Pet Sitter Search Rankings: How to Reach the Top

Pet Sitter search rankings determine where you appear in the list when a Pet Owners search for a Sitter. In other words, it’s like the Pet Sitting equivalent of a Google search. Much like with Google, the higher you appear in the Pet Sitter search results, the more likely you are to receive multiple booking requests! 

Of course, some of the factors that shape Pet Sitter search rankings (like location) are beyond your control. Beyond these, though, there are a range of steps you can take to significantly improve your Pet Sitter search rankings. 

More than anything else, our search rankings prioritise Pet Sitters who treat their furry clients like family. If you respond promptly to your queries, provide a great service, keep your clients coming back for more, your place in the search rankings will improve. In short, the happier you keep your furry clients and their Owners, the more new business you’ll attract! 

While the search ranking can seem like a points scoring game, it actually aims to reward our most engaged Sitters. In fact, the reason we’re transparent is to allow our Sitters to enjoy the success they deserve. By sharing our tips for climbing the search rankings, we can ensure that all of our great Sitters succeed together.   

Keen to know how you’re doing as a Pet Sitter? Every fortnight (Starting from March 2020) month, we email you your Pet Sitter Stats. These will detail your recent performance, which will give you an idea of where you’ll sit in the search rankings, and how you can improve. 

This could be you, conquering the Pet Sitter search rankings!

1. Increase your Repeat Customer Rate and Repeat Booking Rate

Our search algorithm strongly rewards customer retention – that is, the number of first-time customers who book with you again (Repeat Customer Rate), and how often Repeat Customers book with you (Repeat Booking Rate). For example, should one customer return to book your services again and again, you’d have one Repeat Customer. Should that same customer book you five times after their first booking, you’d have five Repeat Bookings. 

NOTE: these rates are relative to your total number of customers and bookings. This means that, provided they show strong customer retention, part-time Sitters have the same chance of ascending the search rankings as full-time Sitters. 

By earning wins in either category, you’ll crawl higher in the rankings. This might sound easier said than done, but it doesn’t need to be. Here are some tips to increase your Repeat Customer Rate and Repeat Booking Rate: 

1. Send your Pet Owner multiple photos and videos of their pet during their booking. Also make sure you respond to any questions they may have in a timely manner. Not only will this put their mind at ease, it will also show them how much you care. The next time they need a Sitter, you’ll be at the top of their list! 
2. Ahead of holidays or busy periods, remind your regular Pet Owners to book your services as early as possible. This way, they won’t miss the chance to rebook you before your Calendar fills up with new customers. 
3. Help Pet Owners rebook by booking on their behalf. You can do this through the Mad Paws app. 
4. This may go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: provide stellar pet care! Pet Owners are much more likely to rebook you if their furbabies are happy and healthy after the first booking.

2. Increase your Booking Completion Rate

Simply put, if you complete most of the booking requests that come your way, you’ll rank higher in the search results. Our search algorithm favours Sitters who complete the majority of the booking requests they receive. More great bookings will also lead to more great reviews, which will give you a further boost. 

Still unsure of how to increase your Booking Completion Rate? Here are a few easy steps you can take: 

• Complete as many booking requests as possible. Every time you turn a booking request into a completed booking, your Booking Completion Rate will increase. The result? A higher position in our search rankings!
  • NB: needless to say, no Sitter can accept 100% of booking requests. We know this, and have structured our search rankings accordingly. Our algorithm also won’t downrank you for declining booking requests that don’t align with your Calendar availability. With this in mind, a highly ranked Sitter will achieve a Booking Completion Rate of between 50-80%.
  • NB: If you feel that you aren’t comfortable taking on a pet for any reason, don’t hesitate to decline. We know this happens every now and then, and the algorithm takes it into account.
• If you can’t accept a booking request, reply to the Owner as quickly as possible. This will boost your Response Rate and Response Time, which will positively affect your rank (which we’ll explore in greater depth later).
• Keep your Calendar updated on a daily basis to reflect your availability for all the services you offer. Be as specific as possible for each different service. This will serve two purposes: 
  • It will stop Pet Owners from sending you booking requests for times that you aren’t available.
  • A regularly updated Calendar will propel you higher in the search rankings.
• Detail your preferences as clearly as you can in your Profile. That way, Pet Owners won’t be able to send you a booking request for a service you don’t provide. For example, if you only care for small dogs, mark that in your Profile.

3. Say “No” to Offline Payments 

Saying “no” to Offline Payments (payments outside of the Mad Paws platform) will help your search rankings in two ways. Firstly, as you likely already know, we maintain a zero tolerance policy for Sitters who accept Offline Payments. Needless to say, it’s hard to ascend the Pet Sitter search rankings if your profile has been suspended. 

Secondly – and this links back to Tip #1 – Online Payments will lead to a higher Completion Rate, Repeat Customer Rate, and Repeat Booking Rate. These improved metrics will mean a happy algorithm, and a happy algorithm will mean a rankings boost for you! 

4. Respond to Messages Promptly, and Increase your Response Rate to 100%

When you respond to messages quickly, our search algorithm ranks you more highly. It doesn’t matter if you say “I’d love to accept your booking”, “I’m afraid I can’t meet your needs”, or “Can I get back to you?” Provided you respond promptly, and maintain a 100% Response Rate, you’ll climb in the rankings. 

5. Create a great Pet Sitter Profile 

In many ways, your Mad Paws Pet Sitter profile is a lot like a dating app: the more info and photos you feature, the more eyes you’ll attract. A Pet Sitter search rankings-friendly profile will include: 

• A profile photo that showcases you with a pet, and as many photos as possible on your profile carousel 
• A headline that highlights where you operate and why you’re a great Pet Sitter (e.g. “Experienced and loving Pet Sitter in Pyrmont.”)
• A summary of your experience with animals, any relevant qualifications (e.g. Animal First Aid Course), and any other info which may be relevant to Pet Owners (e.g. “I work from home, so I’ll be able to spend all day with your pet”.)
• Testimonials of your skills as a Pet Sitter, which you can add via your Mad Paws dashboard. 
• Detailed reviews from Pet Owners after a completed booking. If you don’t have any yet, invite your next happy customer to be as specific as possible after the booking!

Attract Positive Reviews 

Reviews are important, as they showcase your brilliant service to prospective clients. In addition to convincing Pet Owners to book with you, they also improve your position in the search rankings. This is especially the case for new Sitters, whose early reviews will have a major impact on their ranking. 

You can also bolster your Pet Sitter search rankings by adding badges to your profile. To learn more about Sitter badges, click here.

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