Australian homeowners search for aircon servicing over 18,000 times a month — and emergency repair queries are surging year on year. This guide reveals the exact keywords, campaign structure, seasonal budget strategy, and Google Business Profile setup your HVAC business needs to capture local calls before your competitors do.
If you run a heating and cooling business in Australia, there has never been a better — or more competitive — time to run Google Ads. Searches for “aircon servicing” and “air conditioner service near me” are hitting record highs, emergency repair queries are surging, and customers who find you on Google Maps are already reaching for their phones ready to book. But without a well-structured Google Ads for HVAC campaign in Australia, that intent-rich traffic is flowing straight to your competitors.
This guide walks you through the exact keywords to target, the campaign structure that protects your budget, and how to supercharge your Google Business Profile (GBP) to win the “near me” calls that convert on the spot.
The HVAC Keyword Landscape in Australia: What the Data Actually Shows
Pie Chart
HVAC Search Intent Breakdown in Australia
Before spending a single dollar on Google Ads, it pays to understand where search demand actually sits. “Aircon servicing” and “air con servicing” are the highest-volume HVAC keywords in Australia — each averaging 18,100 searches per month, peaking at 27,100 in January 2025 when summer demand is at its fiercest. The top-of-page bid range sits between $2.58 and $11.17 AUD, with high competition (indexed score: 72), making these the essential anchors for any campaign targeting residential customers.
High-intent “near me” searches are where the real conversions happen. Key terms and their average monthly volumes include:
- “Air conditioner service near me” — 8,100 searches/month (peaks at 14,800 in January)
- “AC repair near me,” “aircon repair near me,” “air conditioning repair near me” — 6,600 each/month
- “AC installation near me” and “air conditioner installation near me” — 5,400 each/month (spiking to 9,900 in summer)
These figures come from Google Keyword Planner data analysed specifically for the Australian market. The competition scores on these terms sit between indexed 67 and 74, so the field is tight — but the CPCs, ranging $2.32–$13.33 AUD, are very much within reach for a well-managed budget.
High-Growth Keywords to Target Now Before Competition Catches Up
Some of the most exciting opportunities in 2025 are not the highest-volume terms — they are the ones with surging growth and still-low competition. This is where smart advertisers gain ground cheaply.
“Aircon repair” and “air conditioner repair” have seen a combined +174% year-on-year growth and a staggering +234% three-month surge, now sitting at 9,900 monthly searches with a low competition index of just 17 and a CPC floor starting at $2.59 AUD. Similarly, “HVAC servicing” has grown +238% year-on-year and “AC unit repair” has exploded +1,700% YoY from a smaller base.
The breakout terms worth activating immediately are:
- “Aircon repair” / “air conditioner repair” — high intent, low competition, low entry CPC
- “HVAC servicing” — strong YoY growth, still underserved by most advertisers
- “AC unit repair” — niche but explosive growth, excellent for early-mover advantage
These keywords represent a prime window to capture high-intent searchers at relatively low cost before larger operators take notice. If you are managing your own campaigns, or if you work with a Google Ads marketing partner, prioritise these alongside your anchor terms from day one.
Emergency Searches: The Fastest-Converting Ad Group You Are Probably Missing
Emergency and same-day searches deserve their own dedicated campaign structure entirely. “Emergency aircon repair” and “emergency air conditioner repair” jumped +700% in three months, with “emergency AC repair near me” recording a +950% spike in the same period. CPCs on these terms start as low as $1.95–$2.21 AUD — remarkably affordable for traffic that is, by definition, ready to book now.
To make the most of emergency search traffic, structure your emergency ad group with:
- Call extensions — so your phone number is prominent and clickable on mobile
- Callout assets reading “Available 24/7” and “Same-Day Response”
- Mobile bid boosts of at least +30% — emergency repairs are phone-first searches
- Dedicated landing page with a click-to-call button above the fold and a simple booking form
For HVAC businesses in Melbourne specifically, organic and paid search work hand in hand for emergency traffic — our dedicated guide on how Melbourne HVAC companies rank #1 for emergency calls covers the SEO side of this equation in detail, and it pairs extremely well with the paid campaign structure outlined here. For a broader comparison of how Google Ads and SEO complement each other, our article on Google Ads vs SEO for moving companies outlines a framework that applies equally well to HVAC operators.
Campaign Structure and Bidding: The Right Strategy for Your Budget
One of the most common and costly mistakes HVAC advertisers make is treating all search intent as the same. Repair keywords and installation keywords have different customer mindsets, different conversion paths, and different cost dynamics — and mixing them in one ad group destroys your Quality Score and inflates your CPCs.
Build your campaign around these distinct ad groups:
- Servicing ad group — anchored by “aircon servicing,” “air con service near me,” and variants
- Repair ad group — covering “aircon repair,” “air conditioner repair near me,” and related terms
- Installation ad group — targeting “AC installation near me,” “aircon installation,” and seasonal install queries
- Emergency ad group — dedicated emergency terms with 24/7 messaging and mobile-boosted bids
For bidding strategy, the data strongly favours a phased approach. With “aircon repair” and “AC repair” sitting at low competition (index 17–18) and CPCs starting at $2.59 AUD, new HVAC advertisers should start on Manual CPC to build clean, reliable conversion data. From there, graduate to Maximise Conversions with a Target CPA once you have at least 30–50 conversions in the account. Performance Max should only be considered at monthly budgets above $3,000, and even then, a parallel Search campaign should always be retained to protect coverage of high-intent “near me” and emergency terms that PMax often underserves.
Our guide on how plumbers drive more leads with Google Ads without wasting money applies the same principles to another trade-based service business — well worth a read for structural ideas.
Google Business Profile Integration: The 'Near Me' Multiplier You Cannot Afford to Ignore
Here is a fact that changes how you should think about Google Ads for HVAC companies: “near me” searches are increasingly map-based, not just text-based. Keywords like “HVAC near me” (2,400/month), “heating and cooling near me” (2,400/month), and “AC company near me” (390/month) are triggered heavily through Google Maps — and a text ad alone will not cut through.
When you link your Google Business Profile to your Google Ads account and enable Location Assets, your ad appears alongside your star rating, phone number, and distance directly within Google Maps. For a searcher who has already decided they need a technician and is simply looking for the closest available one, that combination of proximity data and reviews is extraordinarily persuasive.
Key GBP optimisation steps before running ads:
- Ensure your business categories include “Air Conditioning Contractor” and “HVAC Contractor”
- Keep your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent across your website, GBP, and ad account
- Actively collect reviews — even a handful of recent 5-star ratings can meaningfully lift your click-through rate
- Add photos of your team, vehicles, and completed jobs to build trust before the click
For a deeper dive into local search strategy, our local SEO service page explains how GBP integration, local citations, and organic search work together to build a dominant local footprint — an excellent complement to paid campaigns. See also how 21 Webs approaches AI SEO to ensure your business is visible across both traditional and AI-powered search results.
Negative Keywords and Audience Targeting: Protecting Every Dollar You Spend
Running Google Ads without a solid negative keyword list is like leaving a tap running — you are spending on clicks that will never convert. HVAC keyword research consistently reveals several “cost trap” terms that look relevant on the surface but signal research or price-comparison intent rather than booking intent.
Add these to your negative keyword list from day one:
- “Cost” / “price” / “how much” — terms like “ducted air conditioning cost” (2,900/month) attract price-shoppers, not buyers
- “How to” / “DIY” — signals self-service intent, not a service booking
- “Jobs” / “career” — will pull in job-seekers with absolutely no service intent
- “Replacement cost” — “AC replacement cost” and “air conditioner replacement cost” are research queries, not conversion ready
Beyond negatives, use Google’s in-market audience segments to layer targeting intelligently. Start with “Home & Garden > HVAC & Climate Control” and “Home & Garden > Home Improvement & Maintenance” set to observation mode to gather data, then apply bid adjustments of +20–40% for proven converters. A Customer Match list built from your existing CRM — past service customers — is useful both for exclusions (no point paying to re-acquire someone you serviced last month) and for seasonal retargeting, such as a pre-summer aircon tune-up push timed to the January search spike.
Similar audience and keyword protection strategies are outlined in our 50+ High-Converting SEO Keywords for Australian Plumbing Businesses article, which illustrates how the same intent-mapping logic applies across trade-based service categories.
Seasonal Budget Allocation: Timing Is Everything for Australian HVAC
Australian HVAC Search Demand — Seasonal Trends (Cooling vs Heating Keywords)
Australia’s HVAC market has a clear seasonal rhythm, and your campaign budget should reflect it. January is the peak month for aircon repair and servicing searches — that 27,100 spike in “aircon servicing” searches coincides directly with the hottest weeks of the year in Melbourne, Sydney, and across the country. Conversely, May through July sees heater and heating-related keywords surge as temperatures drop and homeowners scramble to get ducted heating back in working order before winter sets in.
A practical seasonal campaign calendar looks like this:
- October–March (summer): Increase budgets by 30–50% on cooling and repair terms; activate emergency ad groups; prioritise mobile bids
- April–September (cooler months): Shift emphasis to heating, ducted servicing, and winter maintenance searches; adjust creative messaging accordingly
- Year-round: Keep installation ad groups active — “AC installation near me” holds 5,400+ monthly searches even outside peak season, indicating year-round installation intent driven by property sales, renovations, and climate-related upgrades
For HVAC businesses looking to pair their paid advertising with a strong organic foundation, our HVAC web design service builds conversion-focused websites engineered to support both Google Ads landing pages and long-term SEO ranking. You can also explore how Google Ads for towing companies — another emergency-first trade service — handles seasonal and intent-based campaign segmentation for further structural inspiration.
Summary
Ready to Turn Search Demand Into Booked Jobs?
The Australian HVAC market is generating tens of thousands of high-intent searches every month — and the window for capturing low-competition, high-growth terms like “aircon repair” (index 17) and emergency search queries at sub-$2.50 CPCs will not stay open indefinitely. The businesses winning right now are those with tightly structured campaigns, a fully optimised Google Business Profile, and the seasonal intelligence to shift budget when the mercury rises or falls.
At 21 Webs, we manage Google Ads campaigns for HVAC and trade-based service businesses across Australia — from initial setup and campaign architecture through to ongoing optimisation and reporting. If you are ready to put your heating and cooling business at the top of local search results when customers need you most, contact our team.
Important FAQs
What are the best Google Ads keywords for HVAC companies in Australia?
How much does Google Ads cost for an HVAC business in Australia?
Should I use Performance Max or Search campaigns for my HVAC ads?
Does my Google Business Profile affect my Google Ads performance?
- Agency Intel (Tips)
Tip #1 Why is my Google Ads budget disappearing by the 15th of January every single year?
You are not alone — this is the single most common complaint we hear from HVAC business owners entering summer. The problem is almost never the budget itself. It is the campaign structure. Most HVAC operators run one broad campaign covering servicing, repair, installation, and emergency terms all at once. When January demand spikes, Google’s algorithm aggressively spends across every ad group simultaneously — burning through your monthly budget in under two weeks and leaving you invisible for the second half of your busiest month.
The fix is campaign-level budget separation. Each ad group — servicing, repair, installation, emergency — needs its own daily budget cap, not a shared pool. Emergency and repair campaigns should carry higher individual allocations in summer because they convert fastest. Servicing and installation campaigns can be tempered slightly to preserve spend. This single structural change typically extends campaign visibility across the full month, reduces wasted clicks by 20–30%, and ensures you are still showing up on the 28th of January when your competitors have already gone dark.
Tip #2 My Google Ads dashboard shows 200 clicks but my phone barely rang — what is actually going on?
This is a conversion tracking blind spot and it is costing Australian HVAC businesses thousands in wasted ad spend every month. Here is the reality: HVAC customers do not fill out forms. They call. When someone’s aircon breaks down at 6pm on a 38-degree Melbourne evening, they are not typing into a contact form — they are tapping your phone number directly from the ad or the Google Maps listing. If your Google Ads account is only tracking form submissions as conversions, Google’s algorithm has almost zero data to learn from. It genuinely does not know which clicks are turning into booked jobs, so it cannot optimise toward them.
The solution is call conversion tracking — specifically, Google’s native call tracking through Google Ads, set up with a minimum call duration of 60 seconds to filter out misdials. Once call conversions are feeding into the algorithm, your bidding strategy has real, meaningful data to work with. Campaigns shift from guessing to genuinely optimising toward the actions that actually generate revenue. Most HVAC operators who implement this see measurable CPA improvement within 30–45 days.
