Stop Wasting Money

7 Google Ads Mistakes Costing Pest Control Companies Thousands

Most pest control company businesses waste 20-40% of their Google Ads budget on these common mistakes. Here's what they are and how to fix them.

Top Pest Control Companies Google Ads Mistakes

Mistake #1: Missing After-Hours Emergency Searches

Pests are discovered after work hours—when people come home, before bed, in the middle of the night. Someone who finds a mouse at 10pm is Googling frantically. But most pest control ads stop running at 5pm. You're missing 40-50% of high-intent emergency searches because your campaigns have business hours only scheduling.

$680/month in missed leadsExample: Ads pausing at 5pm when pest discoveries peak at 8pm

Mistake #2: No Separation Between Emergency and Ongoing

Someone searching 'bed bugs in my room' has VERY different intent than 'quarterly pest control service'. Emergency pest callers will hire whoever answers first, while ongoing service shoppers compare options. Mixing them means generic messaging that doesn't capture the urgency of infestations or the value proposition of preventive plans.

$520/month in suboptimal targetingExample: 'Emergency termite treatment' search seeing 'pest control services' generic ad

Mistake #3: DIY Searches Draining Budget

Pest control has huge DIY search volume: 'how to get rid of ants', 'mouse trap placement', 'DIY roach killer'. These searchers want Home Depot solutions, not professional service. At $7.85 per click, each DIY click is expensive—and they add up to 20-30% of unfiltered budgets.

$580/month on DIY clicksExample: 'How to get rid of mice naturally' triggering pest control ads

More Costly Mistakes for Pest Control Companies

Mistake #4: Running Broad Match Without Negatives

Broad match keywords trigger your pest control company ads for searches like "pest control company jobs" and "pest control company salary". Without negative keywords, you're paying for clicks that will never convert.

$236/month wasted

Fix: Add comprehensive negative keyword lists and switch high-value keywords to exact match.

Mistake #5: Sending Traffic to Your Homepage

Your homepage isn't optimized for conversions. Pest Control Companies who click ads expecting specific services bounce when they land on a generic page.

40-60% higher bounce rate

Fix: Create dedicated landing pages for each service with clear CTAs and matching message.

Mistake #6: Ignoring Ad Schedule Data

You're paying the same CPC at 3 AM as you are during peak hours. But pest control company searches convert differently throughout the day.

20-30% budget inefficiency

Fix: Analyze your conversion data by hour and day, then adjust bids accordingly.

Mistake #7: Not Testing Ad Copy

Running the same ads for months means you're leaving performance on the table. Different messages resonate with different pest control company customers.

15-25% lower CTR

Fix: Run at least 3 ad variations per ad group and let Google optimize.

Keywords Pest Control Companies Should Never Bid On

These keywords waste budget without delivering customers:

how to get rid of ants

DIYers looking for home remedies, not professional treatment.

mouse trap

Hardware store shoppers who'll try DIY before calling professionals.

natural pest control

DIY-oriented searchers looking for chemical-free home solutions.

pest control jobs

Job seekers looking for employment, not pest services.

roach spray

People buying retail products to treat themselves.