Creating a successful website for your dog breeding business

I’m not sure how it happened, but we have created many websites for labradoodle breeders over the years. Some that are still active and some that have since retired. But one thing is for sure, we know what puppy moms and dads are looking for in a dog breeder website design. Here’s our comprehensive list of what people want, and why they want it.

Available Puppies

Probably the first thing folks are looking for when they land on a dog breeder website is if you have any available puppies. I always recommend that you have an available puppies page that shows any currently available puppies or upcoming litters. Most breeders will have a “honeymooning” list showing the dams and sires and their expected due dates.

If you actually have puppies that are not already reserved and will need homes, then you’ll want to include photos of those puppies, birth dates, info on their mom and dad, any health information, their go-home dates, and most importantly, a link to your puppy application and information about the process.

If you don’t have any currently available puppies, but have reservation spots on upcoming litters, you’ll want to include information on the mom and dad, their health info, the due date for the litter, and how many available spots you anticipate, as well as information on how to reserve your spot.

Puppy Pricing

The next thing people want to know is how much your puppies are. I’ve talked to some breeders who don’t want to include that information because they’d rather someone inquire and they can talk to them first. They are afraid seeing the price will scare folks away. However, I recommend that you include the price of your puppies for a few reasons. The fear is that you’ll scare people away if you list the price, but the truth is if the interested party is scared by the price, then they aren’t going to buy your puppy anyway and submitting an inquiry is a waste of your time.

Additionally, people who are looking for specific breeds of puppies probably have an idea of how much those puppies are going to cost. The information exists online – if you aren’t sharing it, another breeder is and they may be more likely to get an inquiry for that puppy than you. Be transparent and include that information.

About You

People that are willing to drop a bundle on a new puppy for their family want to know that they are buying form a responsible and ethical breeder, and that means they want to know about your and your family. Are your breeding dogs members of the family? Do they live in the house with you? Are they well-taken care of and loved? Take the time to write out information about why you started breeding, how you take care of your dogs, etc, Include photos of your family with your dogs as well and I highly recommend getting professional photos taken.

Knowing that your business is built on responsible breeding tactics and that you love your dogs is so important to people in the market to add to their family. Don’t skimp on this part of your website. Let people get to know you. If you don’t, they’ll research you in other ways including checking out your personal social media profiles.

The Adoption Process

I know ethical breeders require their buyers to meet minimum requirements to buy a puppy. They don’t just want to be responsible in their practices, but they want to make sure all their puppies go to wonderful and loving homes. And that means they need to be vetted. You’ll want a page on your website dedicated the process to adopt a puppy. Is there an application to be filled out? A deposit? How is the deposit paid? Do you take credit cards? PayPal? Check? How soon do they find out if they are approved?

Answer all their questions in advance and they are more likely to move forward on the application process.

Testimonials

Feedback from past puppy families is an invaluable resource on your website, but they need to be legit. Ever been on a website and seen a testimonial that looks like this:

I had the best experience with this company! Highly recommend!

Jodie G.

What’s wrong with this picture? Yes, the testimonial says nice things, but it isn’t very specific and without a last name or other identifying information, it’s hard to tell if it’s real or fake. If you want your testimonials to be useful, they need to look real. And that means they need to include the person’s name, their real name, including last name. Not everyone is going to agree to you using their name on your website, and you should always ask first, but some will. If you can include a photo the family with their puppy, that’s going to be an even more powerful testimonials.

People won’t often volunteer up testimonials, so you’ll want to ask them for it. And when you ask, be sure that you ask them to be specific about what they really liked about getting a puppy from you. They had choices when it came to adding to their family, why did they pick you? What stood out about it? Why is the puppy so great? Testimonials that mention you by name, include specifics about your company, and have a full name and photo are going to be much more meaningful than testimonials that are generic and don’t include identifying details.

What about social media?

If there is one platform that every dog breeder should be on when it comes to social media, it’s Instagram. Everyone loves looking at photos of puppies. It’s easy for you to do, you can post frequently without a lot of effort, and it gets people more engaged with your business. Post to your feed regularly, but also don’t forget to post to your story. Include Reels too! People love those little videos and who doesn’t love watching cute puppies frolic?

Additionally, we can include the feed of your instagram right on your website, which helps keep it looking updated (so long as you are adding to Instagram).

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A few more tips for your dog breeder website

• Adding an FAQ will allow you to share more information about your dogs, puppies and processes. The more information people can, the more likely they are to take the next step.
• Use lots of puppy photos, and if possible, get professional photos.
• Make sure your website looks professionally made. If you are selling puppies for thousands of dollars, it shouldn’t look like you paid $50 for your website.