Negative link alert for pet websites

January 29, 2024August 5, 2013 by Pam Foster

Negative link alert for pet websites

Beware “negative SEO,” which can bring down popular sites in the pet industry.

The other day, David Beart from PetYak.com alerted me to a growing problem where bad links are seriously hurting pet websites with poor rankings and traffic in Google, Bing and other search engines. He said, “I found out the hard way that my website had 54,000 bogus links pointing to it, and I got penalized. Several hacked sites from Russia and Poland, and from.info and .net sites using cloaking, are hitting all types of verticals (including the pet industry).”

But before I explain bad links, let’s back up a bit.

Google is always trying to give searchers the best possible results. Throughout each year, Google updates their search algorithms (formulas) to clamp down on entities trying to hack the system.

Google’s latest update, Penguin 2.0, is clamping down on bogus inbound links/negative SEO. QUALITY inbound links from legitimate websites/companies… especially links to internal pages of your website, using anchor text such as “See their complete selection of dog treats” (not a real ink) — are fine. However, hackers are flooding unsuspecting pet websites (and other industry websites) with bogus text links from “fake” referral pages, and Google sees those links as “unnatural.”

When this happens, Google can slap your site with a penalty, which can kill its traffic. This is something you need to know about and address with your pet website now. Here’s how.

How to make sure your pet web design professional has your back

January 29, 2024July 16, 2013 by Pam Foster

How to make sure your pet web design professional has your back

A key component of your website’s success is a pet web design professional who knows how to follow SEO best practices.

There’s nothing more tragic than updating your pet website or launching a new site and it’s not designed for SEO (search engine optimization) OR for the best visitor experience.

I’ve heard horror stories about pet businesses working with a web designer who creates “very nice looking sites,” but who didn’t know a thing about SEO. In fact, in a couple of cases over the past few years, web designers have ignored the SEO tags I had written for a client, and therefore completely missed the boat in helping the site generate great Google results. Recently a graphic designer wiped out all the previous SEO content during a site update, and the client lost rankings, traffic and sales as a result — costing her serious revenue. Yikes!

A key component of your website’s success is a pet web design professional who knows how to follow SEO best practices. Here are three ways to make sure your designer has your back.

3 keys to success with pet landing pages versus websites

January 29, 2024June 17, 2013 by Pam Foster

PetCopywriter.com image of sample landing page for pet companies

3 keys to success with pet landing pages versus websites Last week, I asked the folks on my PetCopywriter Facebook page if they had any specific questions about pet website success, or promoting a pet business online — something I could talk about in my next blog post. Katherine chimed in on Facebook and said: … Read more

Top 3 times to write a blog post for your pet business website

January 29, 2024May 16, 2013 by Pam Foster

Top 3 times to write a blog post for your pet business website Today I have a long wait at the airport due to circumstances beyond my control. So I thought, what should I do with all this waiting time? I’m talking about filling 4 hours here, while I eagerly wait to arrive at the … Read more

Two simple keyword tips for pet web content success

January 29, 2024May 6, 2013 by Pam Foster

Dog hot spot Google Instant image for PetCopywriter blog post about marketing to pet owners

Two simple keyword tips for pet web content success If you’re taking the time to write helpful web content and a blog in the hopes of attracting more customers to your pet business website, it pays to know exactly which phrases pet owners are using in Google and other search engines. For instance, if you … Read more

Is your local pet business website missing this critical content?

January 29, 2024April 15, 2013 by Pam Foster

Dog walker Kingston RI local pet business web content

Is your local pet business website missing this critical content?

If the mission of your website and/or Facebook efforts is to bring more customers to your local pet business, you may want to give yourself a reality check on the LOCAL aspect of your content.

After all, people in your community use LOCAL phrases to look online for the products and services you offer. They type into Google, Bing and other search engines: “[your town] pet supplies,” “pet groomers in [your town],” or “veterinary care in [your town].” Since search engines need to SEE the location information in your website text and other online marketing content (your blog, social media and YouTube videos), these basic phrases need to be included on every page if possible.

Seems like a no brainer, right?

Well, sadly, MOST local pet businesses forget to put their location in their web content. I recently audited nearly 100 different local pet business sites and found that many of them were missing their location or the area they serve. Plus I get calls from small local businesses, asking why they aren’t showing up in search engine results. I take one look at their sites and I can’t find their location… or it’s buried on only a single page of the site. I have to ask, “Where are you?”

If I have to ask this question to a local business, that’s a serious problem because Google won’t list that business in local search results. Luckily, it’s easy to fix. Here’s how in 5 easy steps.

Easter bunny social media success for your pet business

January 29, 2024March 14, 2013 by Pam Foster

PetCopywriter photo Facebook timeline example

Easter bunny social media success for your pet business You’ve probably heard that pet owners spend more time today on social media sites than ever before. And Hubspot.com confirms that consumer use of social media has grown 250% in the past two years… so you need to be there. And yes, it’s true that likeable … Read more

3 Ways to Turn Customer Questions Into Magnetic Pet Website Content

January 29, 2024February 28, 2013 by Pam Foster

PetCopywriter.com blog post photo of ToeGrips.com FAQ page

I’m guessing your pet business or veterinary company gets the same questions again and again, day after day. Customers and prospects want to know how your product works, how it solves their problems, what colors it comes in, and much more.

And while you’re happy to answer those questions, you may not have thought about this: all those questions can be the foundation of terrific content for your pet or veterinary website.

“How to” questions are some of the most popular queries in Google and other search engines. I just did a quick search and found these popular ‘How to” inquiries in the pet world: how to crate train a dog, how to train a kitten to use the litter box, how to brush a dog’s teeth, and many others.

You can bet people are searching right now in Google, Bing and even YouTube to find a how-to solution your business can provide. Therefore, why not make the most of this opportunity?

Here’s how to turn your common questions into magnetic pet website content that attracts more customers.

Simple steps for easy pet business content marketing in 2013

January 29, 2024February 6, 2013 by Pam Foster

Did January slip by before you created your pet marketing strategies to engage prospects with content, such as blog posts, news items, Facebook posts and so on? Well, it’s not too late!

You may be thinking, “Ugh. Something else I have to plan out.” But you can keep it easy with an editorial calendar that helps you schedule your content and avoid writer’s block. All you need to do is this:

Get More Customers to Stroll Over to Your Pet Website

January 29, 2024January 14, 2013 by Pam Foster

Dog strollers — they’re everywhere. The airport, the mall, the coffee shop. A neighbor pet owner explained why. “My little dog can’t keep up with me on my long walks. When he gets tired, I plop him in the stroller and keep going.” Aha — I get it!

Here’s why this matters to you.

Does your pet web content speak to your target audience in a way that shows, you “get” it?

By echoing the thoughts of your reader in your content, your website will:

Pop up on the Google results page
Guide prospects to your site
Delight new visitors so they buy from you!

Here’s how it works.