Storms likely
San Francisco
58/ 100
Local SEO needed
Hardest Dentists · 75
Calmest Pool companies · 37
SEO Market Map California
SEO Market Map · California · 5 cities · 12 trades
Today’s SEO forecast for California.
California ranks 2nd of 14 states for search competition, at 61 against a median of 54 across the 14 states measured so far. Its hardest trade is dentists (72); its calmest is landscaping (45). Pick yours.
The five-city outlook
Where search is calm, and where it is severe.
San Francisco is calmest at 58; San Diego runs at 66.
Storms likely
Fresno
58/ 100
Local SEO needed
Hardest Dentists · 69
Calmest Landscaping · 35
Storms likely
San Jose
60/ 100
Local SEO needed
Hardest Dentists · 70
Calmest Landscaping · 42
Storms likely
Los Angeles
64/ 100
Local SEO needed
Hardest Law firms · 77
Calmest Roofing · 47
Severe
San Diego
66/ 100
Full SEO plus paid
Hardest Med spas · 76
Calmest Landscaping · 52
The California radar
San Diego runs hottest.
San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Fresno and San Francisco, stormiest first.
- 66San DiegoSevere
- 64Los AngelesStorms likely
- 60San JoseStorms likely
- 58San FranciscoStorms likely
- 58FresnoStorms likely
- Clear skies 0–19
- Mostly sunny 20–34
- Clouds building 35–49
- Storms likely 50–64
- Severe 65–100
State lines: US Census Bureau. Numbered pins follow the key, stormiest first.
What we found
Inside California’s numbers.
- San Diego (66): toughest, med spas at 76, where the top three hold 428 reviews at the median and 19 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, landscaping at 52 (67 at the median).
- Los Angeles (64): toughest, law firms at 77, where the top three hold 664 reviews at the median and 20 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, roofing at 47 (138 at the median).
- San Jose (60): toughest, dentists at 70, where the top three hold 321 reviews at the median and 19 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, landscaping at 42 (52 at the median).
- San Francisco (58): toughest, dentists at 75, where the top three hold 925 reviews at the median and 20 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, pool companies at 37 (34 at the median).
- Fresno (58): toughest, dentists at 69, where the top three hold 1,260 reviews at the median and 17 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, landscaping at 35 (42 at the median).
The deepest review moat in California: pest control in San Diego, where the top three hold 5,363 reviews at the median. The thinnest: landscaping in San Francisco, at 23. Ratings run lowest for pool companies in San Jose (4.31 stars across the top ten) and highest for roofing in Los Angeles (4.97).
We read 179 top-ranking competitor sites across California’s searches. WordPress runs 96 of them; 53 are custom or another builder. 63% carry local business markup, against 54% across every state measured, and 69% changed their sitemap in the last year.
Each trade, calmest city to toughest
- PlumbingFresno 65 → San Diego 73
- HVACSan Francisco 52 → San Jose 68
- RoofingLos Angeles 47 → San Jose 58
- ElectriciansFresno 47 → San Diego 69
- LandscapingFresno 35 → Los Angeles 54
- Pest controlSan Francisco 53 → San Diego 73
- Pool companiesSan Francisco 37 → San Diego 59
- DentistsFresno 69 → San Francisco 75
- Law firmsSan Jose 64 → Los Angeles 77
- Med spasSan Francisco 63 → San Diego 76
- VeterinariansSan Francisco 59 → Fresno 66
- ChiropractorsSan Jose 49 → San Diego 68
What a searcher sees on the map
The view from the phone.
76/ 100
Severe
Competitors with deep review counts and built-out websites hold the top spots. This market rewards full SEO, with paid search to buy time while it builds.
- 428 median reviews among the top three
- 19 of the top 20 with 100 or more reviews
- 4.9 average stars across the top 10
The full forecast
Every city, every trade.
| City | Plumbing | HVAC | Roofing | Electricians | Landscaping | Pest control | Pool companies | Dentists | Law firms | Med spas | Veterinarians | Chiropractors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 72 | 67 | 47 | 58 | 54 | 59 | 52 | 74 | 77 | 74 | 64 | 65 |
| San Diego | 73 | 62 | 58 | 69 | 52 | 73 | 59 | 72 | 72 | 76 | 63 | 68 |
| San Jose | 68 | 68 | 58 | 59 | 42 | 63 | 46 | 70 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 49 |
| San Francisco | 72 | 52 | 56 | 56 | 44 | 53 | 37 | 75 | 65 | 63 | 59 | 59 |
| Fresno | 65 | 61 | 54 | 47 | 35 | 63 | 47 | 69 | 68 | 65 | 66 | 59 |
Start with the audit.
About 60 seconds, no email, and you get named findings for your own site, not a score out of a hundred.