Why it matters on an HVAC site
Almost every commercial HVAC query has local intent, which means the pack sits above the organic results for the terms that produce calls. A contractor ranking 2nd organically and absent from the pack is below three competitors on the page that matters.
It changes the shape of the work. Pack position depends on the profile, the reviews and the entity as much as on the website, so a contractor whose whole budget went into the site can be well optimised and still not present.
How to check it yourself
- A rank grid rather than a single position, since pack membership varies across a service area.
- Capture at several times of day, because "open now" affects which businesses are eligible.
- Record which of the five justification types each result shows, since that is Google saying why it picked them.
Worked through in numbers
A contractor ranks 2nd organically for "furnace repair [city]" and reports no calls from it.
A capture of the full result page shows the pack occupying the first screen on mobile, with three competitors in it, and the first organic result appearing after a scroll and a half. The client is not in the pack in 61 of 81 grid cells.
The organic ranking was real and worth very little on that query. The work moved to the profile, and the site work that continued was aimed at queries where the pack does not appear.
Where this sits in the rankings
Scored under Local SEO. The three map results, and the place most HVAC money is decided.