By Logan, founder of HVAC Marketing HQ · Updated Oct 12, 2026What the map pack is
Search "AC repair near me" on a phone and the first thing you see, under any ads, is a map with three businesses. That's the map pack, also called the local pack. Tap "more places" and you get the full local list. For an HVAC company, being in those first three is usually worth more than any page-one website ranking, because the map shows your stars, your hours and a call button before the homeowner ever visits a site.
The three things Google says it looks at
Google publishes how local ranking works in its Business Profile help pages. It names three factors:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what the person searched for.
- Distance: how far your business is from the person searching, or from the place they named.
- Prominence: how well known your business is, which Google says includes reviews, links and how you show up across the web.
Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. Local Services Ads and Google Ads sit above the map, but they don't move your spot in it.
Distance: the one you can't change
A shop on the north side of town will usually rank better for searches on the north side. That's why a company can be #2 in one neighborhood and #14 a few miles away. You can't move your shop, and you shouldn't fake an address: Google's guidelines don't allow it, and a suspended profile is far worse than a lower ranking.
What you can do is make it obvious where you work. Set your service area in your profile, and build a real page on your website for each town you take calls in, with your work there and reviews from customers there.
Relevance: where most shops leave easy points
Relevance is mostly about telling Google exactly what you do. The common misses we see:
- The wrong main category. Your primary category carries the most weight. For most shops it should be "HVAC contractor" or "Air conditioning contractor", not "Contractor" or "Electrician".
- No services listed. Add every service you want calls for: AC repair, furnace repair, heat pump installation, duct cleaning, maintenance plans.
- A website with one page. If your site has no page about AC repair, Google has less to match against an AC repair search. One clear page per service you want more of helps.
- Hours that are wrong. If you take emergency calls, say so. Profiles that look closed at the moment of the search lose the click.
Prominence: the slow, steady part
Prominence is where steady work beats one-time fixes. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that replying shows you value customers' feedback. In practice that means:
- Ask every customer for a review after every finished job, not in bursts.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, in your own words.
- Post photos of real jobs and your real crew and trucks.
- Keep your name, address and phone the same everywhere: Facebook, Yelp, BBB, Angi, Nextdoor and the rest.
See how many Google reviews an HVAC company needs for the review side in detail.
What to stop paying for
- Guaranteed rankings. Google says nobody can guarantee a local ranking. A guarantee usually means fine print.
- Fake addresses or virtual offices to rank in another town. These break Google's guidelines and get profiles suspended.
- Keyword-stuffed business names like "Best AC Repair Waco Heating & Air". Google's guidelines say your name should match your real-world name.
- Review packages that buy or swap reviews. Google removes them, and the FTC's 2024 rule on consumer reviews bans buying fake ones.
How to check where you stand
Search your top two services plus your town, on your phone, from a few spots in your service area. Write down where you show up. Or let us do it: the free report card runs two real searches for your town and shows where you land against the top shops near you.
Free report card: your Google profile, reviews, website and listings graded against the shops near you.
The 40-point HVAC online scorecard
Website, Google profile, reviews and follow-up. Print it, check yes or no, add up your score. We'll email you the printable PDF.
Questions
How long does it take to move up the map?
Fixes to your category, services and hours can show up within weeks. Moving up through reviews and town pages is slower, usually months, and depends on how crowded your market is.
Do Google Ads help my map ranking?
No. Google says you can't pay to improve your local ranking. Ads and Local Services Ads show above the map, separately.
Should I open a second location to rank in another town?
Only if it's a real, staffed location. A virtual office or a mailbox breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended.