Rival Digital
#6 in Plumbing
Home-services growth agency building demand systems around SEO, paid search, and Local Service Ads.
- Founded
- 2015
- HQ
- Chesapeake, VA
- Team
- 6-15
Founder
Meet the founder
Eric Thomas
Founder & CEO
Eric Thomas owns Rival Digital, a full-service digital marketing agency in Chesapeake, VA specializing in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contracting. He hosts the Smart HVAC Marketing Podcast and leads the firm's strategy and client services.
Editorial
Editor’s take
Rival Digital positions itself as a home-services-exclusive agency, building integrated demand systems across SEO, paid search, and Local Service Ads for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and adjacent trades. Their stated focus on predictable revenue and booked jobs — rather than vanity metrics — reflects a outcomes-oriented methodology that spans website design through LSA management. Founder Eric Thomas's published book, *The HOME Advantage*, adds a layer of thought leadership that underscores the agency's deep commitment to the home-services vertical.
What they do
Services
Local Service Ads Management
Runs Google Local Service Ads for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors, handling Google Guaranteed verification, dispute management on mischarged leads, and bid posture across service categories so operators compete for buyer-ready calls without bleeding spend on unqualified clicks.
Organic & Local SEO
Builds out service-area pages, dedicated service pages (AC repair, furnace install, heat pump replacement), Google Business Profile optimization, and link building tuned to the local trade radius rather than national rankings, with the goal of owning the map pack in each franchise or territory a contractor serves.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Manages Google Search, Display, YouTube, and Meta campaigns with the explicit aim of moving contractors off third-party lead aggregators. Campaigns are typically structured around install-grade jobs (system replacements) alongside emergency repair demand.
Website Design & Development
Designs mobile-first, SEO-friendly sites integrated with the software home service companies actually run on — ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Schedule Engine, and Podium — so online booking and review flows connect directly to dispatch rather than sitting as disconnected lead forms.
AI Search Optimization
A newer offering focused on how large language models surface home service businesses in answer engines, building structured content and entity signals intended to make a contractor discoverable when a homeowner asks an AI tool for recommendations.
Digital PR
Earns contextual links and brand mentions from publications relevant to home services and local markets, positioned as a complement to traditional SEO as search engines lean harder on authority and off-site signals.