A 2026 study from Tri-City Herald put three Google formats in a head-to-head test. The formats: Local Services Ads, traditional Google Ads, and the unpaid Local Pack. The vertical: home services search. The question: which one actually dominates the results page?

What did the study measure?

The report tracked click share and lead share across home services queries. Home services covers plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, and similar trades. Each format occupies distinct real estate on a results page. Each ranks or charges on very different terms.

Plumbers in Phoenix, roofers in Portland, and HVAC companies in Atlanta all face the same three-format SERP stack on every commercial-intent query.

Takeaway: format choice in this vertical is not a cosmetic decision.

Why does the format choice matter?

Local Services Ads charge per lead that Google vets as legitimate. Google Ads charge per click through a bidding auction. The Local Pack earns placement through organic ranking plus proximity. The conversion economics diverge sharply across these three.

A single booked service call from a Local Services Ads lead often pays for ten Google Ads clicks that turned into nothing but traffic.

Takeaway: lead math beats click math when budgets are tight.

What did the headline actually find?

The story's title — "What dominates home services search" — points to a single dominant format in 2026. Tri-City Herald's reporting answers that question. The publicly available link carried only the headline. The full body of the analysis was not accessible in the source data.

Tri-City Herald's headline frames the comparison as a contest, with one format declared the winner of the home services SERP in 2026.

Takeaway: a winner was named, but the proof stayed behind the click.

How does this fit Google's broader push?

Local Services Ads have expanded steadily since Google introduced them in 2019. The format now sits above the Local Pack on most commercial-intent home service queries. Google Ads spend in home services climbed through the early 2020s. The Local Pack still anchors organic trust for many local searchers.

Google has spent seven years building Local Services Ads into the most visible paid slot on commercial-intent home service queries, and that investment shows in placement.

Takeaway: the SERP has tilted toward vetted paid leads since 2019.

What does each format actually do on a results page?

Local Services Ads show at the very top with a Google Guaranteed or Google Screened badge. Google Ads sit just below them with traditional text creative. The Local Pack appears next, anchored by a map and three organic business listings.

Local Services Ads sit at the top with Google Guaranteed badges, Google Ads sit just below, and the Local Pack anchors the page with a map.

Takeaway: the page reads trust, bidding, and geography in that order.

What should a home services agency do next?

Re-read the agency's own click and lead data by format. Look for vertical splits — plumber searches behave differently than electrician searches. Test budget moves in 10% increments rather than all at once.

Re-read the agency's own data by format before reallocating even a single dollar toward whichever format the Tri-City Herald study names as dominant.

Takeaway: data beats headlines every time.

What are the limits of a single dominance verdict?

Tri-City Herald did not disclose sample size or methodology in the public headline. Home services is not one market — it is a cluster of sub-verticals with different buyer behaviors. A plumber in Phoenix converts differently than one in Portland.

A plumber chasing emergency calls, a roofer chasing storm damage, and an HVAC company booking seasonal tune-ups each convert at very different rates by format.

Takeaway: methodology gaps make any single verdict provisional.

What should marketers watch through 2026?

Track any new lead-based ad format Google tests in trades. Monitor Local Pack ranking-factor changes for service-area businesses. Watch for vertical-specific dominance splits as Google releases more data.

Watch for any new lead-based ad format Google tests in home services, and for Local Pack ranking-factor changes that target service-area businesses in particular.

Takeaway: the dominant format today may not be the dominant format next quarter.