Local SEO for Plumbing and HVAC Contractors in Louisiana: The Playbook
This playbook is for the people who run a plumbing, heating or air-conditioning company in Louisiana. It shows what homeowners type into Google, which Google Business Profile category and service area to set, the schema code for the trade, and a checklist you can finish in a month. If you do only one thing, do this first: claim your Google Business Profile, set the primary category to "Plumber" (or "HVAC Contractor" if heating and cooling is most of your work), and set the service area to the parishes you actually drive to. This trade travels to the customer, so the service area matters as much as the address.
Quick answers
- Primary Google Business Profile category
- Plumber for a plumbing-led company (343,991 listings nationally; 171 of 180 real competitors in our Louisiana samples). HVAC Contractor if heating and cooling is most of your work.
- Top keyword pattern
- "plumber {city}", for example "plumber new orleans" at 1,000 to 5,000 searches a month.
- Statewide count and 5-year trend
- 1,623 plumbing and HVAC contractors in 2023, up 156 (11%) from 1,467 in 2018.
- Most crowded metro
- Slidell, at 5.4 contractors per 10,000 residents. New Orleans has the most contractors (358).
- Schema type
- Plumber, or HVACBusiness for a heating and cooling company (both under LocalBusiness on schema.org).
Market snapshot
The Census counted 1,623 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in Louisiana in 2023 (NAICS code 238220, one bucket for both trades). That is 3.5 contractors for every 10,000 residents. Five years earlier there were 1,467, so the state added 156, an 11% rise.
Density, contractors per 10,000 residents, is the fairest way to compare metros. New Orleans has the most contractors, but Slidell and Lafayette are the most crowded per resident, and Baton Rouge, second by count, is the least crowded. Where the Census withheld a parish's 2018 figure (it publishes nothing for fewer than 3 contractors), the trend is a range.
| Metro area | Plumbing & HVAC contractors (2023) | Per 10,000 residents | Density rank (of 10) | Change since 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slidell | 146 | 5.4 | #1 | +25 (+21%) |
| Lafayette | 172 | 4.2 | #2 | +40 (+30%) |
| Alexandria | 60 | 4.0 | #3 | +7 (+13%) |
| Houma | 79 | 3.9 | #4 | +12 (+18%) |
| Lake Charles | 94 | 3.8 | #5 | +10 (+12%) |
| Shreveport | 149 | 3.8 | #5 | +9 (+6%) |
| New Orleans | 358 | 3.6 | #7 | +18 (+5%) |
| Hammond | 45 | 3.3 | #8 | +7 (+18%) |
| Monroe | 74 | 3.3 | #8 | -1 (-1%) |
| Baton Rouge | 282 | 3.2 | #10 | +14 to +18 |
Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023 and 2018. Metro trends sum the metro's current parishes in both years.
All 64 Louisiana parishes ranked by density of plumbing and HVAC contractors
52 of 64 parishes have published counts; the rest had fewer than 3 establishments and are listed at the bottom without a rank.
| Rank | Parish | Plumbing & HVAC contractors | Per 10,000 | Change since 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cameron Parish | 4 | 7.7 | 0 (no change) |
| #2 | St. Bernard Parish | 25 | 5.7 | 0 (no change) |
| #3 | Jefferson Parish | 240 | 5.5 | +19 (+9%) |
| #4 | St. Charles Parish | 28 | 5.4 | 0 (no change) |
| #4 | St. Tammany Parish | 146 | 5.4 | +25 (+21%) |
| #6 | Livingston Parish | 69 | 4.7 | +3 (+5%) |
| #7 | Lafayette Parish | 112 | 4.6 | +29 (+35%) |
| #8 | Richland Parish | 9 | 4.5 | +4 (+80%) |
| #9 | Plaquemines Parish | 10 | 4.3 | -2 (-17%) |
| #10 | Jefferson Davis Parish | 13 | 4.1 | +1 (+8%) |
| #10 | Terrebonne Parish | 44 | 4.1 | +10 (+29%) |
| #12 | Acadia Parish | 23 | 4.0 | +7 (+44%) |
| #12 | Caddo Parish | 94 | 4.0 | +4 (+4%) |
| #12 | Rapides Parish | 52 | 4.0 | +4 (+8%) |
| #15 | St. Landry Parish | 31 | 3.8 | +6 (+24%) |
| #16 | Calcasieu Parish | 77 | 3.7 | +9 (+13%) |
| #16 | St. Helena Parish | 4 | 3.7 | +2 to +4 |
| #16 | Vermilion Parish | 21 | 3.7 | +3 (+17%) |
| #19 | Avoyelles Parish | 14 | 3.6 | +3 (+27%) |
| #19 | Bossier Parish | 46 | 3.6 | +4 (+10%) |
| #19 | Grant Parish | 8 | 3.6 | +3 (+60%) |
| #19 | Lafourche Parish | 35 | 3.6 | +2 (+6%) |
| #23 | Pointe Coupee Parish | 7 | 3.4 | +3 (+75%) |
| #24 | De Soto Parish | 9 | 3.3 | +1 (+13%) |
| #24 | Lincoln Parish | 16 | 3.3 | -1 (-6%) |
| #24 | Ouachita Parish | 53 | 3.3 | -7 (-12%) |
| #24 | Tangipahoa Parish | 45 | 3.3 | +7 (+18%) |
| #28 | St. Martin Parish | 16 | 3.1 | +1 (+7%) |
| #29 | Ascension Parish | 39 | 3.0 | +5 (+15%) |
| #29 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 137 | 3.0 | +1 (+1%) |
| #29 | Iberia Parish | 21 | 3.0 | 0 (no change) |
| #32 | Assumption Parish | 6 | 2.9 | +1 (+20%) |
| #32 | St. Mary Parish | 14 | 2.9 | +1 (+8%) |
| #32 | Union Parish | 6 | 2.9 | +2 (+50%) |
| #35 | Webster Parish | 10 | 2.8 | +1 (+11%) |
| #36 | LaSalle Parish | 4 | 2.7 | +1 (+33%) |
| #36 | Sabine Parish | 6 | 2.7 | +1 (+20%) |
| #38 | Evangeline Parish | 8 | 2.5 | +2 (+33%) |
| #38 | West Baton Rouge Parish | 7 | 2.5 | -1 (-12%) |
| #40 | Morehouse Parish | 6 | 2.4 | 0 (no change) |
| #40 | Natchitoches Parish | 9 | 2.4 | 0 (no change) |
| #40 | St. John the Baptist Parish | 10 | 2.4 | +1 (+11%) |
| #43 | East Feliciana Parish | 4 | 2.1 | 0 (no change) |
| #44 | Iberville Parish | 6 | 2.0 | -1 (-14%) |
| #44 | Jackson Parish | 3 | 2.0 | 0 (no change) |
| #44 | St. James Parish | 4 | 2.0 | +1 (+33%) |
| #44 | West Feliciana Parish | 3 | 2.0 | +1 to +3 |
| #48 | Franklin Parish | 3 | 1.5 | 0 (no change) |
| #49 | Beauregard Parish | 5 | 1.4 | -1 (-17%) |
| #50 | Orleans Parish | 41 | 1.1 | -1 (-2%) |
| #50 | Washington Parish | 5 | 1.1 | +2 (+67%) |
| #52 | Vernon Parish | 4 | 0.8 | -2 (-33%) |
| — | Allen Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Bienville Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Caldwell Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Catahoula Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Claiborne Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Concordia Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | East Carroll Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Madison Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Red River Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Tensas Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | West Carroll Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Winn Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
Search intent map
Intent is the reason behind a search, and it decides which page on your site should show up. Our national keyword file for this trade holds 558 keywords, which Google labels commercial (227), informational (209), transactional (68) or navigational (54), sorted into the five groups below. "Urgent" is our own split: keywords from someone standing in water or sweating in a hot house today.
A note on what we left out. Sixty-four keywords are about car air conditioning ("car ac repair" alone is 5,000 plus searches a month ), pulled in by the seed "ac repair". Dozens more are brands and retailers (Rheem, Lennox, Trane, Home Depot), careers ("plumber salary"), other states' cities, and dictionary lookups. None of that belongs in a keyword plan; the examples below are ones a Louisiana contractor can win.
| Group | What the searcher wants | Example keywords (US monthly band) | Page that should answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent | A truck today, from someone answering the phone now | "24 hour plumber near me" 5,000 plus; "ac repair near me open now" 100 to 500; "24-hour heating and air conditioning repair near me" 100 to 500; "same day water heater installation" 100 to 500; "emergency plumber baton rouge" 50 to 100 | Emergency page with the phone number at the top, plus accurate hours (including "open 24 hours" if true) on your Google Business Profile |
| Service plus place | A plumber or AC company in a specific city | "plumber new orleans" 1,000 to 5,000; "plumber baton rouge" 1,000 to 5,000; "plumber lafayette la" 1,000 to 5,000; "ac repair new orleans" 500 to 1,000; "hvac repair new orleans" 50 to 100 | Home page (one service area) or the service-area page for that city |
| Comparison | To pick the right one, not just any one | "best plumber near me" 5,000 plus; "cheap plumber near me" 5,000 plus; "best ac repair near me" 1,000 to 5,000; "plumbers near me small jobs" 1,000 to 5,000; "family owned hvac companies near me" 100 to 500 | Reviews page and about page with real technicians and license numbers, backed by your Google reviews |
| Cost | A number before they call | "water heater replacement cost" 5,000 plus; "tankless water heater installation cost" 5,000 plus; "water heater installation cost" 5,000 plus; "ac repair cost" 5,000 plus; "hvac replacement cost" 5,000 plus; "plumber rates per hour" 1,000 to 5,000 | A pricing section on each service page with your service-call fee and a real range |
| Informational | To understand the job or the rules | "hvac maintenance checklist" 1,000 to 5,000; "water heater connection diagram" 1,000 to 5,000; "does homeowners insurance cover slab leak repair" 100 to 500; "tankless water heater installation requirements" 100 to 500; "electric water heater installation code requirements" 50 to 100 | Blog posts and an FAQ on the matching service page |
Google Ads data via DataForSEO.
Three things stand out. First, the cost group is led by water heaters, and Google labels most of those terms informational: searchers want an honest range, not a pitch. Second, "emergency" terms are small; the urgent searcher types "24 hour" or "open now", which Google answers from your Business Profile hours, not your website. Third, AC demand is seasonal. National "ac repair" peaks in June and July, and June 2025 was six times December 2025; "ac repair new orleans" peaks in July.
Keyword patterns with volume ranges
Google Ads reports search volume for the whole United States, not for a city, so the "metro volume" for a pattern is the US monthly volume of the city-modified keyword, for example "plumber baton rouge". Google lumps word-order variants together, so each concept appears once and is never added up. For Lafayette, Monroe, Alexandria and Hammond, names shared with other states, we use the "{service} {city} la" form: "plumber alexandria" is 1,000 to 5,000 a month but "plumber alexandria la" is 100 to 500, and the difference is Virginia.
Volumes are bands. Under 50 means Google reports a tiny figure; "no volume reported" means it returned none, as it did for every "water heater installation {city}" and "{service} cost {city}" term. Metros run left to right by contractor count.
| Pattern | Filled example | National | New Orleans | Baton Rouge | Lafayette | Shreveport | Slidell | Lake Charles | Houma | Monroe | Alexandria | Hammond |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {service} near me | plumber near me | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| plumber {city} | plumber new orleans | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 100 to 500 | 500 to 1,000 | no volume reported | 500 to 1,000 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | |
| ac repair {city} | ac repair baton rouge | 500 to 1,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | |
| hvac repair {city} | hvac repair new orleans | 50 to 100 | under 50 | no volume reported | under 50 | under 50 | no volume reported | no volume reported | under 50 | under 50 | no volume reported | |
| plumbing services {city} | plumbing services new orleans | 50 to 100 | under 50 | under 50 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| water heater installation {city} | water heater installation baton rouge | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| emergency plumber {city} | emergency plumber baton rouge | under 50 | 50 to 100 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| emergency ac repair {city} | emergency ac repair new orleans | under 50 | under 50 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| best {service} {city} | best plumber new orleans | 50 to 100 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| {service} cost {city} | plumber cost baton rouge | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| 24 hour {service} near me | 24 hour plumber near me | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| {service} near me open now | ac repair near me open now | 100 to 500 | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| {service} cost | water heater replacement cost | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| best or cheap {service} near me | cheap plumber near me | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| {service} near me free estimate | plumber near me free estimate | 1,000 to 5,000 | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
Google Ads data via DataForSEO.
Two head terms carry nearly all the city-specific demand: "plumber {city}" and "ac repair {city}". Everything else with a city name sits under 100 or reports no volume. The "near me" and "24 hour" patterns are far larger, but a complete Business Profile wins them, not a page called "plumber near me". Generate the full list for your city with the keyword pattern tool.
What the local pack looks like
The local pack is the map with three businesses that Google shows above the normal results. We pulled the top 20 Google Maps results for "plumber" in all 10 metros (200 listings) and kept only real competitors: primary category Plumber, HVAC Contractor, Air Conditioning Contractor, Air Conditioning Repair Service, Heating Contractor or Furnace Repair Service. That dropped 20 off-category rows, nine of them plumbing supply stores, and left 180, of which 171 use "Plumber". Only 134 of 180 are claimed and 119 have a website; the median listing has 48.5 reviews and a 4.9 rating.
| Metro | Real competitors (of 20) | Primary category "Plumber" | Other primaries seen | Claimed | With website | Median reviews | Median rating | Off-category rows dropped |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 18 | 17 of 18 | Air conditioning repair service | 14 of 18 | 14 of 18 | 30 | 4.65 | 2 (general contractor, supply store) |
| Baton Rouge | 19 | 19 of 19 | none | 12 of 19 | 12 of 19 | 44.5 | 4.95 | 1 (trade association) |
| Lafayette | 18 | 18 of 18 | none | 17 of 18 | 16 of 18 | 172 | 4.9 | 2 (handyman, water damage restoration) |
| Shreveport | 20 | 20 of 20 | none | 19 of 20 | 18 of 20 | 136.5 | 4.85 | 0 |
| Slidell | 20 | 18 of 20 | HVAC contractor (2) | 14 of 20 | 13 of 20 | 61 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Lake Charles | 19 | 19 of 19 | none | 13 of 19 | 10 of 19 | 45 | 4.8 | 1 (supply store) |
| Houma | 19 | 17 of 19 | HVAC contractor, Air conditioning repair service | 13 of 19 | 11 of 19 | 29 | 4.9 | 1 (supply store) |
| Monroe | 13 | 12 of 13 | Air conditioning contractor | 9 of 13 | 7 of 13 | 42 | 4.8 | 7 (3 supply stores, wholesaler, hardware store, bathroom remodeler, fire damage restoration) |
| Alexandria | 17 | 16 of 17 | HVAC contractor | 11 of 17 | 9 of 17 | 36 | 4.8 | 3 (2 supply stores, blank-category duplicate) |
| Hammond | 17 | 15 of 17 | HVAC contractor, Air conditioning repair service | 12 of 17 | 9 of 17 | 23 | 4.9 | 3 (supply store, wholesaler, septic service) |
Medians exclude the 14 listings with no reviews yet. Source: Google Maps results for "plumber", September 2026.
Lafayette and Shreveport are the hard packs, with medians well over 100 reviews. The other eight are soft: Baton Rouge has seven unclaimed listings in its top 20, Alexandria's top three are unclaimed with no website, and the median is under 50 reviews in seven metros, so finishing the profile and gathering 50 reviews puts you above the middle.
Google Business Profile categories
Your Google Business Profile (the free listing that powers the map) needs one primary category and up to nine secondaries. The primary is the strongest single ranking signal you control.
Primary: Plumber for a plumbing-led company: 343,991 listings use it nationally, and so do 171 of the 180 real competitors ranking for "plumber" in Louisiana. Primary: HVAC Contractor for a company that is mainly heating and cooling; it is the primary on five sample listings and a secondary on 26. Nationally, HVAC Contractor is on 198,865 listings, Air Conditioning Contractor on 154,792, Air Conditioning Repair Service on 150,122 and Heating Contractor on 159,450. A combined company picks the primary matching most of its revenue and lists the other trade first among the secondaries; never open a second listing at the same address.
Secondary picks, in this order, only where the company truly offers the service:
- HVAC Contractor, Air Conditioning Contractor and Air Conditioning Repair Service (26, 25 and 24 of 180) for a plumber who also does AC, or Plumber for an HVAC company.
- Drainage Service (43 of 180, the most common secondary) if you clear drains and sewer lines.
- Heating Contractor (22) and Furnace Repair Service (18) if you service heat.
- Gasfitter (12) or Gas Installation Service (9) if you hold the gas endorsement.
Google has no exact category for water heater installation. The closest match is Hot Water System Supplier (10 of 180); it sounds like a store, but top listings carry it, so add it fifth if water heaters are a named service.
Do not use: Plumbing Supply Store (72,556 nationally; 9 of the 20 rows we dropped), "Plumbing" (a leftover category on 334 listings), Wholesaler, Hardware Store, Mechanical Contractor (36,032), Auto Air Conditioning Service (55,620, a car-shop category), and Bathroom Remodeler or Handyman as a primary.
Schema templates
Schema is code on your website that tells Google what kind of business the page describes. The schema.org type for a plumbing company is Plumber and for a heating and cooling company HVACBusiness, both under HomeAndConstructionBusiness and LocalBusiness. A company doing both lists both, as here: "@type": ["Plumber", "HVACBusiness"]. Generate yours with the schema tool.
Block 1, the site graph, links business, logo, website, page and FAQ by @id; it goes on every page with the WebPage entity swapped for that page. Block 2, a Service block naming the business as provider, goes on each service page, water heaters first.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": ["Plumber", "HVACBusiness"],
"@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#organization",
"name": "Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air",
"url": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/",
"description": "Plumbing and heating and cooling company in New Orleans, Louisiana, for plumbing repair, drain cleaning, water heaters, AC repair and replacement, and heating repair.",
"telephone": "+1-504-555-0142",
"priceRange": "$$",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/bayoucomfortplumbing",
"https://www.instagram.com/bayoucomfortplumbing",
"https://maps.google.com/?cid=0000000000000000000"
],
"logo": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#logo" },
"image": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#logo" },
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "3200 Elysian Fields Ave",
"addressLocality": "New Orleans",
"addressRegion": "LA",
"postalCode": "70122",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 29.9511, "longitude": -90.0715 },
"areaServed": [
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Orleans Parish, LA" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Jefferson Parish, LA" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "St. Bernard Parish, LA" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "St. Charles Parish, LA" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "St. Tammany Parish, LA" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "St. John the Baptist Parish, LA" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Plaquemines Parish, LA" }
],
"openingHoursSpecification": [
{
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
"opens": "07:00",
"closes": "18:00"
},
{ "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification", "dayOfWeek": "Saturday", "opens": "08:00", "closes": "12:00" }
],
"contactPoint": [{ "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-504-555-0142", "contactType": "customer support" }]
},
{
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#logo",
"url": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/images/logo.png",
"contentUrl": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/images/logo.png",
"caption": "Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"width": "1200",
"height": "400"
},
{
"@type": "WebSite",
"@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#website",
"url": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/",
"name": "Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air",
"publisher": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#organization" },
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
{
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#webpage",
"url": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/",
"name": "Plumber in New Orleans, LA | Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air",
"datePublished": "2026-01-15T09:00:00+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-01T09:00:00+00:00",
"about": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#organization" },
"isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#website" },
"primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#logo" },
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#faq",
"isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#webpage" },
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What GBP category should a plumbing or HVAC contractor use?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Use \"Plumber\" as the primary if plumbing is most of your work and \"HVAC Contractor\" if heating and cooling is, with the other trade first among the secondaries."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Does a plumber or HVAC company need schema?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "It is not required to rank, but the Plumber or HVACBusiness type gives Google your name, address, phone, hours and the parishes you serve."
}
}
]
}
]
}{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Water Heater Installation",
"description": "Tank and tankless water heater installation and replacement across the New Orleans area, with the service-call fee and a price range on the page.",
"provider": {
"@type": ["Plumber", "HVACBusiness"],
"@id": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/#organization",
"name": "Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air"
},
"areaServed": [{ "@type": "City", "name": "New Orleans, LA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Metairie, LA" }],
"serviceType": "Water Heater Installation",
"url": "https://www.bayoucomfortplumbing.example/services/water-heater-installation/"
}Three fields matter most. areaServed is the one this trade gets wrong: list only the parishes you dispatch to, matching your Business Profile service area. Name, address and phone must match the listing character for character; if you hide the address on Google, drop streetAddress and keep city and postal code. Geo should be your shop, not the example's New Orleans city-center point, and hours must match the listing.
Website structure
A plumbing or HVAC site needs one page for each thing a homeowner searches for, with a title that says what the page is and where it is; the title tag is Google's blue link, so make it a plain answer.
One page per core service. Plumbing repair, drain cleaning, water heater installation, AC repair and replacement, and heating repair. Title pattern: "Water Heater Installation in Baton Rouge | Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air". Each page carries your service-call fee and a price range.
One service-area page, not a stack of city pages. A "location page" per town with nothing but a swapped city name is thin content Google discounts. Build one page listing every parish you cover, matching your Business Profile service area. Title pattern: "Plumber Serving Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany Parishes | Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air". Add a city page only where you have a second shop or crew. The home page should rank for "plumber {city}", the biggest local term in section 5.
An about page with real technicians and license numbers. Comparison searchers want faces, years in business, and your state board license number. Title: "Meet Our Plumbers and Technicians | Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air".
A reviews page. Show your Google reviews and link to the listing so the next review lands there. Title: "Customer Reviews | Bayou Comfort Plumbing & Air".
A short blog or FAQ. Ten posts answering the informational keywords in section 4 bring in people a season before they call.
Emergency page with the phone number first. The urgent group reads nothing: number, hours, after-hours parishes and "call now", all at the top.
Step-by-step checklist
Google Business Profile
- Claim and verify the listing at business.google.com (46 of 180 sampled competitors are unclaimed).
- Set the primary category to "Plumber" or "HVAC Contractor" and add two to four secondaries from section 7.
- Set the service area to your parishes; hide the address if you have no walk-in office.
- Enter hours as the phones are answered; mark "open 24 hours" only if a person really picks up.
- Add at least 10 real photos: trucks, technicians, finished installs.
- List every named service with a starting price.
Website basics
- Put the name, address (or city and zip if the address is hidden on Google), phone and license number in every footer, matching Google exactly.
- Make the phone number a tap-to-call link on mobile.
- Set a title tag on every page using the patterns in section 9.
- Add the Plumber or HVACBusiness schema block with areaServed to the home page.
- Run PageSpeed Insights and fix anything red on mobile.
Reviews
- Have every technician ask for a Google review at the end of the job.
- Reply to every review within a week, without arguing.
- Beat the median top-20 review count in your metro (section 6).
Citations (listings on other directories)
- Check Yelp, Angi, HomeAdvisor, Nextdoor, the Better Business Bureau, Apple Maps and Bing Places.
- Use the same name, address (or city and zip), phone and service area everywhere.
- Confirm your license shows as active on the state board lookup.
Content
- Rewrite one service page per month, starting with water heaters and AC repair.
- Add a service-call fee and price range to each service page.
- Publish the AC pages by April, before the June and July peak.
- Publish one FAQ or blog post per month from section 4.
Tracking
- Connect the site to Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
- Use a tracking number on the Google listing to count map calls.
- Record calls, direction requests and website clicks monthly from the Business Profile report.
- Each quarter, search "plumber {your city}" from a phone and note the map pack.
Metro notes
New Orleans. 358 contractors, 3.6 per 10,000, up 18 (5%) since 2018; Jefferson Parish holds 240 of them, Orleans only 41. "Plumber new orleans" runs 1,000 to 5,000 a month and "ac repair new orleans" 500 to 1,000. The pack is soft: 14 of 18 real competitors claimed and a median of 30 reviews. New Orleans data and New Orleans keywords.
Baton Rouge. 282 contractors at 3.2 per 10,000, the least crowded metro; the trend is a range (+14 to +18) because two small parishes were withheld in 2018. "Plumber baton rouge" is 1,000 to 5,000 a month, "ac repair baton rouge" 500 to 1,000, and "emergency plumber baton rouge" is the biggest emergency term in this trade at 50 to 100. Seven of 19 real competitors are unclaimed. Baton Rouge data and Baton Rouge keywords.
Lafayette. 172 contractors at 4.2 per 10,000, second densest and fastest growing, up 40 (30%) since 2018. "Plumber lafayette la" is 1,000 to 5,000 a month. The hardest pack in the state: 17 of 18 claimed and a median of 172 reviews. Lafayette data and Lafayette keywords.
Shreveport. 149 contractors at 3.8 per 10,000, up 9 (6%) since 2018. "Plumber shreveport" is 1,000 to 5,000 a month. All 20 top results are real plumbers, 19 claimed, with a median of 136.5 reviews. Shreveport data and Shreveport keywords.
Slidell. 146 contractors at 5.4 per 10,000, the densest metro, up 25 (21%) since 2018. "Plumber slidell" is 100 to 500 a month. Two of the top 20 use "HVAC Contractor" as primary, but six are unclaimed and the median is 61 reviews. Slidell data and Slidell keywords.
Lake Charles. 94 contractors at 3.8 per 10,000, up 10 (12%) since 2018. "Plumber lake charles" is 500 to 1,000 a month. Only 10 of 19 real competitors have a website, the lowest share anywhere. Lake Charles data and Lake Charles keywords.
Houma. 79 contractors at 3.9 per 10,000, up 12 (18%) since 2018. "Plumber houma" reports no volume; "ac repair houma" is 100 to 500 a month. The median listing has 29 reviews, but the review leader has 4,605. Houma data and Houma keywords.
Monroe. 74 contractors at 3.3 per 10,000, the only metro that shrank, down 1 since 2018. "Plumber monroe la" is 500 to 1,000 a month. The loosest pack in the state: seven of the top 20 are off-category, leaving 13 real competitors, 9 of them claimed. Monroe data and Monroe keywords.
Alexandria. 60 contractors at 4.0 per 10,000, third densest, up 7 (13%) since 2018. "Plumber alexandria la" is 100 to 500 a month. The top three map results are unclaimed with no website. Alexandria data and Alexandria keywords.
Hammond. 45 contractors at 3.3 per 10,000, the smallest metro, up 7 (18%) since 2018. "Plumber hammond la" is 100 to 500 a month. The median listing has 23 reviews, the lowest in the state. Hammond data and Hammond keywords.
FAQ
What GBP category should a plumbing or HVAC contractor use?
Use "Plumber" as the primary if plumbing is most of your work; it is on 343,991 listings nationally and on 171 of the 180 real competitors ranking for "plumber" in our Louisiana samples. Use "HVAC Contractor" if heating and cooling is most of your work, with the other trade first among the secondaries.
Which Louisiana metro has the most plumbing and HVAC contractors?
New Orleans, with 358 contractors in 2023, then Baton Rouge (282) and Lafayette (172). Per resident, Slidell is the most crowded at 5.4 per 10,000 and Baton Rouge the least at 3.2. Statewide there are 1,623 contractors, 3.5 per 10,000 residents, up 11% since 2018.
How many keywords should a plumbing or HVAC contractor target?
Fewer than you think: "plumber {city}" (1,000 to 5,000 searches a month in the four largest metros) and "ac repair {city}" (500 to 1,000 in New Orleans and Baton Rouge) for your main city, one term per service page, and the cost and informational questions as blog posts. For a single-shop company that is 15 to 25 keywords, not hundreds.
Does a plumber or HVAC company need schema?
It is not required to rank, but it is cheap and removes doubt. The Plumber or HVACBusiness type gives Google your name, address, phone, hours and the parishes you serve; the schema tool here generates it in a minute. It cannot fix a listing whose service area or hours disagree with the website, so match those first.
Sources and notes
Business counts: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 2017 code 238220, Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors), with 2018 as the comparison year. Population: American Community Survey 2023. Keyword volumes: Google Ads data via DataForSEO, pulled 2026-09-02, US monthly figures. Keyword and map-pack data cover all 10 metros: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, Slidell, Lake Charles, Houma, Monroe, Alexandria and Hammond. Full method on the methodology page.
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