Google Is Testing Your Posts Higher. Here's How Pest Control Companies Can Start Posting Again

You stopped posting on Google because nothing ever happened.

Maybe you're the owner running three trucks who posted every week in 2024, saw no difference, and quit by summer. Or you're the office manager who got handed "the Google posts" on top of scheduling and billing. Either way, Google Business Profile posts for pest control companies started to feel like yelling into a crawl space.

Here's part of the reason. Since 2018, the Posts section has sat at the bottom of the profile panel, below everything a homeowner looks at first. On Oct. 19, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google is testing Posts higher on the page again.

One limit up front. This is a test, and Google hasn't confirmed it. None of the reporting says posts raise your rankings, either. What a higher spot changes is what a homeowner sees first, and for exterminators and pest control operators, that's reason enough to start again. Below is what changed, how to restart weekly posts in about 30 minutes a week, and two other local Google changes reported the same day.

What Did Google Change About the Posts Section on the Local Panel?

Google is testing the Posts section higher on the local panel, the business profile box that shows your hours, photos, and reviews in search results. Posts sat at the bottom of that panel from 2018 on. Google hasn't confirmed or commented on the change, so treat it as a test that could end any day.

Barry Schwartz, executive editor of Search Engine Roundtable, wrote, "Google seems to have moved the Google Posts section of a local knowledge panel higher up on the page. In 2018, Google moved the Google Posts section to the bottom of the local panel. Now it seems Google is moving it back up."

Ben Fisher spotted the test first, in a LinkedIn post that said, "Good news, everybody! GBP KP is now testing a higher position on posts!" (GBP KP is shorthand for the Google Business Profile knowledge panel.) He also said, "Now every 3 days I am seeing posts move up and then 3 days later they move down." (Source: Search Engine Roundtable)

Barry is seeing it too. He noted in his Oct. 19 report, "I am currently seeing them moved up higher." So on any given day, your profile may show Posts near the top or near the bottom. You can't control which. You can control what's sitting in that section when it shows up.

Why Does a Higher Posts Spot Matter for Pest Control Companies?

A higher Posts spot matters because a stale profile gets easier to notice. When posts sit near the top, a homeowner comparing three pest control companies sees your latest update right away. If that update is from last spring, or the section is empty, your profile looks like nobody's minding the store.

Think of an old post like a "Back in 5 minutes" sign that's been taped to the office door since April. Nobody reads it as a sign you're busy. They read it as a sign you're gone.

Barry Schwartz, writing for Search Engine Roundtable, noted, "If they are that high up on the page, it will likely incentivize more to add Google Posts to their Google Business Profiles." Read that as a warning and an opening. If Barry is right, your competitors will start posting again too. The companies that already post weekly won't have to scramble if Google keeps the change.

You might be thinking, "We tried that, and nothing happened." That's fair. But if you posted any time after 2018, your posts lived at the bottom of the panel, where few homeowners scrolled. That was never a fair test of posts. A spot near the top would be.

How Can Pest Control Companies Restart Google Business Profile Posts in 30 Minutes a Week?

Pest control companies can restart Google Business Profile posts by keeping each one small: one post a week, one real photo, one plain title, and one button. Pick the same day every week and plan a month of topics at once. Once photos come in from the field, a post like this takes about 30 minutes.

Our Google Business Profile guide already recommends weekly posts as part of a complete profile. Here's how to restart without turning it into a second job.

Post Once a Week on the Same Day

Pick one day, like Monday morning before routes get busy, and post then every week. A fixed day keeps posting from sliding when the phones start ringing. Weekly is my recommendation, not a Google rule. The goal is simple: your newest post should never be months old.

Use a Real Photo From the Field

Ask your techs to text you one photo a week from a job. A clean bait station, a crawl space after cleanup, or a truck parked at a customer's home (with the customer's OK) all work. Skip the stock photos. In a 2023 Sterling Sky study, posts with images that weren't stock photos got 5.6 times more clicks.

Write a Plain Title That Isn't in All Caps

Give every post a short title that says what it's about, like "Fall Crawl Space Inspections in Greensboro." Don't shout. That 2023 Sterling Sky study put it plainly: "Make sure your post has a title that is not all caps."

Plan One Seasonal Topic a Month

Give each month one theme, then write four posts around it. For fall and early winter, rodent exclusion, stink bugs, and overwintering pests make easy topics, because homeowners start finding them indoors. One theme a month also means one round of photo requests to your techs, not four.

Add One Clear Button

Every post can carry a button, like Call now or Learn more. Pick one and point it at the phone number or page that fits the post. One button keeps the next step obvious for a homeowner reading on a phone in the kitchen.

What a Posting Restart Looks Like for a 6-Truck Company

Picture a six-truck company in a mid-sized market. The office manager runs the Google Business Profile between scheduling and billing, and the last post went up in the spring.

Here's a restart that fits into that office manager's week:

• Friday: each tech texts one photo from a job, and the office manager picks the best one
• Monday at 8 a.m.: the office manager writes a three-sentence post, adds a plain title and a Call now button, and publishes it
• First Monday of the month: the owner picks next month's theme and tells the techs which photos to grab
• Every Monday after posting: someone searches the company name on a phone and notes where Posts show up

What should that company expect? Honestly, nobody can promise a number. The cost is about two hours of office time a month, and the profile never looks abandoned again. If Google keeps Posts near the top, that company is already in place.

What Changed With Local Services Ads Headshots and Featured Professionals?

Google's Local Services Ads (LSA) no longer show featured professionals, and headshots are now optional. Google says a missing headshot won't affect ad serving, and the rest of the ad stays the same. For most pest control companies, featured professionals were never a big part of the ad, so this calls for a quick check, not a rebuild.

Anthony Higman found Google's notice in his account and posted a screenshot. It reads, "Starting in October, featured professionals will no longer show on your ads. Headshot is optional and won't affect ad serving. The rest of your ad, including photos, reviews, and more, won't change." (Source: Search Engine Roundtable's LSA report)

Anthony called it a "Big LSA change for lawyers," because law firms could feature individual attorneys on their ads. Barry Schwartz's story says Anthony spotted optional headshots "a couple weeks back," and that the LSA help page linked from the notice didn't mention the change when SER checked. The change was reported Oct. 19, 2026, but the notice says it starts in October.

Your 10-Minute Local Services Ads Check

Open your LSA account and look at your ad the way a homeowner would. Then run through this list:

• Confirm what the ad shows now that featured professionals are gone
• Make sure your photos are current and show your real trucks and techs
• Check that your newest reviews are showing
• Keep your headshot if you have one you like, since the notice calls it optional, not banned

If your account needs more than 10 minutes of work, our Local Services Ads leads guide covers the bigger fixes.

What Do Ads in Google AI Mode Mean for Pest Control Companies?

Ads in Google AI Mode mean one more place a homeowner can see a paid result. Google is starting to test ads in AI Mode for people who connect apps like Gmail and Photos through Personal Intelligence. You don't need to change your plan today. You do need more than paid search in it.

AI Mode is the chat-style search inside Google. Personal Intelligence lets AI Mode tailor answers to a person's search history, and people can also connect apps like Gmail and Photos to it. The ad test covers people who connect those apps. Ads in regular AI Mode aren't new. Ads for people with Personal Intelligence turned on are.

Google told Search Engine Land, "Google is starting to test ads in AI Mode in Search for users who connect their apps through Personal Intelligence, reversing its earlier ad-free approach to the experience." (Source: SER's AI Mode story) That's a reversal. As reported by Search Engine Roundtable's ads coverage, Google said in March, "There are currently no ads for people who choose to connect their apps with AI Mode."

Google's help page now states, "Ads will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or your Google Photos library." The same page says Search may use "summaries, excerpts and inferences" from those apps, and "That same info may be used to show you ads."

For a pest control company, the takeaway is plain. Google keeps adding places where ads can appear, and you don't control any of them. Your profile, your posts, and your Google reviews cost nothing per click. Keep Local Services Ads for exterminators and Google Ads in the mix, but don't let paid search be your only plan.

What Should Pest Control Owners Watch After Google's Posts Test?

Watch your own profile, because any of these tests can change without notice. Posts may move back down. Google may confirm, change, or drop the Posts test, the LSA change, or the AI Mode ads. Check your profile on a phone once a week, on the same day you post, and note where Posts appear.

Search your company name the way a homeowner would: on a phone, in a private window or signed out of the account that manages your profile. Look at where Posts sit, what your newest post says, and how old it is. If Posts show near the top two weeks in a row, you'll know the higher spot is showing on your profile.

Once your posts are back on a schedule, our advanced GBP optimization guide covers the next layer of profile work.

Get Your Google Business Profile Ready Before Google Decides

Google hasn't decided where Posts belong, and you don't have to wait to find out. One post a week, a real photo, a plain title, and a 10-minute LSA check put your Google Business Profile in good shape whichever way the test goes.

If you want a second set of eyes first, schedule a conversation. I'll review your Google Business Profile posts, photos, and LSA ad, and you'll get a short list of what to fix first. No contract and no pitch.

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