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The Pest Control Benchmark
Most Aussie pest control businesses leave about $683/mo on the table. Here’s where the leak is. Every number sourced. No guesses.
What good looks like across the five measures — the Google review bar, the website scorecard, the GBP setup, the ops baseline, and the buyer’s actual questions. Every figure is sourced or labelled. No guesses.
modelled — sizes the leak, not a quote. Average job value (AJV) from modelled: blend: general treatment ~$300 (60%) / termite inspection ~$325 (20%) / termite treatment ~$2,200 (20%) (airtasker, rapidkil); close rate from hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au); default 10 enquiries/month.
Field data · 2026-06-12 · How we score
Where you stand
Five things decide whether a pest control gets found and gets the call. Here’s where you stand on each — and the number to beat.
| The review bar | 92 reviews (your suburb) | → |
| The website scorecard | 27/45 vs market 31/45 | → |
| The Google profile | category check primary category review | → |
| Your numbers | AJV $650 · leak $683/mo | → |
| What buyers ask | 8 questions to answer in writing | → |
The 45-point test for your trade
Pest Control sites score 27 / 45 on the same nine-dimension rubric we ran across 289 Australian trade sites. The market median is 31/45. Read the trade score as a guide, not a hard stat — it rests on 3 AU sites. Your Google review bar above is the harder number. Top of the pack: Genera Pest Management at 28/45.
The two weakest spots are Proof Depth (2/5) and SEO/AI Usefulness (2/5). Good sites look good and they convert. They don't answer buyer questions in plain form.
| Dimension | Trade average /5 |
|---|---|
| 3-Second Clarity | 3.33 |
| Visual Polish | 3 |
| Trust Above Fold | 2.67 |
| CTA Clarity | 4 |
| Local Relevance | 3.67 |
| Service Architecture | 3.33 |
| Proof Depth weakest | 2 |
| SEO/AI Usefulness weakest | 2 |
| Mobile/Speed Confidence | 3 |
The one to study
Genera Pest Management — generapestmanagement.com
Copy this: Local Sydney positioning plus vertical-industry relevance
Design direction: Proof-led local service layout with reviews/projects near CTAs
Build rule. Use AU model for realistic owner-operator structure; use national/US models for scale, proof, conversion and service-page architecture.
Your Map Pack reality
Your suburb's bar: about 92 Google reviews (Google Places API (New) (field median)). The quiet quarter sits at 28, the top quarter at 232, the busiest carries 5302 — across 247 listings.
In this trade, reviews drive rank. The top-3 listings carry about 143 reviews. Spots 4–6 carry 80. Close that gap to climb the map.
| Metro | Median reviews |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | 322 |
| Ballarat | 33 |
| Brisbane | 124 |
| Cairns | 59 |
| Canberra | 31 |
| Darwin | 42 |
| Geelong | 75 |
| Gold Coast | 109 |
| Hobart | 23 |
| Melbourne | 105 |
| Newcastle | 116 |
| Perth | 119 |
| Sunshine Coast | 97 |
| Sydney | 156 |
| Toowoomba | 13 |
| Townsville | 50 |
| Wollongong | 37 |
Reviews get you seen. The profile they tap decides what happens next →
The Google profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the cheapest win on this page. It costs nothing. It moves first.
Most in your trade have the main category set right. Check yours is the most exact one Google offers. Bland always loses to exact.
What we measure — and what we won’t
Review count and prominence rank are public — we read them via the Google Places API. The owner-only fields — photo count, post cadence, messaging response speed — we never scrape from a competitor. Connect your own profile to read those.
Profile set right. Now answer what they ask before they ring →
What homeowners ask before they hire you
A homeowner searches before they call. They're already looking, reading and choosing. Below are the real questions — from accounts across 8 states.
Answer each one on your site in plain form. That's the SEO/AI gap, closed.
How much will this cost me?
most Australians spend between $120 and $700 on pest control services per visit Price/cost · source
What do I need to know?
fully adult large cockroaches in their house just 3 weeks after treatment... told it takes 6 weeks for the poison to kick in... told to wait another 3 weeks for the guarantee to kick in and the staff member hung up on them Outcome/guarantee/risk-reversal · source
How do I know they're any good?
if a provider suggests treatment immediately without inspecting your home, it may indicate a one-size-fits-all approach Trust/red-flags · source
What do I need to know?
An important thing you need to check is that a company is licensed, bonded, and insured Licensing/compliance/insurance · source
What do I need to know?
It is recommended that properties be treated every 6-12 months Aftercare/maintenance · source
What actually happens during the job?
Keep pets and children out of treated rooms for the full drying time (usually 2–4 hours) Process/what-happens-next · source
What do I need to know?
termites cause more than $1.5 billion worth of damage to homes each year Edge-cases/difficult-jobs (TERMITE FEAR) · source
How do my options compare?
pets can be stored in an area like the garage or laundry whilst the rest of the house is treated Comparison/alternatives · source
Read what your customers are reading — the pest control buyer guide on Need A Trade
Where your trade leaks money
AJV: $650 (modelled: blend: general treatment ~$300 (60%) / termite inspection ~$325 (20%) / termite treatment ~$2,200 (20%) (airtasker, rapidkil)). Close rate: 20–25%. With follow-up: up to 33%. (hipages platform analysis (20minutemarketing.com.au))
Revenue-leak calculator
Benchmark close rate ~25–33% (hipages platform data). AJV is modelled — see the label above. This is an estimate to size the leak, not a quote.
The 30/60/90 play
Three stages. Each one closes a gap on a measure above.
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First 30 days — Foundation.
- Fix the two weak dimensions on the scorecard.
- Set the right Google profile category.
- Tighten the above-the-fold trust strip.
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By 60 days — Proof.
- Start the review engine. Ask every completed job.
- Push toward the 92 review bar.
- Add before/after proof to the weakest dimension.
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By 90 days — Activation.
- Publish the structured FAQ/answer blocks.
- Wire fast response to every enquiry.
- Re-score against the 45-point test. Aim for at least 4 points up.
Score yourself (0–5 each)
Ten questions. Tap your score on each. The total updates as you go.
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3-Second Clarity — trade + suburb + customer in your headline?
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Visual Polish — real job photography, consistent design?
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Trust Above Fold — reviews/licence/years visible before scroll?
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CTA Clarity — obvious primary + secondary next step?
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Local Relevance — service area and suburbs explicit?
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Service Architecture — services organised by buyer intent?
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Proof Depth — specific proof stack (before/after, named jobs)?
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SEO/AI Usefulness — buyer questions answered in structured form?
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Mobile/Speed — fast, readable, thumb-friendly?
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Google reviews vs your trade bar (92)?
Score: 0/50
Tap your score on each question above.
Guides for your trade
Fix the leaks yourself. Each guide is one topic, one method, one move.
Common leaks for this trade
The leaks good pest controls feel first. Read the one that sounds like your week.
Build the first fix
Each leak has a fix you can build. Start with the one at the top of your list.
That's what good looks like for pest control.
See how your profile, site and reviews actually score.
Run the Visibility Check