I’m Kayla Sox. I help run a tiny pest control company on the east side of Dallas. Three trucks. Five techs. Lots of ants. I’ve tried a bunch of ads. Some were gold. Some were a waste. You know what? I learned a lot the hard way.
If you’d like to trace every experiment from dollar-one to dialed-in campaign, I laid the entire journey out in this deep-dive pest control ads case study.
Let me explain. And yes, I’ll share real ads and numbers.
The Quick Read
- Best lead quality: Google Local Services Ads (the one with the green check).
- Most control: Google Search Ads with tight keywords.
- Cheapest rush leads: Facebook Lead Ads, but you must pre-screen.
- Trust play: Nextdoor posts, when neighbors speak for you.
- Old school that still hits: Door hangers and yard signs near fresh jobs.
- Meh for me: Yelp Ads and radio. Not bad. Just pricey for the return.
I’ll break it down.
Google Local Services Ads (GLSA): Calls That Book
I turned these on in March, right as ants woke up. We showed up under “Google Guaranteed” with the green badge.
- April spend: $1,820
- Leads (calls/messages): 58
- Booked jobs: 39
- Cost per booked job: about $47
Peak call times? 7:10–8:05 AM and 5:30–7:00 PM. Folks see ants at breakfast or after work. We started our phones 30 minutes earlier. Bookings went up right away.
What I liked:
- Real calls. Fewer tire-kickers.
- You can dispute bad leads (wrong service, spam). I got 7 credits in April.
What bugged me:
- Weekends ate budget fast.
- You must answer on the first ring. Missed calls hurt rank.
My best GLSA blurb:
- “Ants in the kitchen? Same-Day Service. Family-Safe Spray. 15% Off First Visit.”
Simple. Clear. No fluff.
Google Search Ads: Tight Keywords Win
I ran two main campaigns:
- “Emergency Pest Control – Same Day”
- “Quarterly Pest Plan – Save 20% First Year”
I kept the keywords tight. Exact match and phrase match only. I also added a strong negative list, like:
- free
- DIY
- jobs
- home remedy
- how to
- vinegar
- natural only
March–May (3 months):
- Spend: $3,960
- Clicks: 1,208
- Calls/forms: 212
- Booked jobs: 86
- Cost per booked job: about $46
The copy that pulled best:
- “Roaches Won’t Wait. We’ll Come Today.”
- “Mice in Attic? Seal + Sanitize + Stop Entry.”
- “Spiders in the Bath? Pet-Safe Treatment. 90-Day Guarantee.”
I tested “eco-safe” vs “family-safe.” Family-safe won. People picture kids and pets. It feels close to home.
One more tip: add your city in headlines. “Dallas Ant Control – Here Today.” It beat the general version by a mile.
Facebook Lead Ads: Fast, Cheap… and Fussy
These filled the schedule on slow days. But lead quality swung up and down.
April numbers:
- Spend: $640
- Leads: 119
- Booked jobs: 31
- Cost per booked job: about $21
Why so low? I used a pre-screen question in the form:
“Are you seeing live pests right now?” Yes/No.
People who tapped Yes booked 3x more. I also tossed the cute cartoon bug. It got clicks from kids. Real photo of a tech at a doorway did better. Plain shirt. Real face. Clean truck in back.
My best Facebook ad copy:
- “Ants on the counter? We can be there by 3 PM. First visit $79. Pet-safe.”
- “Rats in the attic? We seal entry, set traps, and clean. Get $50 off today.”
Small note: Give two time windows in the ad. “8–11 AM or 2–5 PM?” People like choice.
Thinking about letting a pro shop handle display and retargeting for you? Read this candid rundown of what happened when I hired a display advertising agency before you sign anything.
Nextdoor: The Neighbor Nod
I did two sponsored posts and also boosted a few happy customer posts (with their OK).
Two weeks in May:
- Spend: $210
- Leads: 19
- Booked jobs: 12
- Cost per booked job: about $17
It wasn’t huge volume, but folks treated us like a friend. I posted a map pin and said:
“We serviced Maple Ridge this morning. We’ll be on your street again Thursday—bundle rate if you’re nearby.”
Neighbors love timing and local proof. It felt cozy. Less salesy.
Door Hangers, Yard Signs, and Mailers: Still Works
We made bright yellow door hangers. Big headline:
“See Ants? Text ANTS to 214-xxx-xxxx for 10% Off.”
We hung them around the block after every service. People texted fast. I tracked code ANTS10.
Over 6 weeks:
- Hangers placed: about 1,800
- Text leads: 64
- Booked: 23
- Cost per booked job: about $18 (design + print + time)
Yard signs near fresh jobs also hit:
“Pest Control Today On This Street – 214-xxx-xxxx”
Short. Big font. We asked each customer and left one by the mailbox. Kids waved at our techs. Cute side win.
Postcards? Mixed. My first card was too busy. The second one was simple:
Front: “Bugs? We Come Today. First Visit $79.”
Back: “Pet-safe. 90-Day Guarantee. Text FAST to 214-xxx-xxxx.”
That one did way better. Simple sells.
Yelp Ads and Radio: Not My Favorite
Yelp Ads:
- Spend: $520
- Booked jobs: 6
- Cost per booked job: about $87
Leads asked for heavy discounts. Reviews matter there. Ads alone didn’t move the needle for us.
Local radio test (two weeks on morning drive):
- Spend: $1,200
- Tracked calls: 9
- Booked: 3
- Cost per booked job: $400
We did hear “I keep hearing your name.” Nice for brand stuff. But for a small shop, I need the phone to ring now. I paused it.
When we finally look outside our own four walls for help, we pull shortlist ideas from this curated list of the best advertising agencies in the USA to keep from wasting time.
Real Copy That Made The Phone Jump
These lines pulled the most for me:
- “Ants in the kitchen? We’ll be there by 3 PM.”
- “Roaches gone, or we come back free.”
- “Rats in attic? Seal + Sanitize + Stop Entry.”
- “Pet-safe. Kid-safe. Same-day service.”
- “Quarterly plan with free re-treats. Starts at $29/mo.”
- “Moving in? Pre-close pest sweep this week.”
Short. Direct. Time promise. Safety note. One deal. That’s the recipe.
If you’d like more inspiration, the home-service ad case studies over at Hunt Mads gave me several headline ideas I still use today.
The Calls: How We Answer Matters
My first month, I blew it. I let calls go to voicemail while I was on another line. People called the next company. Painful.
Fixes that helped right away:
- CallRail with a whisper line told me which ad they came from.
- A 3-line script:
- “Hi, this is Kayla with BrightNest Pest. Are you safe right now?”
- “Okay, what did you see and where?”
- “We can be there 8–11 AM or 2–5 PM. Which works?”
Then I shut up and let them pick a window. We booked faster. Fewer price fights.
Budgets That Felt Right For Us
We’re small, so I had to be careful.
- GLSA: $60–$90 per day in spring
- Google Search: $35–$50 per day
- Facebook Lead Ads: $15–$25 per day, only when the board looked light
- Nextdoor: $100–$200 around busy blocks
- Print: about $380 for 2,000 hangers and signs
If the schedule filled up, I nudged budgets down. If Thursday looked empty, I bumped Facebook for 24 hours and posted on Nextdoor about “Thursday bundle on Oak Street.”
Anyone mapping out their own spend should skim this massive test of internet ad platforms—it saved me from burning cash on channels that look shiny but don