Should HVAC Contractors Post on Google Business Profile?
Yes — and the contractors who post consistently in Metro Vancouver are outranking the ones who don't, even with fewer reviews. GBP posts are a freshness signal, and Google uses freshness to decide which profiles look active and trustworthy. A profile that hasn't posted in four months looks dormant. A profile that posts weekly looks like a business that's paying attention.
This post covers how often to post, what to post, and a seasonal posting calendar built for Metro Vancouver's HVAC demand cycle.
Do GBP Posts Directly Affect Map Pack Rankings?
Not as a primary ranking factor on their own. Posts don't carry the same weight as your primary category, your review count, or your proximity to the searcher. But they're part of the broader engagement signal that separates active profiles from inactive ones.
Google's own Search Central documentation confirms that relevance, distance, and prominence together determine local rankings. "Prominence" includes activity indicators — how much information is available about the business and how recently it's been updated. Posts feed that.
The practical test: in any competitive Metro Vancouver city — Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam — pull up the Map Pack for "furnace repair near me." Most top-3 profiles have posted in the last 30 days. Most profiles in positions 4–10 haven't posted in months. Correlation, not proof, but it's consistent.
How Often Should HVAC Contractors Post on Google Business Profile?
Once a week is enough. Twice a week is better. Posting every day adds no meaningful signal and creates more work than it's worth.
The most common mistake: posting in bursts. Five posts in one week, then nothing for six weeks. That pattern doesn't signal consistent activity — it signals an agency that remembered to do something. Google's algorithm reads recency across the past 30–90 days, not just this week.
Set a weekly posting time and stick to it. Thursday morning tends to work well for HVAC contractors — it's after the midweek job rush and before the weekend service call window.
What Should HVAC Contractors Post About?
Three post types work consistently:
1. Job posts with real photos A photo of a completed install — heat pump in Richmond, furnace swap in North Delta, mini-split in a Burnaby basement suite — with a short caption describing the work and location. This is the highest-performing format.
Example caption: "Replaced a 2001 Carrier gas furnace with a Lennox SL280 in Port Coquitlam today — homeowner is heading into summer with a system that'll actually last. Call volume has been heavy this week for furnace replacements."
Why it works: real job photos signal an active, local business. Location mentions reinforce your service area to Google. Specific equipment signals expertise to homeowners.
2. Answer posts Pick a question homeowners in your city are asking — "what size heat pump do I need for a Vancouver townhouse?" or "how long does a furnace last in BC?" — and answer it in 3–4 sentences. No keyword stuffing, no fluff.
These work because they match search intent directly and give the homeowner a reason to click through to your profile.
3. Service-area callouts Short posts that name specific cities or neighbourhoods: "Covering Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and Katzie this week — schedule an inspection before the July heat hits." These reinforce service-area coverage for city-specific Map Pack queries.
Vancouver Seasonal Posting Calendar
Metro Vancouver's HVAC demand follows a predictable cycle. Matching your post topics to the cycle makes content more relevant and more likely to be read.
| Month | What homeowners are asking | Post focus |
|---|---|---|
| January–February | Furnace issues in cold snaps, emergency heat | Furnace maintenance, emergency call capacity, response time |
| March–April | "My furnace is 15 years old — replace or repair?" | Spring tune-up offers, furnace replacement decision guide |
| May–June | AC for the summer, heat pump interest picks up | AC installation, heat pump benefits, BC Hydro rebates |
| July–August | AC emergencies, high-demand booking period | Service availability, response time, booking process |
| September | "Do I need a furnace tune-up before winter?" | Pre-season furnace inspection, heat pump maintenance |
| October–November | Furnace season, BC winter prep | Furnace replacement, service bookings filling up |
| December | Cold snap calls, emergency heating | Emergency availability, furnace reliability |
The timing that matters most: post in May and June about heat pumps and BC Hydro rebates. The FortisBC and BC Hydro rebate programs — currently up to $6,000 for cold climate heat pumps — are the single largest purchase trigger for Metro Vancouver homeowners considering HVAC upgrades. Contractors who post about rebates during peak research season (May–July) get calls from homeowners who are already motivated.
What Makes a GBP Post Work vs. a Post That Gets Ignored?
Specificity beats generality every time.
- "Vancouver's most trusted HVAC team" → no information, no reason to engage
- "Installed a Mitsubishi MXZ multi-zone in a Burnaby craftsman today — three bedrooms, one outdoor unit, no ductwork needed" → real job, real location, real detail
Local beats generic every time.
A post that mentions North Vancouver, Langley, or Surrey is more relevant to a homeowner searching in that city than a post that says "serving Metro Vancouver." Google understands named locations. Use them.
Questions outperform announcements.
"Did you know BC Hydro offers up to $6,000 for cold climate heat pump upgrades?" → pulls in homeowners researching rebates. "We are proud to offer heat pump installation services!" → ignored.
Should You Use the Offer or Event Post Types?
Offers and Events are GBP post formats that expire — they show a countdown timer on your profile. They're useful once or twice a year for specific triggers: a pre-season inspection window, a rebate deadline, or a high-demand booking period.
Don't use them for evergreen content. A post titled "Spring HVAC Special — Limited Time!" that's been expired for 90 days tells homeowners (and Google) that nobody's maintaining the profile.
How Long Should a GBP Post Be?
150–300 words is the sweet spot. Long enough to include a real location mention and a useful detail. Short enough that a homeowner reads the whole thing.
GBP posts show up in the Knowledge Panel for your business and occasionally in local search results. The character limit is 1,500, but posts get truncated in the preview at roughly 100 words. Put the most important information — location, service type, or key detail — in the first two sentences.
One Contractor's GBP vs. Another: What Separates Them
The profiles consistently ranking in the top 3 in Metro Vancouver cities share the same pattern: posted in the last 7 days, photos from real jobs with real locations named, responded to every review including negatives, and primary category set to the specific service generating the most revenue.
Most HVAC contractors set up the profile and don't touch it again. That's the opportunity. The bar to look active and engaged isn't high — it's just consistent.
Book a 15-minute call at rankwise.ca/audit. We only work with one HVAC contractor per city, so we look closely before taking anyone on. On the call: how your business shows up on Google today, which calls in your city might be going to competitors instead of you, which calls in your city might be going to competitors instead of you, and whether we're the right team to help grow your call volume from there. If we're not, we'll say so.