Local SEO is often explained in simple terms.
Create city pages.
Add service keywords.
Optimize your title tags.
Build reviews.
Improve your Google Business Profile.
All of that matters.
But I wanted to see what actually ranks on page one for local service keywords.
So we analyzed 1,000 local SEO search results across 10 industries and 10 major U.S. cities.
After cleaning the dataset, the final analysis includes 993 local SEO results.
The goal was simple:
What types of pages appear on page one for local service searches, and what patterns show up across ranking results?
The findings show that local SEO is not only about business websites or city landing pages.
Page-one local results include a mix of:
- Business websites
- Homepages
- Service pages
- Location pages
- Directories
- Marketplaces
- Editorial list pages
- Corporate location pages
- Legal directories
- Medical directories
- Real estate platforms
That matters because local businesses are not only competing with nearby companies.
They are also competing with platforms like Yelp, Angi, Zocdoc, Zillow, Realtor.com, Healthgrades, Justia, Expertise, Forbes, Redfin, and other high-authority websites.
This report breaks down the main findings from the study.
Key Local SEO Statistics
Here are the main stats from our analysis:
| Local SEO Stat | Finding |
| Raw local SEO results collected | 1,000 |
| Local SEO results analyzed after cleaning | 993 |
| Industries analyzed | 10 |
| U.S. cities analyzed | 10 |
| Local keywords analyzed | 100 |
| Directory / marketplace share | 35.1% |
| Homepage share | 45.9% |
| URLs returning confirmed 200 OK during crawl | 29.2% |
| URLs marked indexable in crawl data | 26.6% |
| Average crawl-based SEO score | 28.7/100 |
| Top 3 average crawl-based SEO score | 39.1/100 |
| Positions 7–10 average crawl-based SEO score | 23/100 |
1. 35.1% of Page-One Local SEO Results Are Directories or Marketplaces
In our analysis of 993 local SEO results, 35.1% of page-one organic results are directories or marketplaces.
These include platforms such as:
- Yelp
- Angi
- Zocdoc
- Healthgrades
- Zillow
- Realtor.com
- Redfin
- Justia
- Super Lawyers
- Expertise
- HomeAdvisor
- MoveBuddha
- Forbes Home
- Other review, listing, and lead-generation platforms
This means more than one-third of page-one local results are not individual business websites.
For local businesses, this is important.
A dentist, plumber, med spa, lawyer, realtor, roofer, or moving company is not only competing against nearby businesses.
They are also competing against large third-party platforms that often have stronger domain authority, more indexed pages, more backlinks, and broader brand recognition.
2. 45.9% of Page-One Local SEO Results Are Homepages
In our analysis, 45.9% of page-one local SEO results are homepages.
This is one of the most useful findings from the study.
Many SEO strategies focus heavily on service pages and city landing pages.
Those pages are important.
But the data shows that homepages still take up a major share of local organic results.
This means a local business homepage can still rank for service-based local keywords when it has strong local relevance, clear service positioning, trust signals, internal links, and authority.
A homepage should not be treated as a basic welcome page.
For many local businesses, the homepage is one of the strongest SEO assets on the website.
3. Top 3 Results Have a Higher Average Crawl-Based SEO Score
In our study, pages ranking in positions 1–3 have an average crawl-based SEO score of 39.1/100.
Pages ranking in positions 7–10 have an average crawl-based SEO score of 23/100.
That means the top 3 results score about 70% higher on average than results in positions 7–10.
The crawl-based score checks basic measurable SEO factors, including:
- 200 OK status
- Indexability
- City in title tag
- Service in title tag
- City in H1
- Service in H1
- City or service in URL
- Word count above 500
This does not mean the score directly causes higher rankings.
Google rankings depend on many other factors, including backlinks, reviews, brand strength, proximity, search intent, Google Business Profile strength, business prominence, content quality, and user behavior.
Still, the pattern is clear:
Higher-ranking local pages are more likely to perform better across basic crawl-based SEO checks.
Stat:
Pages ranking in positions 1–3 have an average crawl-based SEO score of 39.1/100, compared with 23/100 for pages ranking in positions 7–10.
4. Only 29.2% of Local SERP URLs Return a Confirmed 200 OK Status During Crawl
In our analysis, 29.2% of URLs return a confirmed 200 OK status during the Screaming Frog crawl.
That equals 290 URLs.
This finding needs context.
It does not mean the remaining URLs are broken in Google.
Many large websites block or limit third-party crawlers. Some platforms use redirects, JavaScript rendering, bot protection, or crawler restrictions.
Directories, marketplaces, and large media sites can behave differently in crawling tools than they do in Google Search.
But for local business websites, this is still a useful reminder.
Important pages should be easy for search engines and SEO tools to access.
A local business should make sure its key pages:
- Return a clean 200 OK status
- Are not blocked by robots.txt
- Are not noindexed
- Do not redirect unnecessarily
- Have clear canonical tags
- Load important content in crawlable HTML
- Are included in the sitemap
- Are internally linked from relevant pages
Stat:
29.2% of URLs return a confirmed 200 OK status during third-party crawling.
5. 26.6% of Local SERP URLs Are Marked Indexable in Crawl Data
According to our analysis, 26.6% of local SERP URLs are marked indexable in Screaming Frog crawl data.
That equals 264 URLs out of 993 analyzed results.
This stat should also be interpreted carefully.
Crawl tools may not always see a page the same way Google does, especially when large platforms restrict crawlers or depend on scripts.
However, for business-owned websites, indexability is still basic SEO hygiene.
If a service page, location page, or homepage is supposed to rank, it should be clearly indexable.
That means avoiding accidental:
- Noindex tags
- Canonical conflicts
- Robots.txt blocks
- Redirect chains
- Duplicate page signals
- Thin or hidden content
- Broken internal links
6. Local SERPs Are Split Across Multiple Page Types
The study shows that page-one local SEO results are not dominated by one page type.
Across the dataset, Google shows a mix of:
- Homepages
- Service pages
- Location pages
- Directory pages
- Marketplace pages
- Editorial list pages
- Corporate location pages
- Local business websites
This matters because local SEO strategy should be based on the actual SERP.
A keyword like “plumber in Dallas” may show mostly business websites and home service brands.
A keyword like “real estate agent in Los Angeles” may show large platforms such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, Yelp, and other agent directories.
A keyword like “dentist in Chicago” may show a mix of dental practices, Zocdoc, Yelp, Healthgrades, and Opencare.
A keyword like “med spa in Miami” may show clinics, review platforms, and lifestyle/editorial list pages.
The page type that ranks depends on the keyword, industry, competition level, and search intent.
Finding:
In our analysis, page-one SERPs include a mix of business websites, homepages, directories, marketplaces, editorial lists, and corporate location pages.
Purpose of This Data Study
Local SEO advice can get repetitive.
Most recommendations sound like this:
- Add your city in the title tag.
- Create service pages.
- Build location pages.
- Add reviews.
- Improve your Google Business Profile.
- Write local content.
- Add internal links.
Those tips are useful, but they do not answer one important question:
What actually ranks on page one?
That is why we created this study.
The goal was to look at real local search results across multiple industries and cities, then identify patterns that businesses, SEOs, marketers, and agencies can reference.
This study is not based on theory.
It is based on a collected dataset of local organic results.
Methodology
For this study, we collected 1,000 organic Google search results from 100 local service keywords.
The keyword structure was:
[service] in [city]
Examples include:
- dentist in Los Angeles
- plumber in Chicago
- med spa in Miami
- roofer in Houston
- electrician in Phoenix
- HVAC company in Dallas
- moving company in San Diego
- personal injury lawyer in Seattle
- chiropractor in Denver
- real estate agent in Atlanta
For each keyword, we reviewed the top 10 organic results.
The final raw dataset included:
| Details | Number |
| Industries | 10 |
| Cities | 10 |
| Keywords | 100 |
| Organic results per keyword | 10 |
| Raw SERP results collected | 1,000 |
| Final results analyzed after cleaning | 993 |
Malformed URLs, clearly unrelated results, wrong-niche URLs, job listings, and unusable records were removed or excluded from analysis.
Directories, marketplaces, editorial list pages, and third-party platforms were kept in the dataset because they are real competitors in local organic search.
This study focuses on organic results only.
It does not include Google Map Pack rankings.
Industries Included in the Study
The study includes 10 local service industries:
- Dentists
- Plumbers
- Med Spas
- Roofers
- Electricians
- HVAC Companies
- Moving Companies
- Personal Injury Lawyers
- Chiropractors
- Real Estate Agents
These industries were selected because they represent common local SEO markets across healthcare, home services, legal services, wellness, real estate, and professional services.
Cities Included in the Study
The study includes 10 major U.S. cities:
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Houston
- Phoenix
- Dallas
- Miami
- Atlanta
- Denver
- San Diego
- Seattle
These cities were selected because they represent competitive local markets with different search result patterns.
What We Measured
The analysis focuses on measurable SERP and crawl-based factors.
These include:
| Audit Area | What We Checked |
| Result type | Business website, directory, marketplace, editorial list, corporate page |
| Page type | Homepage, service page, location page, directory page, list page |
| Ranking position | Position 1–10 |
| Crawl status | 200 OK, redirect, blocked, error, or other response |
| Indexability | Whether the URL is marked indexable in crawl data |
| Title tag signals | City and service usage where available |
| H1 signals | City and service usage where available |
| URL structure | City or service terms in the URL |
| Word count | Whether crawl data shows more than 500 words |
| Crawl-based SEO score | A simple comparison score based on measurable factors |
This version of the study does not include manual checks for every page’s FAQ section, pricing section, reviews, testimonials, schema markup, phone visibility, or CTA placement.
Those areas require custom extraction or manual review and can be studied separately.
Crawl-Based SEO Scoring Model
To compare pages, we used a simple crawl-based SEO score out of 100.
| Factor | Points |
| URL returns 200 OK | 15 |
| Page is marked indexable | 15 |
| City appears in title tag | 15 |
| Service appears in title tag | 15 |
| City appears in H1 | 15 |
| Service appears in H1 | 10 |
| City or service appears in URL | 10 |
| Word count is above 500 | 5 |
| Total | 100 |
This is not a complete ranking score.
It does not measure:
- Backlinks
- Domain authority
- Reviews
- Google Business Profile strength
- Proximity
- Brand searches
- User behavior
- Content quality
- Conversion quality
- Local citations
- Map Pack rankings
The score is only used to compare basic crawl-based SEO patterns across the dataset.
What the Findings Mean for Local SEO
Local Businesses Compete With More Than Local Competitors
The data shows that many local SERPs include directories, marketplaces, and editorial list pages.
That means a local business is not only trying to outrank the company down the street.
It may also need to compete with national platforms, review sites, legal directories, healthcare directories, real estate platforms, and lead-generation websites.
This changes the strategy.
Before building a page, a business should check what kind of SERP it is entering.
If Google mostly ranks directories, the business may need stronger trust, reviews, brand visibility, backlinks, and third-party presence.
If Google mostly ranks local business sites, the business may have a better chance with strong on-page SEO and local relevance.
Homepage SEO Still Matters
Since 45.9% of page-one local SEO results are homepages, local businesses should take homepage optimization seriously.
A strong local homepage should clearly show:
- What the business does
- Which city or area it serves
- Main services
- Trust signals
- Reviews or proof
- Contact information
- Internal links to service pages
- Internal links to location pages
- Clear calls to action
A vague homepage can hurt both rankings and conversions.
The homepage should act as a local SEO hub, not just a brand introduction.
Service and Location Pages Still Need Search Intent Fit
Service pages and location pages are still important, but they should match what Google is already showing.
A business should not create location pages blindly.
Before building a page, check:
- Are city pages ranking?
- Are service pages ranking?
- Are homepages ranking?
- Are directories ranking?
- Are editorial lists ranking?
- Are corporate location pages ranking?
If the SERP rewards service pages, build a strong service page.
If the SERP rewards location pages, build a localized landing page.
If the SERP rewards homepages, improve the homepage first.
Local SEO should follow search intent, not a fixed template.
Crawlability and Indexability Are Still Basic Requirements
The crawl data shows that third-party tools do not always confirm clean access to every ranking URL.
That is especially true for large platforms.
But local business websites should not use that as an excuse.
Important local pages should be easy to crawl and index.
At minimum, make sure key pages:
- Return 200 OK
- Are indexable
- Have unique title tags
- Have clear H1s
- Use clean URLs
- Are internally linked
- Are included in the sitemap
- Do not use accidental noindex tags
- Do not rely only on hidden or script-loaded content
Basic technical SEO still matters.
Directories Should Be Treated as SERP Competitors
Directories are not just places to get citations or referral traffic.
They are often page-one organic competitors.
If Yelp, Angi, Zocdoc, Healthgrades, Zillow, Justia, Realtor.com, or another platform ranks for your target keyword, it affects your organic opportunity.
A local SEO strategy should consider:
- Whether the business should improve its profile on that platform
- Whether the business can outrank the platform with a stronger page
- Whether the SERP favors directories over business websites
- Whether list-style content or third-party mentions are needed
- Whether the business needs more reviews and authority signals
Ignoring directories means ignoring a major part of local search.
Lessons for SEO Professionals
For SEOs, the main takeaway is simple:
Local SEO strategy should start with SERP type analysis.
Before recommending pages, content, links, or technical fixes, check what actually ranks.
Ask:
- What page types appear in the top 10?
- How many results are directories?
- How many business websites are there?
- Are homepages ranking?
- Are service pages ranking?
- Are city pages ranking?
- Are editorial lists ranking?
- Are national brands ranking?
- Is the SERP commercial, local, informational, or mixed?
- What do top 3 results have that lower results lack?
This prevents wasted work.
It also helps you build pages that match the real search result layout.
Lessons for Local Business Owners
For business owners, the important lesson is:
You may not be losing rankings because your website is “bad.”
You may be competing in a SERP where Google gives a lot of space to directories, marketplaces, and high-authority platforms.
But that does not mean you cannot improve.
Start with the basics:
- Make your homepage stronger.
- Build useful service pages.
- Create location pages only when they match search intent.
- Fix crawl and indexability issues.
- Improve your title tags and H1s.
- Add clear local signals.
- Build trust through reviews, proof, and helpful content.
- Use internal links to connect related pages.
- Study the top 10 before creating new pages.
Local SEO is not about copying competitors.
It is about understanding the SERP and building a better page for the user.
Limitations
This study is based on observable page-one organic results and crawl-based SEO data.
The findings show patterns, not direct ranking causes.
For example, pages ranking in the top 3 have a higher average SEO score than pages ranking in positions 7–10.
That does not mean the score causes the ranking difference.
Google uses many other signals, including links, reviews, proximity, brand strength, content quality, business prominence, search intent, user behavior, and Google Business Profile data.
Also, some large platforms block or limit third-party crawlers. This means crawl status and indexability results should be read as Screaming Frog crawl findings, not final proof of how Google accesses every page.
This study also does not include:
- Google Map Pack rankings
- FAQ checks
- Pricing checks
- Reviews or testimonial checks
- Schema markup checks
- Phone visibility checks
- CTA placement checks
- Manual content quality scoring
- Backlink analysis
- Google Business Profile analysis
Those areas can be analyzed in future studies.
Final Takeaway
In our analysis of 1,000 local SEO results, page-one organic results are not limited to local business websites.
They include homepages, service pages, location pages, directories, marketplaces, editorial lists, and corporate location pages.
The strongest findings are:
- 35.1% of page-one local SEO results are directories or marketplaces.
- 45.9% of page-one local SEO results are homepages.
- Top 3 results have an average crawl-based SEO score of 39.1/100, compared with 23/100 for positions 7–10.
- 29.2% of local SERP URLs return a confirmed 200 OK status during third-party crawling.
- 26.6% of local SERP URLs are marked indexable in crawl data.
The bigger lesson is simple:
Local SEO should be based on the SERP you are trying to rank in.
If Google ranks homepages, improve your homepage.
If Google ranks service pages, build a better service page.
If Google ranks location pages, create stronger localized pages.
If Google ranks directories, understand how those platforms shape the search result.
And if your site has basic crawl, title, H1, URL, or indexability issues, fix those before chasing advanced tactics.
FAQs
What is a local SEO SERP study?
A local SEO SERP study analyzes Google organic search results for location-based service keywords. It helps identify what types of pages rank on page one and what patterns appear across local search results.
How many search results are included in this study?
This study collects 1,000 raw local SEO results. After cleaning the dataset, the final analysis includes 993 local SEO results.
Which industries are included in the study?
The study includes dentists, plumbers, med spas, roofers, electricians, HVAC companies, moving companies, personal injury lawyers, chiropractors, and real estate agents.
Which cities are included in the study?
The study includes Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Denver, San Diego, and Seattle.
What percentage of local SEO results are directories or marketplaces?
In our analysis of 993 local SEO results, 35.1% of page-one organic results are directories or marketplaces.
What percentage of local SEO results are homepages?
In our analysis of 993 local SEO results, 45.9% of page-one organic results are homepages.
Do homepages still rank for local SEO keywords?
Yes. The study shows that homepages still make up a large share of page-one local organic results. This means homepage SEO remains important for local businesses.
Do directories dominate local SEO results?
Directories and marketplaces make up 35.1% of the analyzed local SEO results. They do not fully dominate every SERP, but they take up a major share of page-one visibility across local service keywords.
Does a higher crawl-based SEO score guarantee better rankings?
No. The crawl-based SEO score shows patterns, not ranking causes. In this study, top 3 results have a higher average score than positions 7–10, but Google uses many other ranking signals.
Does this study include Google Map Pack results?
No. This study focuses on organic page-one search results. It does not include Google Map Pack rankings.
What should local businesses learn from this study?
Local businesses should study the SERP before building or optimizing pages. The right strategy depends on whether Google ranks homepages, service pages, location pages, directories, marketplaces, or editorial lists for the target keyword.
