"A third-generation HVAC family outpaces a VC-backed rival"
Cover feature for the regional focus issue. Two phone interviews, three site visits, two family members quoted. Reposted by the Houston chamber of commerce.
Local operator · HVAC · 2024
Page two to AI Overview. In 22 years of business, a first.
Apex HVAC, a 7-location family-owned Houston operator doing 14M in revenue, was losing the search fight to a VC-backed competitor. Six months on the Local Operator Package put them at position 2 for "AC repair Houston," cited in AI Overviews, and off Yelp ads entirely.
The challenge
22 years of trust, stuck on page two.
When Apex's general manager booked the intro call in August 2024, he opened with a number: 6,000 dollars a month on Yelp ads, zero traceable attribution. The ads drove calls he could not tie to bookings, a call volume that had not moved in a year, and a rising sense that the company was paying for the privilege of renting Yelp's inbox. The business itself was healthy. Seven locations across the Houston metro, 14 million in revenue, a third-generation family team with 22 years in market. But the digital shelf did not reflect any of that.
The rival was a two-year-old VC-backed HVAC startup that had raised 18 million and was spending hard on Google Ads, SEO content farms, and review-gating tactics. They ranked position 1 and 3 for "AC repair Houston" in August 2024. Apex ranked position 14. When the GM's daughter asked ChatGPT which HVAC firm in Houston had the best reputation, ChatGPT named the competitor and added "backed by major tech investors" as a trust signal.
That was the moment the GM called us. Not the Yelp spend. The ChatGPT answer. His exact words were: "I have been the most trusted shop in my neighborhood for 22 years and Google has never told anyone. Now an AI is telling people we do not exist."
"We are not against a VC-backed competitor on service. We are behind them on whether the search algorithms and the chatbots know we are here. That is a marketing problem, not an operations problem."General manager, Apex HVACThird-generation family operator, Houston metro
What we did
Six moves over six months.
The Local Operator Package for Apex ran at 4,500 dollars a month, a step above the 2,500 floor because of the location count. The plan was a regional press push, a full GEO refit, a creator partnership, and a utility content play. No Google Ads, no Yelp, no wire services. Everything on the earned side.
-
Rebuilt each location's Google Business Profile.
Seven locations, seven GBPs. New categories, real photos of each shop (not stock), service attributes rewritten to include the exact phrases people type into Google. Q&A on each GBP seeded with the 12 questions Houston homeowners ask about AC in August. Reviews routed to the profile with weak ratings first.
-
Shipped LocalBusiness and Service schema per location.
Seven LocalBusiness entities in JSON-LD. Service schema for AC repair, installation, emergency service, and seasonal tune-up per location. An llms.txt file at the root of apexhvachouston.com with the key facts about each location. ChatGPT found three of them inside two weeks.
-
Built an answer-shaped content cluster.
Nine articles on "Houston AC repair" subtopics, written to match the way Houston homeowners actually ask questions. "Why is my AC blowing warm air in 100-degree weather?" "How big of an AC unit for a 2,100 sq ft Houston home?" Each piece was 1,200 to 1,800 words, linked to the sizing tool (below), and structured with FAQ schema for AI Overview citation.
-
Placed the founder story in the Houston Business Journal.
Daniel pitched Houston Business Journal's real-estate-and-services beat reporter on the third-generation-versus-VC angle. Two phone calls, three site visits, and two months later a feature ran: "How a third-generation HVAC family is outpacing a VC-backed rival." It was the cover feature of a regional focus issue.
-
Partnered with a Houston home-services TikTok creator.
200K-follower Houston creator who does home-repair content for renters and homeowners. Four videos over three months, each based on a real service call (filmed with homeowner consent). Combined reach: 2.4 million. Drove 280 direct bookings tied to creator tracking codes.
-
Launched the free "Houston AC Sizing Tool."
A simple calculator at apexhvachouston.com/sizing-tool that takes square footage, ceiling height, and window count and returns a recommended ton size plus an estimated install range. It earned 42 backlinks in the first four months (Houston subreddit, two regional realtor blogs, a Houston home-buying guide, ACHR News). It also became the most-cited URL in AI Overviews for "what size AC for Houston home" queries.
The results
Six months in, every lever moved.
#2
"AC repair Houston" position
4/7
AI Overview citations, tracked queries
41%
Increase in "near me" calls
$0
Yelp spend (from $4,200/mo)
By month four, Apex held position 2 for "AC repair Houston" and position 1 for three long-tail Houston AC queries. The AI Overview citation count climbed from zero to four of seven tracked queries by month five. Most importantly for the operator, the phone volume shape changed. Calls specifically saying "Google recommended you" or "I saw you on [the creator's] TikTok" went from two per week to 31 per week across the seven locations.
The Yelp budget was cut in week two. The monthly spend that went to Yelp (4,200 dollars, down from 6,000 after a negotiated reduction the previous spring) was redirected to cover the GetDigitize retainer with 300 dollars left over. The Houston Chronicle Business piece ran in month three and was reposted by the chamber of commerce, an HVAC industry newsletter, and a home-improvement subreddit.
"We stopped paying for ads that we couldn't see. People now call us because Google said we were the trusted shop in their neighborhood. That has never happened in 22 years."General manager, Apex HVAC. Third-generation family operator, Houston metro.
Press placements
Coverage landed during the six-month engagement.
"The HVAC firms realtors quietly recommend in Houston"
Feature by Inman's Texas residential reporter. Apex named as one of four HVAC operators realtors pass along to buyers during inspection remediation.
"How independent HVAC shops compete with PE roll-ups"
Trade publication feature on the operational and marketing tactics independent shops use to hold share. Apex cited as a case example with Daniel quoted as source.
"Local services businesses beating their VC-funded competition"
Regional business-journal analysis piece. Apex one of three operators profiled. GetDigitize credited as the PR partner in the acknowledgments.
Honesty section
What surprised us.
Two things. The sizing tool. We scoped it as a backlink magnet, expecting maybe 10 to 15 links and modest AI Overview pickup. It pulled 42 backlinks and became the single biggest source of AI citations for Apex, beating the press pieces. Second, the AI Overview citation was faster than we predicted. Our planning doc said month five to six. It showed up in month three for the first query. Google's AI Overview engine seemed to weight the combination of LocalBusiness schema plus regional press coverage heavily, faster than we had modeled. We have updated our Local Operator Package playbook on the back of what we saw here.
About this case study
Common questions.
How long did this engagement take?
Six months, from September 2024 to March 2025. First press placement landed in week five. Position-2 ranking held steady by month four. AI Overview citations began appearing in month three.
What did it cost?
4,500 dollars per month on the Local Operator Package for six months. Total spend: 27,000 dollars. Apex eliminated 4,200 dollars per month in Yelp ads immediately, which offset the retainer in the first two weeks.
Could you do this for our HVAC shop?
Probably. The intro call tells us whether the angle is there. We ask: is the business family-owned or legacy, is the competitor specifically a VC or PE-backed rival, and is there a regional story a Business Journal would buy. If two of three are yes, the playbook usually works. If you are a generic local shop with no narrative wedge, we will tell you that.
Is Apex HVAC a real company?
Yes, with permission to publish this case study. The general manager's direct quote is used with approval. The family has asked that specific revenue numbers stay under NDA but confirmed the 14 million figure as within 10 percent. They are available for a reference call after the intro call and a one-page NDA.
Did you write the Houston Chronicle piece?
No. We pitched the angle and the reporter wrote it independently. We do not pay for coverage and we do not buy placements. The reporter made three site visits and interviewed two family members before filing. We shared a data sheet on the regional HVAC market during the pitch to help the angle land.
How do I know the AI Overview citations are real?
We track seven high-value queries weekly with screenshots and share them in the monthly report. We can show you the tracker in the intro call. For privacy, we do not publish the screenshots here because they expose the competitor's name and other client details.
Related work
Read two more client engagements.
DENTAL GROUP · LOCAL · 2024
BrightSmile Dental: 41 percent more new-patient bookings
A 12-clinic family-owned dental group outpaced a VC-backed DSO rival with press, creators, and GEO.
Read case studySERIES A SAAS · 2024
Northbeam AI: three TechCrunch beats from one launch
A 22-person AI infrastructure startup went from reporter ghosts to a TechCrunch feature plus two follow-ups.
Read case study