Website Security for Pet Sitting Websites

Many years ago, I had an issue where my pet sitting website was being consistently hacked. That would mean the website would be down, resulting in lost sales and customer acquisition because I run my traffic through my website.

Today I have three things you can do to ensure your website stays safe, up and running, and makes money for you.

First thing is you want to keep your pet sitting website up to date.

This is by far the biggest risk when it comes to securities. New vulnerabilities are discovered in WordPress and its plugins and themes regularly; if your site is out of date, it is at risk.

Hackers actively search for outdated websites they can attack, so make it a point to keep your site up to date. This includes your plugins, your themes, and the WordPress software itself. It’s a regular thing that my virtual assistant does that keeps my website safe.

Use strong passwords.

I know you might be like, “Hello, duh,” but the truth is most people still aren’t using strong passwords. Hackers are always looking for weak passwords. They use something called a brute force attack.

Simply put, a hacker sets up computer programs to repeatedly attempt to log into your site, using thousands of the most commonly used passwords and what are known as dictionary words. This type of vulnerability can be easily avoided simply by choosing good passwords.

Ideally, your password should be 12 characters, contain upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, never be used for multiple sites, never be stored in plain text on your computer, and never be sent by email.

Also, consider using a password manager like LastPass, which I love. LastPass will generate and securely store good and strong passwords, and you’ll never have to worry about remembering your passwords, and you’re going to greatly reduce your risk of being hacked.

All right, so strong passwords and look into something like LastPass.

Be smart about your hosting.

All these companies say unlimited domains, space, and bandwidth for $8 a month. I’m sure you’ve seen these claims, but here’s the problem. The type of standard hosting is inexpensive only because they overload their servers with thousands of websites.

Just as close proximity in crowded classrooms allows human viruses to spread quickly, the close proximity of websites on a shared server means one infected site is a risk to all the others.

After my site was consistently hacked, and this was by a reputable company, I decided to move to a company that had added security. So, every day, they scan my site for any malware, attempted hacks, and so on.

After years and years and years of being with one of the most well-known companies, my site is constantly getting taken down. So, I love SiteGround hosting. Been with them for years and have not had a single problem. I’m going to link to this below the video.

Again, three things. Keep your site up to date, use strong passwords, and choose a smart host. I love SiteGround.

All right, guys. I’m always interested and happy to make videos for you, answer your questions, and support you in any way I can. If you have any questions about how to grow your pet-sitting business, please let me know.

So, either in the comments below, you can email me or post in our free Facebook group at petnannycoachcommunity.com. I am always here to serve you.

References:
Siteground.com

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Blogging for Pet Sitters

Before we get into the basics, some of you may be wondering what a blog is, and this is a place to share content about a topic you’re most passionate about. So, in this case, it’s pets, pet sitting, and dog walking.

A blog will typically include written and visual elements published in an easy-to-read article format so that visitors can swiftly browse and find what they’re looking for. In short, you are creating content to post on your website to attract ideal customers and convert them into paying customers.

So you have to think: “What content can I create that my ideal prospect, aka pet owners in your area, would find valuable?

You create the content, and you post it on your blog. You use different keywords, specific keywords that your visitors are going to be typing into the Google search engine, which is then going to bring them to your website. They’re going to say, “Oh my gosh, what an amazing article. This is so great. Oh, look at this business. This is my local pet center. I’m going to call them to book service.”

Know your keywords.

So what are your ideal prospects typing into Google and search engines to find a pet sitter in your area? Are they typing in pet sitter Wayne, Pennsylvania, pet sitting Malvern, Pennsylvania, dog walking Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania? So on and so forth.

So it’s what you do, the service you provide, and where you live, and then you can swap those. Where you live, plus the services that you provide. So make a long list of these keywords, then you’re going to create articles and content around those keywords.

Remember that you are writing for people.

It will help if you remember that you are writing for people. So often, you’ll get to a blog, and you’re like, “This is just stuffed with keywords, and this is not meant to be anything but a search engine article, and I find zero value in it.”

Remember, you have people that will be reading this article, so you do want to write to your ideal prospect at the same time as using the keyword, so it's a good balance.

Consistency is the next key.

You need to create the content consistently. Most pet sitters I talk to start a blog; they’ll write a couple of blogs, and they won’t do it for a year, or they may do it every five months. No, you need to commit to a weekly or biweekly schedule.

This will show Google that your website is fresh and new and not just a stagnant brochure-type website. That means you will be shown up on the search engine results. You’re going to be favored, so you’re going to come up much higher if you consistently take action with posting to your blog.

Keep the long-term goal in mind.

Keep the long-term goal in mind. Blogging is not a fast business growth strategy. It is excellent for long-term sustainability. So these articles and content that you create will help you and your business for years and years and years to come, and it’s a compound effect.

As you continuously write and create valuable content for your ideal pet-owning community, it’s going to build, and it’s going to have a long-term positive effect on your business.

Use good SEO practices.

Aside from keywords, great bloggers know that there are many techniques that you can use to bring in more readers, including linking out to authority sites within your blog.

Link out to authority sites within your blog.

Authority sites are well-known websites that have a lot of clout. And if you are linking to them, Google knows that this is a trustworthy site and will rank your content higher.

Link internally to other related content on your site.

Link internally to other related content on your site, and use graphics and sub-headlines to break up long text passages. You ever go to those sites, and you see a bunch of texts, and you’re like, “Oh,” and immediately click away.

So using subheads, bold text, and images will help the reader’s experience.

Take time to write compelling meta descriptions.

So this again will help with your website’s search engine optimization.

Create content that other sites will link to.

You want to be in cahoots with other websites with the same target market that you can link back and forth. That also creates authority and clout for your blog.

Regularly share your articles to your email list and social media platforms.

You need to get the word out, and you need to share. So take the time to share your articles with your email list and all your social media platforms regularly.

Mix it up.

Not every post has to be 3000 words. You can do different types of blogs. You can do videos, infographics, curated content, short opinion pieces, and audio. There are all different things that you can do on your blog.

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6 Places to use Keywords on Your Pet Sitting Website

Before we jump into the six locations where you can use keywords, let’s talk about what keywords are. These are the terms your ideal clients are typing into Google or a search engine to find a pet sitter, a dog walker, or a house sitter in your area.

For example, they might type in “Pet sitter, Wayne, Pennsylvania,” Dog walker, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” or “House sitter, Pennsylvania.” It is the service you provide and where you provide the service.

All right, six places where you can use keywords.

1. Page titles or subjects.

The subject is the keyword field to which Google and other search providers give the most weight. Keep this in mind if you’re tempted to use cute, clever blog post titles. Don’t waste that space with a clever turn of phrase. Instead, be clear and concise and say exactly what your article or post is about.

You may have an article on your website or a blog post, How to Find a Reputable Pet Sitter, in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Okay? So it’s clear and concise what the subject is, and those keywords are there.

2. Subheadings.

Not only do subheadings give your website visitor or your blog post reader a better bird’s eye view of the information they’re taking in, but Google also loves that information because, through your subheadings, you’re telling Google what your content is about. And that is what they’re going to index.

3. Titles and file names.

Search for nearly anything on Google, and you’ll see images appear at the top of the search results. These images will almost always have file names and titles corresponding to the keyword you’ve searched for. You can and should use your chosen keyword by naming any images appropriately and setting the titles, and all attributes to describe what the image is clearly.

So if you have, for example, images of your pet-sitting team on your website, you can give them a file name of Pet Sitter, Malvern, Pennsylvania, Dog Walker, Wayne, Pennsylvania, and so on. That image will come up when somebody types into Google, and that will click over and link back to your website. So remember to use your keywords on your image titles and file names.

4. Meta descriptions.

The meta description is the snippet of text that shows up below a listing in Google and other search engines. With WordPress, you can either explicitly declare a meta-description using a plugin such as WordPress SEO by Yoast or let Google decide what to use. While the meta description itself has no weight when it comes to your search result placement, it can have a great deal of impact on whether or not somebody clicks through to your site. Take care to write a compelling description that contains the keyword you want to be found for.

You know what this is. You go to Google. You type something in, you have a whole list of results that you can choose from. You’ll likely read the meta description before deciding actually to click. And that’s what they’re saying.

Take the time, use the keywords in those meta descriptions, and make them compelling so your prospects will click over to your site. What does it matter if you get found if people aren’t clicking over to your site if you know what I mean?

5. Inbound links.

As you’re creating new blog posts and pages on your site, it’s a good idea to link from one to another. This serves two purposes.

It helps readers learn more about a subject and helps search engines find and explore other content on your site. In both cases, it’s helpful to use keywords as the anchor text for these links. It’s a clear declaration to both human and non-human readers that the content linked is about a specific subject.

So inbound links, you want to connect two different pages on your website through those constantly. And you want to be using keywords.

6. Content.

Including a keyword in your content is important not only for the search engines but for the readers too. But don’t make the mistake of using the same phrase over and over again. Doing so will turn your readers off.

Instead, use variations of your keywords throughout your text or your article. You don’t want to bore your readers. Plus, you’ll reinforce your main point with the search engines, which are now smart enough to recognize synonyms and rank your content accordingly.

So you don’t want to overstuff your content on your website and your blog post. One, it’s painful to read as a visitor to your website. And they will know this was just created to be stuffed with keywords. Use them, have a good balance of them, is what they’re saying. Google will know when you’re trying to overstuff an article or a blog post, and that’s detrimental to you versus being able to help you get found.

The six places are page titles or subjects, subheadings, image titles and file names, meta descriptions, inbound links, and your content.

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The Biggest Mistake I See With Pet Sitting Website Design

Going back when I started helping pet sitters grow their businesses and I would start reviewing their websites, they were really bad because back then, it was difficult to get a nice website created. Now, there are all types of really inexpensive platforms that you can use to build your own website, or you can have one made for a minimal amount of money. They’re looking much better, but the number one mistake I see when I review anyone’s website is that they lack video.

Even my students who will go through my Launch and Grow program are in my Multiply Mastermind; this is a mindset thing with them. They say, “Colleen, I don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera.”

And my answer is, “Act anyway.”

[quote image goes here]

I’ve had to do all types of things over the years that I didn’t want to, video is one of them, by the way. But this is what will create the know, like, and trust factor.

When a prospect hits your website, if you have a video above the fold where you are talking face to camera about you and your pet care values and philosophy, that will create a subconscious emotional connection. And you are going to be 50 times more likely to convert your visitors into someone that joins your email list and then put them into a sales funnel to convert them into a paying customer so that you can change their lives through your amazing pet care service.

The number one mistake I see is no video on the website. I also use videos with all the sitters on my team. When a new sitter joins the team, we get their video and write-up. Then when they are assigned to a customer, we email the customer with the video.

Creating that subconscious connection right from the get-go before the sitter even goes over to meet the family and their pets.

Get creative with this. TikTok is like the biggest thing out there right now. You can get creative. Or if you’re super shy, that’s okay. Don’t be scared.

And always go to my website, petnannymainline.com. You can check out my video there and the video of all the pet nannies that are on my team.

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The Know, Like, and Trust Factor

Increase the Know, Like, and Trust Factor on your Website

Hey, guys! My strategy for you today is the Know, Like and Trust Factor. This was originally published in 2018 and is even more relative today.

I was out and about early this morning. I had to be at the hair stylist by seven o’clock to get my hair done. The Pet Nanny Coach site is being updated (I can’t wait until you see it!), and I needed some fresh, new photos (if I see that picture of me with Dr. Watson one more time. . . !).

I wanted to get new pictures taken for my new site, and this got me thinking about your websites. There are so many that I visit and I don’t see anything of you anywhere on your site!

I’m not saying I don’t understand, because I did the same exact thing with my first site. I didn’t want to be anywhere on there. I had pictures of pets everywhere, but Colleen was nowhere to be found until my business coach taught me the importance of the Know, Like and Trust Factor.

What is the Know, Like, and Trust Factor?

So, what is that? It is giving the people the opportunity to know, like and trust you through your website, because people like doing business with people.

People want to know who the owner of your business is. People want to know who they’re going to trust to come into their homes to care for their most precious pets, and their homes and their prized possessions, and you can do this through your website.

A Challenge – Part One

So, my challenge for you is first, to create a video on the homepage of your website – face to camera. You need to look at the camera and say, “Hi, my name is Colleen Sedgwick. I’m the owner of Pet Nanny, and my pet sitting company rules, and this is why.”.

You want to let them know who you are, what you're about, what you stand for, and what your values are. Share on X I can promise you this – you are going to see a huge uptick in the number of new clients that you get from visitors to your website. They’re going to have a connection with you through the video, and they’re going to get to know, like and trust you.

A Challenge – Part Two

The second part of this challenge is to look at your “About” page and spruce that page up! Your About page is the second most-visited page on your website, after your homepage. So, you really want to make this page shine.

You want to let people in. Share details about you, such as:

Let them know what organizations you belong to.
Why did you start this business?
Did you have a defining moment in your life that made you say, “Hey, I want to start a pet care service that is extraordinary.”
Are you involved in rescues?

Tell them your story

Anything that is going to open a little window into who you are is going to make a huge difference. Your website visitors are going to begin to know, like and trust you right from the get-go, and you’re going to sign up clients much more easily than when you were not showcasing yourself.

So get out there and complete this challenge! Create a face to camera video to put on your homepage, and spruce up that “About” page and show people who you are.

All right, guys, I am wishing you a great day. Take care!

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Create an Irresistible Free Offer

Your Irresistible Free Offer (IFO) is how you can capture the contact information of prospects who visit your pet sitting business website.

Author’s Note: This post was originally published in 2014. I’m republishing it now with a new video and updated with all my current experience and tips!
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Think of the Baskin-Robbins’ iconic pink spoon. This is their IFO, which gives their customers a free taste of ice cream, so they can decide which flavor they want to buy. Ingenious!

When somebody visits your site, they should see your offer and say, “Oh that’s really enticing, I’m going to give them my email address for that.” And then you email them the irresistible free goodie that you promised.

Why do I call it irresistible? Because it needs to be just that. A free walk or a free meet-and-greet is just not going to cut it anymore.

People don’t want to share their email addresses. Their inboxes are flooded already and they are only going to give you their email address if it’s really something juicy.

Your IFO should give your ideal customer something of value. It also needs to be tempting enough for them to part with their email address.

Your IFO should be displayed on each and every page of your website, along with an opt-in box, where your prospects will give you their first name and/or email address in return for what you’re offering.

What to Offer

My first tip is that I have had the best luck with high-value coupons. I’ve tried PDFs, I’ve tried giveaways, I have tried everything under the sun. What I can tell you is that a high-value coupon with a whole number (rather than a percentage off) has given me the best conversions.

Currently, Pet Nanny is using a high-value coupon. The offer is shown on each and every page of my website.

The Nurture Sequence

After your prospect gives you their contact information in return for your free offer, they become a “warm prospect.” You should have a well-thought-out, automated follow-up process called a “Nurture Sequence, which gives these prospects added value and makes your pet sitting company the only logical choice to hire.

Throughout the sequence, you are going to let them know all about you and your business, and continue to provide value. For instance, I offer my list an Ultimate Guide for Mainline Pet Owners, which has all things pets for people that own pets on the mainline. Things like pet-friendly hotels, walking trails, the best vets, the best pet stores.

The Ultimate Guide is also a great place to feature my referral partners. I add the businesses that refer me to the guide that I give to my prospects.

Then, when they receive their final email you’ll say, “Hey, remember that coupon you opted in for seven days ago? It’s time to take action. Click below to get started.”

The ultimate goal of a nurture sequence is to convert visitors into paying clients at the end. Share on X

This is your strategy. When someone hits your website, they see the enticing high-value coupon, they give you your email, you put them in your email nurture sequence and tell them all about you and your amazing pet sitting business.

Continue to give them value and at the end of the nurture sequence, they’ll be saying, “Yes this is the pet sitting company that I want to work with.” That’s the strategy behind it.

Lifetime Customer Value

Now some of you are thinking “why on earth would I give away the farm? And why would I give so much money off a new customer? What if they don’t use me again?”

These are great questions and valid concerns. I totally get it. But when you identify the lifetime value of your customer, you’re going to understand that offering something like $25 off on the front end is going to be well worth it.

To calculate the lifetime value of your customer, look up the total amount of revenue that your business has made thus far and then divide it by the total number of revenue-generating clients. That will give you a number. This is your average lifetime value of each customer, and how much a customer is going to spend with your company.

I have had customers that have spent $50,000 with my company, and I have had customers that have spent $200 with my company. So what we’re looking for is the average.

So you might think, “Oh my gosh, if someone’s going to spend $2,000, $4,000, $5,000, whatever with your company, do you think it’s worth it giving them $25 off the front end?” I’d say so.

I think it’s a really good strategy and definitely well worth it. But you know, your client lifetime value may be lower. You might not have as many lifetime clients or as much lifetime revenue as I do.

So figure out what your actual client lifetime revenue is and determine what amount is worth it for you. You want to identify what is enticing and juicy enough to get the ball rolling and get them in the front door with your company.

Recap

So to recap, your irresistible free offer is something juicy, something compelling, something that’s going to make your visitors take action and give you their email address.

Then, you drop them into a nurture email sequence where you educate them about your company.

Your Homework

Your homework is to calculate your average lifetime customer value (calculate the amount of money your pet sitting business has made divided by the number of lifetime generating customers) and identify a high-value coupon amount to offer.

All right guys, I hope you found this helpful, go think of an awesome offer and put this strategy into action in your business right now.

Share The Love

If you like this video, please share it and hit the like button.

I’d love to hear about it and as always, I’m available to answer any questions you may have in our free Facebook group at PetNannyCoachcommunity.com. Come visit me there and add #ask to your questions and I’ll do my best to answer them all!

Wishing you a great day!

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The Top 3 Essentials for Pet Sitting Websites

Pet Sitting Websites are the Cornerstone of Your Business

Pet sitting websites are the cornerstone of your business. In most cases it will be your customers first impression of you and your business, so it’s important that you make those first few seconds when a visitor lands on your page count.

My advice to you is to hire a reputable graphic designer who will create a beautiful and functional web site for your company. I promise you, this will be the best money that you ever spend on your business! You can easily have a new site created for a reasonable amount of money. Visit www.guru.com, odesk.com or elance.com (odesk and elance is now upwork.com) to post your job and find a great designer.

When designing your pet sitting website it’s important to communicate with your designer exactly who your target market is and what it is that you’re looking to accomplish. Remember, designers are great at creating beautiful sites, but not many know and understand the business side of things. You need to let them know exactly what should be included.

The 1st Essential for Pet Sitting Websites

The first essential is your contact information on each and every page of your website. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but how often are you on a site where you can’t fine the phone number? Pretty often, right? You don’t want your visitors to ever have to search to find a way to contact you. Also, we’re now in the mobile age where a large percentage of your pet sitting prospects will be on their phones when they land on your page. Make it easy for them to reach you. All they should have to do is point and click to call your office.

The 2nd Essential for Pet Sitting Websites

The second essential is to establish the “know, like and trust factor” with your visitors. I know I’m always harping on this, but in our industry this is crucial for converting visitors into paying clients. Think about it this way… our new customers are in essence giving strangers the keys to their homes and trusting them to take care of and safe-guard their most prized possessions. They need to visually see you and immediately get the feeling that you are a person for whom they can trust and rely on.

How do you do this? You add a video of you on the homepage of your site. I know everyone’s first reaction to this is, “no way!” That was certainly my first reaction, but I’m telling you if you want to bring in tons of new clients, video is a MUST!

The 3rd Essential for Pet Sitting Websites

The third essential is testimonials from happy clients. Social proof is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to convert prospects into paying clients. If they can see that your current customers are raving fans they will be much more likely to use your service. If you don’t have testimonials, go and get them! Ask your clients if they wouldn’t mind writing a few words about their experience with your company. If you’re just starting out, be sure to go above and beyond the call of duty for your new clients (you should always do this,) then follow-up with them afterwards to see if they were happy. If they are, you ask them for a testimonial.

Try and get into the mentality of going and getting the things that you need but don’t have versus having the mindset where you say, “I don’t have that, so I’m not going to do that.” You won’t get too far in business if this is the way you think.

Your Homework Assignment: Go and do it or go and get it!

If you don’t have a website, get one! Websites are so inexpensive these days; there is really no excuse to not have one. If you don’t have a website you will lose credibility with your pet sitting prospects and you will fall drastically short against your competition.
If your website is basically a virtual brochure it’s time to upgrade. Hire a designer and get a professional site created. Be sure to include the contact information on each and every page.
Record a video of you on your homepage. If you can’t afford to have a professional one created then have friend record it for you on your phone. It doesn’t matter! You just want your prospects to know, like and trust you.
Gather testimonials for your site.
Download my 12 Website Essentials Infographic right below this post. This will help you to create your new amazing pet sitting website!

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How to Create a Powerhouse Pet Sitting Website

Last week I wrote a post about the 5 elements of on-page search engine optimization. My hope is that you quickly turned around and implemented the strategies I laid out for you, but my guess is that many of you tuned out the moment you read the term “SEO.” If this was you, don’t worry! I get it! I too used to wander off to lala land whenever high-level technology conversation began. It was just so overwhelming to me that I’d rather pretend it wasn’t important.

Well, I have some good news for you. You don’t need to know how to do these types of overwhelming tasks. WOOHOO! Isn’t that a relief? You should delegate them to a team of skilled professionals who know what they’re doing and can complete the tasks in a fraction of the time it would take you to learn and then implement yourself.

Personally, I didn’t even know that these types of services existed until about 5 years ago. I mean, I knew that there were people who would make changes to your website, but I didn’t know that you could hire a team of professionals who were skilled in ALL things technology. Once I made this fascinating discovery and I hired my first web team, I saw my business pick-up a ton of momentum.

Repeat after me… “My pet sitting website is the cornerstone of my business.”

Say it again… “My pet sitting website is the cornerstone of my business.”

If you want to see your pet sitting business reach new heights, you need to have a pet sitting website that is client attractive, meaning it pulls in your ideal prospects and pushes away your non-ideal prospects. You need to design a FREE offer, so you can capture the information of your prospects and follow-up with them to turn them into paying customers. You need to write regular blog posts so that you are adding fresh new content to your website and therefore ranking higher on Google. The list goes on and on.

A team of website professionals has the ability to…

#1. Create a beautiful and functional web site design that is also mobile responsive

#2. Design an opt-in for your free offer

#3. Design web forms that your clients can submit directly from your pet sitting website

#4. Create a blog design that is simple and easy to read and SEO friendly

#5. Create an E-Commerce Store

#6. Add video to your pet sitting website

#7. Create beautiful PDF’s, ECovers and Infographics

A team of website professionals will also…

Help with SPAM, page loading speed, Google Analytics, search engine optimization, social media optimization, article marketing, video editing, marketing material creation, keyword research and mail merges. You name it, they can do it!