Pest control in Brisbane: what customers search, and what it takes to rank

Five things we found

1. “exterminator brisbane” is the biggest single search. About 2,900 a month in Greater Brisbane, and advertisers pay US$18.23 a click for it.
2. Distance decides a lot. In 7 of the 9 areas we checked, the #1 pest controller showed a street address in or near that area.
3. Nobody owns Brisbane. 26 different businesses filled the 27 top-3 spots across 9 areas.
4. The bar can be very low. In Chermside, Indooroopilly and Mount Gravatt, a business with no reviews made the top 3.
5. Job searches add up. Searches for termites add up to about 6,700 a month, led by “termite inspection”.

What Brisbane customers search for

About 26,200 Google searches a month in Greater Brisbane are people looking for pest control. Phrases Google treats as the same are counted once. Searches for jobs, products, brands and other cities are left out.

Cost per click is the average advertisers pay, weighted by searches (US$, as Google reports it).

What a click is worth. Buying 160 clicks a month for “pest control near me” through Google Ads would cost about US$2,800 at today’s prices (160 × US$17.24). A top-3 spot on Google Maps earns clicks from the same searches without paying for each one.

The jobs people search for

• Termites: about 6,700 a month, led by “termite inspection”.
• Spiders, ants and others: about 2,300 a month, led by “brisbane possum removal”.
• Rodents: about 1,600 a month, led by “rodent control”.
• Cockroaches: about 1,600 a month, led by “cockroach control”.
• Pre-purchase inspections: about 240 a month, led by “building & pest inspections brisbane”.

When people search

Busiest in January, September and March. Quietest in July (31% below an average month).

Suburbs people search by name

Searches like “pest control redcliffe”. A page for each suburb you serve can win these.

What it takes to rank top 3 on Google Maps in Brisbane

We searched Google Maps for “pest control” from 9 suburbs across Greater Brisbane on 25 September 2026, on a mobile phone, and compared the profiles that came up.

Typical = the middle value (median). Near the city centre, our national benchmarks put the typical top-3 pest controller at 41 reviews: busy central areas need more.

Area by area

Entry bar = reviews held by the weakest business in the top 3. On the map = businesses Google listed for that search (up to 20).

Extra categories the top 10 use: Bird control service (7 of 81), Property maintenance (6 of 81), Home inspector (5 of 81), Carpet cleaning service (4 of 81), Gardener (4 of 81), Cleaners (2 of 81).

Six steps to win more of these searches

Based on what the top-3 pest control in Brisbane have in common. Do the ones that fit your business.

1. Use “Pest control service” as your main category24 of the 27 top-3 businesses do. Then add extras only for work you really do: Bird control service, Property maintenance and Home inspector.
2. Aim for 40+ genuine reviewsTypical for the top 3 is 36. Ask every customer with a direct review link, and never offer rewards.
3. List the jobs people searchTermites, spiders, ants and others, rodents and cockroaches: as services on your profile and pages on your website.
4. Add 10+ real photosTop-3 profiles typically have 10. Real jobs, your van and your team, added every month.
5. Pick your battlesChermside, North Lakes, Indooroopilly and Carindale had low entry bars. Busier areas need a strong review count.
6. Time your pushesSearches peak in January, September and March. Have your profile, photos and pages ready a month before. July is the quietest month.