How to use this
Open your website on your phone, not your computer, and go down the list. Give yourself a point for each yes. Anything under 15 means the site is costing you calls. You can also skip the work: the free report card checks most of these for you and compares you with the shops near you.
Speed and phone (1–5)
- The home page shows something useful within about 2.5 seconds on your phone's mobile data. (Google's own target for the main content of a page is 2.5 seconds; test it free at PageSpeed Insights.)
- Your phone number is a tap-to-call button at the top of every page.
- Nothing covers the screen when the page opens: no pop-up, no full-screen chat.
- Text is readable without zooming, and buttons are easy to hit with a thumb.
- The site scores in the green on Google's PageSpeed Insights for mobile.
Getting found (6–10)
- Service pages: a separate page for each service you want more of: AC repair, heating repair, installs and replacements, maintenance plans.
- Town pages: a real page for each town you take calls in, with work and reviews from that town. Not the same page with the name swapped.
- Each page's title says what it is and where: "AC Repair in Dallas, TX | Your Shop Heating & Air".
- Your business name, address and phone on the site match your Google Business Profile exactly.
- Your Google Business Profile links to your website, and your website links to your profile.
Turning visits into calls (11–15)
- The first screen says what you do, where, and how to reach you, in one short line.
- There's a way to book or request service without calling, for people who'd rather not.
- Forms are short: name, phone, what's wrong. Four fields or fewer.
- Missed calls and form fills get an answer within minutes, including after hours.
- If you offer financing, it's on the install and replacement pages, near the quote form.
Trust (16–18)
- Real photos of your crew, your trucks and your work. No stock photos of smiling models.
- Your real Google reviews on the page, ideally from the same town and service.
- Your contractor license number shown in the footer, plus any real brand certifications you hold.
Tracking (19–20)
- You can see how many calls and forms came from the website each month.
- Someone updates the site when hours, services or prices change.
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
Do I need a new website to fix these?
Often not. Many of these are fixes to an existing site. If the site is slow and has one page, a rebuild is usually cheaper than patching.
Is WordPress bad?
No, but it needs updates and plugins kept current, and slow themes are common. What matters is the checklist, not the platform.
Why no email gate on this checklist?
Because it's more useful to you this way. If you want it done for you, the report card checks it against your competitors.