When a homeowner’s AC breaks in July, they increasingly ask an AI assistant: “Who’s the best AC repair company near me?” Based on our analysis, 81% of HVAC and plumbing companies are invisible to that question.
What did we find?
The average HVAC/plumbing AI visibility score was 14 out of 100 — a Grade F. This makes it the lowest-scoring industry we’ve examined. These aren’t bad businesses. Many have excellent reputations and decades of history. But their websites have zero AI-specific infrastructure.
Where are the biggest gaps?
89% have no Schema.org markup. 86% have reviews but no machine-readable review data. 94% use generic headings instead of question-format headings. And 67% haven’t published content in over a year.
Why does this matter for service calls?
The highest-value calls increasingly start with an AI query. AI visitors convert at 4.4x the rate of traditional search visitors. These aren’t tire-kickers — they arrive pre-informed and ready to book.
What should HVAC companies do?
Implement LocalBusiness schema, deploy an llms.txt file, restructure headings as questions, add structured review data, and publish monthly content. These changes can move a site from Grade F to Grade B within 30 days. With 81% of competitors scoring F, any company that acts immediately enters the top tier.