You may think this blog post will offer unique tidbits and nuggets on the most creative pages you can have on your website.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but…. We’re staying basic.
For good reason.
Google truly likes to see standard website pages, and you’ll see why as we go through each page below. We’ll also address some pages that like to creep up in the pet industry that we don’t think are necessary for your website in MOST cases.
The bottom line is… stick to the basic, most standard pages you already know and expect when you go to a service business website. Let’s get into the pages, shall we?!
The most important pages for your service-based pet business website
1. The Home Page
Think of your website’s home page as your home base. It’s a directory to all of the most important next steps. Make sure your homepage has a clear header with a menu of all your most important pages. The structure of your website and the layout of everything included on your home page is actually used to develop your site map (i.e. the map that tells Google’s algorithm for SEO what pages are important and how your website is organized).
2. The About Page
Your about page isn’t JUST to tell potential clients about your story and about your business. Google also needs to know your website is owned by someone. Is it personal? Is it a real business? Does it have an About page? Have your About page linked in the main menu of your website.
Bonus tip: Include a picture of yourself with your eyes facing the camera and add alt text to the image so Google knows it’s a photo of the owner of the business!
3. Individual Service Pages
Now obviously this is technically more than one page if you have more than one service, BUTTTT if budget or time permits, I highly recommend having a website page for every main service grouping that you offer.
For example, if you offer:
Dog walks
Group dog walks
Dog hikes
Pet sitting visits
Overnight pet sitting
Then, I would recommend breaking your services into dog walking and pet sitting. On each page, you could list the types of each service you offer. The breakdown of pages can also be listed as your potential client would search for it. For example, someone is less likely to search for ‘pet visits’ than they are ‘pet sitting.’
The reason to have individual services pages? You can only rank for one main keyword per page of your website! When you have one page for ALL of your services (dog walking, pet sitting, and grooming), Google may get confused about the main point of the page, and then your keywords can compete with one another. You don’t want Google to be confused by your website’s contents.
P.S. It’s also a great idea, especially if you have a lot of different services, to have a main services page that acts as a directory to your other services for user experience!
4. The Blog
I know – not surprising.
A blog can be the easiest and most helpful way to drive more traffic to your website. It can also answer questions before they’re even asked, and is one of the best things you can do for your search engine rankings!
For example, our HIGHEST traffic driver to our website is a blog post we wrote originally back in 2018. Your blog posts can rank as time goes on (compared to social media posts getting lost in the feed pretty quickly after posting).
A blog is also a great way to rank for OTHER keywords. Remember this SEO nugget - Your website does not rank on Google. What ranks on Google are website PAGES. So each individual page of your website is an opportunity for ranking potential, and blog posts are great ways to get really useful keywords on your website.
5. The Contact Page
Again, Google is looking for the basics, and, as a service provider, a contact page is crucial. Simple as that. If you want some tips for what to include on your contact page along with what to specifically include on your contact form, head to our blog post on the topic. Essentially, you’ll need to include:
A contact form
Your contact info - phone number, email address, etc.
Some sort of text (In general, Google likes more copy/text on a page).
A H1 header that explains that this page is your contact page (i.e. it’s your website visitor’s opportunity and place to reach out to you).
6. The Privacy Policy + Terms of Service Pages
While this page isn’t technically a ‘SEO booster,’ it’s crucial to include it on your website for legal reasons!
If you take information from anyone that comes on your website, whether it be:
A contact form
You link to third-party software that collects your user’s information (i.e. booking software)
An email subscribe box asking for people’s names and email addresses
You use Facebook Ads and have installed a Facebook Pixel on your website
You use Google Analytics or any other website analytics tool
Then, it is technically required to have a Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy on your website. To learn more about this requirement, we have a blog post detailing it out.
Pages You Likely Don’t Need On Your Service-Based Pet Business Website
Do you need a review page on your website?
It’s surprising to me how much pet business owners still want testimonial or review pages on their website. My thoughts? They are useless pages and are taking up precious real estate on your website!!
If you don’t believe me, here’s what I recommend. Head into your Google Analytics and tell me the breakdown of pages your web viewers click on, because I highly doubt the review page will be anywhere near the top. People won’t click on it. They already know it’ll be positive, otherwise, why would you have added it to the page?
Not only that, but when it comes to best website practices, you also want your user to get the most important information in the least amount of time and pages possible. The goal is not for them to go through every single page on your website. It’s to get them from point A (landing on the page) to point B (purchasing or taking the next step).
Your potential clients will be more likely to read a testimonial while scrolling through your services than they would by actively clicking on the testimonial page and reading through each one. It also feels less spammy and more organic when it’s flowing throughout your website at applicable stages (i.e. when you’re talking about your diabetic dog service, you can add the review from the diabetic dog parent below to show how you’ve helped that family in the past). So, I recommend removing that page and adding reviews throughout your website!
Do you need location or zip code pages on your website?
This is another popular website page that SEO experts have recommended to clients of mine (both in and outside the pet industry). Here’s my issue with it…
Most of the time, the only info you have on the page is the zip code, OR it’s duplicated pages of your services with the only difference in the pages being the zip codes. YIKES!!!
Google greatly dislikes duplicated content. It comes off as spammy and is yet another page that takes up precious real estate on your website. If you REALLY want to have location pages on your website that show your different service areas/zip codes, then each of those pages needs to be unique in content. For pages like this, you’ll want at least 600 words that are specific to that location. You can include things like… relevant blog posts to that area, info about the area like other recommended business partnerships you have, pet-friendly dog hikes, etc.
The good news is that Google likes simple, unique, and personalized content. So, if you keep it basic, clear, and personalized to your business, you are SOLID in terms of website pages.
If you want to dive deeper into SEO, we have a Pet Marketing Unleashed community-requested course coming your way!! Pet Business SEO Unleashed: Your guide to ranking on Google is coming soon. This course will include everything a SEO rookie would need to know to master on- and off-page SEO. Join the waitlist, and you’ll be the first to know when it’s launching (psst… and when you can join the beta round before it’s live!).
