LOCAL BENCHMARK · SPARSE
HVAC in Duluth, MN.
Every business below was observed on Google Maps for "hvac repair" targeted at Duluth. Review counts, ratings, and ranks are from the IMPIOUS benchmark snapshot (internal benchmark, Apr 2026).
MEDIAN REVIEWS — TOP 3
47
P25 — MIN TO COMPETE
12
AVG RATING — TOP 3
4.95
DENSITY TIER
SPARSE
TOP-3 MEDIAN REFERRING DOMAINS
57
TOP-3 MEDIAN DFS RANK
110
AI MENTIONS — TOP 3 CITED
0 / 3
AI PLATFORMS
none
| # | BUSINESS | REVIEWS | RATING | REF. DOMAINS | AI CITED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northland Air | 47 | 5.0★ | 57 | — |
| 1 | Letourneau Heating & Refrigeration LLC | 1 | 5.0★ | — | — |
| 2 | Krause Heating & Cooling | 89 | 5.0★ | 64 | — |
| 2 | ProTech Heating and Cooling | 0 | 0.0★ | — | — |
| 2 | General Heating and Mechanical Inc. | 12 | 4.5★ | 48 | — |
| 4 | Optimum Energy Group | 109 | 4.8★ | — | — |
| 4 | GB Dyer Vent Cleaning And Air Duct Cleaning Services | 12 | 4.0★ | — | — |
| 4 | Advantage Air Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling | 58 | 4.7★ | — | — |
| 5 | Gartner Refrigeration Company - Duluth | 2 | 5.0★ | — | — |
Market read
Duluth's HVAC market shows a critical gap: the top-3 median review count sits at 47 (internal benchmark, Apr 2026), yet their Google Business Profile completeness averages just 45/100. Review velocity across leaders is 0.67 per month, suggesting slow accumulation despite strong ratings (4.95 average). The market remains SPARSE, with pack entry at 12 reviews. Backlink authority is modest—top-3 median referring domains total 60.5 with median DFS rank 111.5. Notably, ChatGPT named none of Google's top-3 when prompted for "best hvac repair in Duluth, MN," indicating minimal AI visibility. For a p25 player reaching top-3 requires sustained review growth beyond current velocity, profile optimization, and domain authority building. The 25% spam rate among leaders also signals room for differentiation through authentic reputation management.
See "The Review Gap Is Smaller Than Everyone Thinks" for the cross-city pattern and "What the Top-3 Actually Have on Their Backlink Profile" for the backlink + AI-citation breakdown.