In 2019, is having a website necessary for a dog pro’s business?
While it may seem like plenty of businesses thrive on Instagram and Facebook, not having a website can leave your dog business vulnerable for a few key reasons.
Searches for service providers start online
If you’ve ever searched for a service in your town like an auto mechanic, dentist, or lawyer, chances are you’ve done some investigating pretty early on, online. If you were looking for help in regards to a certain issue, say a lost filling, you probably wouldn’t go to the dentist that didn’t show up in your google search. Alternatively, if you found a dentist’s website that prominently displayed an article about fast, easy & cheap filling replacements, there’s a good chance you’d give their office a call to see if they’re taking on new patients.
The same goes for people looking for help with their dogs. Dog pros need to make sure they’ get in front of potential clients, no matter where they are. Sure, a lot of people will ask their friends who their dog walker is, but what about the family that just moved to town with no friends or relatives that just adopted a puppy?
You own the platform
Don’t get me wrong, Facebook & Instagram are powerful, business driving machines that should not be overlooked. I’d even encourage you to be as active as possible on a few platforms that you’re comfortable on. My point here is that you don’t own your audience on Facebook & Instagram – Mark Zuckerburg does.
What happens if Facebook’s terms of service change and no longer allow your type of business? What happens if a mistake is made and your page is deleted? What happens if these platforms go under? Remember Myspace?
In the case that any of these scenarios do happen, it is vitally important for your business to put time into the traffic you do control – your website.
Successful businesses supplement “word of mouth” with a professional website
Word of mouth is probably the single most important thing a new dog professional should be focusing on, but where are they sending word of mouth referrals?
Some people are happy call the number on a business card, while others want to investigate a little more, and see what a particular business is all about – after all, we are taking care of people’s fur babies. If you don’t have a website, or if your website is outdated & hard to read, you might be losing out of word of mouth referrals that you’ve worked so hard to get.
The local shock jock has a website that gets customers
Something a lot of force free dog pros don’t consider: not having a professional website is contributing to the local shock jock getting clients. If this one doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will. We created DigiWoof because it was clear that dog pros like to train dogs, not work on websites, and we want to make it much, much harder for aversive trainers to get clients by making R+ pros look too dang good to pass up.
If building your website seems overwhelming, time consuming, or overall just boring, we would love to help your business stand out by creating a beautiful, branded website. Fill out the form below to schedule a free consultation!
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