Case Study: How You Can Rank in Google for the Keyword ‘Pet Sitting’

Are you looking to rank higher in Google results for a specific keyword?

Do you wonder why you may not be ranking at all for certain keywords?

I receive a variety of questions from pet sitters and this topic is quite possibly the most popular subject I am asked.  And, it’s one that I most enjoy speaking on.

SEO (search engine optimization), websites, and ranking in Google are all important conversations to have.

In a recent thread inside our Private Facebook group for PSO clients, pet sitter John Buttner of Specialized Pet Services in Omaha, Nebraska said he was having a difficult time ranking high in Google for certain keywords.

I asked which keywords and he wrote “The keywords would be pet sitting, dog boarding, pet sitter, doggie daycare, pet boarding, pet care.“

How to Rank in Google for Pet Sitter Keywords

This video goes in greater detail with the process that is outlined below.

The list of keywords that John wants to rank for are reasonable and accurate.  He offers those services so it makes perfect sense.

You are very well aware of the great need to show up on that first page of Google for your most important keywords when a potential client is searching for the service you provide.

Sometimes it is easier said than done.

Since John said he wants to rank for those handful of keywords, I needed to go through our usual Pet Sitter Website Audit process to see what’s what and to give John some specifics, usable, action steps he can take to begin ranking for the keywords he wants.

We also want to first determine WHY John may not be ranking for the keywords he is hoping for.

First Step: Discover Where You Do Rank For Keywords

The very first step in this process is to get a complete and accurate view of where you are currently ranking for your desired phrases.

Two things to remember here are:

1) When you do a Google search yourself, you may not see the same results as anyone else. Google personalizes search results based on a variety of factors.

2) More often than not, your ideal client will be searching with a local modifier. That simply means they will more often search for “dog boarding Omaha” (with the city) rather than only searching for “dog boarding”. This is good for us since we are local businesses.

So, what is a professional pet sitter to do about this?

Performing your own Google search can be a nice start to see what’s happening on the first page of results.  For the most accuracy, log out of your Google (or Gmail) account.  If possible, pull up a new browser window, and search ‘incognito’ or ‘private’ if your browser permits.

The good news, too, is that I was able to run John’s site through our SEO tool that, in part, gives an accurate view of local results for his exact location (Omaha NE) and found several keywords ranking high in Google (see screenshot).

Also, a quick glance through his website shows title tags that are not completely optimized for his desired keywords. And John has very little written on his pages that would tell Google or a search user that ‘pet sitting’ in specific is something he offers.

Next Step: Talk About in Great Detail the Keywords You Want to Rank For

You’ll notice that John has a wonderful services page along with a separate tab for Cat Sitting. That’s a great start that I would take further. Create additional separate pages in that style for ‘pet sitting’ and other services you want to highlight. Add relevant photos, happy client testimonials, videos and more directly relating to that service.

Important note: While you do want to create pages that educate and inform your visitors about (in this case) ‘pet sitting,’ you NEVER want to simply keyword-stuff (place the keyword on the page just for the sake of it).

You want to make sure that your page content is an informative, insightful, and valuable piece of content.  (See video above for more on this topic).

Final Step: Use Your Blog Posts to Further Influence How Google ‘Sees’ Your Website

There are also ways to optimize blog post titles for greater visibility and ways to write about pet sitting, for example, as informative posts. John currently has nicely written blog posts which helps tremendously.

Finally, a Site Audit was run that shows very minimal errors that can quickly be fixed. These include broken links and other technical attributes that Google does not like to see.

The reason is simple: those can cause a less-than-ideal user experience and Google is ALL about the user experience!

My Overall Feedback on John’s Website

John, you are truly in good shape. You have a solid foundation and are doing everything right. Our ranking report will track changes each day so we can compare over time for you.

Want to Work One-on-One with Josh Cary to Improve Your SEO Efforts?

For everyone following along, this is a perfect preamble to our upcoming SEO Signature Program in 2016!

This is your chance to work individually and directly with Josh Cary on your website. You will have weekly phone calls, action plans and all the tools and support needed to get your website ranking and your phone ringing.

Whether you want to focus on creating content, blogging, or something else, this is for you.

You will learn SEO basics and gain a complete understanding of adjustments to make to your own site. And you’ll receive your personalized custom Keyword Ranking Tool, displaying all the keywords you currently rank for in Google.

Applications Open in January 2016! Stay tuned for more info and let us know in the comments or via email if you want more info on this.

We love this topic!