How to use this list
Each table is one theme. Treat each theme as its own ad group in Google Ads and its own page or section on your site: car shows, auto shows, car meets & cars and coffee and track days & racing. When the ad and the page match the search word for word, you pay less per click and more people call.
Need more volume? Start with near-me and core terms
The near-me searches in this list add up to 193,540 searches a month, led by “car shows near me”, “car shows near me this weekend”, “car show near me”. These searches show the map pack first, so a complete Google Business Profile, steady reviews and a page for each town you serve matter as much as the ads.
Want higher-value customers? Target the makes
Make-specific searches are a lever on volume and value. The luxury-make keywords here (“lamborghini auto show”, “lamborghini car show”) total 760 searches a month at an average CPC of $0.00. The common-make keywords (“honda car show”, “honda cars and coffee”) total 910 at $2.57.
- Need more high-end work? Target the luxury makes you are certified or experienced with. You will get less volume, but each customer is usually worth more, and a page and ad group per make lets you speak to those owners directly.
- Need more volume? Cover the common makes and the generic searches someone would use to find your business, service or product.
Timing is the whole game
Event searches spike in the weeks before the event and when people plan their weekend (“car shows this weekend”). Launch early, raise budgets in the final two weeks and keep the date, location and ticket link above the fold on every page.
Rising keywords to watch
These keywords were searched at least 30% more over the last three months than over the nine months before. Some are seasonal, so check the trend line before you move budget.
| Keyword | Monthly searches | CPC |
|---|---|---|
| car shows near me | 60,500 | $4.77 |
| car shows near me this weekend | 22,200 | $5.07 |
| car show near me | 14,800 | $4.77 |
| car shows | 8,100 | $2.21 |
| sprint car racing | 8,100 | $1.10 |
| auto show today near me | 8,100 | $5.60 |
Negative keywords to add first
Before you launch, add these as negative keywords so your budget goes to buyers, not to job seekers, DIYers and unrelated searches: tv show netflix game toy jobs cruise ship horse racing standings schedule rc car hot wheels lyrics. Then check your search terms report every week and keep adding.
How we built this list
We pulled these keywords from Semrush’s US database on October 28, 2026, removed brand names, other companies’ names, specific towns, DIY product searches and job searches, then sorted what was left into themes. Monthly searches are Semrush’s 12-month average; the trend line shows the last 12 months, oldest to newest.


