The Headline Findings
Local intent is explicit
The study contains 171 phrases with “near me.” Together they account for 19.1M in summed estimated monthly US volume, or 62.7% of all tracked demand. Immediate healthcare searches contribute heavily, but the pattern extends through trades, legal, auto, and personal services.
High volume does not always mean high value
Medical Practices has the highest total volume among the queries we analyzed at 3M, led by “urgent care near me.” Lawyers has the highest volume-weighted CPC at $87.62. The most popular searches are not always the most valuable or realistic targets.
The best page type follows the decision
“Plumber near me,” “furnace replacement cost,” and “heat pump vs furnace” can all support an HVAC or home-service business, but they do different jobs. One needs a local service page, one needs cost guidance, and one needs a comparison. Keyword volume alone cannot make that decision.
How We Collected and Calculated the Data
On July 19, 2026, Savo Group collected 435 search phrases from the Semrush US database across 31 service industries. The research covers trades, healthcare, professional services, auto, personal services, and other businesses people commonly seek locally. We excluded restaurant and food searches so their unusually high volume would not overwhelm the service-business comparisons.
The included phrases represent common service decisions: find a provider, understand a service, compare options, estimate a cost, or solve an urgent problem.
For each phrase, we recorded estimated average monthly US search volume, estimated Google Ads CPC, and paid competitive density. We summed volume within each industry, calculated a volume-weighted CPC, and identified the largest phrase in each group.
Read “local” carefully
These are US national estimates for queries that often carry local service intent. They are not city-level volumes. A Portland plumber cannot address every US search for “plumber near me,” and a searcher may never click a website. The report is a demand-pattern study, not a traffic forecast.
This research covers a defined group of searches, not every possible query in each industry. A broader or narrower selection would produce different totals. The published query counts and limitations explain what these comparisons can support.
“Near Me” Is a Local Search Signal, Not a Keyword
A near-me search tells Google to resolve location and relevance. It does not mean a business should write “near me” into every heading. The useful work is making the business eligible and convincing for the searcher's location.
What supports local discovery
- Accurate Google Business Profile categories and details
- A real, consistent business identity across the web
- Service and location pages with distinct local value
- Reviews that describe the work customers received
- Fast mobile paths to call, book, or request help
- Local photos, completed projects, customer stories, and service-area clarity
What weakens the strategy
- City pages with only a place name swapped
- Service areas the business cannot actually reach
- Pages that target phrase variants with the same intent
- Fake offices or misleading map locations
- Generic copy with no local jobs, expertise, or evidence
- Tracking website visits but ignoring calls and profile actions
For practical next steps, see our local SEO service and the Google Business Profile guide for home services.
The Largest Queries in the Study
Immediate-need service searches dominate the top of the list. The largest included query is “urgent care near me” at 2,740,000 estimated monthly US searches. That makes the raw total useful for pattern recognition but poor for comparing one industry's realistic opportunity with another.
| Query | Service industry | Est. US monthly volume | Est. CPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| urgent care near me | Medical Practices | 2,740,000 | $2.74 |
| oil change near me | Auto Repair | 1,830,000 | $2.74 |
| nail salon near me | Salons | 1,500,000 | $0.69 |
| car wash near me | Auto Detailing | 1,500,000 | $0.80 |
| gym near me | Gyms | 1,000,000 | $2.48 |
| car insurance quotes | Insurance | 823,000 | $65.88 |
| renters insurance | Insurance | 823,000 | $15.76 |
| dentist near me | Dentists | 823,000 | $7.17 |
| mechanic near me | Auto Repair | 673,000 | $2.70 |
| landscaping ideas | Landscaping | 550,000 | $0.69 |
| vet near me | Veterinarians | 550,000 | $4.12 |
| personal injury lawyer | Lawyers | 450,000 | $119.95 |
CPC is an estimated paid-search auction metric. It is not the amount a business will always pay, a measure of SEO difficulty, or a guarantee that every search converts.
Estimated Demand by Service Industry
The bars total the searches analyzed for each industry. Because the number and breadth of phrases vary, use the chart to compare this study rather than as a complete market-size ranking.
Medical Practices
3M
Auto Repair
2.9M
Salons
2.7M
Insurance
2.5M
Dentists
1.9M
Lawyers
1.8M
Auto Detailing
1.8M
Plumbers
1.6M
Gyms
1.6M
Ecommerce
1.3M
Landscaping
1.3M
Veterinarians
1.1M
View all 31 industries
| Industry | Terms | Summed volume | Top phrase | Top phrase volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Practices | 12 | 2,957,210 | urgent care near me | 2,740,000 |
| Auto Repair | 12 | 2,927,800 | oil change near me | 1,830,000 |
| Salons | 12 | 2,716,790 | nail salon near me | 1,500,000 |
| Insurance | 18 | 2,524,700 | car insurance quotes | 823,000 |
| Dentists | 13 | 1,912,200 | dentist near me | 823,000 |
| Lawyers | 15 | 1,779,300 | personal injury lawyer | 450,000 |
| Auto Detailing | 12 | 1,761,080 | car wash near me | 1,500,000 |
| Plumbers | 19 | 1,619,320 | plumber near me | 450,000 |
| Gyms | 11 | 1,604,900 | gym near me | 1,000,000 |
| Ecommerce | 18 | 1,341,300 | protein powder | 368,000 |
| Landscaping | 13 | 1,319,800 | landscaping ideas | 550,000 |
| Veterinarians | 12 | 1,076,400 | vet near me | 550,000 |
| Software | 18 | 1,076,000 | accounting software | 368,000 |
| Real Estate | 11 | 689,500 | homes for sale near me | 450,000 |
| HVAC | 22 | 627,000 | ac repair near me | 165,000 |
| Pest Control | 13 | 533,000 | pest control near me | 165,000 |
| Electricians | 18 | 442,190 | electrician near me | 246,000 |
| Cleaning | 12 | 430,290 | carpet cleaning near me | 110,000 |
| Roofing | 17 | 400,690 | roof repair near me | 74,000 |
| Movers | 12 | 371,200 | movers near me | 90,500 |
| Weight Loss Clinics | 20 | 354,500 | tirzepatide vs semaglutide | 40,500 |
| Med Spas | 12 | 329,900 | botox near me | 74,000 |
| Locksmiths | 12 | 325,190 | locksmith near me | 246,000 |
| Towing | 12 | 282,690 | towing near me | 110,000 |
| Chiropractors | 11 | 282,410 | chiropractor near me | 246,000 |
| Accountants | 18 | 248,820 | cpa near me | 49,500 |
| Painters | 12 | 190,720 | painters near me | 60,500 |
| Fencing | 12 | 124,820 | fence companies near me | 40,500 |
| Flooring | 12 | 95,390 | flooring companies near me | 18,100 |
| Contractors | 12 | 82,810 | general contractor near me | 18,100 |
| Pool Service | 12 | 74,490 | pool service near me | 22,200 |
Where Paid Clicks Carry the Highest Estimated Cost
A high CPC can indicate that advertisers are willing to pay for access to a valuable decision. It can also reflect difficult economics, aggressive competition, and a narrow pool of qualified prospects. It does not tell us how hard organic results are to win.
| Service industry | Volume-weighted CPC | Largest phrase | Why context matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $87.62 | personal injury lawyer | Case value and intense paid competition can raise bids. |
| Insurance | $38.91 | car insurance quotes | Quote demand is broad, regulated, and heavily advertised. |
| HVAC | $22.51 | ac repair near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Software | $19.35 | accounting software | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Roofing | $19.35 | roof repair near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Plumbers | $19.05 | plumber near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Accountants | $14.53 | cpa near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Movers | $13.45 | movers near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Pest Control | $13.21 | pest control near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
| Electricians | $13.00 | electrician near me | Service value, urgency, and local competition shape the auction. |
For channel allocation, combine this signal with actual close rate, customer value, ad eligibility, organic competition, and speed. Our SEO vs Google Ads vs Local Services Ads comparison provides that framework.
Turn Search Demand Into a Page Strategy
1. Remove services and markets you cannot support
Demand is not permission to create an offer. Start with operational truth, licensing, geography, capacity, and margin.
2. Group queries by the same underlying decision
Do not create separate pages for singulars, plurals, “near me,” and close synonyms when one page can answer the intent well.
3. Inspect the result type
Map packs, service pages, directories, products, guides, and calculators signal different page jobs. Volume does not override what searchers choose.
4. Add evidence only your business can provide
Use real projects, photos, process details, service constraints, prices or price factors, expert review, and local knowledge.
5. Give every page a conversion path
The right next step may be a call, quote, appointment, comparison, calculator, or related service. Match it to the visitor's decision stage.
6. Measure local reality
Compare estimates with Search Console, Business Profile interactions, calls, forms, CRM outcomes, and what customers say they searched.
Limitations and Responsible Use
- The report covers 435 searches across 31 service industries and excludes restaurant and food searches. It is not an exhaustive measure of demand in any industry.
- Volume is an estimate based on a third-party model and can change as the provider updates its data.
- The US database does not describe demand within a single city, radius, or service area.
- Summed volume is not unique people, available clicks, leads, or revenue.
- Search-result features, ads, maps, AI answers, and zero-click behavior can reduce website clicks.
- CPC and competitive density are paid-search metrics, not organic ranking difficulty.
- Search volume does not measure whether a business has the authority, local evidence, proximity, or offer to win.
- Healthcare and legal topics need professional and regulatory review before publication.
We use keyword data to decide what deserves investigation, not to automate a content calendar. A useful SEO strategy combines market demand with real business evidence and a page people would choose even if rankings did not exist.