Weall know that having pets is a great way to create the warm and cozy environment we all need in our homes. Dogs, cats, and many types of animals are great for kids. They help stimulate the growth in babies and typically become their best friends. Puppies and children growing alongside each other foster a caring and loving personality. The question is how do you reach those qualified families? By having attractive and inviting websites.

In 2021 it’s no getting around it, the internet has become a necessity and people turn there to search and learn about everything. Finding the right breeder or kennel is no exception. If you have a kennel or are a dog breeder, trainer, handler, or any other dog-related business, there is no debate, you should have a website that is up to date and reflects you and your brand. 

Having a website will save you a lot of time so you can do the things that you love to do as an animal lover! It makes you accessible to the people that are looking to adopt your breed and are tired of the scams. Your website is a place that you control so your can showcase your sires, dams, and puppies in a manner you feel best represents your brand and breed. This is where you inform your community about best practices, what to expect, and how they can help push the breed further!  

An appealing website allows you to do all of these things and more! Not having a website now is like hiding from the very people you started out looking to help. Now if you’re saying to yourself; “I have a website”, but if that website is out of date 3 years or more or hasn’t been updated in a few months, this can have an even worse effect on your online goals. The speed at which technology changes is unbelievable and this isn’t slowing down. Let’s dive a little deeper into why having a fully functioning website is extremely important and necessary.  

Here’s why Animal Breeders and kennels need good websites:

All the good companies, kennels, and breeders have up-to-date websites. You may think you don’t have competitors but you do, whether you see them as competition or not. Yes it’s true, even in the animal field you can see multiple competitors and if you’re not sharing with the world that you are the expert for your breed, you’re losing out.  

A website will help give you that visibility you’re looking for on the search engine result page or SERP. Having social media accounts help to raise your ranking in search results but this is just one component of the mysterious algorithm. What is even more important than this is having a website that is completely owned by you and optimized for the search engines. This is what can easily help you outperform your competitors online.

Your website allows you to have and keep constant communication with customers. Websites should be regularly updated and linked to the social media platforms where you are the most comfortable and your tribe/audience is. It doesn’t have to be every social media network, two or three is enough. Once your website is linked, you can highlight your updates on these platforms so that your content is visible to your audience and drive traffic right to your website!

Websites that are attractive and up to date build trust in your kennel as a breeder. This lets users see what you offer and provides valuable advice about your breed: where you can display why you are the expert on the matter. There are still many kennels and breeders that don’t take having a website seriously but understand that being online is important. This is when we see a lot of design and development mistakes. These types of websites only hurt your brand and can have a negative effect on your goal as a whole.  

Having a website shows that you are serious about what you do. Families looking to adopt puppies like to see a nice, professional website because this legitimizes your business and builds trust. Yes, you can have Facebook, Instagram, etc., and share what you do there but they should all point people to your website. On your website, you can control the narrative. Just having a Facebook page or any page doesn’t count, and with the stance, Facebook has taken on breeding, it could be a matter of time before they close down your page. Your website is your very own platform, it’s where no one can tell you what you can and can’t put on it. 

The truth is that even places like Puppyfind, AKC Marketplace, Gooddog, etc. are places you don’t own and are at risk of losing them at any point in time should they decide to change their standards or ways of business. What would you do if something like this happens? How would you attract new people to adopt your fur babies? A professional website provides that security if and when this ever happens. The breeders and kennels that only use these methods as their primary source of advertising would panic, while you’d be sitting back adding new customers to your waiting list.

Now, More Than Ever, Is The Time To Have A Website

The year 2020 changed the lives of many people and as a breeder or kennel if you didn’t have a good website then it hurt you. The shift in 2020 had an effect on every type of industry. Having a visually appealing functional website that reflects your brand is needed more than ever. We’d like to pose the question, what’s holding you back? The benefits of having your own platform that you control are countless. You’re probably thinking things like, professional websites are too expensive, I don’t have the time to keep the maintenance up, and/ or maybe you just don’t know where to start.

In any case, the investment is well worth the return and normally costs the price you would charge for placing one or two puppies in the right home. As for maintenance costs, most, if not all, website design companies offer maintenance plans. At CCM, we have these and provide a training session after the launch of our client websites for those that want to maintain it themselves. Getting a professional website started is as easy as contacting a web design company or website developer. 

It Comes Down To This

Don’t be left behind without a website or an outdated one. There are many more reasons that could have been listed here as to why you need a website but for the sake of time, I tried to cover the most relevant. At this point, not having a website or an outdated one is costing you more than you think you’re saving. If you’re ready and tired of putting this off, reach out to us. We work specifically with dog breeders, kennels, trainers, handlers, and other dog-related businesses to help them look the best online to those looking to adopt new furry family members or the services they offer! Attractive and modern dog breeder web design doesn’t have to be hard, we’re here to customize your website to your brand.