HVAC Company Website Design, A Primer

Competition is high in the HVAC industry. There are often dozens of companies and service providers in a single market and it can be difficult for the smaller companies without a massive franchise backing to stand out. But if there’s one way to emerge from the pack as a definitive and authoritative leader, it’s with your website. In fact, the best HVAC websites consistently outperform competitors because their HVAC web design makes it easy for local homeowners to trust them and take the next step.

 

Your website is the “home base” of your digital presence. It’s the central point through which all of your efforts flow – including SEO link building, search engine optimization, content, social media, PPC, Google Ads, and other traffic and lead generation strategies. If you can develop and design a compelling HVAC website that resonates with your target audience, good things will happen for you—more website visitors, more phone calls, and ultimately more customers.

 

In this article, we’re going to walk you through some of the key principles of effective HVAC website design, why you need to focus on these elements, and some tips and tricks for putting them into action for your HVAC company or HVAC contractor team..

 

We’ll also take a look at some specific real-world examples to give you an idea of what some of these best practices look like in action on real HVAC websites.

 

And finally, we’ll explore the three major options you have for designing your website—DIY website builders, done-with-you templates, or full web design services—so that you have a clear understanding of where to go from here.

 

Let’s dive in...

 

 

 

The Importance of Good HVAC Website Design

 

 

It’s easy to think your HVAC website isn’t that important. After all, you aren’t selling products directly from your website.

 

Why can’t we just pick the easiest template we find, slap on our logo, and call it a day?

 

And while you technically can do this, it wouldn’t make for a very effective or high-converting website. Most HVAC companies quickly learn that a generic template can’t compete with the best HVAC websites in their market.

 

The reality is that good HVAC web design is intentional. It requires focus, discipline, and forethought – particularly when it comes to the details of website design and custom design.

 

To help you understand the importance of good web design, let’s briefly touch on a few of the reasons why it matters:

 

First impressions. Research indicates that 3-of-4 website users make a judgment about a company’s credibility based purely on the site’s visual web design. And for or better or worse, these first impressions are formed in just 50 milliseconds.

Conversion rate. Did you know that 38 percent of website visitors will actually stop engaging with a website if they find it visually unattractive? In other words, a poorly designed HVAC company website will see nearly two out of every five visitors leave before ever having the chance to engage with them. That’s what you call a major conversion killer.

Brand trust. You might not have a way to directly monetize your website in the same way that an ecommerce store can, but your website is equally as important. Because when you push past all of the noise and zero in on what really matters, you’ll realize that an HVAC business is in the “trust” business. That’s what you’re selling. And a well-designed, user friendly site with the right call to action acts as a trust builder.

Search rankings. There’s nothing wrong with paid traffic, but your website is most effective when it’s generating organic traffic. More specifically, you want as much organic search traffic as possible from search engines—and modern web design supports that.

 

In other words, your HVAC website’s design isn’t just for looks. It has a tangible impact on your company’s digital presence. If you take this seriously, big things will happen for your HVAC services.

 

 

 

9 Powerful Website Design Best Practices

 

The amazing thing about website design is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. While every website has its own unique visual appeal and design, the same underlying web design principles hold true across the board. By doing the following, you can almost guarantee you’ll generate a high-converting website every single time:

 

 

 

1. Keep It Simple, Silly

 

Don’t overcomplicate things. You’re designing an HVAC website, not building the next Amazon or eBay. The best thing you can do is keep the web design simple with an easy to navigate layout.

 

Study after study shows that website visitors are turned off by visual complexity and would much rather visit websites that have a simple, user friendly website experience. There are a couple of ways you can take advantage of this:

 

Reduce the number of pages you have on your site. Not only does this simplify your website navigation and menu options (which prevents overwhelm), but it also leads to a faster responsive design performance.

Avoid lots of flash, movement, and complicated custom website elements. A standard layout is all you need to engage your visitors. It sounds boring, but it’s true.

 

Simple sells. It’s why some of the best HVAC websites on the internet are also the least flashy. By stripping away all of the unnecessary fluff and focusing on the meat, you’ll see your conversion rates soar.

 

 

 

2. Prioritize Website Speed

 

 

Speed is extremely important. The longer it takes a page to load, the higher your bounce rate will be. (Likewise, you’ll see your conversion rate plummet.) Even if it’s just a second or two, shaving time off your page loading speed will boost engagement, enhance search engine optimization, and elevate lead generations and conversions. Try the following:

 

Run a site speed test to see where you currently stand. This will give you an idea of how much you need to improve by in order to maximize your conversions.

Images account for the majority of load time. Compress images to improve performance across every mobile device.

With a large percentage of traffic now coming from mobile devices, you have to give mobile users a mobile friendly experience. Responsive design can help. Not only does it ensure your site is displayed consistently across any mobile device and browsers, but it ensures pages load faster for mobile users.

 

These are just a few tips. If you’re really committed to boosting your site speed, there are plenty of other proactive steps you can take. Any time spent optimizing speed is time well spent for your HVAC company.

 

 

 

3. Create a Simple and Compelling USP

 

Every HVAC company needs a unique selling proposition (USP). If you don’t already have one, stop what you’re doing and schedule a meeting with your team. It’s imperative that you develop a compelling USP right away.

 

A USP is one of the foundational pillars of any successful marketing campaign. It explains what makes your HVAC business unique and why local homeowners should care.

 

Generally speaking, a USP should be short (just a phrase or sentence), should focus on what makes you different from every other HVAC company in the area, and should clearly speak to the niche you’re going after.

“We serve Atlanta homeowners” is not a USP.

 

“We respond to Atlanta’s heating and cooling needs in 6 hours or it’s free” is a USP. It’s concise, unique, and niche-specific.

 

Once you have your USP, you’ll prominently feature it as part of your HVAC website design. It should be one of the first things a visitor sees when they land on your home page.

 

 

 

4. Embrace the Laws of Visual Hierarchy

 

The best HVAC web design services – meaning those who are focused on producing conversions – make all of their design decisions based on the laws of visual hierarchy. In other words, they have a bag of tricks that they can use to make something stand out. (Likewise, they understand how to design elements so that they’re much more subtle and complementary.)

 

Elements that are on the high end of the visual prominence spectrum tend to be positioned at the top of the page. They’re large, feature strong contrast, and have unique colors. They may have some movement (like video) and are generally surrounded by negative space.

 

Elements that fall on the low end of the visual prominence spectrum are usually located at the bottom of the page. They tend to be small in size and feature very minimal contrast, creating a clear flow that guides website visitors. The elements are usually text, though they can contain icons and other simple visuals.

 

 

 

5. Focus Above the Fold

 

The fold is an extremely important concept in HVAC website design. Above the fold should include your USP, social proof, and a clear call to action—plus your phone number in a prominent spot. It allows you to divide any page into two distinct sections:

 

Above the fold: Anything that’s located at the top of the page and is visible to the user without having to scroll down.

Below the fold: Anything that’s located on the lower portion of the page and requires scrolling in order to see.

 

Naturally, your above-the-fold design gets the most visibility and engagement. Thus it’s important that you place all of your most important elements near the top of the page. (This includes your USP, opt-in form, CTA, and/or social proof.)

 

Below-the-fold design matters, too. However, there’s no guarantee that a visitor will make it this far. With this in mind, you have to keep it simple and direct. The further someone scrolls, the more likely it is that they’ll lose interest and click away. Keep the visitor engaged by continually calling out a consistent CTA.

 

 

 

6. Give Visitors Fewer Choices

 

People typically think they like choices, but most people convert faster when choices are limited. (To understand this phenomenon, look no further than this groundbreaking study where people were 10-times more likely to buy a product when they had significantly fewer choices.)

 

When designing your website, avoid excessive choices. Simplify the user experience by limiting form fields, focusing on a singular CTA—whether that’s scheduling heating cooling service or requesting an estimate—reducing the number of pages, and sticking to one specific goal per page.

 

 

 

7. Avoid Sliders and carousels

 

There was a time when almost every HVAC website in the industry had a rotating carousel or slider on their home page. But over time, website designers and conversion optimizers have discovered that these design features are largely ineffective.

 

According to one study from Notre Dame University, the first slide/visual on a carousel gets 90 percent of all clicks. The rest of the items are essentially ignored. Not only that, but people find the movement of rotating carousels to be distracting.

 

Clean card-based web design is almost always a superior option to sliders. Not only do they look better, but they encourage greater visibility and lead generation by ensuring each item is visible the entire time. 9And without distracting movement, users find it easier to remain focused.

 

 

 

8. Use Original Visuals

 

Stock photos are free and convenient, but they’re largely ineffective. Not only do they look cheesy and “pre-canned,” but they fail to resonate with your ideal target audience. It takes a little more time, but using real images of your team, trucks, and installs help your HVAC contractor brand feel authentic.

 

Original visuals, which means actual pictures of your team, clients, and past work, humanizes your brand and makes visitors more likely to connect on a visceral level. If you don’t already have these visuals on file, hire a professional photographer to follow your team around for a couple of days. You’ll have plenty of content to choose from. It’s a little hard work, but it pays off.

 

 

 

9. Utilize Social Proof

 

The final suggestion is to use as much social proof as possible in your HVAC website design. This includes trust badges (like BBB certification, SSL certificates, local business chamber membership, etc.), client testimonials, reviews and star ratings, and case studies.

 

We recommend using social proof throughout your website design, but it’s especially powerful when placed above the fold. Trust signals raise credibility for any cooling company, air conditioning company, or full-service heating and air provider. This ensures you’re making a positive first impression right from the start.

 

 

 

 

Real-World HVAC Website Design Examples

 

Up until this point, we’ve covered principles that show up on the best HVAC websites. If we left it at that, there would be plenty of actionable insights for you to implement. But what better way to cement these principles into your mind than by looking at a few real-world examples from the HVAC industry?

 

While we don’t recommend copying these designs, there are some good elements to pick and pull from each.

 

Now let’s look at real-world HVAC websites and pull out what works:

 

 

 

Example #1: TEED Heating & Cooling

 

 

This isn’t the most visually appealing HVAC website ever, but it works. They do a good job of using a simple, distraction-free web design with only the essential information above the fold. There’s a clear call to action, a simple USP, and a visible phone number—all hallmarks of best HVAC web design.

 

 

 

Example #2: B&J Refrigeration

 

 

While this page is a little to “busy,” it has some really strong elements that make it a worthy example. The USP is clear, has service messaging that covers heating and cooling and air conditioning needs, and appeals to the audience’s emotions. There’s also social proof in the form of a 2020 Angie’s List Super Service Award.

 

 

 

Example #3: Carini HVAC

 

Carini is a great example of custom design done right. Not only do they have a really compelling brand and unique value proposition, but they’re extremely clear on who their target audience is. They aren’t trying to be all things to all people, which allows them to create a visually satisfying and enticing website design.

 

 

How to Design Your HVAC Website

 

Now that you understand what goes into an effective HVAC web design and have seen some examples of how these elements flesh themselves out in the real-world, you’re probably wondering how you can design a new site or revamp your existing one.

 

When it comes to designing a website, you have more options than ever. But it’s easiest to think about it in terms of three distinct buckets:

 

Do-it-yourself (DIY) is the cheapest option, but it requires lots of time and plenty of skill. You’ll be learning building tools and website builders to make it all work.

A done-with-you (DWY) approach typically involves selecting a pre-designed template, incorporating it into your site, and then making a few changes to customize it to your brand. This option is less time-intensive, but can sometimes be frustrating. Because you’re working within an existing template with custom website features, there are certain elements that are difficult to manipulate or change with limited custom design flexibility. Plus, there’s always the chance that another HVAC company could have the same exact layout and design.

In a done-for-you (DFY) scenario, you hire professional web design services or specialized HVAC web design services to create a fully custom website aligned with your brand and goals. This option costs more than DIY or DWY, but you have to consider the long-term value. A DFY website will almost always produce better results, which means it delivers a much higher ROI.

 

The option you choose will depend on your budget, time, skills, and goals. While DIY and DWY can be effective—but DFY routinely creates top notch results and a smoother sales process for your HVAC company.

 

When you hire a professional to design your website for HVAC website design services, it changes everything. Not only will it get done faster, but you’ll get a sharper mobile friendly experience, better performance in search engines, and more consistent new customers over time.

 

 

 

Build Your HVAC Website With DEV.co

 

At DEV.co, we do more than design websites. We architect unrivaled digital experiences by mixing beautiful interfaces with high-conversion elements that help your HVAC business generate leads—whether you’re a heating and air specialist, full heating and cooling provider, or cooling business focused on air conditioning installs.

 

If you’re looking for experienced design services and web design services to breathe new life into your HVAC site, we would love to help. Simply tell us about your project and we’ll get in touch with some next steps!