It should come as no surprise that Google is the dominant search engine in the world. In the United States, 89% of all internet searches happen on Google’s platform making it a valuable tool for businesses that want to be discovered by their local customers. For pest control businesses, leveraging the world’s most powerful search engine can increase visibility and result in higher revenue.
Since most people start with an internet search when looking for home services like pest control, pest control businesses that rank highest on the search engine results page (SERP) will ultimately capture more attention than their competitors. For this reason, every successful pest control business should consider a carefully crafted advertising campaign through Google Ads.
The Pros and Cons of Using Google Ads
There are pros and cons to every marketing strategy. For pest control businesses, it’s critical to understand the risks and rewards that come with leveraging a platform like Google Ads.
- Effective Targeting – Each business has a specific target audience that is most likely to purchase their product or service. The last thing you want to do is throw your hard-earned marketing dollars at advertising to the wrong group of people. With Google Ads, pest control companies can select a variety of targeting options to limit the advertisements to users with specific keywords, location, or another demographic.
- Control Over Your Budget – Google only charges businesses when someone clicks on their ad which is helpful since you only have to pay for actual results. The platform also gives businesses complete control over their budget by letting them set limits on how much they want to spend on advertising.
- Measurable Results – The Google Ads platform comes with plenty of detailed analytics that measure important metrics such as click-through and conversion rates. This helps pest control companies understand what is and isn’t working so they can tailor their advertisements.
- Highly Competitive – Because Google is the most popular search engine, there could be a high number of competitors in your area who are leveraging Google Ads to attract business. Ultimately, this may drive up the cost per ad as you compete for the top spot.
- Technical Knowledge – Building an effective ad campaign can become very complex, especially for pest control companies that don’t have a digital marketing specialist on staff. For best results, you may want to hire a digital marketing agency to help design and manage the campaign.
5 Ways to Get the Most Benefit from Google Ads
Ask any real estate professional what the secret is to making the most money in real estate and they’ll respond “location, location, location”. The exact same applies to search engines. The companies that rank the highest will naturally get the most traffic and sales. In fact, 99% of all Google users never look past the first page of the search results with 60% of all clicks going toward the first three links.
1. Select the Right Advertising Option
Google offers two main ways to advertise a business – Traditional Google Ads and Local Service Ads. While both can be effective, there are a few differences that might make the Local Service Ad option better for your pest control business.
The first difference is how you pay for the advertising. With traditional Google Ads you pay each time someone clicks through your ad to your website or landing page. While traffic is generally a positive thing, it doesn’t guarantee that the visitor is a good quality lead. Local Service Ads take a slightly different approach. Instead, businesses only pay when a customer contacts you (via call, booking, or message) directly though the ad resulting in higher quality leads. It’s important to note that Local Ads typically cost more than traditional Google Ads, but the Local Ads usually have a higher conversion rate.
Also, Local Service Ads appear higher in the search results than traditional Google Ads. The listing will also display information that is useful for your customers such as your Google star rating and contact information. You can also qualify for a “Google Guarantee Badge” which can help boost customer confidence that you are a reputable company that has been reviewed by Google.
2. Conduct Proper Keyword Research
Selecting the right keywords for your ad campaign is critical to connecting with the right target audience. Google Ads has tools available to help you select the right keywords based on the number of searches and usage by other companies. Your goal is to find keywords that are specific to your offerings, but not overused and difficult to stand out.
Long-tail keywords are typically more effective than short-tail keywords. For example, “pest control” would be considered short-tail while “hornet removal Columbus Ohio” would be considered long-tail.
Google Ads also lets you identify negative keywords, keywords that you don’t want to be identified with. For example, if you don’t provide pest control services in a nearby town, you can exclude the name of that town from your list. Or, if you only specialize in restaurants and commercial properties, you might exclude the keywords “residential” or “home”.
3. Select the Right Budget
Advertising can get really expensive if you aren’t careful. The last thing any pest control company should do is throw a ton of money at an ad campaign without proper planning. For best results, you need to understand how much return you could potentially see from advertising on Google Ads.
First, you’ll need to calculate how much each ad will cost. This will vary depending on your geographic location and the level of competition in your area. Next, figure out what the average click-through and conversion rate to expect (this may be an estimate at first, so it’s best to be conservative). Finally, calculate the LTV (long term value) of a typical customer. This is how much profit you make from your average customer. With these numbers in mind, you can estimate how much it will cost on advertising to attract a new customer. If that amount is more than your average LTV, you should reevaluate your campaign.
If you’re ready to proceed, you need to examine your marketing budget to decide how much you are willing to dedicate to your online advertising campaign. It may be wise to start out with a small budget and increase that amount over time.
4. Carefully Craft Your Ad
Simply paying for a Google Ad won’t be sufficient if you want to capture the highest return on your marketing dollars. While you will be more likely to show up high on the Google search results, a well-crafted ad will be required to obtain a good click-through and conversion rate.
The messaging in your ad needs to be clear and concise. It needs to be very specific to your target audience’s needs such as the specific type of pest they are dealing with or their geographic area. Every component of your ad including your headline, ad description, call to action, and display URL will affect the readers decision whether to click or not.
For best results, pest control companies should consider creating a group of ads (also referred to as Ad Groups). These groups contain different ads that are targeted toward a similar set of keywords. This can be more effective than a single ad and provides the Google algorithm with more options to show prospective clients. For example, if you create an ad campaign for your bed bug removal services, you can have one ad in your group that is focused on residential homeowners and another tailored to the needs of hotel operators.
5. Consistency and Commitment to Your Campaign
Using Google Ads isn’t a guarantee of overnight success for your pest control business. The quality of your advertisement, competition, and marketing budget will play a major role. It’s not uncommon for an advertising campaign to take 3 to 6 months to mature before you start seeing results.
Since Google doesn’t get paid until people click through the ad, it’s in their best interest to make sure the right audience sees it. It may take the Google algorithm a bit of time to fine tune the exact user profile to match your ad. During this time, you may also need to adjust your ad to improve its effectiveness.
For this reason, you need to commit to your advertising plan and be patient. Don’t throw in the towel after a few weeks if you don’t see immediate results.
Let Us Craft a Highly-Effective Google Campaign
Navigating the Google Ad world can be confusing. At Rhino Pest Control Marketing, our team of experts is here to guide pest control businesses through the process of building and maintaining an online advertising strategy that is guaranteed to increase your ability to attract new clients. Start with our Google Ads for Pest Control Guide or contact our team of digital marketers to see how we can help.
