6 SEM Tactics for Pest Control Companies in 2022

SEM or Search Engine Marketing promotes a business through search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. For pest control companies, there are various options to appear prominently on these search engines. But which ones should contractors invest their resources in for 2022? At Serpmatic, we understand that digital marketing can be overwhelming for business owners, mainly because many choices exist. Ultimately, the goal is to generate more pest control leads while spending less money. With that in mind, let’s break down six SEM tactics for pest control businesses in 2022.

1) Search Engine Optimization

SEO is one of the most well-known search engine marketing methods for pest control companies. The process involves optimizing a website for specific keywords that then show up on Google search results. Companies must invest in on-page SEO, off-page SEO, content writing, and link building to achieve beneficial SEO results. As more businesses optimize their websites online, ranking on page one for the most popular keywords gets more challenging. Therefore, it’s a good idea to evaluate your SEO chances before investing. You can do this with an SEO audit which analyzes your opportunities based on industry, location, and website.

2) Google Ads

While SEO takes time to achieve good results, PPC works overnight. Pest control businesses can pay for clicks on Google to appear on top of results for primary keywords. Most search engine users know the difference between an ad and an organic search result, which is why PPC ads have an average Click-Through-Rate (CTR) of only 1.91%. Comparing that with the estimated CTR for the #1 organic result, 28.5%, is a 26.59% decrease. So why does anybody buy Google Ads? Because you only pay when someone clicks, and if you can’t rank on the first page organically, you won’t’ get any clicks, period.

3) Google My Business (Local SEO)

Claiming and optimizing a Google My Business (GMB) listing is another “free” way to market your pest control company on Google. Any business can publish a business listing to verify their address through a direct mail postcard. However, as a pest control company, your business may operate from inside your home, in which case you can hide your address publically and list your company as a Service Area Business (SAB). In either case, you can begin appearing on SERPs both within Google’s Local Map 3-Pack and through the Knowledge Graph for branded queries. You don’t need a website to publish your GMB listing; however, it’s one of the factors that can boost your Google Maps rankings.

4) YouTube (Video Results)

Google SERPs show video results (especially from YouTube) for certain types of search queries. For example, informational questions like how to remove insects from your home yields video results directly on the SERP. Some videos even show specific sections, called Key Moments, which you can optimize by adding timestamps to your YouTube video’s description. Keep in mind that these types of searches won’t come from people looking for pest control services, in most cases, but people looking for DIY tutorials for pest-related problems. In that sense, your videos will serve a similar purpose as a blog post, as it acquires SERP visibility without necessarily gaining customers.

5) Directory Listings

If you perform a Google search for pest control milford ct you’ll notice that several of the first page results are from online directories like Yelp, BBB, Angi, and Thumbtack. For example, these pages’ titles typically appear as something like 10 Best Pest Control Companies in Milford, CT. It’s easy for directories to rank on page one because their Domain Authority is so strong. Google has great trust in these websites and is willing to rank them over poorly optimized local websites. With this in mind, you can gain SERP positioning by appearing on the top of these directory lists. Check out some standard Yelp SEO strategies, including adding keywords to your business description, uploading photos, and getting more reviews.

6) Schema Markup

A great way to promote your services on search engines is through schema markup, especially FAQ schema. For those unaware, schema markup is a series of microdata tags that web admins can place within their page’s HTML code. In addition, you can download various WordPress plugins that make the process hassle-free and require no coding knowledge. Multiple types of schema markup may appear on search engine results, but the most prominent example is FAQ schema. For example, you can answer common customer questions, such as how much do pest control services cost, and have the answer appear underneath your primary search result.