16 pest control blog post ideas that answer what customers type into their phones

A pest control blog works when each post answers one question a worried homeowner just typed into a phone, written by someone who does the work. The ideas below give a working title, the search it answers, what the post must contain and one detail that only a person who runs routes would know. Do not state prices, code requirements or product rules from memory. Confirm each one for your area and check the product label before a post goes live. The posts feed the pages on your site, so see our pest control industry page for what those pages should hold, and the pest control SEO guide for how they get found. If you are still setting up the company, start with how to start a pest control business.

1. "How much does pest control cost in [your town]?"

Answers: the most common question on the phone. Must contain: what drives the price on your jobs (the pest, the size of the home and lot, how many visits, whether it is a one-time treatment or a plan, and whether the first visit costs more than later ones), and how you quote. Give a range only if you will keep it current, and say the date. Operator detail: explain why your first visit is priced differently from the follow-ups, in the words you use on the phone. Our pest control pricing guide shows the math behind your own numbers.

2. "What is this bug in my house?" an identification page with your own photos

Answers: "small black bugs in kitchen," "brown bugs in bathroom." Must contain: six to ten common bugs in your region, each with a clear photo, a size reference such as a coin, where homeowners usually find it and whether it needs a treatment visit at all. Operator detail: add the look-alike pairs that waste your time on the phone, and tell readers how to take a photo you can identify (a close shot on a white sheet of paper). Some homeowners will text you the photo, so give them a number that accepts texts.

3. "Where are the mice getting in?" a walk-around diagnosis

Answers: "how do mice get in my house." Must contain: a walk-around in order, starting at the garage door corners, then utility lines, the dryer vent, the foundation line and the roof edge, with a photo of each spot from a real job. Operator detail: say what you look for inside to confirm activity and where the signs show up first in your houses. Tell readers to call you before they seal anything, and explain why in your own experience, such as sealing an entry that traps animals inside.

4. "Do bug bombs work?" an honest comparison post

Answers: the DIY search that happens right before a call. Must contain: what EPA says. Its page Should I Use a Fogger? states that total release foggers should not be the sole source of bed bug control, that the product must contact the pest, and that not all foggers are labeled for bed bugs. EPA's fogger safety page adds fire and re-entry warnings. Operator detail: describe what you find when you arrive after one was used. Stay fair: foggers have legitimate labeled uses.

5. "What to expect at your first pest control visit"

Answers: "what happens during pest control service." Must contain: a minute-by-minute walk through the visit: the arrival call, the inspection, what the tech asks, what gets treated inside and outside, what the customer should do afterward, and when to expect results. Put the tech's name and photo on it. Operator detail: list what you ask people to do before you arrive (clear under sinks, put pet bowls away) and what you see when they have not. Link the post from your booking confirmation text so customers read it before the visit.

6. "How to prepare for bed bug treatment"

Answers: a question asked by someone already stressed and embarrassed. Must contain: your own preparation sheet. EPA's page on hiring a pest management professional for bed bugs says to prepare for multiple visits because very few infestations are controlled with one treatment, and to follow the preparation guidelines, which include laundering and cleaning. Use that as the frame and add your steps. Operator detail: tell customers what not to do before you arrive, such as moving belongings room to room, if that matches your experience.

7. "Why are the bugs back after treatment?"

Answers: the angriest search in the trade. Must contain: the real reasons pests return on your jobs: an untreated entry, a neighbor's problem, new moisture, food left out, a product that needs days to work, or a pest with a life cycle longer than one visit. Explain what your re-service covers and how to request it. Operator detail: describe the callback that turned out to be a different pest than the one treated. Admitting that gives the post credibility, and it gives a nervous customer a reason to call you first instead of posting a bad review.

8. "Why do ants show up in the kitchen every spring?" the seasonal post

Answers: the search that spikes when your ant calls do. Must contain: the species you actually treat in your area, with photos, what each one wants indoors, what homeowners can do in a day (wipe trails, store sweets), and what a professional adds. Have your state's cooperative extension confirm the species names and behavior before you publish. Operator detail: pull the month your ant calls start from your own call log, and publish three weeks before that date.

9. "What bugs and rodents come inside in fall?" built from your call log

Answers: "mice in house in fall," "stink bugs in house." Must contain: your region's pattern of calls by month, listed in order, with a short action for the homeowner next to each one. Operator detail: do not guess the calendar. Export your last two years of jobs from your CRM, count calls by pest and month, and write the post from the counts, without printing the counts themselves. That gives you a local calendar no national site can match. Update it every year and change the "updated" date honestly.

10. "How to cut down mosquitoes in your yard before you call anyone"

Answers: a DIY search that produces a service customer when the tips run out. Must contain: EPA's guidance in its integrated mosquito control page: get rid of standing water in gutters, buckets and similar containers, drain temporary pools, and empty and change the water in birdbaths and fountains at least once a week. Then say what a yard treatment covers and what it cannot, such as water on the neighbor's property. Operator detail: name the three yard spots where you most often find breeding water.

11. "How to make your yard less friendly to ticks"

Answers: a spring search from families with kids and dogs. Must contain: the yard steps CDC lists on its tick prevention page: remove leaf litter, clear tall grass and brush at the edge of the lawn, mow often, stack wood neatly in a dry area and put a three-foot wood chip or gravel barrier between lawn and woods. Say whether you offer a yard service, and promise nothing about results. Operator detail: show a before-and-after of a yard edge you cleaned up, with the town named.

12. "Pest control in [neighborhood]: what we see in homes like yours"

Answers: local searches that include a town or subdivision. Must contain: the housing types you actually service there (older homes with crawl spaces, new construction next to open ground, townhomes with shared walls, lots backing onto woods or water) and the pests that go with each. Operator detail: mention the streets where you already run routes, without naming customers. Check local rules before mentioning any town ordinance or HOA requirement, and send readers to the municipality for the official word. Write real posts for towns you serve, not dozens of copies with the town name swapped.

13. "One-time treatment or a quarterly plan: which does your home need?"

Answers: a comparison search by someone deciding. Must contain: a plain list of when a single visit makes sense (a one-off wasp nest, a pest that came in on a delivery) and when a plan makes sense (recurring ants, homes backing onto woods, past rodent entry). Operator detail: tell readers which kind of customer you talk out of a plan, and why. Saying that in public makes your plan page more believable. End with one clear way to book either, and link your plan page.

14. "Pets and kids on treatment day: what to do before and after"

Answers: "is pest control safe for dogs." Must contain: your own instructions for the day, built from the product labels you use: where pets should be, how long people and animals stay off treated areas, and when to call you. Quote the re-entry wording from your label, and never call a product harmless. Operator detail: mention the question you hear most from pet owners, such as fish tanks or bird cages, and what you do about it. Make it printable, one page, and send it with the appointment confirmation.

15. "How to check that a pest control company is licensed"

Answers: a trust search that lets you show your own credentials. Must contain: EPA's guidance on smart pest control: firms offering pest control services must be licensed by your state, homeowners can ask to see the license, and concerns go to the state pesticide regulatory agency. Link that agency. Operator detail: if you hold a license, show how a customer can verify yours. If you do not, do not write this post until you do. Licensing differs by state, so see our pest control license guide for the general picture.

16. "Should I remove a wasp nest myself?"

Answers: a summer search with a safety angle. Must contain: how to tell where the danger is (nests in wall voids, over doorways and at ladder height), what you do on a service call, and what homeowners should avoid. Give a clear line: if the nest is above the first story, near an entrance or in a wall, call. Operator detail: tell readers what time of day you treat nests and why, and what they will see afterward, since the nest often stays up for a while. Keep any medical advice out of it, and tell readers to seek emergency care for severe reactions.

Where to start

Start with three. Write the cost post (item 1) first, because it answers the first question on every call and lets you stop repeating yourself. Second, write the first-visit post (item 5) and link it from every booking confirmation. Third, write the "bugs are back" post (item 7), because it turns an angry callback into a calm one. After that, publish one seasonal post (items 8 to 11) three weeks ahead of your busy month. For help getting each post indexed and found, see our SEO service, and for the page types these posts support, read how to write service pages that rank.

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