Seasonal Trends 
Visibility Vs Authority 
Link Acquisition 
Content Performance 
10 minutes Reading time
20 pages Length
Join us as we chew over some of the biggest findings in the online pet shop and supplies market. In this report, we explore the brands taking the industry by the scruff of its neck as well those who’s bark is bigger than their bite. Expect insight into the strategies behind big fish like Pets At Home and Zooplus, alongside analysis of those who may just be about to hit the big-time.
In our report for the online pet supplies industry, you can expect analysis on the metrics you care most about. SEO, visibility, keyword opportunities, and page speed are all considered, not forgetting social scores, brand mentions and online reputation.
These pet supplies data are organised into league tables making it super easy to work out where you sit amongst the pack. More importantly, these findings will help you identify how to turn from runt of the litter to top dog.
Ready to up your search game and take advantage of a growing sector? Jump in now, identify your missteps and capitalise on the changed landscape of 2020 search.
The pet supplies market is growing. With a stable 3% search increase compared to 2019, most sites have seen a positive uplift. But it’s the extent of that uplift where things get interesting. Big brands like Pets At Home and Zooplus only had small visibility increases – 11% and 15% respectively. But nipping at their heels are smaller brands which are definitely barking up the right tree and causing huge change.
We’re talking visibility levels that have more than doubled. In the case of Real Aquatics, a 196% increase! Other high performing brands include Pet Planet and The Pet Express, which have also more than doubled their visibility.
But as digital marketing is forever a zero-sum game, there are losers too. If you’re looking for what not to do, Jollyes wouldn’t be a bad place to start. They dropped from rank 6 to 13 in our league table and are a perfect example of why it’s important to the keep ball rolling when you’re knocking on the doors of greatness. Other big losers include Ideas4Pets, Wolf Tucker and Doggie Solutions.
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Here’s a snapshot of the top 10 sites:
It’ll come as no surprise that the pet supplies industry is awash with opportunity keywords. Our beloved furry friends are often given better treatment than we grant ourselves, so high-volume keywords are expected. But with high volumes comes plenty of competition – some of it more difficult than the rest.
High competition keywords – those with high intent and plenty of search volume – are the ones you should be chasing. If you’re already succeeding, hold onto them like a dog with its bone. Our in-depth report looks at these keywords in detail. Expect easy-to-read league tables, identifying the biggest and best keywords in the industry. Get this for free by filling in the form above.
The most competitive keyword in the industry is ‘dog crate’ with 27.1k searches per month and a difficulty rating of 85. Pets At Home take the top spot, showing that with the right strategy even the giants of Amazon and Argos are beatable.
Perhaps surprisingly for a commercial term, the RSPCA are present in the top with an informational article. That article is a mere 202 words which you could easily improve on and perhaps start ranking with your own. Or more to the point, produce a guide and see your commercial page fly.
Omlet make it into the top 10 too, despite an overall 51% drop in visibility since 2019. If they don’t get to grips with their SEO strategy and keep hold of this page 1 result, their visibility is in for a kicking. And it’s a slippery slope, when one big keyword falls the rest are likely to follow suit.
The second most competitive keyword is ‘dog toys’ with ‘cat beds’ close behind. These are similar in search volume to ‘dog crate’ clocking in around 27k searches per month with slightly less competition.
Interestingly, Pet Planet make the top 3 for ‘dog toys’ – also above big players like Amazon and Argos. Considering they sit position 10 in the overall brand league table, it’s safe to say they’re performing beyond their means. Taking a quick look at their site, this could be something to do with their wide range of relevant subcategories. One to mull over and apply similar logic for keywords a little outside your pay grade.
Keen for more insight on the most competitive keywords in your industry? Fill in the form at the top of this page and download the report for free.
Maybe of slight more interest than the high competition keywords are those which are an easy opportunity. In our report, we present you with a list of high-volume keywords that are ready for the taking.
Consider the biggest opportunity. It has 33k of searches per month and is currently held by the 42nd strongest brand in the industry. In other words, held by a brand who really should not hold it.
Second in the list, with 18.1k searches per month and more of a commercial focus, is held by Poppys Picnic who don’t even make the top 50 brands.
Safe to say there are big volumes up for grabs in the pet supplies search landscape.
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And while we’re in a charitable mood, here’s one key element we noticed across the board for small sites performing on big keywords.
With recent algorithms rewarding those with useful content, making that content more visible should be a priority. Consider questions around safety, buying decisions, price, and ease of setup. Present these answers with informative content that’s easy to access. It’s up to you whether you place this on your category page or in a guide that’s linked well.
The latter seems most successful – offering users answers in a non-commercial spot always goes down well with the gatekeepers of search. A quick win here is to place guide content within your meganav – perhaps under an advice dropdown or as part of a category dropdown.
However you choose to present it, it’s important to show search engines you’re willing to advise customers as well as sell to them. And with brands outside the top 50 performing in said manner on high value keywords, there’s no doubt it works.
Don’t forget the importance of social media for digital marketing – especially in this industry. The internet has forever been the biggest fan of pets and the animal kingdom. If you’re not building brand awareness through social platforms, you risk losing out to those who are doing it well.
In this pet supplies industry report, we look at the social scene for the top 50 brands. By analysing which brands are raking in the likes and those who are left out in the rain, you can easily emulate the best and learn from the worst.
The best pet supplies brand on social media is Chewy. With a social score of 3601, they’re way ahead of the pack. Take into account they’re in the bottom half of the top 50 when it comes to brand reach and you can see their social strategy is absolutely on point. Without donning our fortune teller outfits, we can assume their brand searches are set to increase. Most likely by vast margins too. So, what are they doing to achieve this?
Not to bang the same drum but useful content is key. Chewy create Instagram friendly adverts which draw people into their live streams around useful topics. Take a look at their ‘Lunch break with Dr Katy’ posts. Tapping into key subjects, they engage pet owners with expertise and selfless content in a variety of formats. They’ve tackled subjects such as mental health for pets and how to help adopted pets thrive.
Their Healthy At Home Challenge also sees a recurring effort to engage their audience. These posts, simple text graphics centred around home challenges, promote wellbeing for both pets and their owners – a real win in the midst of lockdown. Averaging more than 1000 likes for each post and plenty of comments too, its safe to assume their brand is on the up.
And don’t think it’s all selfless either – they use their stories to promote products in a stylish and non-intrusive format. Most often, they’ll push from a product-centric story to a relevant and informative article on their site. Easy to see why they’re firm favourites in the eyes of internet users who don’t feel like they’re being pushed into a buying cycle. Little do they know, they most definitely are.
Ready to learn more lessons from the kings and queens of social in the pet supplies industry? Download the report now and learn from the best.
Reputation has always been important. But it’s even more important now search engines have adapted their algorithms to reward those seen as trustworthy. One of the best ways to prove this is through online reviews.
It’s absolutely key that you get your customers to shout about what you’re doing well. To hammer this point, we show which brands are doing just that and which are losing out.
Here are the top 5 brands who are owning it in terms of online reputation:
Page speed is key both for driving revenue and ranking well. Search engines have always shouted about the importance of page speed.
What’s more, users now expect a fast and clean site. Engagement metrics are impacted to epic proportions by even the slightest drop in speed. The 2020 world of internet users is an impatient one. If your site doesn’t hit the required standards, expect your customers to go elsewhere.
As always, expect a league table showing where your brand your competitors sit in relation to the rest.
From PageSpeed Insights, here are the top 5 fastest pet supply brands:
Read more about the importance of page speed.
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