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Scott County, IA · Google Ads Management
Google Ads Management for Scott County Businesses Up Against Bigger Competitors
It pays to know the field before you spend on ads in Scott County. Scott County has more large local competitors than most counties. We manage Google Ads for local businesses on flat monthly plans with no contracts, and the numbers below are the starting point for how we would build yours.
The market in numbers
Scott County's Ad Competition Index Score and What Sits Behind It
Ad Competition Index
61.2/ 100
Rank 470 of 1,822 counties with 20,000+ residents and 194 of the 400 markets we cover. The higher the score, the more local businesses are competing for the same searches. How the score works
We grade every U.S. county-equivalent with 20,000 or more residents on how many ad-heavy local businesses (such as lawyers, dentists, contractors, agents and similar) compete for its residents. Scott County scores 61.2, which is close to the middle of the pack.
What defines Scott County is not the score alone. It is a county with an unusually high share of bigger (20+ employee) businesses in ad-heavy categories, and it is a county where the number of ad-heavy local businesses has been shrinking. The eight measures below show how it compares with each other county.
- Change in population since 2020 -0.2% Slower growth than 66% of counties
- Median income per household (2023 est.) $77,100 Ahead of than 74% of counties
- Ad-heavy local businesses per 10,000 residents 38.2 Heavier than 65% of counties
- Change in those businesses, 2017 to 2022 -2.8% Behind on growth than 77% of counties
- Portion with 20+ employees 9.5% Higher share than 98% of counties
- New homes permitted per 10,000 residents (2025) 21.3 Quieter building than 60% of counties
- This year's housing permits against the same months last year -11.6% Slacker than 67% of counties
- People living outside city and town limits 8% Lower share than 98% of counties
Each bar places Scott County against all 1,822 U.S. counties with 20,000 or more residents. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates, County Business Patterns (2017 and 2022), Census income estimates and the Building Permits Survey.
What stands out
Scott County Has More Large Local Advertisers Than Most Counties
Look at who is bidding in Scott County and a pattern shows up: 9.5% of its 665 ad-heavy employer locations have 20 or more employees, a bigger share than 98% of counties. Bigger operators usually have marketing staff and steady budgets, so a smaller business wins by being more specific, more local and easier to call.
Scott County has 174,270 residents, which ranks 394th of 3,143 U.S. counties, and its population has changed −0.2% since the 2020 Census.
Davenport dominates Scott County, with about 58% of its residents. The other bigger places are Bettendorf (39,858), Eldridge (6,846), Le Claire (4,744), Blue Grass (1,588). We aim campaigns at the places and ZIP codes you serve, so you pay for clicks from the areas you want.
Population by place
The Largest Places in Scott County
These are the largest places in Scott County by resident count. We can target any of these places, or ZIP codes and a radius around where you work.
| City or town | Population (2023 est.) | Portion of county population |
|---|---|---|
| Davenport | 100,354 | 58% |
| Bettendorf | 39,858 | 23% |
| Eldridge | 6,846 | 4% |
| Le Claire | 4,744 | 3% |
| Blue Grass (part) | 1,588 | 1% |
| Walcott (part) | 1,549 | 1% |
Data: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates. Places here means cities, towns and census-designated places; where a city crosses into a neighboring county, only the part inside Scott County is counted.
Who you are bidding against
Who You Would Be Bidding Against in Scott County
This table compares Scott County with the typical U.S. county, category by category: the count per 10,000 residents, the change over time, and how many locations are larger operations.
Business typeEmployer locationsCompared with a typical countyChange from 2017 to 2022Locations with 20+ employees
Roofing contractors 22 +69.2% 0
Insurance agencies and brokeragesMost crowded 91 +0% 6
Law offices 71 -17.4% 0
Real estate agents and brokersFastest growing 59 +63.9% 0
Dentists 64 -13.5% 3
Landscaping services 71 +12.7% 3
Physicians officesBiggest firms 87 -20.9% 24
Residential remodelersMost room 58 +13.7% 0
Accounting and CPA firms 23 -8% 3
Electrical contractors 35 -14.6% 9
General automotive repair 40 -16.7% 4
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors 44 -4.3% 11
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). The counts are establishments in County Business Patterns (2017, 2022), not active advertisers. See the method
The most crowded category in Scott County is insurance agencies and brokerages: 91 locations, 1.4x what a typical county has per resident, and up 0% since 2017. Law offices (71 locations, 1.4x) and real estate agents and brokers (59 locations, 1.4x) also sit above a normal county.
Real estate agents and brokers grew fastest, up 63.9% since 2017 to 59 locations. Physicians offices went the other way, down 20.9% to 87 locations. The biggest operators sit in physicians offices: 24 of 87 locations have 20 or more employees.
One caution: the table counts local businesses; it does not price clicks. Auctions set click prices, and they also depend on your keywords, ads, landing page and the exact search, so a crowded category should shape your plan, not your expectations of price.
Markets like this one
Six Counties That Resemble Scott County
The six counties below are the closest matches to Scott County among our 400 markets, measured on size, income, growth, construction and ad-business density combined.
| Place | Index | Population | Change since 2020 | Ad-business change since 2017 | Permits per 10k, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, IA (this market) | 61.2 | 174,270 | -0.2% | -2.8% | 21.3 |
| Racine County, WI | 51.9 | 196,613 | -0.6% | +14.3% | 23.8 |
| Sangamon County, IL | 60.4 | 193,491 | -1.5% | -3.2% | 11.4 |
| Madison County, IL | 60.1 | 262,752 | -1.2% | -3.2% | 18.3 |
| St. Louis County, MN | 58.5 | 200,514 | +0.1% | +5% | 20.9 |
| Lake County, OH | 66.6 | 231,640 | -0.4% | -2.3% | 18.4 |
| Cleveland County, OK | 65.5 | 301,193 | +1.9% | +10% | 19.5 |
These are the six markets among our 400 that match this one most closely on size, income, growth, construction and ad-business density. Sources as above.
Racine County, WI is the closest match, scoring 51.9 against Scott County's 61.2. Racine County, WI's ad-heavy business base changed +14.3% over the period against −2.8% in Scott County. If you already advertise in one of these markets, the comparison tells you how similar the competitive field is, not what your results will be.
New construction
New Homes in Scott County: Below the 2024 Peak, Still Slowing This Year
Housing units authorized by building permits. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau's 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.
Scott County authorized 785 housing units in 2024 and 372 in 2025, about 53% fewer; 2025 still works out to 21.3 units per 10,000 residents, less than in 60% of counties. For January through August, permits are running at 236 against 267 a year earlier (−11.6%).
In Scott County, the construction-linked categories already busiest are roofing contractors (2.2x typical) and insurance agencies and brokerages (1.4x typical). Every new household needs contractors, insurers, agents and providers, so construction-linked categories feel any swing in permits first. If that is your category, a turn in permits is a reason to review your budget before the busy stretch, not after.
Check the math
Work Out What a Lead Can Cost Before You Spend a Dollar
Your numbers, not a rule of thumb, decide whether ads pay off in Scott County. Fill in the boxes with your own figures to see the most you can spend per lead and still come out even.
Platforms we manage
Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, and Bing Ads: One Plan
Facebook and Instagram Ads
Campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, managed in Meta's ad platform, that reach Scott County residents before they start searching.
Bing Ads
Another pool of searchers on Bing, Microsoft Edge and Microsoft's partner network, many of whom never open Google.
PPC, paid search, paid social
People say Google Ads, PPC, paid ads, Facebook ads or Instagram ads; all of them mean paying per click, and we manage that for Scott County businesses on one flat plan.
Intent is highest on Google, so most Scott County businesses begin there and add Facebook, Instagram or Bing when the first campaign is running well. One account manager covers every platform.
Step by step
How We Run Google Ads for Scott County Businesses
Set up
We construct your campaign starting with the basics done right: pages built to turn clicks into calls, keywords, ads, ad extensions and conversion tracking.
Launch, then learn
With the campaign live, we check in and adjust often, filtering out irrelevant searches with negative keywords, tightening bids and steering toward better leads.
Manage & scale
We back the ad groups that are producing and try broader keywords to build on the calls you already get.
Never stop tuning
The tuning never stops, and we lower your monthly management fee as your account grows, which lifts your return.
Management fees
Flat-Rate Google Ads Management in Scott County
Flat monthly management, with nothing to sign, scaled to the number of platforms we manage. Ad spend is billed by the platform, separate from our fee. Planning a budget above $10K a month? Call us.
Questions
Scott County Google Ads Management: Your Questions Answered
What are your Google Ads management fees in Scott County?
The management fee is flat, $895 for one platform, $1,595 for two and $2,295 for three, and it does not change with the size of your ad budget. Ad spend goes to the platform, and cancelling is always allowed.
How do I decide on an ad budget in Scott County?
Begin with your own economics, not a rule of thumb: the calculator above converts your profit per customer and close rate into the most you can pay per lead. In Scott County, insurance agencies and brokerages (1.4x) and law offices (1.4x) are denser than a typical county, so if you are in one of those categories plan for a busier auction. Before launch we size the budget with you, then scale as results arrive.
Is Scott County a competitive market for Google Ads?
About average. Scott County scores 61.2 on our Ad Competition Index, ranking 470th of 1,822 counties with 20,000+ residents and 194th of the 400 markets we cover. Insurance agencies and brokerages is the densest category here, at 1.4 times the typical county. 9.5% of the ad-heavy locations have 20 or more employees, so expect some larger bidders. That calls for consistency: a steady campaign can hold ground that a larger market would contest.
What kinds of local businesses advertise most in Scott County?
Across the twelve ad-heavy categories we track, the largest by employer locations in Scott County are insurance agencies and brokerages (91), physicians offices (87) and law offices (71). Measured against a typical county, the most crowded are insurance agencies and brokerages (1.4x) and law offices (1.4x). A large or crowded category does not settle whether ads will work for you; it tells you how many other businesses may be bidding on the same searches.
How fast will Google Ads send leads to my Scott County business?
Some campaigns produce calls the day they go live. Some need a two-to-four-week settling period, more so in crowded categories such as insurance agencies and brokerages. Early on, we check search terms and exclude the ones that do not fit, so your budget goes to the right clicks.
Is Scott County growing, and does that matter for Google Ads?
Scott County has 174,270 residents, −0.2% since the 2020 Census, and 372 housing units were permitted in 2025 (21.3 per 10,000 residents). With the population close to flat, most new customers are people who already have a provider and have to be given a reason to switch. Either way, ads reach the people searching now, so we keep an eye on these trends when we set budgets.
Can you target only the parts of Scott County I serve?
Yes. We can target by city (Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge, Le Claire and others), by ZIP code or by a radius around your location.
Do you manage Facebook and Instagram ads, or only Google?
Yes. We manage Google Ads, Bing (Microsoft Advertising) and Meta, Facebook and Instagram's parent company. Many Scott County businesses begin with Google, since people there are actively searching, and bring in Facebook and Instagram ads for people who have not started searching. Our fee rises with the number of platforms, never with your ad budget.
Do you require a contract, and how will I track results?
No contract: month to month, cancel anytime. A dedicated account manager runs your account, and each month you get a report of the calls, form fills and sales your Scott County campaign generated.
Next door
Counties Near Scott County
Customers beyond Scott County? These are the nearest counties, measured from county center to county center:
- Rock Island County, IL: roughly 12 miles from here, 141,236 people, index score 46.2
- Clinton County, IA: roughly 18 miles away, 46,158 residents, index score 59.3
- Cedar County, IA: around 28 miles out, 18,302 residents, competition index 59.7
- Muscatine County, IA: around 28 miles away, 42,218 residents, Ad Competition Index 54.9
- Mercer County, IL: about 31 miles away, 15,487 residents, index score 27.6
- Henry County, IL: around 32 miles out, 48,448 people, Ad Competition Index 46.8
How it was made
The Data Behind This Scott County Page
Each number on this page is taken from public Census Bureau data, computed the same way for every county, so you can compare Scott County with any other market. Client account data is not used, and we do not publish campaign results, since results vary by business.
- Data refreshedOctober 16, 2026
- SourcesCensus population estimates (2023), County Business Patterns (2017, 2022), income estimates from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program (2023), the Building Permits Survey (2021 to 2026 year to date), Census Gazetteer files.
- MethodThe Ad Competition Index and every other figure here are defined on the method page. See each market in the index.
- CorrectionsSee something wrong? Email hello@getphound.com and we will verify it against the original data.
Talk to Us
Ready to Grow Your Scott County Business With Google Ads?
Tell us what you sell and which parts of Scott County you serve. We will show you what a Google Ads plan looks like for your budget. Call 610-825-4363 or write to hello@getphound.com and we will set up a strategy session with our CEO.