Web Marketing Advice for HVACR Contractors & Wholesalers

Editor's note: When I was mulling over the idea of a web-design story, I thought of Brian Kraff and Market Hardware. While their specialty in the HVACR business is contractors, I knew his contribution would be pertinent to wholesalers, too. First, much of his advice applies to wholesalers as well as contractors. Second, if wholesalers believe in their task to help further their contractor customers' sales, they should share with them the tips that Kraff is supplying to our readers.

What is Market Hardware's experience with our industry?

Before we started serving your industry, we did our homework on heating, air conditioning and refrigeration — the business, the services and the types of marketing your customers respond to. Our goal is to not only be experts in websites and search engines, but in HVACR, too.

What are some top suggestions for web design or maintenance that can improve a wholesaler's or contractor's local business's rank on search engines?

While there is much more to say about this topic, here are some things I think are important.

Have a local phone number on the site, not just an 800 number. And make sure that phone number can be “read” by the search engines. Don't use an image to display it, use text.

Keep the content fresh on your site. Add a link to your professional association and make sure they have a link on their site that includes your web address.

Describe or list the areas you service. Don't try any tricks like stuffing keywords onto your page or using link farms; they can count against you.

Overall, what should a business owner look for in an effective home or first web-page?

We give this answer in detail to every contractor that calls for free website marketing consultation. This advice also holds true for wholesalers. Here's the short version.

Your website's first page, that landing page, has 15 seconds to describe visually and in text (1) what you do, (2) where you do it, (3) why you do it better and (4) how to contact you. All of those elements must be prominent on the first page. The graphics, photos and text must look sharp, crisp and clear.