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How long will it take for your SEO campaign to see results? Is SEO the best way to market your company? These are a couple of questions whose answers should take into account the competitive nature of your industry.
A few years ago, I researched how competitive many industries are on Google. I recently updated this information for 2026. Below is what I found.
I took a list of all the Google Business Profile categories in the United States from PlePer. They update this list regularly- so it’s accurate through June 2026.
I collected keyword data from each. The data I collected exceeded the “estimated searches” for each term. I combine several factors (in my secret, proprietary formula) to show the most competitive.
I sorted them by most competitive to least.
The chart shows how some of these industries compare with others in terms of competition. As I mentioned, I’m using a proprietary “Opportunity” metric to rank these. This metric considers the “Average monthly searches” and factors in competition and other paid search data. The theory here is that it’s one thing if people are searching for a topic, but even more valuable if people are willing to pay for clicks (and how much they’re willing to pay for those clicks). That’s why some industries have high search volume but low “Opportunity” numbers- while people are searching for these industries, they are less willing to pay for those visitors.
Below is a chart of the biggest movers since last year (note: I’ve limited the biggest movers to the top industries for each year- not all industries in each list).
The top growing industries (by competition) in 2026 are:
Whereas the industries shrinking in competition from the prior year are:
For one, personal injury attorneys returned to the top five. It was a surprise, last year, when this did not make it into the most competitive industries (at least it was still in the top 25). The broad category of “store” dropped significantly- perhaps people are learning to better qualify “store” by describing it more specifically.
It will take a lot to compete with businesses like yours with search engine optimization. It might take years. SEO is never a quick marketing channel. SEO for one of these industries will also be a significant financial investment. This investment is not only an investment over time. Everything is going to cost more. I see this regarding lawyers—getting listed on some of the most respected legal websites directly costs significant money. Unfortunately, some of these directories charge a lot but offer little value. Use caution when spending money, or you could end up wasting a lot.
In these cases, seeing significant results will take a long time. PPC campaigns might be a better solution if your company needs to ramp up fast. However, since these are competitive, the PPC campaign costs might also be high. You can see this in a couple of industries in the chart, especially “bathroom remodeler,” “moving company,” and even “financial advisor.” Notice that the Average Monthly Searches are significantly lower than the Opportunity. That tells you that people are spending significant money to compete for a relatively small number of people searching for these service providers.
Of course, Google doesn’t make any money from organic search- they want to frustrate you into paying for customers using PPC. One interesting product for locally focused businesses is Google’s Local Search Ads (LSA). Google’s product lets you pay per lead as you compete in local search results for potential customers. As with any PPC product, I’m convinced Google makes a lot of money from people who “set it and forget it”- so don’t be tempted to walk away. Managing LSAs takes time to monitor and maintain, so you get more for your money.
In other words, don’t let your tactics dictate your strategy. Start with strategy and pick your tactics! Otherwise, you’re not only working uphill but also burning money that might never work.
Companies that start an SEO campaign are sometimes obsessed with a particular keyword. This obsession hurts them in several ways. For one, they overlook the more achievable, long-tailed opportunities.
The long tail is a great way to compete against other flower delivery services. Sure, many people search for “flower delivery.” If you were to “rank” for that, you’d get a ton of traffic (and customers)! There are a lot fewer people searching for reasons you’d want to deliver flowers: a new baby, an apology, love, a funeral, a gift, etc. Of course, these phrases are also less competitive. The more specific and helpful content you can produce on your site, the more opportunities you’ll see. The long tail principle states that many more customers search for an infinite number of specific terms than for broad phrases.
Why would someone choose your insurance company over another? Do you offer 24-hour support? Do you have an app that makes claims easier? What makes your insurance company better than the others?
Take, for example, a dentist. What would it look like for a dentist to focus on Millennials? They may offer free Wi-Fi and have a cell phone holder hanging right above their seat (of course, I’m speculating and stereotyping here). This strategy could attract many people who would otherwise not care about your dental practice. The StoryBrand framework can help you build a brand that distinguishes you from competitors and prevents you from being seen as just another dentist.
I hope this isn’t discouraging. A successful campaign in one of these competitive industries is achievable. It will take a little more time and work.
The competitive nature of these industries means you need more than just “an SEO” to help you reach your customers. You need someone with experience in a broad range of digital marketing. That’s where Reliable Acorn can help!
David Zimmerman has earned Google’s AI Professional Certificate.
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Reliable Acorn will help you create a custom digital marketing strategy that does just that.
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