Part three, here we go, and this one is so exciting!
Read along as our two Website and Social Media experts weigh in on the subjects and questions that we asked them about. This series of Panel Discussions is the longest and most comprehensive one we’ve done yet, and the contributors haven’t let us down. Although they may all have a little bit of a different twist on their advice, we’re thankful that they’ve gone out on the limb and offered their opinions on these controversial subjects.
Because of all the great writing that came in, this article is broken up into two parts, with the next issue completing the last of the questions.
Matt Stelter is a 30+ year breeder, handler, and owner of multiple National Specialty & Best in Show Rough Collies. Matt and Anita Stelter (Wyndlair Collies) bred the #1-ranked littermates – the record-setting GCHP. Wyndlair Cherokee Vindication & prolific sire GCHB. Wyndlair Point Given – as well as the top-winning white Collie in breed history, GCHB. Wyndlair Classique Incandescent, ROM. Matt is an AKC judge of Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs, and adjudicated the 2019 Collie Club of America National Specialty (Best of Breed & Intersex) – the youngest judge in the 140-year history of the organization. Professionally, Matt’s career began with Drs. Foster & Smith. He was a charter member of their internet marketing team as they grew into the #1 internet pet supply retailer. Matt has worked or consulted with nearly 20 national brands to strengthen their digital marketing. In 2020, Matt Stelter founded the Better Breeder Institute – an organization created to educate, support, and promote the purebred conservation dog breeder community.
Hi, my name is Colin Buffington, and I’m the owner of Salmos 71:14, specializing in website design and so much more! I am also writing to you from Honduras as my wife and I are missionaries serving the orphan care crisis here in Honduras. I’m so excited to share with you my expertise as it’s a core component of my business: To not only provide you with a unique money-generating website but also to enable you to use your website! Enjoy, and if you want to see some of my work, look no further than here on The Dog Journal. It has been a blast bringing The Dog Journal Digital version to life. If you have any follow-up questions for me, don’t be afraid to reach out by email at [email protected] or by phone 302-257-5230
Why should a professional dog breeder have a website, and when does he or she know that it’s time to have one built?
MS: In the modern day, if a dog breeder wishes to be found by prospective puppy shoppers without spending money on advertising, then having an optimized website is crucial. An important fact to realize is while ideas and inspiration may start on social media, most purchases begin on Google. When prospective puppy buyers start looking for a breeder, just like with any other important purchase, like a car or appliance, the majority start with a Google search. There is a famous quote from Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. He said: “If you aren’t on Google, you don’t exist!” And it really is true. When it comes to selling puppies, it is Google’s world, and to be successful, we need to be playing in it. Google’s market share of both desktop computer and mobile search is staggering. And, one thing puppy shoppers won’t find at the top of Google is your Facebook page.
CB: It’s essential as a professional to build credibility and be an authority in your field. In a day and age where people are constantly sent spam and schemes in attempts to take advantage of individuals, a website is a step in the direction of creating credibility and bringing verification to consumers. A well-done website offers that your service is an authority in what you provide. In the digital world we live in today, a website is almost a non-negotiable for a dog breeder. I say this because when a consumer wants a puppy, what is the first thing they will do? They will get on their phone and search for things along these lines: “Puppies near me.” “Where can I buy a puppy?” “What breed of dog should I buy?” When they search those things, if you do not have a website, it is almost guaranteed that there are other breeders out there already beating you to the punch. Without a website, you’re now at a disadvantage to competitors.
Does a company guarantee themselves success by simply building and maintaining a website?
MS: Absolutely not. A website can only be successful if it attracts the right audience to it and inspires that audience to take the desired action. So, for a dog breeder website to be successful, it must attract a significant traffic volume of prospective puppy buyers. Then, the content must convince the audience to take action (i.e., inquire about a puppy, ask for more information, request an application, etc.)
CB: A website is a tool, and just like any other tool, it depends on how you use it and whether that will provide you success. One thing that a website does right away is give you credibility, which is essential for the reasons I mentioned above. A website can be a powerful asset to your business that increases sales and furthers your marketing opportunities. In addition to your website, it will be essential to ensure that you are committed to making the most of your new asset by using other tools such as social media, email marketing, in-person marketing, and Google Business Suite.
In your opinion, what should be some obvious pieces of a website, specifically in this industry?
MS: A quality dog breeder website needs to contain several important components. First, it should have specific information about your dogs. That would include registered names, titles, pedigrees, dog details (AKC registration #, color, health test results, etc.), as well as important information about your puppy selling process (application, reservation, deposit, and selection process). Next, it must include your story, background, bloodlines, purpose for breeding your specific breed, and any areas of emphasis in your program. All of this is important to buyers as they determine if you are the ideal breeder to provide them with their dream puppy.
Finally, invest in professional photography of your dogs and puppies. A picture is worth a thousand words. You can’t create an attractive website without fantastic imagery.
CB: A website should communicate who you are as a business and, most importantly, why a consumer should choose you above anyone else to provide them with their next puppy. A website for a dog breeder should include buzzwords such as genetic testing and other relevant and essential topics to dog breeding that distinguish you as an authority in dog breeding. This will highlight to a consumer that you not only provide the best puppies but care about them, too.
A well-done website will call attention to your brand and highlight your values and vision throughout each page so your consumers feel confident as they scroll to learn more about your offer. Uniquely curated pages such as a Homepage, About us, Contact us, Breeding Practices, and a page to spotlight your puppies, where you can provide detailed information about each puppy, are essential for a dog breeding website. The individual puppy pages of your website will be critical in achieving sales.
What can one do to help their website be more effective?
MS: Making your website enjoyable for visitors is critically important, regardless of whether viewed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. If your website isn’t designed to be mobile-friendly, it is doubtful you will find it ranking well on Google. It also needs to be fast, especially on smartphones. Mobile users will abandon a website in seconds if it doesn’t load quickly. The design of the website template, or theme, plays a big part in how quickly a website loads. Heavy, outdated code and large image files will weigh down a website and harm its performance metrics. Modern platforms resolve these issues. Hosting, or the remote server(s) where the website is stored, also significantly affects site speed and performance. You get what you pay for with hosting. Cheap, “shared” hosting – where your site might sit on the same server with hundreds or thousands of other websites – will save some money each month; however, performance and security will suffer. Dedicated hosting – or even better, cloud hosting – will cost more, but it will set your website up to deliver a fast and secure experience for visitors. And, Google will recognize it.
CB: It’s essential to have a consistent and unique design for your website; don’t make the look of your website an afterthought. The information found on your website is essential, yes, but how it is displayed and looks will also help lead to conversion. For a site to be effective, it’s crucial to track data such as who is visiting your page, where your visitors are being referred from, the average duration of sessions, and pageviews. From this data, you will be able to make informed decisions on the best way to communicate with your customers.
Does it cost a lot to build and manage a website?
MS: Building a website no longer requires technical knowledge of HTML and “programming code.” Modern website builder tools enable almost any computer-literate (note, not tech-savvy!) breeder to build and manage their own website. Over time, that will save a lot of money by not needing to pay a web developer, particularly for future site updates with new dogs, pictures, and information.
Wix and Squarespace are quality entry-level website builders that can create a modern website and support a basic level of SEO. However, if you are looking to develop your website into a high-performing marketing machine for your breeding program, it is likely you’ll outgrow them and need to rebuild on a more advanced platform. WordPress, when combined with a modern, mobile-friendly theme and quality hosting, is a optimal choice for many breeders. As with any software, there is a slight digital learning curve, but there are plenty of how-to videos on YouTube to become proficient on the platform.
My recommendation is to avoid Weebly and GoDaddy website builders, as dog breeder sites often struggle to achieve SEO success on those platforms. For breeders who do not want any part of a website’s design, building, or maintenance – or who simply want professionals to do the work – the best option is to find a good web developer or design agency with a solid understanding of mobile-first design and SEO. Ideally, they are digital experts familiar with purebred dogs – or well-bred animals, at least. They will know how to showcase your dogs digitally to the world.
CB: Having a website does come with costs. Here are some yearly costs to expect:
Domain purchase: $5-$20 per year
Web hosting ( The backbone of your website provides security and speed of your site) $200- $350 per year
If you are still getting familiar with Domain purchasing and web hosting, the developer you hire to help with the creation and design of the website will also be able to help you establish a domain.
Hiring an experienced web developer to create a unique and well-functioning website for your business will be the most significant initial cost. Each developer is different, but you should seek out someone who cannot only develop a creative website but can provide you with a user-friendly asset and highlight your competitive advantage. To achieve this level of service, you can expect, at a minimum, a website to cost $3000, but depending on the project’s specific needs, it can require more.
What is SEO, and how does it work?
MS: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial digital marketing industry focused on improving a website’s visibility in Google and other search engines like Bing and Yahoo. It involves various techniques, practices, and strategies intended to optimize both the on-page and off-page elements to improve a website’s search engine rankings, which can result in increased traffic volume. The goal is to attract website visitors who want to purchase what you have for sale.
Unfortunately, the knowledge of how to execute effective SEO strategies doesn’t exist among many website builders, let alone dog breeders. The AKC and Good Dog have published articles about SEO’s importance to dog breeders, but neither has been able to explain it, or the required strategy, in basic language that breeders can understand and apply. SEO requires both technical and creative expertise to be done correctly. Most companies hire either experienced in-house professionals or an outside SEO agency to optimize their websites.
At the Better Breeder Institute, we have worked to explain these concepts so breeders can understand them and apply them to their own websites. You can learn more about dog breeder SEO at https://betterbreeder.org/ dog-breeder-seo/
CB: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and often looks intimidating. However, it is ensuring your website is created and managed to maximize visibility on platforms such as Google and Bing – Google is the biggest search engine. SEO is the practice of making sure that your website is getting in front of people when they are searching on the internet.
Do you feel like it’s important to have all of the content on the website SEO optimized?
MS: It would be essential to SEO-optimize any content you want people to find by a Google search. That would include dogs, services, pages, and even page sections. There are specific tactics to optimize these elements to rank highly on Google search result pages.
CB: Absolutely. The more traffic you can get to your site, the potential for more customers and leads. In marketing, there are generally two methods to getting leads: organic and paid.
Paid advertising is a service that requires you to make payments to get in front of a greater audience—services such as paid ads on social media, influencers, and Google ads.
Organic advertising is organically trying to bring your brand in front of consumers via non-paid methods such as SEO and social media. SEO Is a great way to build your organic reach to ensure your customer base is growing.
How often do you think a website should be updated, and fresh content put up?
MS: Google likes and rewards fresh content. However, what would be considered new content for a dog breeder website may be different than for a news station or a fashion blogger. Regardless, Google wants to know there is a “live pulse” behind a website and that wasn’t just a “set it and forget it” project. Regular updates about new dogs, new litters, new photography, or updated health test results are all great things to add to the website as they come in.
CB: With dog breeding, your content is your puppies. So, generally, a website needs to be updated when you have a new litter. “Featured Puppies” sections of the website should be updated, as well as highlighting puppies who haven’t yet found their forever home so that they can be placed faster. However, the design of your website should stay the same beyond updating information or small changes that bring attention to special deals or promotions. As years go by and the industry changes, you may consider redesigning. As a bonus to your marketing strategy, I suggest having monthly blog content added to your site. Additionally, you could have “sale” oriented pages created during marketing campaigns to boost conversions.
How long should it take for a good website to be built?
To be continued in the next issue…..
Join advertising and marketing guru Dave Lapp, with Fuze Design, as he takes on the hard questions about this subject. This is part two of a continued series of articles dedicated to Branding, Marketing, and Web and Social Media Development. Although slightly different in nature than previous Panel Discussions, with only one expert per part, this one is worth spending some time with.
Are you ever confused when it comes to branding, marketing, and advertising? Do you feel like you can’t make sense of it all? How do we know what’s working and what’s not working? How do we know advertising isn’t just a waste of money?
Well, our goal is to break these different subjects down in a continued series of Panel Discussions over the course of the next few issues. Some subjects might only have one
