DES MOINES, Iowa — Miller Pest & Termite revamped its website to reach a larger segment of potential customers looking to rid their homes and businesses of bed bugs, termites and other pests.
The website is the company's attempt to expand the market to women and those who are more squeamish with bugs, by not including large, graphic pictures of insects and pests on its homepage.
The company, located in Des Moines, Iowa, launched the site in April and recently finished tweaking the layout.
After the launch, Joel Miller, operations manager for Miller Pest & Termite, said a woman told a salesman the reason she chose to do business with the company was because the first two websites she visited prior to Miller Pest’s were "scary looking."
“A number of women have told us they like it and how it’s not gross like others, which was what we were going for,” Miller said.
The theory, Miller said, was that many have pest control needs, but do not want to see pictures of pests while searching for a service on the Internet. When clicking on different pest control websites, he said many customers mentioned they stayed on Miller’s Pest & Termite’s because there were not any of these pictures.
“Every single customer when we’re out, we’re asking them how they heard about us and it’s because of our website,” Miller said. “It’s not like the other ones they’ve noticed.”
The company is working on a new website of similar design for its soon-to-be open Omaha, Neb. location.