Is your pet sitting website your biggest and best marketing tool?

Is it paying off or is it sucking the life out of your business?

Just like with any other marketing tool, you need to see a good return on your investment in order for it to be working.

Put a price tag on the time alone you’ve devoted to your site and decide if it’s working with you or against you.

A pet sitting website that works is one that ranks well in the search engines and, perhaps more importantly, converts your visitors into happy clients.

In order to gain that new client, you must first connect with your visitor through your site.

Here’s a list of 7 pet sitting websites that do just that in different ways. I bet if you adjusted your current site to reflect these elements, you’ll see improvement.

7 Pet Sitting Websites You Can Learn From

1: Press and Awards
http://www.themonsterminders.com/Site/Home.html

Many of us can only dream of national recognition through the press. A write up in your town’s newspaper or magazine, or an on air interview giving your best tips for finding the perfect pet sitter is something we can all aspire to.

The Monster Minders continue to do something right and have that one in the bag. The site prominently displays their awards, accolades and mentions in the press.

Their incredible ability to generate highly sought after press and buzz from popular magazines and TV news sources keeps their client list growing.

2: Tell Your Story
http://www.decadentdog.com/who.html

Each of us has a story to tell. You know, the reason we became a pet sitter in the first place. And what it means to us to provide top quality care to the animals in our community.

Rob Nager didn’t win the PSI Pet Sitter of the Year award for nothing. His website is a prime example on how to connect with your visitors through your own personal story.

The quicker you can establish rapport and build a relationship with your potential clients, the better. And what easier way to begin than through your “about me” page?

3: Keep Your Visitors Engaged
http://www.absolutepetcareaz.com/

I talk plenty about adding interesting and engaging content throughout your pages to help rank well in the search engines. The real purpose of this, however, is to provide your visitors with interesting and useful information they can use.

Absolute Pet Care understands this by providing a list of various pet facts. Your web visitor is now more likely to get in touch with you.

It’s a subtle approach that suggests you are knowledgeable in your field. What can you find to keep your visitors informed and entertained?

4: Social Proof
http://www.thepetnannyforyou.com/ourgallery.html

Social proof is the idea that when we see a group of others taking part in something, we ourselves are more likely to participate. For example, you are more likely to download an online ebook if you see that 500 people requested a copy in the past 24 hours than if only 12 people had done so.

You will most often see and use this concept through the use of testimonials.

The Pet Nanny applies the concept of social proof on their Gallery page with photos of all their canine clients.

Find ways to show your website visitors that ‘everyone is doing it’ and you’ll have an easier time gaining new clients.

5: Be Unique and Creative
http://www.bocmeow.com/notesofthanks.html

Most pet sitter websites have similar pages and content. Services, fees, about us, testimonials…

If you can find ways to be a little creative or unique about things, you’ll see better results.

Boc meow took the typical testimonial approach and made it a bit more personal.

Hand-written notes and evaluation forms are scanned in for the visitors to see. It’s much more powerful to see the client’s written word than text on the screen.

How can you do something similar to be unique and creative?

6: Expand Your Services and Cater To A Specific Market
http://www.happycatsndogs.com/corporatepetcare.html

Every pet sitter offers a menu of services directly to the pet owners themselves.

Happy catsndogs takes this one step further by going directly to the local businesses in their area by saying, “Offer your employees our service and everyone receives a discount.”

The service page then goes on to list the benefits of using such a service including increased employee morale and productivity.

A very clever and well put together package. Can you target local businesses in your area?

7: Position Yourself Above The Competition
http://www.arinonthego.com/about_arin.html

I’ve written plenty about the importance of clearly defining your unique selling position (USP) to define what makes you different as a pet sitter and why a person should hire you and not the next pet sitter on their list.

The minute you visit Arin on the go you know what you are getting. Their tag line clearly states “4 gals helping you with your pets, home and errands.”

Think about what sets you apart and use that on your website and as part of your marketing plan. Ask yourself “Why you?”

Can a tag line be the first step in communicating with your visitors “why you?”

Wrap Up

Your website should be one of your biggest and best marketing tools for your pet sitting business. It should work as hard as you work.

Find ways to stand out, be creative and connect with your users to increase its effectiveness.

Make the right adjustments – and monitor the results with a good stats program – and you’ll be well on your way to a growing client list.

What Are Your Favorites?

What are some pet sitting websites that I may have missed? Leave a comment below and I’ll check it out.