How To Help Your Site Rank Higher For Local Searches

A recent question on our Facebook forum group (which, if you are not a part of and are a client of ours, search for PetSittingOlogy Training Center and submit a request to join) was asked by Maria Connochie, owner of The Pet Butler in Apex, NC:

“I am only coming up on search on one town and I do service other areas.  Is there anything we can do about this?  Thanks”

There is definitely something you can do to help your business come up in local searches.

CREATE RELEVANT CONTENT AROUND THOSE LOCAL AREAS.

It’s that simple.

If you service more than one town, you want to write about topics specific to each town that you service.

5 Veterinarians In…
5 Pet Groomers In…
5 Dog Trainers In…
5 Kennels In…
5 Doggie Day Care Centers In…
5 Pet Friendly Stores In…
5 Pet Friendly Hotels In…
Where Can I Find Natural Pet Food In…

I used the number 5 for because it’s easy to come up with 5 businesses and it’s quick for a potential client to read.   You can choose your own number depending on the size of your town, but I wouldn’t go higher than 10.  You want it simple and most of all efficient for people to read.  If you don’t have 5 Doggie Day Care Centers (my town only has 3), then write about those 3.  The number 5 is not set in stone.  Do what works within your territory.

When you make your list, make sure to include the address!!  This gets the town naturally placed in your content!

Perfect example here:

What Vets In The Longmont Area Have Rattlesnake Anti-Venom In Stock?

My town is in the title, introductory paragraph, with 2 vet offices and 2 of the other vets are in towns that we service.

Another way to break this down is to focus on topics specifically for each category such as:

Horse Veterinarians In….
Emergency Vet Clinics In…
Vets In….That Specialize In Orthopedics

Is There A Groomer In….That Does Cats?
Where Can I Board My Cat In…

Did you catch in the first list above that “5 kennels in town” is a topic?

Why would you, as a pet sitter want to give out information about a kennel?  Aren’t they the direct competition?  No.  Because a pet sitter is not always the best fit for every animal.  Some dogs may do better in a kennel situation with a play yard and interaction with other dogs.   If you provide that information, you are establishing integrity and trust with your audience.

Think of when you go into the mechanic, your #1 worry is that they are going to try to sell you something that you don’t need.  Don’t do that with your clients.  If their pet would be more comfortable and less stressed at a kennel, be honest with them and tell them that.  Your honesty will go a lot further than you can imagine.

This will also allow you to reach potential clients that may not know that in-home pet sitting is an option!  They may be searching for “kennels in Whoville” instead of “pet sitters in Whoville”.

Use language that your potential client is using!

You are also establishing a relationship with the kennel.  If they are full, or if they get a call from a client that is not the right fit for them, who do you think they are going to recommend?  That’s right, YOU.

If you can be really brave, write an article on

5 Pet Sitters In Whoville

Wait, what?!  Why would you write an article on other pet sitters and dog walkers in town?

• Establishes integrity and trust
• They are ON YOUR SITE reading the article
• You are NOT the best fit for every pet.
• You may not have availability and you still want to be helpful to people who call you.

 While we’re talking about staying local, let’s dive into local activities that people can do with their pets:

Where Can I Walk My Dog In…
Dog Parks In…
Where Can I Do Agility With My Dog In…
Where Can I Take My Dog Off Leash In…
Where Can I Take My Dog Swimming In…
5 Pet Events In…

(look at your County Fairgrounds page, that is where a lot of our local pet fairs etc are held.  You can also look at bulletin boards at vet offices, pet stores to see if anything is going on.  Do your research and then put it all in one place for people to find.)

This is a perfect article by Lauren Hollas, owner of Leander Pet Care:

The 5 Best Dog Parks In The Austin Area

Why is it perfect?  Not only is it useful and practical information for her audience; in terms of Google searches – all of the algorithm elements (the ones that we know of anyway) are there!  There is a photo of each park, there is an address of each park, and the brief descriptions of each park are great!

To take this to the next level, Lauren can do a full blog feature on each individual park and also take a video at each park.

If you don’t know the answers to any of the topics we’ve been talking about, what should you do?  YOU should Google it and then write about what you find!  (Include links if applicable).

If you don’t have dog parks in your town, write about the closest ones, write an article about the benefits of having a dog park, interview someone from your town about getting a dog park built….maybe you’ll be able to get one!  Or it may turn out to be a blog on:

“Why We Don’t Have A Dog Park In…” (there may be zoning laws/regulations.)

Be the source of information for your potential clients!

Your local pieces of content will help establish you as a credible business in those areas and will begin to attract clients.