Blog / Marketing
Pest Control Business Names: How to Pick One That Can Rank and Grow
The best pest control business names say what you do, sound like a real company and leave room to grow. Having “pest control” in your real, registered name can help your Google Business Profile rank, but adding keywords only on the profile breaks Google’s rules. Check the trademark, your state’s records and the domain before you print anything.
When I review a Business Profile, the name is one of the first things I check, because it helps some companies rank and holds others back. Below is how I’d name a new pest control company, and how to rename one without losing what you’ve built. Logos and colors come after the name, in my guide to pest control branding.
Google’s rules for the name on your Business Profile
Google’s guidelines say your profile name should reflect your business’s real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website and stationery and as known to customers. The same page lists what the name must not include, like service or product information, location information, marketing taglines and phone numbers. It also warns that unnecessary information in the name could get your profile suspended.
For a pest control company, that rules out the classic stuffed name. If your company is Saltmeadow Pest Control (a name I made up), the profile says “Saltmeadow Pest Control.” It doesn’t say “Saltmeadow Pest Control | Termite, Rodent & Bed Bug Exterminator Columbus.”
You’ll still see stuffed names in the map pack, and some of them rank for a while. I don’t do it for clients and I don’t recommend it, because a suspended profile costs far more than the keyword ever earned.
If you want a keyword in your profile name, it has to be in your real name first. Register it with your state, as a DBA if it isn’t your legal name, and put it on your trucks, signs, website and invoices. Google goes by the name you use consistently out in the world, so make the name real before it goes on Google.
Does “pest control” in your name help you rank?
Yes, and it’s one of the bigger levers in local search. In Whitespark’s 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors survey, keywords in the Business Profile name came in as the second most impactful local ranking factor. That’s the table at the top of this post. Most local SEOs agree it shouldn’t count that much, and it works anyway.
I see the same pattern when I run map scans for pest control companies. Companies named “Pest Solutions,” “Pest Management” or just “Pest” have a harder time ranking for “pest control” searches than companies with the full phrase in the name. It isn’t impossible, but a competitor with the keyword in its name starts with an edge you have to make up with reviews, links and a better website.
Searchers read the name too. Jeff Stafford named his bed bug business Bed Bug Solutions because nobody knew his pest control company and he was up against Orkin and Terminix. A property manager comparing three quotes could tell from the name alone who specialized in bed bugs.
If you already have an established brand with years of reviews behind it, I wouldn’t rename just to add the keyword. Put that effort into the rest of your pest control SEO first.
“Pest control” vs. “exterminator” vs. “pest solutions”
Most people looking for help type some version of “pest control,” like “pest control near me” or “pest control” plus their town. “Exterminator” works in a name too, and exterminator business names follow all the same rules, but in my experience the word gets less search traffic.
| Word in the name | How it reads | Search fit |
|---|---|---|
| Pest Control | Plain and clear to homeowners and businesses | Matches the most common searches |
| Exterminator | Urgent and residential | Matches exterminator searches, which are fewer |
| Pest Solutions or Pest Services | Broad and modern | Misses the exact phrase |
| Pest Management | Commercial and technical | Misses the exact phrase |
| A pest (Termite, Mosquito, Bed Bug) | Specialist | Strong for that pest, narrow if you branch out |
Two other kinds of name deserve a second thought. “Budget” or “Affordable” puts you in the discount lane on day one, and customers will hold you to it when you raise prices. A name that’s too broad, like “[Your last name] Services,” doesn’t tell anyone what you do, and no bug in the logo fixes that.
A city in your name can box you in
In the right market, a city name works. Certus Pest owns Las Vegas Pest Control, and Dave Bradford told me they’re never giving up that name because the leads that come from owning it in Vegas are so strong.
The trouble starts when you grow. Open a branch two counties over and “[Your town] Pest Control” reads like an out-of-towner there. Every new location’s profile still has to carry your real name, city and all, because Google wants the name customers actually see.
If you want a local tie, go bigger than one town, with a county, a region, a river or a nickname the whole area uses. Jonas Olson’s Pest Badger carries Wisconsin’s state animal in its name, which feels local without pinning the company to one city. Ranking in towns away from your office is its own job, which I cover in building local SEO outside your core location.
Patterns for pest control business names
These patterns cover most good pest control company names. The first example is made up, and the others are real companies.
| Pattern | Example | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| A distinct word plus “Pest Control” | Saltmeadow Pest Control (made up) | Nobody nearby using something close |
| A region plus “Pest Control” | [Your county or region] Pest Control | Regions that are hard to spell |
| An animal or character | Pest Badger | A mascot costs more to design well |
| A niche word | Bed Bug Solutions | Narrow if you add services |
| A city plus “Pest Control” | Las Vegas Pest Control | Awkward once you expand |
| Your last name plus “Pest Control” | [Your last name] Pest Control | Ties the company to you |
I’d think twice about that last one. Jonas’s first company was Olson’s Lawn Care, and taking his own name out of the brand was step one when he built Pest Badger. A business named after its owner is harder to hand off. Buyers often rename it, and some customers leave in the switch.
Whatever you pick, say it out loud. Your office will answer the phone with it all day, and someone who hears it once should be able to spell it into Google.
Check the trademark, your state and the domain
Do these before you order a single shirt.
- Search the USPTO’s Trademark Search system for your name and close variations, not just the exact spelling. Jonas told me about a friend who checked his company name only in his own state. By the time he was doing about $10M, a much smaller company turned out to own the trademark, and buying it cost around $100,000, maybe more. If anything close turns up, pay a trademark attorney for an hour before you go further. Once you’re clear, Jonas recommends trademarking your name, logo and tagline.
- Search your state’s business records, usually through the Secretary of State, then register your LLC or corporation and file a DBA if you’ll operate under a different name. Your pest control license, your insurance and any Local Services Ads account should all show the same name.
- Get the .com that matches the name, or something very close without hyphens, and claim the same handle on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and the other platforms you’ll use.
- Search the name with “pest control” and your area on Google and Google Maps. If a company nearby has a similar name, customers will mix you up, and so will Google.
Renaming a pest control company without losing rankings
First, make sure you need to. A name people have searched for years is an asset, which is why Certus keeps names like Las Vegas Pest Control. If your name is holding you back, as a city you’ve outgrown, a discount word or a former owner’s last name, change it soon, because it only gets more expensive as you add trucks.
Do it in this order. It’s close to the order Whitespark lays out, with the DBA first and the Business Profile last.
- Make the new name official. Register the DBA or legal name change with your state, then update your license and insurance.
- Put it in the real world, on trucks, signs, uniforms, invoices and your website header.
- Keep your domain if you can and change the name on the site. If you move to a new domain, 301 redirect every old URL to its match, verify both sites in Search Console and use the Change of Address tool. Keep the redirects in place for good, and keep the old domain registered so nobody else can pick it up. My technical SEO guide covers redirects in more detail.
- Update your citations on Yelp, the BBB, Apple Business, Bing Places, Facebook, Nextdoor and Angi, and use a listing tool for the smaller directories.
- Update the Business Profile last. Google’s guidelines allow a minor name change on your existing profile, where the proper nouns and services in the name stay the same, and businesses with multiple locations may also qualify to rebrand on their existing profiles. Otherwise Google treats it as a new business, and you have to mark the old profile closed and create a new one. Read that section of the guidelines before you touch anything.
- Put “formerly [old name]” on your website for a while, and tell your customers, so anyone searching the old name still finds you.
While the name changes, keep your address and phone number the same. Changing the name, moving or adding a location and changing the phone number are the three edits I’ve seen trigger Business Profile suspensions most often. Don’t stack them.
Invicta Pest Control went through this with us. They used to be Invicta Environmental Defense, and I told them that was probably too long. They decided to rebrand and rewrap their trucks, they’re very happy with the results, and they made their money back within about six months.
If you’d rather have someone handle the profile side, it’s part of our Google Business Profile service.
Questions pest control owners ask
Should I put my city in my pest control company name?
Only if you’re sure you’ll stay in that market. A city name can help at home, but it reads wrong once you open in other towns. A county or regional name gives you a local feel with room to grow.
Can I add “pest control” to my Business Profile name if it isn’t in my legal name?
Only if it’s the name you really operate under. File a DBA and use that name on your trucks, signs and website first. Adding it only on Google goes against Google’s guidelines and risks a suspension.
Do I need to trademark my pest control business name?
Registering an LLC with your state doesn’t mean nobody else owns the trademark, as Jonas’s friend found out. Search the USPTO first, and once you’re sure, protect your name, logo and tagline.
What makes a good pest control company name?
It’s short, easy to spell after hearing it once, has “pest control” in it, isn’t tied to one town and isn’t close to anyone nearby. The trademark and the .com should be available too. If you’re planning a rename and want a second set of eyes on the SEO side, book a call.
Want more calls from Google?
Book a 30-minute discovery call with Dan to see if we’re a fit.