President: Ed Lehr

Annual Cost: Approximately $40,000

Owner’s Goals: We want customers to see we have the services they’re looking for, and we’re the company they want to deal with so they go ahead and contact us. The thing I like most about the site is it’s easy for customers to use. Additionally, the metrics today are showing our website is a great way for contacts to generate leads.

Professional Opinion: Overall score: 96

I’d give jacklehr.com a 96 out of 100. The site is very well optimized — among the best we’ve tested for Net Results. It’s also easily accessible, no matter what type of device a visitor is using, and it’s very content-rich with content added on a continual basis via the site’s blog. The site earns big points for identity and trust for having all the information you’d expect to find where you’d expect to find it, including trust-builders above the fold as well as the MasterCard and Visa logos. The only adjustments I’d recommend would be to add a picture or two of the truck to the homepage of the site and to put pictures of the staff on the About page.

For findability, JackLehr.com earns a 99. Using a third-party keyword-tracking service, I reviewed the website’s organic visibility for nearly 2,000 keywords. The site ranks No. 1 20 percent of the time and appeared on the first page 76 percent of the time. This makes JackLehr.com among the best sites we’ve reviewed as part of Net Results.

I would give jacklehr.com a 95 for accessibility and content. In order to earn high scores for Accessibility & Content, an HVAC company must have a website that is mobile-ready, quick to load, and filled with unique and compelling content. Jacklehr.com earns high marks for having a responsive, mobile-friendly design that automatically adjusts based on the device being used.

While most HVAC companies have fewer than 50 pages, the top sites in the industry typically have more than 100. Jacklehr.com boasts more than 300 pages with great content throughout. All the key information is where you’d expect to find it, and there’s a contact form on the homepage and nearly every other page of the site. The only place the site loses points is for its site speed. Unfortunately, slower site speed is one of the typical drawbacks of using a responsive design.

Jacklehr.com receives an identity and trust score of 95. Online, everyone has attention deficit disorder. Savvy HVACR contractors know that, when it comes to converting website visitors into leads and appointments, every second counts. They have to work hard to quickly establish identity and trust so consumers feel comfortable enough to pick up the phone or fill out a website contact form. Jacklehr.com does this by putting information where you expect to find it and by placing multiple trust-builders at the top of their website. The site includes the MasterCard, Visa, and Discover card logos right next to the company’s phone number. The site also includes Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Readers’ Choice Awards in its homepage banner. It also offers locally tagged testimonials throughout the site and its license number in the footer along with contact info.

— Ben Landers, president and CEO, Blue Corona

Publication date: 3/17/2014 

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!