Someone just found a termite trail in their kitchen. It’s 9 PM. They’re panicking. They grab their phone and type ‘pest control near me.’
They click the first result. The site takes four seconds to load. They can’t find a phone number without scrolling. The homepage has a stock photo of a smiling family. There’s no mention of termites anywhere above the fold.
They hit the back button and call your competitor instead.
That’s not a hypothetical. That’s happening to pest control companies every single day, and most of them have no idea it’s happening because they never see the leads they lose.
I’ve built websites for pest control companies across the country. The ones that generate consistent emergency calls and recurring service contracts share the same traits. The ones that don’t? They make the same fixable mistakes. Here’s what separates them.
Mistake #1: Your Phone Number Isn’t the First Thing People See
Pest control is an emergency-driven business. Bed bugs. Termites. Wasps in the wall. These are not problems people sit on. They want help today, not a callback in three business days.
If your phone number isn’t massive and above the fold, ideally with a click-to-call button that works on mobile, you are losing calls right now. Not maybe. Are.
The fix is simple: put your number in the header, make it large enough to read without zooming, and make sure tapping it on a smartphone dials automatically. This single change has measurably increased inbound calls for almost every pest control site I’ve overhauled.
Mistake #2: No Clear Service Area
Pest problems are hyperlocal. The homeowner in a panic doesn’t want to spend time figuring out if you even service their area. They want to know in three seconds whether you can help them today.
A service area map or a clear list of cities you cover does two things. First, it eliminates calls from people outside your range without risking you lose emergency calls. Second, and more importantly, it immediately builds confidence for people inside your range. ‘Good, they cover my city. I’m calling them.’
If you serve 10 cities, list all 10 on your homepage. Don’t make people guess.
Mistake #3: No Pest Identification Content
One of the most underused opportunities in pest control SEO is the search query ‘what bug is this.’ People find a bug they don’t recognize and they search for it. If your site has photos and descriptions of common pests, ants, roaches, bed bugs, termites, rodents, stinging insects, you become the first touchpoint in their problem-solving process.
That matters for two reasons. It brings qualified organic traffic (people with actual pest problems) to your site. And it positions you as the knowledgeable local expert before they’ve even called anyone. You helped them identify the problem. They’re calling you first.
A simple ‘Common Pests We Treat’ page with real photos, not clip art, is enough to start capturing this traffic.
Mistake #4: Hiding or Omitting Pricing
I know the instinct here. Every job is different. Pricing is complicated. You don’t want to scare people off with numbers.
Understand this: most homeowners searching for pest control have already decided to spend money. They just want a rough ballpark before they pick up the phone. Giving them nothing, no ranges, no starting prices, no indication of what they’re walking into, creates doubt. Doubt kills calls.
You don’t need exact prices. Start somewhere: ‘General pest treatment starting at $X.’ ‘Bed bug treatment from $X.’ ‘Termite inspection: $X.’ Ranges work. What doesn’t work is complete silence. People fill information vacuums with worst-case assumptions.
Mistake #5: Treating One-Time Calls as the Only Goal
Emergency calls are great. Recurring service contracts are better. The most successful pest control businesses I’ve worked with run both tracks simultaneously: capture the emergency call, then convert that customer into a quarterly prevention plan.
Your website needs to make both options clear. Show one-time treatment pricing alongside monthly or quarterly prevention plans. Explain the value of ongoing service, peace of mind, guaranteed coverage, seasonal protection. Make signing up for a recurring plan as easy as requesting a one-time quote.
Recurring revenue is predictable revenue. Your website should be actively building that base, not just fielding emergency calls.
Mistake #6: Your Site Breaks on Mobile
This should go without saying, but I still see it constantly: pest control websites that look fine on a desktop and fall apart on a phone. Buttons that don’t work. Text that requires horizontal scrolling. Phone numbers that aren’t clickable. Forms that are impossible to fill out with a thumb.
Consider when people discover pest problems. It’s not usually at a desk. It’s in the basement. The garage. The kitchen at night. They’re on their phone. A broken mobile experience at that moment is a direct handoff to your competition.
Test your own site right now on a phone. Try to find the phone number. Try to submit a contact form. If either takes more than 10 seconds, fix it before you spend another dollar on advertising.
What a High-Converting Pest Control Website Actually Looks Like
Pull all of this together and the picture is pretty clear. A pest control website that consistently generates calls and service contracts has a phone number that’s impossible to miss, states its service area upfront, helps people identify their pest problem, shows pricing ranges, explains recurring service options, and works flawlessly on a phone.
That’s not a complex website. It’s a focused one. Most pest control businesses don’t need more features, they need the right features executed well.
About the Author
Patrick Antinozzi is the founder of RapidWebLaunch, a web design and SEO agency he’s operated since 2013. He personally builds website, no outsourcing, no junior staff, with a focus on helping pest control companies generate real leads from their online presence.
