{
  "title": "The State of Independent Pest Control Websites 2026",
  "edition": "2026-Q4",
  "period": "Q4 2026",
  "sample": false,
  "source": "corpus",
  "note": "Aggregates computed from automated scans. No individual site is identified.",
  "url": "https://clikiti.com/research/pest/2026-q4",
  "scannedAt": "2026-10-15T12:18:20.195Z",
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-15T12:28:45.745Z",
  "modifiedAt": "2026-10-15T12:28:45.745Z",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Free to use and cite under CC BY 4.0. Credit Clikiti with a link.",
  "citation": "Clikiti. (2026, October 15). The state of independent pest control websites 2026 (Q4 2026) [Report]. https://clikiti.com/research/pest/2026-q4",
  "audience": "Web agencies and freelancers selling to independent pest control companies",
  "sampleSize": 155,
  "marginOfErrorPts": 7.9,
  "medianScore": 77,
  "meanScore": 77,
  "meanQuestionsAnswered": 4.2,
  "questionCount": 9,
  "findings": [
    "Only 12% of the 155 independent pest control websites we scanned show a state licence number.",
    "A typical site answers four of the nine questions homeowners ask before choosing (mean 4.2).",
    "The median overall score is 77 out of 100 (mean 77).",
    "The least-answered questions are \"Who will treat my home?\" (12%), \"What will it cost?\" (21%) and \"What if they come back?\" (32%).",
    "The best-answered are \"Do you treat my problem?\" (97%) and \"Do you come to my town?\" (70%).",
    "Wildlife and rodent removal have the highest median score (79), against 78 for general household pest, 77 for termite and wood-destroying insects and 73 for mosquito, bed bug and specialty.",
    "88% fail \"Loads in under 2.5 s on a phone\" (Core Web Vitals · LCP).",
    "77% fail \"Text contrast passes 4.5:1\" (WCAG 1.4.3).",
    "43% fail \"LocalBusiness structured data\" (Schema.org · LocalBusiness)."
  ],
  "questions": [
    {
      "id": "licensed",
      "question": "Who will treat my home?",
      "label": "State licence number shown",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 7",
      "passPct": 12,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 16,
        "term": 8,
        "wild": 15,
        "spec": 9
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "price",
      "question": "What will it cost?",
      "label": "A price shown: a visit, a plan or an inspection",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 5",
      "passPct": 21,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 36,
        "term": 19,
        "wild": 3,
        "spec": 23
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "guarantee",
      "question": "What if they come back?",
      "label": "Guarantee with its terms: free re-treatment, money back or a set period",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 6",
      "passPct": 32,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 40,
        "term": 36,
        "wild": 23,
        "spec": 26
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "safe",
      "question": "Is it safe for my kids and my dog?",
      "label": "Says how treatment affects children and pets",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 8",
      "passPct": 38,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 42,
        "term": 36,
        "wild": 23,
        "spec": 51
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "sameday",
      "question": "Can you come today?",
      "label": "Same-day, next-day or emergency service stated",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 2",
      "passPct": 41,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 47,
        "term": 39,
        "wild": 49,
        "spec": 26
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "reviews",
      "question": "Do my neighbours vouch for you?",
      "label": "Reviews marked up, in a widget or quoted",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 9",
      "passPct": 54,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 67,
        "term": 53,
        "wild": 41,
        "spec": 54
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "book",
      "question": "Can I book without calling?",
      "label": "Book or request an inspection online",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 3",
      "passPct": 59,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 67,
        "term": 58,
        "wild": 51,
        "spec": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "area",
      "question": "Do you come to my town?",
      "label": "Service area named",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 4",
      "passPct": 70,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 76,
        "term": 75,
        "wild": 72,
        "spec": 54
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "pests",
      "question": "Do you treat my problem?",
      "label": "The pests it treats, named",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 1",
      "passPct": 97,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 93,
        "term": 100,
        "wild": 100,
        "spec": 97
      }
    }
  ],
  "technical": [
    {
      "id": "lcp",
      "label": "Loads in under 2.5 s on a phone",
      "standard": "Core Web Vitals · LCP",
      "failPct": 88,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 84,
        "term": 89,
        "wild": 85,
        "spec": 97
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "con",
      "label": "Text contrast passes 4.5:1",
      "standard": "WCAG 1.4.3",
      "failPct": 77,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 82,
        "term": 86,
        "wild": 67,
        "spec": 74
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "schema",
      "label": "LocalBusiness structured data",
      "standard": "Schema.org · LocalBusiness",
      "failPct": 43,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 33,
        "term": 50,
        "wild": 44,
        "spec": 46
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "alt",
      "label": "Images have text descriptions",
      "standard": "WCAG 1.1.1",
      "failPct": 21,
      "bySegment": {
        "res": 16,
        "term": 33,
        "wild": 23,
        "spec": 11
      }
    }
  ],
  "segments": [
    {
      "id": "res",
      "name": "General household pest",
      "sites": 45,
      "median": 78,
      "weakPct": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "term",
      "name": "Termite and wood-destroying insects",
      "sites": 36,
      "median": 77,
      "weakPct": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "wild",
      "name": "Wildlife and rodent removal",
      "sites": 39,
      "median": 79,
      "weakPct": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "spec",
      "name": "Mosquito, bed bug and specialty",
      "sites": 35,
      "median": 73,
      "weakPct": 0
    }
  ],
  "agencyProblems": [
    {
      "id": "licensed",
      "label": "State licence number shown",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 7",
      "failPct": 88,
      "question": "Who will treat my home?",
      "fix": "Show the state pest control licence number in the footer and on the about page, with the names of the licensed applicators.",
      "pitch": "A parent letting a stranger spray their home wants proof you are licensed, and your site gives no number to check.",
      "effort": "Quick fix"
    },
    {
      "id": "lcp",
      "label": "Loads in under 2.5 s on a phone",
      "standard": "Core Web Vitals · LCP",
      "failPct": 88,
      "fix": "Resize and compress the hero image, defer scripts, aim for under 2.5 s on a phone.",
      "pitch": "Your home page takes several seconds to appear on the phone of someone standing in their kitchen.",
      "effort": "Build"
    },
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "A price shown: a visit, a plan or an inspection",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 5",
      "failPct": 79,
      "question": "What will it cost?",
      "fix": "Publish the price of the first visit and of the regular plan (per month or per quarter), with what each visit includes.",
      "pitch": "\"What will it cost?\" is the question your site never answers, and the national brands do.",
      "effort": "Content"
    },
    {
      "id": "con",
      "label": "Text contrast passes 4.5:1",
      "standard": "WCAG 1.4.3",
      "failPct": 77,
      "fix": "Raise text contrast to at least 4.5:1 in the theme.",
      "pitch": "Parts of the site are hard to read, and it is a WCAG failure.",
      "effort": "Quick fix"
    },
    {
      "id": "guarantee",
      "label": "Guarantee with its terms: free re-treatment, money back or a set period",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 6",
      "failPct": 68,
      "question": "What if they come back?",
      "fix": "State the guarantee in plain terms: free re-treatment between visits, or the length of the termite or exclusion warranty.",
      "pitch": "You stand behind your work, but your site never says what happens if the pests come back.",
      "effort": "Quick fix"
    }
  ]
}