Your Website and Logo
Creating a website and logo are essential steps in the process of starting your dog walking business. Having a polished logo and website with all the information a pet parent could want on it is vital for attracting new clients. Think about what you look for when searching for new service providers or products in your area. Sometimes you only have a few seconds to make a first impression, so it’s necessary to make those seconds count! Having a beautiful and professional website will immediately make your business stand out and help attract more customers!
The first step before creating your logo and building your website is choosing a name. It might seem like an easy task, but sometimes choosing something as personal as a name for your business can be more complicated than you anticipated. We have some great resources to help you choose the perfect name for your dog walking or pet sitting business. Our blog post on what to name your pet sitting business takes an in-depth looking at researching potential names and registering them as your own. We also have an easy-to-follow, Time To Pet Academy Lesson on naming your business.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when choosing a name. First and foremost, you need to make sure the name is available and not already in use. You’ll also want to make sure that the website domain name and social media account names are available. That said, it’s your business and your name, so choose something that suits you and have fun with it!
Creating a Logo for Your Dog Walking Business
Once you have the perfect name picked out, you’ll want an eye-catching logo to accompany it. Your logo will appear on your website, emails, magnets, business cards, flyers, and any other marketing materials you might create. Having a professionally made logo is not a bad idea, given how often you will use it. Many businesses will have a couple versions of their logo in various colors, with and without any text, and sometimes with different designs altogether. It’s completely okay to start simple with just one logo for everything.
When it comes to designing the logo and creating it, there are lots of options. Some more artistic dog walking business owners choose to create their own. If you have some artistic inclinations, it’s easy to design your logo using an online design platform like Canva. The service isn’t free, but Canva has lots of resources and templates to create beautiful marketing materials. If you would prefer to hire a professional to create your logo, there are several graphic design marketplaces like Fiverr and 99designs. You can search through thousands of different graphic designers to find the perfect artist for you.
Creating a Website for Your Dog Walking Business
Luckily, it has never been easier to create a website for your business. There are countless, really affordable tools that specialize in helping you create a beautiful site. With drag and drop website builders like Wix and Squarespace, it’s pretty simple to build a good looking site for your dog walking business. Some of the advantages of using website building services like these are having everything in one place. On Wix and Squarespace, you can register your domain name, host your site, and quickly build it using provided templates. They make it easy to upload images, create content, and add features like contact submission forms and maps. Most website builders sites usually have free trials, too, so you can play with the web designer to see if it’s right for you.
If you don’t feel comfortable creating your own site, you might want to look into other options. Many services will build a website for you. Just make sure to do some research and find a trustworthy web designer that will charge you a fair price.
When creating your website, keep in mind that most of your new customers will find your services by doing a simple search on the web. The most common search keywords are “dog walker near me” or “dog walking in ____ (city).” They are looking for an easy-to-navigate website that clearly displays all the information a pet parent might want to know before booking your services. We have a great blog post with all the must-have information that should be on your dog walking website. Here is a quick list:
10 Must-Have Dog Walking Website Pages
- Homepage
- About Us Page
- Services Page
- Service Area Page
- FAQ Page
- Reviews or Testimonials Page
- Blog
- Policies Page
- Job Page
- Contact Page
These don’t need to be separate pages, but all the information should be easy to find. And definitely make sure to provide lots of opportunities for potential customers to contact you and schedule services. Pet parents will be much more likely to book your services if they feel confident that you have a professional and reliable business. After all, they’re trusting you with a beloved family member.
