The short version
- 17 reviews is the typical (median) count for pest control in the top 3, compared with 9 for those in positions 4 to 20.
- 64% of top-3 spots went to businesses with fewer than 50 reviews. In 7 of 10 cities, a business with no reviews at all made the top 3 somewhere.
- Move 4 km and the top 3 changes. In a typical city, 23 different businesses shared the 24 top-3 spots across our 9 search points. Where the customer is standing matters.
- “Pest control service” was the most common primary category in the top 3.
- 17% of top-3 spots went to businesses that hide their address (service-area businesses).
- 23% of top-3 spots went to businesses with the service and city in their name. Some will be genuine names; some break Google’s naming rules.
Pest control review counts vary hugely between cities, from a handful to dozens.
City by city
| City | Median reviews, top 3 | Fewest in top 3 | Median rating, top 3 | Median reviews, 4–20 | Top 3 with <50 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 85 | 0 | 5.0 | 4 | 48% |
| Melbourne | 7 | 0 | 5.0 | 6 | 70% |
| Brisbane | 41 | 0 | 4.9 | 16 | 56% |
| Perth | 14 | 0 | 4.9 | 2 | 63% |
| Adelaide | 13 | 0 | 4.9 | 11 | 65% |
| Gold Coast | 49 | 1 | 4.9 | 18 | 52% |
| Newcastle | 19 | 1 | 4.9 | 2 | 82% |
| Canberra | 12 | 0 | 4.8 | 36 | 73% |
| Sunshine Coast | 33 | 1 | 5.0 | 23 | 57% |
| Wollongong | 4 | 0 | 5.0 | 7 | 76% |
Toughest market by reviews: Sydney. Easiest: Wollongong. Each city was checked from 9 points 4 km apart around the city centre; points over water returned no results and are left out.
City reports: pest control in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane
Go deeper in the four biggest cities: what customers search for, what those clicks cost, and what it takes to reach the top 3 in nine suburbs across each city. Spring 2026, with a free PDF.
What this means for your business
- Set a realistic review target. Aim for around 17 genuine reviews to sit alongside the typical top 3 in a big city, fewer in smaller markets. Our reviews calculator shows how many 5-star reviews it takes to reach your rating goal.
- Reviews aren’t everything. Businesses with very few reviews still made the top 3, usually by being close to the searcher with the right category. Distance and relevance matter as much as prominence.
- Check your own area, not the city average. The top 3 changed across town. Run a free rank check to see your position at 25 spots around your business.
Tips for pest control
- Choose “Pest control service” as your primary category.
- Annual inspection customers are ideal to ask: they come back and know you well.
- List the pests you treat as services, not in your business name.
How we got these numbers
On 25 September 2026 we searched Google Maps for “pest control” using DataForSEO, from a 3 × 3 grid of points 4 km apart around the centre of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, the Sunshine Coast and Wollongong. Each search used a street-level map view, as a customer would see on their phone. We recorded the top 20 businesses at each point and took medians so a few huge businesses don’t skew the picture. Rankings change daily and differ in suburbs further out, so treat these as a guide, not a guarantee.