Ads are the only layer of the stack where you can buy more results tomorrow, which is why owners want to start there. They are also the layer that wastes the most money when it isn't connected to the rest. We run Google and Meta campaigns for heating companies as the demand layer of a system: the budget is steered by sold-job data that comes back from your CRM.
What the demand layer is
It is every paid channel that puts your company in front of people who need heat: Google Search for high-intent searches like "furnace replacement" or "boiler not working", Local Services Ads where Google offers them, Performance Max where it suits, and Meta for retargeting and seasonal pushes such as pre-winter tune-ups.
What makes it part of a stack is the feedback. When a call from a campaign becomes a sold boiler, the CRM sends that event and its value back to the ad platform. Over a few weeks, the platform shifts spend toward the searches and audiences that produce jobs, not just calls.
Who it is for
This service fits heating companies that have the capture and record layers working, or are building them at the same time. It is especially useful for companies whose current ads report lots of "conversions" that the office doesn't recognise as real leads.
It is also useful when you add a service line. A company moving into heat pumps needs separate campaigns, separate landing pages and separate reporting, because heat pump buyers search differently and often ask about rebates first.
What's included
- Account audit and structure. Campaigns split by system and job type, so a repair search doesn't share budget with a replacement search.
- Conversion design. Calls, texts and emails tracked from the capture website; sold and invoiced jobs imported from the CRM.
- Search terms and negatives. Weekly review to cut parts, DIY, job-seeker and rental-unit searches.
- Seasonal budgets. Spend planned around your heating season, which varies a great deal by region (see areas we serve).
- Meta retargeting. Reminders for visitors who looked at replacement pages but didn't call, plus maintenance-season campaigns.
- Monthly reporting. Spend, leads, booked jobs, sold jobs and revenue by campaign.
Timeline
Setup takes about two weeks if tracking is already in place. The first month is mostly learning: the platforms need enough conversions to adjust. Sold-job feedback starts to influence bidding once a meaningful number of jobs have been imported, which for most heating companies takes six to ten weeks. Seasonality matters more than the calendar, so starting in late summer usually beats starting in December.
How results are measured
One number matters above the others: ad cost per sold job, by system type. We report it monthly alongside:
- cost per tracked lead
- share of leads that were genuinely new business (not existing customers or wrong numbers)
- booked-to-sold rate by campaign
- revenue attributed through CRM import
Here is a check you can run yourself. Take last month's spend and divide it by the number of sold jobs your office can link to an ad. If the answer is much higher than your gut feeling, the ads are probably counting the wrong things.
Mistakes to avoid
- Counting every call as a conversion. Existing customers calling the number on your site are not new demand.
- One campaign for every service. The cheapest clicks win the budget, and they are rarely the replacements.
- Rebate-led ads with stale numbers. Programs open, change and close. In some provinces, recent changes have removed or narrowed rebates. Ads quoting amounts need a review date.
- Advertising work you are not licensed for. Some provinces restrict who may advertise regulated work. Each region page links to the regulator; confirm with them.
- Pausing in the off-season and restarting cold. A small always-on budget keeps the account's learning alive.
Where ads sit in the build order
Ads usually come third, after capture and record, and before proof is fully running. The stack math guide shows the effect of that order on cost per sold job. For pricing, see the plans; to talk about your account, call, text or email.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a heating company spend on ads?
Work backwards from what a sold job is worth to you. If a replacement leaves $3,000 in gross profit and you are comfortable spending 15% of that to win it, your target is $450 per sold job. The stack math guide shows how to turn that into a monthly budget.
Are Local Services Ads worth it for heating?
Where Google offers them for your category and area, they often produce calls at a reasonable cost, because you pay per lead rather than per click. They still need the same tracking, so we record those leads in the CRM like any other source.
Do we own the ad accounts?
Yes. The Google Ads and Meta accounts are created in your company's name, with your billing. We work in them as users. If you stop working with us, the accounts and their history stay with you.
Why not start with ads, since they are fastest?
You can, but without tracking and CRM feedback the platforms optimise for whatever counts as a conversion, which is often any call over a minute. Spending first and wiring later usually means paying to teach the algorithm the wrong lesson.