From invisible to cited: A local HVAC company in 60 days
When an HVAC company in Austin, Texas first ran a Visibility Score audit, they scored a 31 out of 100. They had a basic website, a partially filled-out Google Business Profile, and no schema markup. When we searched for "HVAC repair Austin" in ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity, they didn't appear in any results. Sixty days later, they scored 74 and were being cited across all three platforms. Here's exactly what changed.
Week 1–2: Fixing the foundation
The first priority was completing their Google Business Profile. Their hours were wrong, their service area wasn't set, and they hadn't posted anything in seven months. We updated every field, uploaded 12 photos of their team and recent work, and posted their first GBP update - a short post about their summer AC tune-up service. This alone moved their GBP completeness score from 40% to 95%.
Week 2–3: Schema markup injection
Their website had zero structured data. We added LocalBusiness schema identifying them as an HVACContractor, Service schema for their core offerings (AC repair, furnace installation, duct cleaning), and FAQPage schema for the five most common questions on their site. No developer was needed - this was handled automatically. After Google re-crawled the site, their structured data passed the Rich Results Test with no errors.
Week 3–6: Content and consistency
Over six weeks, four blog posts were published: "How to tell if your AC needs refrigerant," "Austin heat prep checklist for homeowners," "What HVAC size does a 2,000 sq ft Austin home need," and "5 signs your furnace is failing." Each post was optimized for local search intent. Weekly GBP posts continued throughout. The content gave AI platforms specific, authoritative answers to questions their customers were asking.
Week 6–8: Review amplification
They had 14 Google reviews averaging 4.6 stars - decent, but thin for AI citation purposes. We helped them set up a simple post-job follow-up text asking customers to leave a review. In six weeks they received 19 new reviews, many of them mentioning specific services and neighborhoods. Their review content now includes phrases like "same-day AC repair in Round Rock" and "best HVAC company in North Austin" - exactly the signals AI platforms look for.
Day 60: The results
Visibility Score: 31 → 74. Google AI Overviews: cited in 3 of 5 test queries. ChatGPT: named in responses to "best HVAC Austin" and "AC repair near me Austin." Perplexity: appearing in 2 of 4 local HVAC queries. GBP profile views up 340% over the prior period. Three inbound calls attributed directly to customers who found them through AI recommendations.
This HVAC company in Austin didn't do anything extraordinary. They didn't redesign their website or hire a marketing agency. They addressed the specific signals that AI platforms use to identify trustworthy, relevant local businesses - and they did it systematically over 60 days. The window to establish this kind of AI presence before competitors do is still open for most local markets. It won't be forever.