Originally published in October 2024. Last updated on February 24, 2025.
When homeowners have pest problems these days, most of them run to Google first. Whether they’re looking for a DIY solution or a pest control specialist they can call, customers trust the experts at the top of search engines most.
That’s where SEO for pest control comes in. By optimizing your website, you can improve its visibility on Google, helping people searching for pest control services find and contact you.
We’ll share the first steps you should take to build a strong SEO foundation and attract more customers online.
9 steps for successful pest control SEO:
Why is SEO for pest control important?
Let’s assume you’ve got all the right equipment and a team of trained technicians. Maybe your van is wrapped with your company logo.
But when someone in your area searches online for “exterminator near me,” your business is nowhere to be found. In an industry where jobs can turn into ongoing contracts, every missed call is money left on the table.
That’s where pest control SEO comes in.
Investing time and effort into an effective SEO strategy is the difference between being found in Google results, or not at all. When a homeowner needs someone to take care of a rodent problem, wouldn’t you like to be the first result they see?
Here are some reasons why SEO is so important and valuable for pest control:
- Local searches bring in high-intent customers: When people search for pest control, they’re not just casually browsing. They need help now. If your business ranks well, you’ll be in front of customers who are ready to book an appointment.
- You can compete in a crowded market: Chains and larger pest control companies might have the budget, but do they have your local expertise? A strong SEO strategy helps you stand out by showing you’re the go-to expert in the area.
- Organic presence builds trust and credibility: When people see your business at the top of Google, they’ll probably call you instead of a competitor that neglects their online presence.
- You can attract a steady flow of leads: SEO helps you build long-term visibility without constantly paying for ads. Your site can become a 24/7 lead generator, feeding you new customers even when you’re off the clock.
- SEO brings you more than just one-time jobs: If you offer ongoing commercial monitoring or seasonal treatments, SEO helps establish you as the local expert. When a customer needs pest control again, they already know who to call. Hint: it’s you.
Types of SEO for pest control
On-page SEO: This is all about fine-tuning the content on your website so search engines (and people) know what you do. It includes optimizing your page titles and meta descriptions, and using keywords that people search for, like “bed bug removal in [city]”
Off-page SEO: What others say about your business online has an impact. Getting backlinks from local news sites, home service directories, and industry blogs helps Google see you as a trusted source. Online reviews and mentions on other websites also play a role.
Technical SEO: Even your best content won’t be effective if your site is slow or hard to navigate. This type of SEO focuses on the behind-the-scenes stuff, like making sure your site loads fast and looks great on mobile, so users don’t run to your competitors.
Local SEO for pest control: Most people searching for pest control need help right away, and they want a company nearby. This means showing up in Google’s map results is critical. To do that, you’ll need an optimized Google Business Profile, and your site should use location-based keywords (like “[city] pest control”).
Image SEO: Even your images, preferably original rather than stock, can bring in leads. By naming files properly, writing descriptive alt text, and compressing images for speed, you improve your chances of appearing in search results—especially for visual searches like “what do termite droppings look like?”
1. Work on your local SEO
Local search engine optimization improves the chances of customers in your service area finding you on search engines.
The best place to focus your local pest control SEO efforts is Google—it’s where nearly 80% of searches happen worldwide. Here’s how to do that:
- Set up a Google Business Profile to show up for customers who search for pest control businesses near them.
- Ask for customer reviews to boost your chances of showing up at the top.
- Create location-specific pages on your website to bring customers to your website and encourage them to book your pest control service.
Make a strong Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile (previously called “Google My Business”) is a free business listing that appears on Google when customers search for your services.
When you complete your Business Profile, it can appear on Google Search or Google Maps whenever someone adds “near me” to a pest control search.
For example, these businesses show up when a customer in New York City searches “rodent control near me”:
Your listing can even show up for local searches without “near me.” Customers in Columbus, Ohio will find these bed bug exterminators halfway down the first page when they search “professional bed bug treatment”:
Google will guide you through setting up your Business Profile with the basics—like your service area, contact information, and a link to your website. As a service business, you don’t even need a physical address to set up your profile.
To make your Business Profile look more detailed and competitive, add:
- A list of your pest control services
- The number of years you’ve been in business
- On-the-job photos or before-and-after images of customer homes
- Answers to frequently asked customer questions (e.g., whether your business treats stink bugs)
- A quote request form that collects new pest control leads
Pro Tip: Let new customers request pest control services through your website and social media, too, by sharing a quick online booking form.
Collect customer reviews
Over 99.9% of customers read reviews when they shop online. Because customers trust word-of-mouth marketing, Google considers online reviews very important.
Having lots of positive reviews on your Business Profile can raise your business listing higher up in Google search results. Plus, a high star rating looks great to potential customers.
After every job, ask customers for a review over email or text. Or save time by setting up an automatic review collection system. Jobber automatically sends a text to the customers you want reviews from.
When you make an invoice in Jobber, you can choose if you want to send the customer a review request.
After paying their invoice, those customers will automatically get a link to leave a review on your Google Business Profile.
From your reviews dashboard in Jobber, you can keep an eye on your average Google rating. You’ll also see your latest reviews and resources on how to manage your business’s reputation.
Add location pages to your website
If you service multiple locations, having a page on your pest control website for each city or town helps customers in those locations find you.
For instance, take this location page for Integrity Pest Solutions, a business based in Columbus. It tells customers it does bed bug extermination in Cincinnati.
Integrity Pest Solutions has a page for every other municipality in Ohio that they service, so that customers all over the state can find them through local searches.
If you’re just starting out with SEO, there’s these things called service area pages.
If you’re in a specific city, but you also service maybe 10 or 20 other cities around you, you can create service area pages for each city that you serve.
As you’re planning your service and location pages, visit your competitors’ websites and look at what content is on their pages. Take note of what questions they’re answering and how much detail they include—this can help you start to write your own.
READ MORE: Pest control ads: 18 real examples and advertising tips
2. Plan your keyword strategy
Figure out the keywords, phrases, or questions that people would type into search engines to find your pest control services.
The goal is to have your website appear at the top of the results when people search those keywords.
Brainstorm your keywords
To start identifying SEO keywords you want to target:
- Write down a list of the pests you treat and the services you offer
- For each pest, brainstorm what you would type into Google if you needed help from a pest control specialist
For example, a basic keyword list for a company that treats termites, bed bugs, and mice might look like this:
- termite control
- free termite inspection
- bed bug exterminator
- professional bed bug treatment
- mouse control
- mice exterminator
Then add your location to these keywords to attract searchers in your service area (like “termite control in Columbus, Ohio”). Many searchers will add the name of their region to a search so they can find a pest control company in their area.
You can apply keywords in many different places on your website, such as on the homepage, on service pages, and in blog posts (which we’ll cover in an upcoming section).
Pro Tip: Keyword research can help you determine which words or phrases best describe your business or service offerings.
Search all your brainstormed keywords in Google and see what comes up. Take note of the types of pages that show up and how you can make yours better.
3. Add service pages to your website
To optimize your website for search, build a website page for each of your core services. When your customers in your area search for these services, Google will show them results from the area—possibly yours, if you do it well.
For example, a potential customer in Phoenix, Arizona who searches “rodent control” will find Urban Desert Pest Control’s rodent services page. Customers searching “termite control” in the same city will find a page for that service on the same website.
This is because Urban Desert has service pages that are optimized for search engines.
How can you optimize your pest control service pages for search? Your service pages should:
- Have a page title that contains the keyword you want to target (like “Wasp Nest Removal in Denver”)
- Explain exactly what problems you solve and why customers should choose you
- Give advice that helps homeowners manage pests on their own so they know when to contact a professional
- Have buttons or links throughout the page that take customers to your contact page or online booking form
READ MORE: Is online booking right for you? 4 factors to consider
4. Make your website easy to use and professional
Your website is an important piece of your pest control SEO. Beyond having the right pages, it needs to be easy for visitors to use, fast to load, and professional-looking.
Use this checklist to optimize your pest control website for search engines:
- Does your website have a simple layout that’s free of clutter?
- Does the layout adapt well to different devices, including smartphones and tablets?
- Is it easy to find important pages in the website’s navigation menu? Are there clear labels for every page, like “Services,” “About,” and “Contact Us”?
- Is the website accessible to users with disabilities?
If your web design doesn’t check these boxes, work with a web developer or SEO service that has a track record of building SEO-friendly websites
Finally, work with your website developer and run your website through Google’s PageSpeed Insights. This will help you catch messy code or other problems that can slow down the time it takes to load each page.
Regularly reviewing and optimizing these aspects of your site can improve its performance on search engines, attracting more visitors and increasing conversions.
Create a website in minutes with Jobber
Get your business online and in front of customers fast with a simple, professional website, you can set up in minutes.
Simply provide Jobber with details on your pest control business and services, and we’ll create a site that highlights what sets you apart from the competition.
Plus, websites built with Jobber help you appear higher in the search results when a potential customer in your service area is looking for pest control services.
To help you convert website visitors into leads, your website automatically comes with a quote request form. And, when you connect your Google Business Profile to your site, visitors will see exactly why you’re the business that they should be working with.
5. Start a pest control blog
A blog is a place on your site to both share pest control tips and attract customers. When you consistently publish helpful, optimized content, search engines are more likely to rank your site higher. It’ll be easier for potential customers to find you.
Regularly posting informative articles helps drive traffic and build trust. It positions your business as the local pest control expert. Plus, this strengthens your SEO for pest control, increasing your visibility and bringing in more leads over time.
Here’s how to start and run an effective blog:
- Cover a variety of pest control topics: Write about issues that matter to your customers, such as preventing infestations or recognizing signs of termite damage. Answer common pest-related questions to position yourself as an expert.
- Plan your content in advance: Keeping your blog updated regularly helps to attract potential customers. Create a posting schedule (sometimes called a “calendar”) to give yourself some guidance for sharing insights on a regular basis.
- Share your expertise: Offer practical advice through guides, like “How to keep ants out of your kitchen” or “What to do if you spot bed bugs.” Addressing these concerns can help homeowners feel more confident choosing your services.
- Use visuals: Help readers visualize concepts by including photos, infographics, and diagrams. For example, an image that’s labeled with common entry points for rodents can make your content more engaging.
The framework is whatever questions your customers are asking, create blog content about that.
16 pest control blog topic ideas
To help you brainstorm, here are some topics to consider writing about:
- 5 common entry points for rodents in your home
- 5 safe pest control tips for homes with cats and dogs
- 5 seasonal pest control tips to keep your home bug-free all year
- 5 signs of a termite infestation you should recognize
- 5 steps to take after discovering a bed bug infestation
- 5 ways to keep ants out of your kitchen
- DIY pest control vs. professional extermination: What’s more effective?
- Everything homeowners need to know about termite damage
- How to choose the right pest control company
- How to get rid of cockroaches and keep them from coming back
- How to identify and prevent a flea infestation
- How to keep mosquitoes away from your yard all summer long
- How to prep your home for a professional pest control treatment
- How weather affects pest activity
- Most common pests that invade homes in the winter
- The dangers of ignoring a rodent problem
6. Do the basics of technical SEO
Technical SEO for pest control lays the foundation for your website, making it easier for search engines to crawl, index, and rank your pages. A clean, organized site structure will ensure that:
- Potential customers can find your business when searching for pest solutions online.
- People can easily navigate to service pages on your site.
- Search engines will discover and crawl all the important business information on your site.
When it comes to technical SEO, start with the basics. Typically, getting those right will help improve your search rankings. If your site loads quickly, performs well on mobile devices, and provides a good user experience, you’ll be in good shape.
If you’re not comfortable tackling the technical aspect, you may want to work with a web developer to handle it.
Here are some tactics to try:
Beginner technical SEO checklist for pest control
- Organize your site structure with easy navigation and clear service pages (e.g., termite control, rodent removal)
- Use clear, keyword-friendly URLs, like “/services/bed-bug-extermination”
- Ensure your website is mobile-friendly so customers can easily find you on any device
- Create and submit an XML sitemap to help search engines index your service pages
- Set up a robots.txt file to ensure search engines crawl the right pages
- Fix broken links to prevent visitors from becoming frustrated
- Optimize title tags and meta descriptions with pest control keywords and service locations
- Improve page speed by compressing images of infestations and treatments for faster loading
- Use alt text to describe the context of images, such as “termite damage in home” or “pest control technician inspecting a house”
- Reduce unnecessary redirects to keep your site fast and user-friendly
Once you’ve done the basics, you can move on to slightly more advanced things like:
- Implementing structured data (schema markup) to help search engines display business details like service areas
- Enabling browser caching to speed up load times for customers researching pest problems
- Minifying CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files to improve performance
- Regularly checking Google Search Console for crawl errors
- Optimizing for Core Web Vitals to ensure a smooth browsing experience
7. Get backlinks to your website
When other websites link to your pest control site, you gain a backlink, which is a ranking factor. Think: a link that sends people “back” to your website.
Search engines view backlinks as signals that your site is trustworthy and relevant. Backlinks can also send visitors from the referring site your way.
One way to earn them is by leveraging your connections with local businesses. For example, if you partner with real estate agents, property managers, or home service providers, you can request a link from them.
You can also try to get backlinks from local news sites or blogs that mention your business. If you sponsor a neighborhood event or participate in a community clean-up, reach out and ask if they can include a link to your site.
Building links takes time, and you won’t get a response from every request. But remember that backlinks are valuable for improving SEO for pest control and helping people discover your services, so keep at it.
Pro Tip: Never pay for backlinks. Paid links can hurt your website’s rankings and authority. Instead, focus on getting links from trustworthy sites with real people behind them.
8. List your business in online directories
Try to get your business listed in as many trustworthy, popular business directories as possible. Many customers look for businesses in directories like Yelp and Angi—these listings can provide lots of information on a business and customer reviews.
Getting listed in online directories has two great benefits:
- You’ll attract customers from more places. Showing up on search engines is great, but directories will put you in front of even more potential customers.’
- You’ll look more trustworthy to search engines. Directory listings are an important piece of off-site SEO. Having lots of strong directory listings tells search engines that you have a reputable business. That helps you perform better on those search engines.
Create a listing with your pest control company name, services, website, and contact information on some of these directories:
- Yelp
- Nextdoor
- Yellow Pages
- Chamber of Commerce
- Bing Places
- Foursquare
- Yahoo Small Business Registration
Every time a link to your website shows up somewhere on the web, you get a backlink to your website.
To appear in more types of customer searches, create profiles on lead generation websites like Thumbtack, Houzz, Angi, and HomeAdvisor. These sites match you with customers who need your services.
They also create lists that rank the top pest control companies in every area. A homeowner who searches “best exterminator Toronto” on Google will see a search result like this:
With enough positive reviews and ratings from customers on these listings, your business could appear in a directory site’s “top 15” list.
READ MORE: See other cost-effective pest control marketing strategies
9. Track your search engine performance
Check regularly to see if your pest control SEO efforts are working. You don’t need to be an SEO expert—just follow these tips to analyze and improve your SEO performance every 3–4 months:
- Search your target keywords and see where your website shows up in the results
- See if your website traffic is growing using Google Search Console and Google Analytics
- Check your competitors’ websites for new content that you can compete with
You don’t always need a big marketing budget to compete with big pest control companies. An effective SEO strategy is a great way to improve your online presence.