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A few weeks ago I had a Zoom meeting with Brian Devera of MrsBzzz Pest and Termite Solution based in Wayne, NJ.
Brian was struggling with the same common challenge most local service business owners face – keeping the phones buzzing and getting more qualified leads organically and with digital marketing.
In this article, we’ll go over MrsBzzz’s current digital marketing and SEO stats and offer our own perspective into how they can improve their digital marketing presence.
How Is Mrs. Bzzz SEO Metrics?
Before we can offer solutions into website performance, let’s take a look at how the site is performing now.
Mrs. Buzzz currently has a website with over 20k backlinks but is only ranking on 222 keywords with 173 clicks for organic traffic monthly.
Whenever we see websites with a ton of backlinks but relatively few clicks, that’s a telltale sign that links have been bought. And you can see that in action with the ample “New York Bug Killers” links – a clear sign that these are likely sponsored posts.
The problem with buying links to generate more SEO power is that they’re not relevant and in violation of Google’s standards. As a result, Google tends to punish websites that engage in this.
Improving SEO for pest control often requires strategies that are not against Google rules and guidelines.
For context, a client of our EternaTurf based in Louisville has the same DR rating as Mrs. Bzzz but with only 30 backlinks.
What matters more than anything is organic traffic stemming from search engines, and the easiest way to do that isn’t by spamming backlinks but by building relevant links that show value.
To be fair, there are also links which do look fairly relevant like this one from “Pest Management Professionals”, but they’re far outnumbered by links which hold no relevance to Google, and therefore don’t impact the overall SEO performance.
There’s also some good news for their organic keywords.
For example, we like to see that they’re ranked in position two for “pest control wayne nj” – a keyword that is almost certainly generating qualified leads based on the local pack.
Ranking on your own name is good news since it means the brand is recognizable and reaches far enough that others are searching for the specific company. But local keywords are great since they can attract new customers who’re searching for a specific service in one location. In this case, in Wayne, NJ and the surrounding area.
For their GMB (Google Business Profile), they have an impressive 431 reviews. This means that they’re almost certainly doing good work for pest control since if they weren’t, this wouldn’t be reflected in Google.
Even with spammy backlinks hurting Mrs. Bzzz organically – they’re still able to rank high due to the trust associated with their GMB and website. This means Google can refer folks looking for pest control in New Jersey to them.
What About Their Website Can They Improve On?
Right now Mrs. Bzzz has three domains. One for New Jersey, one for Hudson valley in New York, and one for niche services. Instead of having these separate domains, they should consolidate into one.
And that one website should be what they’re already ranking best on – which is their New Jersey site.
For their home page they should specify where in New Jersey they work out of the most, since the entirety of New Jersey is a massive location to service. Instead, focus more on Wayne, NJ and Passaic and Bergen county in Northern New Jersey where they’re based out of.
Adding someone climbing a ladder to the home page is great, but more would be better.
For everything we recommend for local service business’ websites – we also follow Google’s EEAT standards to ensure things get noticed by the search engines. E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authority and trust. But what EEAT really is, is Google’s lie-detector to prioritize websites that show that they’re good at what they claim to do in the area they claim to operate in.
Simplified – that means having real content, a real purpose, and with real people.
You can see an example of poor execution of applying real content on their service pages. Particularly the service page for ants.
What should be included are pest control contractors spraying for ants, a video about how to deal with ants in New Jersey, and real examples of ants they’ve taken out. Instead, we have a generic page about how to deal with ants which was almost certainly added with ChatGPT.
Compare this to Plumbing Pros LLC’s page on water heater installation.
This is a real water heater that Sal (the owner of Plumbing Pros LLC) has installed for a residential client in Easton, PA. By adding images and videos of you performing the service you describe, you’re able to take advantage of Google’s standards and rank much higher, much faster.
For their service areas page we run into a similar problem with adding almost a hundred links to different towns in New Jersey and New York.
Even though it feels like you’re targeting these specific towns – it often has the opposite effect if you violate Google’s policies of replicated content. This is especially true when almost every page is copy and pasted, minus changing the wording for the town.
Take WireFox Electric, for example, an electric company based in Odenton, Maryland.
They only have 8 location service pages, but that doesn’t matter since they’re targeting and have EEAT content to support them.
Lastly, take a look at Mrs Bzzz’s “about us” page.
Adding an image of the team is wonderful, but so much is missing which Google would love to see. For example, when was the business started and by whom? What does the company specialize in? What makes them different, since every pest control company will claim that they’re “built on trust”?
Compare this to the “about us” page for Litsey Heating and Cooling based in Louisville, KY.
Notice how Litsey not only tells us where they’re based but also an entire video on the origins of the company, why they do what they do, and their full background.
You can think of “about us” pages like background checks for a new employee. It’s always better to have more proof that you’re competent before you’re hired.
Drawing Insights from Bee Friendly Pest Control
A great example of innovative pest control SEO strategies can be seen in Bee Friendly Pest Control, based in Collingswood, NJ. Their emphasis on eco-conscious pest management and focus on localized SEO strategies has helped them carve out a niche in the Philadelphia area.
Bee Friendly has successfully enhanced their Google Business Profile by incorporating real photos from the field, customer testimonials, and a strategic shift in their homepage title to reflect their target audience.
MrsBzzz can adopt similar tactics, such as featuring authentic content and collaborating with local businesses to build authority in the pest control space.
Learning from EcoCare Pest Control Success
Another inspiring example in the pest control industry comes from Ken VahnDijk, the founder of EcoCare Pest Control. Based in Portland, Oregon, EcoCare has grown to serve nearly 40,000 homeowners with a strong focus on eco-friendly and pet-safe solutions.
Their holistic approach to pest management, which includes in-house handling of remediation, cleanup, repairs, and insulation, sets them apart in the industry. MrsBzzz could take inspiration from EcoCare’s emphasis on customer satisfaction, innovative services, and community trust, which have all played a role in EcoCare’s lasting success.
Using Google’s PAA for SEO
One powerful yet underutilized tool for improving SEO is Google’s “People Also Ask” (PAA) feature. By answering common pest control questions directly on their site and incorporating video content, as demonstrated with EcoCare Pest Control, MrsBzzz could strengthen their authority and improve organic rankings.
What can MrsBzzz do to generate more calls now?
SEO is a longterm game. What’s most needed for local service businesses in getting more calls in the door ASAP instead of waiting for Google to do the heavy lifting for you.
Brian said that most of their ad spend is going to Google’s local service ads and that they’ve had success with it but want to scale up more. This makes sense, since LSA is tied to GMB. This means that with a business that has 400 reviews, Google will almost always prioritize MrsBzzz showing up first.
At the same time, there’s much more potential with PPC ads for getting qualified calls in the door ASAP.
The main priority for MrsBzzz is recording more EEAT content and publishing that on their website and out into the open. They already have enough social proof that they do a good job. Now, they need to publish it.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.