In the competitive landscape of HVAC services, establishing a strong online presence is crucial for attracting customers and staying ahead of the curve. However, the digital realm comes with its own set of challenges, one of which is Google's Possum Filter — a stealthy algorithm that could be silently impacting your business's visibility in local search results.

After recently helping a client navigate through this scary challenge, I felt compelled to share with other HVAC business owners how to do the same. First, you must determine if you are being filtered by Google’s Possum update. Second, you need to do your best to find out why. Third, you need to implement strategies to overcome it or struggle against its digital undertow always sweeping your business out to sea — sorry, I can’t help the surfing or Navy analogies.

Understanding the Possum Filter: Unseen Forces at Play

Google's Possum Filter is like a silent sentinel guarding the gates of local search results. It works by filtering out similar businesses located in close physical proximity to each other, particularly in densely populated areas or business clusters. Examples would be more than one HVAC business in a business park, strip mall, across the street from one another, or even up to a few blocks away. This means that even if your HVAC business is top-notch, it may still be invisible to potential customers searching for generic HVAC-related keywords.

Signs Your Business Might Be Affected

How do you know if your HVAC business is falling victim to the Possum Filter? The signs may not always be obvious. While you might still appear when searching for your business name, you could be missing from broader searches like "HVAC contractor" or "air conditioning contractors." If you're struggling to find your business in these generic searches (not searches for your “business name”) when searching from your business location, chances are the Possum Filter is at play.

The Impact on Your Bottom Line

Being filtered out from local search results can have a significant impact on your business's bottom line. Think about all the potential customers who could be searching for HVAC services in your area but aren't finding you because of the Possum Filter. It's like having a storefront in a bustling neighborhood but being hidden behind a curtain — potential customers simply can't see you.

Why Does Google Employ Possum Filtering?

You might wonder why Google employs such filtering tactics. The answer lies in Google's mission to provide users with the most relevant and diverse search results possible. By filtering out businesses that are too similar and/or too close to each other, Google aims to ensure that users have a variety of options to choose from when searching for local services. Remember Google makes their money by people continuing to use its search engine and clicking on ads. To maintain their dominance of more than 92% of search queries they need to provide the best and most diverse search results to keep us all coming back.

Mitigating the Impact: Strategies for Success

So, how can you ensure that your HVAC business doesn't fall victim to the Possum Filter? It's all about strategic digital marketing. Start by optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) with accurate information, high-quality photos, and positive reviews. Additionally, focus on local GBP ranking and visibility efforts to improve your visibility in organic search results. Diversify your online presence by leveraging social media, directories, and other platforms to reach potential customers. These activities will indicate to Google that you have prominence and relevance over competitors to potential customers searching in your area.

A Real-World Example You Might Face

In a vivid illustration of the impact of Google's Possum filter on local businesses, consider the plight of a new client of mine, an HVAC company whose online visibility had been significantly reduced because of filtering. This client had purchased and relocated their business into the warehouse of a previous HVAC company. The HVAC company that had previously owned the property had been bought out and was no longer in business, but their GBP had remained active with hundreds of reviews.

Despite my client’s active operations, with hundreds upon hundreds of reviews and more coming every day, any potential customers in the immediate area Googling for HVAC services were unable to find them in local search results. Now, they did still show up when someone Googled them by their business name, so referrals would find them, but new customers couldn’t see them. This first image below shows how Google was filtering them: lots of 20+ rankings for their GBP on Google. The second image displays how their GBP’s visibility returned – see the return of green dots with ranking 1 - 7? Ultimately the goal is to work to achieve 1, 2, and 3 rankings throughout your service area — what we are working on now.