Local SEO pages
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Horry County, SC · SEO Services
SEO Agency for Horry County: Be Found by Every New Resident
Horry County is growing quicker than 99% of counties, and that changes how SEO should be built here. We are an SEO agency built for small businesses: pages for each city you serve, Google Maps and AI search work, and flat monthly plans with no contracts. Here is the data behind the Horry County market.
Market snapshot
Horry County at a Glance: Competition, Growth and Search Demand
Local Search Competition Index
65.7/ 100
Ranked 364 of 1,822 counties with 20,000+ residents and 161 of the 400 markets we cover. Higher means more local businesses competing for the same searches. How we calculate it
We grade every U.S. county-equivalent with 20,000 or more residents on how many local-search businesses (the lawyers, dentists, contractors, restaurants, salons and agents that customers find on Google and the map) are chasing the same residents. Horry County scores 65.7, which is more contested than most.
Two features set Horry County apart: it is one of the faster-growing counties in the country, and it is also a county with heavy new home construction for its size. Below, eight measures set it beside every other county.
- Population change since the 2020 Census +13.2% More growth than 99% of counties
- Median income per household (2023 est.) $68,684 Higher than 56% of counties
- Local-search business locations per 10,000 people 67.9 Heavier than 90% of counties
- Growth in those businesses, 2017 to 2022 +15.4% Growing faster than 84% of counties
- Share of them that employ fewer than 5 people 58.4% Higher share than 50% of counties
- How all employer locations changed, 2017 to 2022 +13.4% Ahead on growth than 90% of counties
- Cities and towns of 2,500+ residents 5 More cities and towns than 80% of counties
- New-home permits in 2025, per 10,000 people 163.8 More new homes than 99% of counties
Each bar places Horry County alongside all 1,822 U.S. counties with 20,000 or more residents. Source data: Census Bureau population estimates, County Business Patterns (2017 and 2022), Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates and the Building Permits Survey.
Population by place
Horry County by Place: A Search Market for Each
The largest places in Horry County by resident count. A local SEO plan can build pages for any of them, one per service you offer in each.
| Community | Residents (2023 est.) | Slice of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach | 39,697 | 10% |
| Conway | 27,985 | 7% |
| North Myrtle Beach | 20,303 | 5% |
| Surfside Beach | 4,321 | 1% |
| Loris | 2,749 | 1% |
| Aynor | 1,051 | 0% |
Data: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates. Places here means cities, towns and census-designated places; where a city extends into a neighboring county, just the portion inside Horry County is counted.
The search picture
Why Growth Makes Horry County Worth Ranking In
With 397,478 residents and 13.2% growth since the 2020 Census (ahead of 99% of counties), Horry County keeps adding people who have no loyalty to any local business yet. Their first move is a search, which is exactly what a search engine optimization campaign is built to win, and rankings earned during a growth phase tend to carry into the years after it.
The larger places in Horry County are Myrtle Beach (39,697), Conway (27,985), North Myrtle Beach (20,303), Surfside Beach (4,321) and Loris (2,749). Each is searched by name, so a business that serves several of them needs a page for each service in each town. That is what a local SEO plan from GetPhound builds.
76% of residents (300,472 people) live outside any incorporated place, so county-level and "near me" searches matter as much as city names.
Housing demand
New Homes in Horry County: A Steady Pipeline
Units authorized by building permits. Data: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (annual county files, with the year-to-date bars covering the same months in each year). Permits count homes approved to be built, not homes completed.
Permits in Horry County have stayed within a narrow range: 6,511 units in 2025 against 6,970 in 2021, or 163.8 per 10,000 residents, more than in 99% of counties. For January through August, permits are running at 4,423 against 4,827 a year earlier (−8.4%).
The construction-linked categories already most contested in Horry County are real estate agents and brokers (5.1x typical) and landscaping services (1.5x typical). Because search rankings take time to build, a rise in permits is a reason to start now, and falling permits are a reason to emphasize repair, replacement and service-specific pages.
Who else is in the results
Which Horry County Categories Are Most Contested in Local Search
Here is how Horry County compares with the typical U.S. county for fifteen categories that live on Google and the map: the number of locations, how that number has moved, and how many are very small.
Line of businessLocationsCompared with a typical countyChange from 2017 to 2022Tiny locations (under 5 staff)
Real estate agents and brokersMost contested 501 +64.8% 441
Full-service restaurants 578 +2.3% 137
Janitorial services 120 +31.9% 78
Law offices 197 +2.6% 117
Physicians offices 257 -1.2% 154
Beauty salons 100 +25% 67
Landscaping services 195 +16.8% 129
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors 158 +0.6% 90
Accounting and CPA firms 57 -6.6% 35
Residential remodelers 130 +41.3% 104
Insurance agencies and brokerages 138 +16.9% 94
Electrical contractors 84 +31.3% 47
Roofing contractors 21 -25% 12
Dentists 90 +1.1% 24
General automotive repairLeast contested 71 +1.4% 45
Crowding is employer locations per 10,000 residents relative to the median U.S. county of 20,000+ residents (1.0x is typical; the dark tick marks it). Counts are establishments from County Business Patterns (2017, 2022), which says nothing about search volume. Method
In Horry County, the real estate agents and brokers category is the most contested, with 501 locations at 5.1 times the typical density, up 64.8% since 2017. Full-service restaurants (578 locations, 2.2x) and janitorial services (120 locations, 2.0x) also run above a normal county. At the other end, the general automotive repair category (71 locations) is below typical density at 0.7x, which means fewer competing sites to outrank.
Real estate agents and brokers is also the fastest-growing category, up 64.8%, so the competition is still building. Accounting and CPA firms went the other way, down 6.6% to 57 locations. The tiniest competitors are in real estate agents and brokers: 441 of 501 locations (88%) have fewer than five employees.
This is a headcount of local businesses. It says nothing about search volume or how fast any site can climb, and we do not guess at either; it shows how many other sites would be in the results with you.
Comparable counties
Horry County Next to Its Closest Look-Alikes
We matched Horry County to the six markets in our 400-market set that look most like it on population, income, local-search competition and how fast the business base is growing.
| Place | LSCI | People | Change since 2020 | Change in local-search businesses since 2017 | Share under 5 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horry County, SC (this page) | 65.7 | 397,478 | +13.2% | +15.4% | 58.4% |
| Washington County, AR | 63.8 | 261,549 | +6.4% | +13.8% | 58% |
| Greenville County, SC | 68.7 | 558,036 | +6.2% | +15% | 58.6% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 70.7 | 253,507 | +9.4% | +21.4% | 58.9% |
| Lake County, FL | 60.1 | 424,462 | +10.5% | +18.5% | 62% |
| Lexington County, SC | 66.4 | 309,528 | +5.3% | +16.7% | 55% |
| Marion County, FL | 57.6 | 409,959 | +9.1% | +12.3% | 61.7% |
The six look-alikes are the counties in our 400-market set that sit closest to this one on size, income, local-search competition, small-business mix and growth. Sources as above.
Washington County, AR is the closest match, scoring 63.8 against Horry County's 65.7. Marion County, FL is the furthest from it, scoring 57.6. The small-business mix differs too: 62% of Lake County, FL's locations have fewer than five employees, against 58.4% here. If you already do SEO in one of these markets, the comparison shows how alike the competition is, not what your results will be.
The process
The Four Stages of SEO for Horry County Businesses
Start with research
We dig into your services, the cities you serve and who you compete with, audit your site end to end, and write a six-month roadmap. None of it costs extra.
Build for every city
RankGuarantee™ builds a local landing page for each service in each city you serve, and your website gets on-page work and technical fixes.
Maps, writing, AI
We tune your Google Business Profile, citations and reviews, publish Strategic Content Assets, and format your pages so AI search can use them.
Report and grow
Each month your account manager shares reporting from Search Console and Analytics, and we expand into the pages and topics the numbers support.
What you get
SEO for Horry County: City Pages, Google Maps and AI Search
Map SEO
We optimize the profile, build citations, post weekly, track rankings and manage reviews, so you show up in the map results when Horry County customers search nearby. Read about Map SEO.
AI search (GEO)
Clear, structured pages and consistent business details give AI tools facts to draw on. No one can guarantee a mention in an AI answer; this improves the odds.
Technical, on-page and content
Technical fixes, on-page work and written content that answers real customer questions, published monthly on every Organic Growth plan.
SEO services, an SEO agency, an SEO company, local SEO, organic search, search engine optimization: different words for the same work of getting Horry County businesses found on Google, Maps and AI search. One account manager and a monthly Search Console and Analytics report come with every plan, and Gold and Platinum add a fully managed website.
Fees
SEO Plans and Pricing in Horry County
No plan has a setup fee or a contract. Your monthly rate covers onboarding: research, an audit and a six-month plan. Talk it through with our CEO.
Check the math
Is SEO Worth It for Your Horry County Business? Run the Numbers
Whether SEO is worth it in Horry County comes down to your figures, not an average. Fill in your own figures to see how many new customers per month cover a plan, and how many over the period you choose.
Questions we hear
SEO in Horry County: Frequently Asked Questions
How much do SEO services cost in Horry County?
Pricing is flat and monthly. RankGuarantee™, our local landing page engine, is $495 a month on its own. Organic Growth plans, which bring in Google Maps work, AI search optimization, content and more landing pages, run $1,495 (Silver), $2,495 (Gold) and $3,495 (Platinum). No setup fee, no contract.
How soon will I see results from SEO in Horry County?
No honest SEO provider can give a fixed timeline. Results build gradually and depend on the competition, your website and what we can publish. Real estate agents and brokers is the most contested category in Horry County at 5.1x typical, so it is the one to be patient with. We plan in six-month cycles and show you the movement monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
Is Horry County a competitive market for SEO?
Density is highest in
More than most. Horry County scores 65.7 on our Local Search Competition Index, ranking 364th of 1,822 counties with 20,000+ residents and 161st of the 400 markets we cover. Real estate agents and brokers, at 5.1 times the typical county. 58.4% of local-search locations are tiny, with fewer than five employees, and tiny shops often have thin websites to outrank. If anything, it makes city-and-service pages and strong reviews matter more.
Which local businesses compete for search in Horry County?
Across the fifteen categories we track, the largest by employer locations in Horry County are full-service restaurants (578), real estate agents and brokers (501) and physicians offices (257). Measured against a typical county, the most contested are real estate agents and brokers (5.1x) and full-service restaurants (2.2x). A big or crowded category does not decide whether SEO works for you; it shows how many other sites you would be sharing the results with.
Which cities in Horry County would you build pages for?
The ones you serve. Horry County has 5 places of 2,500 or more residents, led by Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Loris. RankGuarantee™ builds local landing pages for each service in each city you serve (25 new pages a month on the $495 plan, 25 to 100 on Organic Growth), so the plan follows your service area, not the county line.
Can you help me rank in the Google Maps results?
We do. Every Organic Growth plan includes Google Business Profile optimization, citations and review management, plus on-page and technical SEO, strategic content and AI search (GEO) work. Maps rankings matter most for searches like "near me", and most of the local categories in Horry County rely on them.
Does SEO help me show up in ChatGPT and Google's AI answers?
It can help. We include AI search (GEO) optimization in our plans: clear, well-structured pages and consistent business information give AI tools more to draw on. We cannot promise a mention in an AI answer, and neither can anyone else, but the same work that earns rankings builds the content those tools use.
Is SEO or Google Ads the better choice in Horry County?
Often both. Ads can send calls within days and charge per click; SEO builds more slowly and then works without paying per click. If you need leads now, start with ads (we manage Google Ads, Bing and Meta too) and let SEO build the asset that reduces your reliance on them.
Am I locked into a contract, and what do I get each month?
There is no contract and no setup fee, and you can cancel anytime. What you pay each month includes onboarding (keyword research, a website audit and a six-month strategy), the landing pages and content in your plan, ongoing page management and rank tracking, and one account manager who sends you a report every month.
Around Horry County
Beyond Horry County: Nearby Counties
If your customers extend beyond Horry County, these are the nearest counties, measured from county center to county center:
- Marion County, SC: around 25 miles away, 28,508 residents, Local Search Competition Index 16.6
- Columbus County, NC: around 31 miles from here, 50,121 residents, index score 34.1
- Georgetown County, SC: around 39 miles from here, 65,731 people, index score 75.1
- Dillon County, SC: about 40 miles out, 27,698 people, Local Search Competition Index 20.4
- Florence County, SC: about 43 miles away, 137,214 residents, index score 47.4
- Brunswick County, NC: around 44 miles away, 159,964 residents, competition index 53
How it was made
Where the Horry County Numbers Come From
The figures on this page are drawn from public U.S. Census Bureau data, calculated the same manner across every county, which lets you compare Horry County with any other market. We never use client account data and we do not publish search volumes, traffic or rankings from client work, since every business is different.
- UpdatedOctober 16, 2026
- DataCensus population estimates (2023), County Business Patterns (2017, 2022), Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (2023), Building Permits Survey (2021 to 2026 year to date), Census Gazetteer files.
- MethodThe Local Search Competition Index and the figures derived from it are explained on the method page. See every market in the index.
- Found an error?Spot an error? Email hello@getphound.com and we will check it against the source.
Start a Conversation
Ready to Grow Your Horry County Business With SEO?
Share what you sell and where in Horry County you want customers. We will walk through the plan that fits. Call 610-825-4363 or email hello@getphound.com to set up a strategy session with our CEO.