# Florida Pest Control AI Visibility Study

> Google AI Overviews trigger 69% of the time for pest control. The highest rate of any industry.

*April 2026* · *Florida* · *Pest Control*

## Study scope

- **829 AI queries tested** — Across 5 pest control specialties: general pest control, termite treatment, mosquito control, rodent removal, lawn pest control
- **10 Florida metro areas** — Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Naples, Sarasota, Tallahassee, St. Pete
- **5 AI platforms tested** — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude
- **15 Queries per city/specialty** — 3 query types per specialty across 5 platforms: best in city, need a provider, top rated with reviews

## Headline numbers

- **1,776** Businesses Analyzed
- **5** AI Platforms Tested
- **10** Florida Metros
- **829** AI Queries Tested

## Key findings

- **80.9% — A-Response Rate.** AI platforms named specific local pest control businesses 80.9% of the time when asked for recommendations.
- **96.7% — Single Platform.** Nearly every pest control business appeared on just one AI platform. Cross-platform visibility is almost nonexistent.
- **0 — On All 5 Platforms.** Zero pest control businesses appeared on all five AI platforms. Only 3 made four platforms.
- **68.7% — Google AIO Trigger Rate.** Google AI Overviews triggers for 68.7% of pest control queries, the highest of any Florida industry we have studied.
- **51.2% — Perplexity Gap.** Perplexity only names pest control businesses 51.2% of the time, far below ChatGPT and Gemini at near 100%.
- **13.4% — Franchise Share.** Franchises like Orkin and Terminix capture 13.4% of AI recommendations, the highest of any industry. But independents still dominate at 86.6%.
- **85.7% — Ft. Lauderdale Leads.** Ft. Lauderdale leads at 85.7% A-Response Rate. Naples trails at 75%. South Florida markets get better AI coverage.
- **216 — Yelp Citations.** Yelp was the #1 source cited by AI platforms, appearing in 216 queries. Angi had 158, BBB had 92.

## What the data shows

- **AI names pest control companies 80.9% of the time.** Four out of five queries returned specific local pest control business names. AI is actively recommending exterminators across Florida.
- **But 96.7% appear on just one platform.** Of the 1,776 pest control businesses named across all queries, almost none appeared on more than one AI tool. Worse fragmentation than plumbing (95.4%) and dental (94.7%).
- **Zero pest control companies made all five platforms.** Not a single business appeared on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Only 3 businesses made 4 platforms.
- **Google AI Overviews triggers 68.7% of the time for pest control.** This is the highest AIO trigger rate of any Florida industry we have studied. Mosquito control triggers AIO 83.3% of the time.
- **Franchises have their highest AI share in pest control.** Orkin, Terminix, and other franchises account for 13.4% of AI recommendations, more than double any other industry. But independents still dominate at 86.6%.
- **Yelp is the #1 source AI cites for pest control.** Yelp was cited in 216 queries, far exceeding Angi (158) and BBB (92). A strong Yelp presence is now essential for pest control AI visibility.
- **Ft. Lauderdale and Miami lead. Naples trails.** A-Response Rates range from 85.7% in Ft. Lauderdale to 75% in Naples. South Florida markets with higher pest activity get better AI coverage.
- **AI platforms almost never agree on who to recommend.** ChatGPT had 0% overlap with Claude and Google AIO. The highest agreement was Perplexity and Claude at 21.4%. Every platform recommends completely different pest control companies.

## Platform comparison

| Platform | A-Response Rate | Queries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChatGPT | 100% | 217/217 |
| Claude | 100% | 28/28 |
| Gemini | 97.7% | 212/217 |
| Google AIO | 68.7% | 103/150 |
| Perplexity | 51.2% | 111/217 |

## Results by city

| City | A-Response Rate |
| --- | --- |
| Ft. Lauderdale | 85.7% |
| Miami | 85.3% |
| Orlando | 82.2% |
| Jacksonville | 81.7% |
| St. Pete | 80.7% |
| Sarasota | 80% |
| Tallahassee | 80% |
| West Palm Beach | 79.6% |
| Tampa | 76.7% |
| Naples | 75% |

## The bottom line

> Pest control has the highest Google AI Overview trigger rate and the highest franchise share of any industry we have studied. But 96.7% of businesses still only appear on one platform. If you only optimize for Google, you are invisible on ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini, where every platform recommends someone different.

AI platforms already recommend pest control companies by name in 4 out of 5 queries. But every platform recommends different businesses, and zero companies appear on all five. Google AI Overviews is more active for pest control than any other industry. The pest control companies that figure out multi-platform AI visibility first will have a significant competitive advantage.

## Methodology

829 queries were run across ChatGPT (GPT-4o with search), Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Claude during April 2026. Queries covered 10 Florida metro areas and 5 pest control specialties. Every response was coded by type (local business named, general advice, franchise only, platform referral, or not triggered). No sponsored placements or paid tools were used. Full methodology is included in the report.

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Source: https://getlocalvitals.com/research/florida-pest-control-ai-visibility
Published by Local Vitals · https://getlocalvitals.com