James Dooley Podcast

James Dooley: If you own a pest control company and are looking to grow in 2026, but you are uncertain which digital marketing strategies you should be focusing on, should you be trying to team up with a pest control SEO agency or a PPC agency that specialises in pest control services? Today I am joined with Kasra Dash. Before we get into the digital marketing strategies, what advice would you give to a business owner of a pest control company?

Kasra Dash: The biggest piece of advice that I would give to a pest control company that is looking to scale with digital marketing is to set up some KPIs. You want to track profitability. You want to understand how many leads you are generating, how much money you are spending every single month, and what the lead quality looks like. Are they high quality leads or low quality leads? Once you have those facts and figures in place, digital marketing becomes a lot more predictable because you can scale certain campaigns up, double down on what is working, or switch certain campaigns off. So James Dooley, for a pest control company, what digital marketing strategies would you recommend?

James Dooley: Branding or brand SEO has to come first. You need to make sure that you are looking good online and have a strong reputation. Everything starts with the foundations. You need a positive brand SERP that clearly shows who you are and what you do. SERP stands for search engine results page. Getting that right improves conversion rates because prospects will check you before they enquire. If they are deciding at the last minute, branding will often be the deciding factor. That is why it is the first thing to get right.

Kasra Dash: The next strategy is AI visibility. More companies are starting to look at this. What do ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity say about your business? Is it positive or negative? You also need to understand what is being said about competitors and improve your position. Some people call it AI SEO, others call it GEO or LLM optimisation. It will be a major factor in 2026.

James Dooley: Agreed. AI usage is growing fast. The next option is using lead generation companies like Fat Rank or Promo SEO. These operate on a commission or performance basis. You should generate your own leads, but outsourcing gives you diversification. If a third party delivers profitable enquiries, it becomes another reliable channel.

Kasra Dash: Next is Google Business Profiles and Google Maps listings. This is local SEO. You build reviews and optimise your listing. The benefit is consistent leads once you rank. The problem is getting there. If competitors have 50 or 100 more reviews, you are playing catch-up. You need leads to get reviews, which creates a loop. It still matters for brand presence, so you should build it properly.

James Dooley: You need to be everywhere. Organic SEO is the next key strategy. Build your website, create service pages for each area you cover, and publish useful content. That works because search demand exists and ranking content captures that demand. Strong content, topical authority and backlinks increase visibility, which drives enquiries over time.

Kasra Dash: Organic social media is another channel. It is a numbers game. Posting once and disappearing for years will not work. You need consistent content such as guides, before and afters and practical advice. That works because visibility builds familiarity, which drives clicks and enquiries. Posting three or four times a week is a minimum.

James Dooley: Paid social ads build on that. If you are already posting content, boosting it with a small budget increases reach. Retargeting ads bring users back because they have already shown intent. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and even Reddit still offer cheap attention if used correctly.

Kasra Dash: PPC is the most polarising channel. Some businesses lose money, others scale aggressively. That happens because setup determines performance. You need strong landing pages, a clear negative keyword strategy, click fraud protection and fast lead follow-up. If those elements are weak, PPC fails. If they are strong, PPC produces consistent leads.

James Dooley: It gives instant visibility, but poor setup burns budget. That is why many businesses get it wrong.

Kasra Dash: Paid ads on AI platforms are emerging. ChatGPT and other platforms are expected to introduce advertising. Early adopters could benefit because lower competition reduces costs.

James Dooley: Forums like Reddit and Quora also matter. If customers recommend you there, it builds trust. That works because third-party validation influences decisions. You cannot fully control it, but you can encourage reviews and recommendations.

Kasra Dash: Those mentions also feed into AI visibility because AI tools pull from those sources.

James Dooley: Finally, tradesman platforms like Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People and MyBuilder. These can generate leads quickly. They work because they aggregate demand, but you must track ROI. If the leads are profitable, keep using them. If not, switch them off. The same applies to any lead generation partner. You should never rely on one channel. Diversification reduces risk and stabilises growth.

James Dooley: Thank you very much, Kasra Dash.