward the faster end of what we see. The number that matters more than raw traffic is how much of that traffic converts to calls or form submissions. A well-structured service page with a clear phone number and a simple contact form should convert at two to five percent of visitors into leads.
How does organic traffic from SEO compare to paid Google Ads traffic for plumbers?
Paid traffic stops the moment you stop paying. Organic traffic from SEO continues to grow over time and does not carry a per-click cost. For a plumber running Google Ads, clicks can cost anywhere from ten to forty dollars each depending on the market. At 315 weekly visitors, this client would be spending thousands of dollars per week to replicate that volume through paid search. The upfront investment in SEO pays off as rankings stabilize and traffic compounds, which is why we recommend SEO as a foundation even for clients who also run ads.
The Three Core Activities Behind These Results
The results this client saw came from three categories of work done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis: on-site technical and content changes, external link building from other websites, and regular blog publishing. None of these alone would have produced a tenfold traffic increase in six weeks; it is the combination running simultaneously that creates this kind of growth.
On the on-site side, we made structural changes to the website that help Google understand what services the company offers, where they serve, and why they are a credible result to show searchers. This includes things like page titles, header structure, internal linking, page speed, and proper service page organization. For businesses that want to understand the technical layer behind this work, our guide on service schema markup setup explains how structured data helps search engines categorize and display your services accurately.
What on-site changes matter most for a plumbing or HVAC website?
The highest-impact on-site changes for a local service site are dedicated service pages for each major offering, correct use of location signals throughout the content, page titles and meta descriptions that match what searchers are actually typing, and fast mobile load times. Many small business sites try to cover all their services on a single home page, which makes it harder for Google to rank them for specific terms. Giving each service its own page with real content about that service is one of the fastest ways to start gaining rankings.
How does link building help a local plumber rank higher?
When other websites link to your site, Google treats those links as votes of credibility. A plumbing company with links from local business directories, industry associations, local news sites, and related home-service websites will outrank an equally well-structured site that has no external links. The quality and relevance of those links matters more than sheer quantity. A link from a legitimate local news article about your business is worth far more than ten links from irrelevant directories.
How often should a local service company publish blog content?
For a local plumber or HVAC company, publishing two to four blog posts per month that answer specific service questions is a practical starting point. More important than frequency is relevance. A post titled “What to do when your water heater stops working in [city]” will attract local searchers with a specific problem far more effectively than a generic post about plumbing history. Blog content also supports ranking for long-tail keyword variations that your main service pages may not cover.
The Role of Google Business Profile in Local Rankings
A fully optimized Google Business Profile is one of the most important assets a local plumber or HVAC company can have because it drives the map pack results that appear above the organic listings for local service searches. For many searchers, the map pack is the first thing they see and the first place they call from.
Our work on this client’s visibility included attention to their Business Profile alongside the website. The two reinforce each other. A well-optimized website with strong service pages tells Google what the business does. A well-optimized Business Profile tells Google where the business operates and signals trustworthiness through reviews, photos, and accurate business information. If you want a detailed breakdown of what goes into this process, our page on Google My Business Optimization Service Companies Guide covers the specific elements we address for service companies.
How does a Google Business Profile affect a plumber’s local search ranking?
Google Business Profiles influence the local map pack rankings that appear for searches like “plumber near me” or “HVAC company in [city].” The profile’s completeness, the number and recency of reviews, the consistency of your business name and address across the web, and the categories you select all factor into where you appear in the map pack. A profile with 150 or more reviews, regular photo updates, and consistent business information will consistently outperform a sparse or outdated profile in the same market.
Should a plumber respond to every Google review?
Yes, responding to every review, positive and negative, signals to both Google and potential customers that your business is active and engaged. For negative reviews, a calm, professional response that acknowledges the issue and offers to resolve it often reassures prospective customers more than the negative review harms you. Review responses also give you an opportunity to naturally include service and location keywords in a way that supports your local rankings without appearing manipulative.
How many Google reviews does a local plumber need to be competitive?
The threshold varies by market, but our detailed post on building Google reviews strategy makes a strong case that 150 reviews is the new practical minimum for contractors in competitive markets. Below that number, you are likely to lose map pack visibility to competitors who have been more systematic about asking for reviews. The good news is that a simple post-job follow-up text or email asking for a review, sent consistently to every customer, will close that gap faster than most business owners expect.
What Makes HVAC SEO Different from Plumbing SEO
HVAC SEO is more competitive than plumbing SEO in most markets because HVAC companies tend to be larger, spend more on marketing, and have been investing in digital presence longer. This means the baseline level of authority needed to rank on page one is higher for HVAC terms, and the gap-closing process takes longer, even when you are doing everything right.
For this client, the HVAC side of the campaign started at a market-share score of 0.06, reflecting very little existing digital authority for heating and cooling terms. The early work focused on building out dedicated HVAC service pages, establishing topical authority through content, and beginning the link-building process for HVAC-specific terms. The score reaching 0.59 by the end of week six shows that the same methods work for HVAC, just on a slightly longer timeline.
What HVAC keywords are worth targeting for local SEO?
For a local HVAC company, priority keywords include “HVAC repair [city],” “air conditioning service [city],” “heating and air [city],” “furnace repair [city],” and emergency variants of each. Seasonal terms like “AC not cooling” or “furnace not starting” are also valuable because they capture high-intent searches from homeowners with an immediate problem. In this case study, “heat and air” and “heating and air services” were among the terms that moved to the top of Google on the HVAC side of the campaign.
Should a company that does both plumbing and HVAC have separate pages for each?
Yes, absolutely. Google ranks individual pages, not entire websites. A page titled and optimized for plumbing will not rank for HVAC searches, and vice versa. A company offering both services needs separate, fully developed sections of their website for each category, with dedicated pages for individual services within each category. Combining everything on a single services page is one of the most common mistakes we see on small business websites and one of the first things we fix.
How does the HVAC market’s competitiveness affect local SEO pricing?
More competitive markets require more link building, more content production, and more sustained effort to achieve and hold top rankings, which means higher monthly investment. If you are trying to understand where your situation fits, our breakdown of local SEO pricing expectations for contractors explains what drives cost differences and what you should expect to pay for different levels of competitiveness and service scope.
Expanding Beyond SEO: Other Channels That Accelerate Growth
SEO is the foundation we build for every client, but it works faster and compounds more effectively when it is part of a broader visibility strategy that includes other channels. For local service companies, the channels that matter most are Google Business Profile, paid search, review generation, and increasingly, short-form video on platforms like TikTok.
Each channel serves a different part of the customer journey. A homeowner might first see a short video about a plumbing tip, then search for a plumber later and find our client at the top of Google, then check the Google Business Profile and read reviews before calling. If any of those touchpoints is missing or weak, the lead may go to a competitor. Our page on multichannel lead generation explains how these channels work together for service businesses and how to prioritize them based on your budget and goals.
Is TikTok worth it for a local plumber or HVAC company?
TikTok is increasingly worth considering for local service contractors, particularly for building brand recognition in your service area and reaching homeowners before they have an urgent need. The platform’s local discovery features mean that a plumber posting useful or entertaining short videos can show up in the feeds of people in their city. Our post on TikTok SEO for HVAC contractors goes deeper on why this channel is worth attention for contractors specifically.
Should a plumbing company run Google Ads alongside SEO?
Running Google Ads while SEO is building momentum is a practical strategy because paid ads can generate calls immediately while organic rankings take weeks or months to develop. Once your organic rankings are strong, you can reduce ad spend on terms where you already hold position one and redirect that budget toward more competitive terms or to Local Services Ads. The two work well together as long as you are tracking which channel is producing calls so you can allocate budget intelligently.
What is retargeting and does it help local service companies?
Retargeting shows ads to people who have already visited your website as they browse other sites or use social media. For a plumbing or HVAC company, retargeting keeps your brand visible to someone who found your site but did not call. When their pipe breaks or their AC fails, your company is more likely to be the one they think of because they have seen your name more than once. It is a cost-effective way to stay in front of warm prospects without paying for new cold traffic.
In this video
Why Some Businesses Lose Leads Even After Getting Found
Ranking on page one is necessary but not sufficient to win new customers. A business can rank well and still lose leads if the website is slow, hard to navigate on mobile, lacks a clear phone number above the fold, or fails to establish trust through reviews, photos, and professional presentation. Getting found is only the first step; converting the visitor into a caller is where many local service sites fall short.
For this client, we addressed both sides of that equation. The on-site changes we made were not just about rankings; they were also about what happens after someone lands on the page. A visitor who finds a clean, fast, mobile-friendly page with a prominent phone number and several positive reviews is far more likely to call than one who lands on a slow page from 2015 with no social proof. If you want to understand the specific ways businesses lose leads before the phone ever rings, our post on recovering lost leads online covers the most common failure points we see.
What does a high-converting plumbing or HVAC website look like?
A high-converting local service website loads in under three seconds on mobile, has a phone number visible without scrolling, includes a short description of the service area and main services on the home page, features real photos of the team and work rather than stock images, and has at least a handful of Google reviews embedded or linked. Each service page should clearly describe the service, mention the city or region served, and end with a simple call to action to call or request a quote. These are not design opinions; they are conversion fundamentals.
How does page speed affect lead generation for local service websites?
Page speed directly affects both rankings and conversions. Google uses page speed as a ranking factor, so a slow site is penalized in search results before a visitor even arrives. For visitors who do arrive, research consistently shows that conversion rates drop sharply for pages that take more than three seconds to load on mobile. For a plumber or HVAC company, a one-second improvement in mobile load time can meaningfully increase the percentage of visitors who stay on the page and contact you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does local SEO take to show results for a plumber or HVAC company?
Most local service companies start seeing measurable ranking improvements between weeks four and ten of a focused SEO campaign. Traffic increases follow ranking improvements by two to four weeks. For this South Carolina client, significant movement appeared by week six. Timelines vary based on how competitive your market is, how much existing authority your website has, and how consistently the work is being done. HVAC markets typically take longer than plumbing markets because they are more competitive.
What is included in a local SEO campaign for a plumber?
A comprehensive local SEO campaign for a plumber includes on-site technical corrections, service page optimization, local keyword targeting, Google Business Profile management, external link building from relevant sources, and regular content publishing such as blog posts and location pages. Review generation and monitoring is also part of the work. At PushLeads, we handle all of these elements as an integrated program rather than offering them as separate one-time services, because they compound on each other over time.
How much does local SEO cost for a plumbing or HVAC company?
Local SEO pricing for service contractors varies based on market competitiveness, the number of services and locations being targeted, and the scope of work required. In general, a single-market local SEO program for a plumber or HVAC company runs between $500 and $2,500 per month. More competitive markets or multi-location businesses sit at the higher end of that range. The best way to get an accurate number is to request an audit so we can assess your specific situation before quoting a price.
Can I do SEO myself for my plumbing business?
You can handle some elements of local SEO yourself, particularly keeping your Google Business Profile updated, responding to reviews, and publishing occasional blog posts. The technical on-site work and link building are harder to do well without experience and tools, and mistakes in those areas can slow progress or cause ranking drops. Most business owners find that the time required to do SEO effectively competes directly with running their business, which is why they hire a specialist rather than managing it in-house.
Why did our rankings drop right after they started improving?
Minor ranking fluctuations during an active SEO campaign are normal. Google is continuously re-evaluating pages as new signals come in, and rankings often oscillate before settling at a new level. A temporary dip after an initial improvement usually means Google is still processing the changes and has not fully settled on the new ranking for those pages. As long as the overall trend over a four to eight week window is upward, short-term fluctuations are not a cause for concern.
How do I know if my SEO company is actually doing the work?
A legitimate SEO company should provide you with regular reports showing keyword ranking movement, traffic trends, and a summary of the work completed each month. You should be able to see new content published on your site, new links appearing in a backlink report, and changes to your Google Business Profile. If your provider cannot show you specific deliverables and ranking data on a monthly basis, that is a sign the work is not being done or is not being done effectively. We send every PushLeads client monthly reporting on all of these metrics.
Does my plumbing website need to be redesigned before SEO will work?
Not always. Many sites can be optimized effectively without a full redesign by correcting technical issues, improving page structure, and adding or rewriting content on existing pages. A redesign becomes necessary when the site’s underlying code is so outdated that it cannot be made mobile-friendly or fast without rebuilding it, or when the site has no logical service page structure at all. We assess this in the initial audit and give an honest recommendation based on what the site actually needs.
What happens to my rankings if I stop doing SEO?
Rankings earned through SEO will gradually decline if you stop maintaining them. Competitors who continue working on their sites will slowly overtake positions you currently hold, and Google’s ongoing algorithm updates may affect pages that are no longer being actively maintained. The rate of decline depends on how competitive your market is and how strong your existing authority is. Some rankings hold for months after work stops; others drop within weeks. Treating SEO as an ongoing investment rather than a one-time project is the approach that produces lasting results.
Ready to See Numbers Like These for Your Business?
This case study represents a real company in a real market that went from almost no Google visibility to ranking at positions one and two for their most important service keywords in about six weeks. Their weekly traffic went from 32 visitors to 315. Their HVAC side is building momentum from a harder starting point. None of that happened by accident, and it is not specific to plumbing or South Carolina. The same methods work for HVAC companies, dentists, lawyers, electricians, roofers, and any other local service business where customers search Google before they call.
If you have a service business and you are not showing up where your customers are searching, that traffic and those calls are going to your competitors right now. I would rather help you take that market share back than watch it keep happening. At PushLeads, we offer a free SEO audit that shows you exactly where you stand and what needs to change. There is no sales pressure; it is just an honest look at your current visibility and a clear picture of what the path forward looks like.
Reach out to us at https://pushleads.com/contact/ and let’s take a look at what is possible for your business.
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