How to get more pest control customers (and keep them)

Show up for “pest control near me”

A free Google Business Profile puts you on the map when someone searches in a hurry. Most pest control companies go to the customer, so Google’s guidelines say to hide your address and set a service area instead: up to 20 areas, no more than about two hours’ drive from your base.

Use your real business name, without extra words like “cheap” or “24/7”, which Google doesn’t allow in the name. List the pests you treat, in the words people use: ants, roaches, mice, termites, bed bugs, wasps.

Make your license and insurance easy to check

Customers are told to check. The EPA’s guide to choosing a pest control company tells them to make sure the license is current where one is required, to ask whether employees are bonded, and to ask for proof of insurance on paper. It adds that most states don’t require pest control companies to carry insurance, but that people should “think twice” before hiring one that isn’t insured.

Put your license number on your website, quotes and vehicles, and keep a certificate of insurance ready to send.

Explain the treatment before you start

The same EPA guide says any company, including those that call themselves “green”, should inspect the home and outline a control program. A written plan that covers those points answers the questions careful customers already have:

• The pests to be controlled and how big the problem is
• The active ingredients and how they will be applied
• Non-chemical options you can offer
• What the customer should do: empty cupboards, move pets, leave the house for a while
• Steps to keep the pests from coming back

Turn one-time calls into recurring service

A one-time treatment pays once. A quarterly or monthly plan keeps the customer and fills your calendar months ahead. Offer it at the end of a successful first visit, with a simple price and what each visit includes.

Send a short note before each visit with the date, what you’ll treat and anything the customer should do. Customers who know what’s coming cancel less.

Say clearly what your guarantee covers and what the customer has to do. The EPA tells consumers to be skeptical of a company that doesn’t guarantee its work, and to find out what they must do to keep their part of the bargain.

Ask every customer for a review

Create your review link or QR code from your Business Profile and send it after every visit. Google’s policy doesn’t allow discounts or free service in exchange for reviews, or asking only the customers you expect to be happy. A review that names the problem (“no more ants after two visits”) also tells the next customer you handle it.

Try Local Services Ads, and measure them

Pest control services are one of the categories Google’s Local Services Ads cover in the US. For pest control, Google’s screening includes background and business registration checks, general liability insurance and, where local law requires them, state licenses. It takes 3–4 weeks after you submit your documents. Judge the ads by what each booked customer costs, not by the number of calls.

Build referral partners

Some businesses need pest control again and again, or meet people who need it. A short introduction and one reliable first job can bring years of calls.

• Property managers and landlords who need treatments between tenants
• Real estate agents whose buyers find a problem before closing
• Restaurants and food businesses that want regular service
• Cleaning, lawn care and handyman businesses that spot pests first

A first reply to a request you can adapt

For a hypothetical pest control company. Offer only what you really do.