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Case Study — Pest Control

Houston Pest Control Drops CPL from $89 to $31 After Ditching Yelp for Google Ads

A regional Houston pest control company was burning $4,000 a month on Yelp with unpredictable results. Ad Boost replaced the entire budget with a Google Ads strategy built around emergency pest intent and seasonal demand — and calls nearly tripled in 90 days.

$31 Google Ads CPL
127 Service Calls/Month
203 Peak Month (June)
34% Termite Close Rate
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A regional pest control company serving the Houston metro replaced $4,000 per month in Yelp and directory advertising with a Google Ads strategy targeting emergency pest queries and seasonal campaigns, dropping cost per lead from $89 to $31 and growing monthly service calls from 44 to 127 — with a seasonal June peak of 203 calls in a single month. Their termite contract close rate reached 34% against a 12% industry average, driven by intent-matched landing pages that qualified homeowners before the call.
The Challenge

A Strong Company with a Broken Marketing Engine

The service was excellent — the reviews proved it. But the advertising was scattered across platforms that could not deliver consistent, measurable demand. Every slow week felt like a mystery.

📋
Yelp and Directory Dependency
$4,000 per month was going to Yelp, Angi, and local directory listings. Results were inconsistent month to month with no clear attribution. Some months delivered 50 calls, others delivered 20 — with no explanation for the variance.
📅
No Seasonality Strategy
Budget was distributed evenly across the year. During peak mosquito season (April through October) and termite swarm season (March through June), demand surged but ads could not scale to capture it. Slow winter months ate budget that should have been reserved for peaks.
🎯
Generic Targeting
Previous campaigns ran broad "pest control Houston" terms with no separation by pest type. This produced a mixed bag of inquiries ranging from one-time ant treatments to recurring contracts — with no way to prioritize the high-value termite and mosquito customers.
🚨
Missed Emergency Intent
The highest-converting pest control searches — "roaches in kitchen tonight," "bed bug exterminator same day," "termites in wall right now" — were not in any active campaign. These emergency queries convert at 3 to 5 times the rate of general pest control terms and were being left entirely to competitors.
Our Approach

5-Step Campaign Architecture

We built a system that matched ad spend to demand — capturing emergency intent in real time and front-loading budget during the seasonal windows when Houston homeowners are most likely to commit.

1
Emergency Pest Intent Keywords
We built a dedicated campaign around same-day and 24-hour pest queries: "roach exterminator near me today," "same-day bed bug treatment Houston," "termite inspection same week," and variants across 6 pest types. These keywords carry 3 to 5x higher conversion rates than generic category terms because the searcher already knows they have a problem and needs immediate help. This campaign alone drove 40% of total call volume within the first 30 days.
2
Seasonal Campaign Calendar
We mapped Houston pest activity patterns month by month and built a dynamic budget calendar. Mosquito campaigns ramped in early April and maintained elevated spend through October. Termite swarm campaigns peaked from March through June with a specific subterranean termite focus for the Houston clay soil market. General pest budgets scaled down during peak season so seasonal campaigns could absorb the full budget without increasing total spend. Peak months delivered 40 to 60% more calls than flat-budget approaches.
3
Service-Specific Landing Pages per Pest Type
Each campaign drove to a pest-specific landing page — roach, bed bug, termite, mosquito — with symptoms, treatment descriptions, and realistic timelines for that pest type. Generic pest control pages convert at roughly 4 to 6%. Pest-specific pages for this client converted at 11 to 14% because visitors confirmed their problem matched the solution before calling. Termite pages included a photo identification guide that pre-qualified homeowners by whether they had actually found termites versus ants.
4
Call-Only Ads for Mobile Emergency Searches
On mobile devices, emergency pest searches skew toward immediate action. We created a call-only campaign that bypassed the landing page entirely, connecting searchers directly to the business with one tap. These ads showed only between 7 AM and 9 PM — the hours when emergency calls are answered and actioned. Call-only ads delivered a 23% lower cost per booked appointment than standard text ads for the same emergency keywords, and showed up immediately for searchers who needed someone that day.
5
Recurring Service Upsell Sequence via SMS
Every new customer who booked a one-time service entered a 4-message SMS sequence timed at Day 7, Day 21, Day 45, and Day 90. Messages offered a recurring quarterly service plan at a 15% discount versus one-off pricing. The sequence converted 22% of one-time customers to recurring quarterly contracts — turning a $89 one-time job into an $800 annual contract value. This upsell revenue alone covered the cost of campaigns in the slower winter months.
The Results

Predictable Demand Across Every Season

The company went from unpredictable month-to-month swings to a system that consistently outperformed its busiest Yelp months — and scaled dramatically during peak season.

$31
Google Ads CPL
(down from $89 on Yelp)
127
Monthly Service Calls Booked
(up from 44)
203
Calls in June Peak Month
(seasonal campaign)
34%
Termite Contract Close Rate
(vs 12% industry average)
$3.2K
Monthly Ad Spend
(same budget as Yelp)
22%
One-Time Customers Converted
to Recurring Quarterly Plans
"

Yelp was costing us a fortune and we could never predict what we were going to get. Some months were fine, others were a disaster and we had no idea why. When Ad Boost showed us the difference between what we were paying per lead on Yelp versus what Google Ads could deliver, it was not even close. We kept the same budget, nearly tripled our calls, and for the first time we actually understand where our business is coming from.

MB
Marcus B.
Owner — Regional Pest Control Company, Houston Metro, TX
Common Questions

Google Ads for Pest Control Companies — FAQ

Questions we hear from pest control owners considering their first Google Ads campaign.

Most regional pest control companies can generate strong lead flow on $2,000 to $5,000 per month in Google Ads spend. Emergency pest queries and seasonal campaigns are highly efficient because intent is extremely high. The key is allocating budget to match seasonal demand spikes rather than spreading spend evenly across the year.
In nearly every market we have tested, Google Ads outperforms Yelp for pest control lead quality and cost per booked call. Yelp charges for clicks from browsers who may be comparing options or reading reviews. Google Ads can be configured to charge only for calls or form submissions from people with active pest problems. The intent gap is significant and consistent across markets.
Emergency and same-day intent keywords perform best: phrases like "roach exterminator near me today," "same-day bed bug treatment," and "termite inspection near me" convert at significantly higher rates than generic "pest control" terms. Service-specific keywords for the pest type also outperform broad category terms, and combining pest type with location or urgency modifiers produces the strongest results.
Seasonal campaigns front-load budget during peak intent periods: mosquito season from April through October, termite swarm season from March through June, and general pest spikes in late summer. Budget is reallocated dynamically each month based on historical search volume data, ensuring maximum return during high-demand windows instead of wasting budget in slow months. Most clients see 40 to 60% more calls during peak months with a seasonal approach versus flat year-round spend.
Yes, especially for mobile emergency searches. Call-only ads bypass the landing page entirely and connect searchers directly to the business, which is ideal for someone dealing with a roach infestation at 9 PM who wants to talk to a person immediately. Call-only ads typically deliver 20 to 40% lower cost per booked appointment than standard text ads for emergency pest queries. We recommend running them during staffed hours only so no call is missed.
Landing page qualification is the biggest lever for termite contract close rates. Pages that explain the inspection process, show what a termite infestation looks like, and set clear expectations about treatment options before the form convert better and attract homeowners who are genuinely ready to commit. Pre-qualifying visitors by home ownership type and square footage also filters out renters who cannot authorize treatment, which dramatically improves the quality of leads that reach the sales conversation.

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We will map your local market, identify your highest-intent seasonal windows, and show you what a Google Ads campaign built specifically for pest control looks like — before you spend a dollar.

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