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The HVAC / Air Conditioning Benchmark
Most Aussie hvac / air conditioning businesses leave about $6,195/mo on the table. Here’s where the leak is. Every number sourced. No guesses.
What good looks like across the five measures — the Google review bar, the website scorecard, the GBP setup, the ops baseline, and the buyer’s actual questions. Every figure is sourced or labelled. No guesses.
modelled — sizes the leak, not a quote. Average job value (AJV) from modelled: blend: split supply+install ~$3,300 (70%) / ducted ~$12,000 (30%) (allec, canstar, powerbandelectrical); close rate from hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au); default 10 enquiries/month.
Field data · 2026-06-12 · How we score
Where you stand
Five things decide whether a hvac / air conditioning gets found and gets the call. Here’s where you stand on each — and the number to beat.
| The review bar | 79 reviews (your suburb) | → |
| The website scorecard | 32.8/45 vs market 31/45 | → |
| The Google profile | category to fix (most are set wrong) | → |
| Your numbers | AJV $5,900 · leak $6,195/mo | → |
| What buyers ask | 8 questions to answer in writing | → |
The 45-point test for your trade
HVAC / Air Conditioning sites score 32.8 / 45 on the same nine-dimension rubric we ran across 289 Australian trade sites. The market median is 31/45. Read the trade score as a guide, not a hard stat — it rests on 5 AU sites. Your Google review bar above is the harder number. Top of the pack: CFM Air Conditioning at 36/45.
The two weakest spots are SEO/AI Usefulness (3/5) and Mobile/Speed Confidence (3/5). Good sites look good and they convert. They don't answer buyer questions in plain form.
| Dimension | Trade average /5 |
|---|---|
| 3-Second Clarity | 3.8 |
| Visual Polish | 3.2 |
| Trust Above Fold | 4.2 |
| CTA Clarity | 4 |
| Local Relevance | 4 |
| Service Architecture | 4 |
| Proof Depth | 3.6 |
| SEO/AI Usefulness weakest | 3 |
| Mobile/Speed Confidence weakest | 3 |
The one to study
Commair — commair.com.au
Copy this: 30+ years, second-generation family-owned, commercial/industrial HVACR, maintenance, essential services, chiller plant, projects and licence details.
Design direction: Authority-led B2B layout with compliance, case studies and vertical pages
Build rule. Use AU model for realistic owner-operator structure; use national/US models for scale, proof, conversion and service-page architecture.
Your Map Pack reality
Your suburb's bar: about 79 Google reviews (Google Places API (New) (field median)). The quiet quarter sits at 34, the top quarter at 191, the busiest carries 1993 — across 303 listings.
In this trade, reviews drive rank. The top-3 listings carry about 115 reviews. Spots 4–6 carry 75. Close that gap to climb the map.
| Metro | Median reviews |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | 123 |
| Ballarat | 28 |
| Brisbane | 97 |
| Cairns | 38 |
| Canberra | 127 |
| Darwin | 63 |
| Geelong | 70 |
| Gold Coast | 93 |
| Hobart | 23 |
| Melbourne | 161 |
| Newcastle | 92 |
| Perth | 97 |
| Sunshine Coast | 101 |
| Sydney | 104 |
| Toowoomba | 73 |
| Townsville | 23 |
| Wollongong | 64 |
Reviews get you seen. The profile they tap decides what happens next →
The Google profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the cheapest win on this page. It costs nothing. It moves first.
Quick win. The main category for this trade comes back as the bland “Electrician”. A wrong one drags down your rank. Set yours to the most exact trade category Google offers.
What we measure — and what we won’t
Review count and prominence rank are public — we read them via the Google Places API. The owner-only fields — photo count, post cadence, messaging response speed — we never scrape from a competitor. Connect your own profile to read those.
Profile set right. Now answer what they ask before they ring →
What homeowners ask before they hire you
A homeowner searches before they call. They're already looking, reading and choosing. Below are the real questions — from accounts across 8 states.
Answer each one on your site in plain form. That's the SEO/AI gap, closed.
Who should I choose?
The Fujitsu site says 5kW … [Other site] says 3.5kW is enough for 30m². So you see why I'm confused. Comparison / alternatives · source
What do I need to know?
$1,800 to $4,800 Price / cost · source
Can I actually trust this tradie?
If a price seems too good to be true, it usually is … choosing an unqualified or unlicensed HVAC contractor can cost you thousands in botched repairs, voided warranties, safety hazards. Trust / red-flags · source
What do I need to know?
manufacturers' warranties are void if you do not use a licensed installer Licensing / compliance / insurance · source
What result should I expect?
a 3.5kW split system through a Sydney summer can easily add $200 to $400 to their quarterly bill Outcome / running cost · source
What do I need to know?
most split systems take 3–6 hours, while ducted systems take 1–3 days Timing / urgency · source
What does the job involve?
any associated electrical wiring work that would otherwise be done by an electrician Process / what-happens-next · source
What do I need to know?
Most brands require annual professional maintenance by authorised service agents. Aftercare / maintenance · source
Read what your customers are reading — the hvac / air conditioning buyer guide on Need A Trade
Where your trade leaks money
AJV: $5,900 (modelled: blend: split supply+install ~$3,300 (70%) / ducted ~$12,000 (30%) (allec, canstar, powerbandelectrical)). Close rate: 20–25%. With follow-up: up to 33%. (hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au))
Revenue-leak calculator
Benchmark close rate ~25–33% (hipages platform data). AJV is modelled — see the label above. This is an estimate to size the leak, not a quote.
The 30/60/90 play
Three stages. Each one closes a gap on a measure above.
-
First 30 days — Foundation.
- Fix the two weak dimensions on the scorecard.
- Set the right Google profile category.
- Tighten the above-the-fold trust strip.
-
By 60 days — Proof.
- Start the review engine. Ask every completed job.
- Push toward the 79 review bar.
- Add before/after proof to the weakest dimension.
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By 90 days — Activation.
- Publish the structured FAQ/answer blocks.
- Wire fast response to every enquiry.
- Re-score against the 45-point test. Aim for at least 4 points up.
Score yourself (0–5 each)
Ten questions. Tap your score on each. The total updates as you go.
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3-Second Clarity — trade + suburb + customer in your headline?
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Visual Polish — real job photography, consistent design?
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Trust Above Fold — reviews/licence/years visible before scroll?
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CTA Clarity — obvious primary + secondary next step?
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Local Relevance — service area and suburbs explicit?
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Service Architecture — services organised by buyer intent?
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Proof Depth — specific proof stack (before/after, named jobs)?
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SEO/AI Usefulness — buyer questions answered in structured form?
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Mobile/Speed — fast, readable, thumb-friendly?
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Google reviews vs your trade bar (79)?
Score: 0/50
Tap your score on each question above.
Guides for your trade
Fix the leaks yourself. Each guide is one topic, one method, one move.
Common leaks for this trade
The leaks good hvac / air conditionings feel first. Read the one that sounds like your week.
Build the first fix
Each leak has a fix you can build. Start with the one at the top of your list.
That's what good looks like for hvac / air conditioning.
See how your profile, site and reviews actually score.
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