Josh Cary

This author has written 284 articles

Can you Spot the Fake? A Primer for Pet Sitters on SPAM

gorilla clapping
We all love receiving applause for a job well done. But all compliments are not created equally.

Who doesn’t love receiving compliments?

Even more, who doesn’t love receiving unexpected compliments from strangers?

But the compliments we receive online are often not the typical “Wow, you look really pretty today!”

We all know how to spot and detect spam. Sometimes it is very obvious while other times it is cleverly disguised.

All Compliments Are Not Created Equally

I recently received an email from someone out of the blue through Youtube that begins as a glowing compliment of my work.

There was plenty of thought put into this one. Can you spot where the spam part becomes apparent?

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Step One for Pet Sitters is to Understand How Search Works (Everything Else Will Follow)

ladder
If you want to appear higher in the Google search results, understanding how search works to begin with is a great start.

Are you happy with where your pet sitting website lands in Google when a potential client searches for, let’s say, ‘pet sitter + [your town]?’

Are you wondering how to improve your search rankings or how to show up in Google more often?

First, you must understand how search works to begin with.

And what better way to get a quick primer than from the horses mouth!

Watch this 3-minute video from Matt Cutts (part of the quality search team at Google) for the basics. (Then, don’t miss the upcoming webinar announced below!)

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How to Target Multiple Cities with Your Pet Sitting Business Website

target multiple cities
Targeting multiple cities with your pet sitting business is possible if you take some specific SEO action.

How many different areas, cities or neighborhoods does your pet sitting website target?

Chances are you want to appear in the search results for more than just your city + [pet sitting keyword], right?

So how exactly do you show up for multiple cities that you currently serve?

In order to answer the question, let me take a step back for a minute to make this one point:

When we are talking about your pet sitting website, Google sees your site as individual pages, not as one full website.

So when somebody does a search for (as an example) ‘Seattle pet sitter’ it is not going to return your full website in the search results, it will return an individual page from your website (the most relevant pages from your website).

Most typically this will be your home page, but not always the case.

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The Price of Home Invasion Security and How It Relates to Your Pet Sitting Business

alarm photo
Can you put a price on home security? How about a price on pet services?

What sort of price tag can you place on your home alarm system that is designed to protect you, your loved ones and your valuables?

We recently moved into a new home (back in my home state of New Jersey, for those following along) and naturally we wanted to activate service with the alarm company.

There was already a box and keypad installed with a sticker announcing the company that installed it and had previously provided monitoring.

I decided to give them a call to find out the details.

After about a twenty minute phone call with the nice gentleman (the owner of the company), I learned a few things:

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Pet Sitter Emergency Preparation and Safety with Hurricane Sandy Raw Footage [video]

As those of us on the East Coast brace for the worst of Hurricane Sandy, it begs the question what professional pet sitters do to keep their furry clients safe and sound?

My home in New Jersey (monmouth county) was issued a mandatory evacuation, and now I am sitting safely in an apartment in Brooklyn.

Running to the super market yesterday (as most news people instructed) for batteries, candles, food and water was a sight to see!

It was packed and crowded with many patrons in ‘fight or flight’ mode. And all the D batteries were sold out!

In any case, I feel very confident with my location and with the amenities I have should power go out. I also have a full tank of gas (again, as suggested by the pros) but aren’t sure where I’d be required to drive in a completely flooded area.

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When It Comes To Hiring, Do You Trust Your Gut or Trust Your Thoughts?

beagle in thoughtLet’s face it; hiring someone is a very scary thing.

You’re no longer the only person who is representing your business; whoever you hire is a direct representation of you and your brand.

The single most important advice I can give when you’re deciding to hire someone is: follow your gut.

I know from personal experience that just because someone looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be the right fit for your business and how you want to represent your company. However, “following your gut” is not always the easiest thing to do when you have such a big decision in front of you.

Your thoughts often get in the way of your ability to hear that little voice inside that’s trying to guide you.

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All Pet Sitting Advice Is Not Created Equally

Editor’s Note: This is the first article by our newest PetSittingOlogy writer, pet sitter Sarah Johnson, of Menly’s Pet Care in Michigan.

When you’re just starting your pet sitting business, there’s no doubt that you have a thousand questions ranging from “What should my business name be?” to “What should I charge for my services?”

Getting involved in pet sitting organizations and forums such as Professional Untied Pet Sitters, the Association of Pet Sitting Excellence and Pet Sitters International are great ways to get in touch with other pet sitters and ask their questions and advice.

However, let me give you one piece of advice.

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How to Become the Most Reliable and Dependable Pet Sitter Ever

strong dependable pet sitterHow would YOU specifically handle this situation?

If you’ve been in the pet industry for any length of time, you no doubt have a certain script that you follow for new client inquiries.

Whether this script is formal and on paper, or simply in your head at this point, you know what typical points you need to cover.

However, every once in a while, you get hit with a certain new client inquiry that requires a more delicate approach.

A Recent Email I Received

Take this recent email submission (pasted in full) we received through my pet sitting business (Alitia’s Animals) and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Potential client writes: “This is my third time looking for a reliable , dependable pet sitter for a long term relationship with my older two dogs. I’m passionate about taking care of my 2 dogs and the rescues that I take in.”

If you replied to this email with your usual approach, you’d be missing out on a great opportunity to gain a valuable client for life!

Let’s look at the email much closer…

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How To Get Others To Make You Look Even Better Than You Do

How would it feel if you were to be interviewed and profiled by the New York Times or MSN or any other respected publication?

Pretty good, I imagine, right?

And more importantly, how would it look to your potential clients and fellow pet sitter colleagues?

Even better, I’m sure.

When any third party writes about you, it speaks volumes about how they feel about you and how they view you.

This is called ‘borrowed credibility.’

Borrowed credibility is simply what happens when you are featured in an interview or news story.

The publication writing about you has its own credibility and you are then seen as sharing in on that credit.

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How To Use WordPress – The Webinar Replay [video]

Walking Tour of WordPress: Why WordPress is the Only Website Building Tool You’ll Need

In the one-hour long webinar below, Joshua Cary leads pet sitters through the entire WordPress system.

Whether you are completely new to the WordPress system, or looking to take your web building skills to the next level, you’ll discover why WordPress is the only web building tool of choice, and how it will put YOU in control of every aspect of your pet sitting website.

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