10 Essential FAQ to Add to Your Pet Care Website

Pet care is a big business these days. The Internet makes it easy for you to connect with your audience and provide them with the insight and information they need about pets of all kinds, from cats and dogs to reptiles and exotic birds, and more. There are several ways that you can do that:

• Your blog
• Website service pages
• Social media
• And more!

Of course, research has shown that of all the self-service tools available to consumers today, the FAQ page is the single most popular tool. Therefore, if yours is done well, you can gain a lot of leads, reputability, and more. 

People live in a world where they have everything at their fingertips, quite literally. We all carry microcomputers in our pockets, purses, briefcases, and bags. We spend hours each day scrolling through social media, looking things up on Google, and texting, messaging, and reaching out to others. It’s no wonder we’ve come to expect instant answers in all that we do. 

Of course, it’s also important to provide people with the right answers. When it comes to pet care, there are a lot of different areas that you could potentially cover. You’ll have to stick to what you know and make a list of what that is so that you can create a page that reflects your business and helps build your reputation while also educating and assisting your audience. 

Did you know that as many as 89% of people expect you to have a self-service portal available to them? Or how about the fact that most people expect an “immediate” response, which is generally between one and five minutes, depending on the channel of communication. There’s a lot that you might not know about self-service, but you at least know that you need to embrace as much of it as you can. 

In this guide, we’ll cover the best practices for setting up an effective FAQ page and then we’ll take a look at 10 essential questions and answers every pet care website needs to offer its audience. We’ve tried to choose the most popular questions that will be relevant to more websites, but you can also research more niche-based questions for your specific type of pet care if you would like. 

First, though, let’s talk about setting up an FAQ resource that is easy and gives people the answers they need. 

How to create a winning FAQ resource

Note that we used the word “resource” here instead of page. That’s because part of the strategy in creating your FAQ is in deciding whether you need a single page or multiple pages to answer all the questions that need to be covered. This will vary depending on the types of questions that you answer and the categories that you cover. 

For example, if you’ve got about a dozen basic FAQs you can group by category on a single page, that can be effective enough. You can even consider using hyperlinks or dropdowns to make it easier for people to find the answers they want without having to scroll forever. 

If you do choose to build a multi-page FAQ resource, make sure that you prioritize organization. For example, in the pet care world, you might have pages for topics like:

• General pet care FAQs
• Information about your website or business
• FAQs about services and rates 
• Payment and policies FAQ
• Resource FAQs (“Where can I find more information?”, etc.)

For example, if you have a website about caring for small animals, you might want to include separate FAQ pages for the different types of animals that you know about or care for. You could also create a page for FAQs about other resources and professional associations or services. Perhaps you offer pet-sitting for dogs and cats. In this case, you’d want to cover things like what types of sitting services you provide, whether you offer ongoing arrangements, and so forth. 

Get as specific as you want, but make sure that you answer the most pressing questions. And speaking of the most pressing questions, let’s dig into 10 questions that you can’t go without. 

The top 10 FAQs all pet care websites need

1. How do I take care of my [pet]?

When it comes to pet care, people often want to know how they can best provide for their furry companions. This is a very general question, but it’s one that people ask a lot. Therefore, you’ll want to provide as good of an answer as you can and explain that they should read up on the exact type of pet they’re getting ahead of time so that they know what they’re in for. 

And as for those who have already gotten the pet, explain as much as you can about researching care and how to provide for the animal’s best interests, no matter what type of pet they have. If you offer a specific type of pet care service, you can also focus on the details of care here. 

2. What should I do if my pet is injured or gets sick?

This is a good place to showcase your expertise in pet care. Explain that it’s always best to visit a veterinarian if your pet is sick or injured, but for minor issues, there are some DIY methods you can try first or to hold you over in the meantime. Make sure that people understand the seriousness of taking their pets to the vet when it is necessary and explain how proper pet care starts by knowing when to leave the work to someone else. 

3. Are you insured and licensed? (If necessary)

If you run a pet care business where you interact with people and their pets, you’ll want to make sure that your business is set up properly and that includes having the right insurance and expertise. Use this question to list all the training, licensing, and relevant experience that you have so that people understand what you have to offer. The bonus here is that the fact that you provide a transparent answer means almost as much as the answer itself. 

This question may not be relevant to all types of pet care—in that case, you can always use the alternative question of “What kind of experience do you have?”.

4. How often should I bathe my pet?

Bathing is often a big part of pet care for mammals and other small creatures. However, there are guidelines and best practices. Just like people, you don’t want to overdo it on bathing your pet because it could dry out their skin and cause a host of other issues. This is a good place to build rapport by providing as much information about keeping pets clean as you possibly can and then inviting people to reach out to you to learn more or get the professional pet care that they need. 

5. Do I need to make preventive vet appointments?

Some people don’t like the idea of taking their pet to the vet for check-ups and wellness exams. However, you visit the doctor for regular check-ups, so why shouldn’t your pet? Use this question to explain to people the value of preventive care and how it relates to their specific pet. Also, remind people that if they take the time to find a reputable vet, they will be able to ask them how to proceed when it comes to future vet care and other issues. 

This is another chance to showcase your expertise while also giving people a chance to reach out and learn more when they have more specific questions in this realm. 

6. What kind of pet care services do you provide?

This is an obvious one, but it still needs to be on the list because it’s one of the most common questions that people ask. After all, it does them no good to find resources they can’t use or don’t need. If you offer pet sitting and in-home care services, list them here. If you offer veterinary care, explain that. If you only work with cats and dogs, you’ll want to let people know. In the same vein, if you specialize in a niche field like equine health or reptiles, you’ll want to make sure that you list those things here, as well. Make sure that you list all the services available, invite people to contact you about custom services, and take the opportunity to link to your service pages here, too. 

7. Why do I need your pet care services?

This question often goes along with the “what care does my pet need” question, but it allows you to not give people the chance to say no to your business. When you offer products and/or services in addition to the information on pet care that you have on your website, you’ll want to make sure that people know why you’re the best choice to work with and what you bring to the table. This is essentially the chance to sell yourself and the highlights of proper pet care, while also giving your brand the chance to grow and gain a better reputation just by providing information and being thorough. 

8. Can my pet take medicines made for humans?

Some pets can take some medicines that are designed for human consumption. For example, it’s generally accepted and approved by vets that diphenhydramine (Benadryl), a popular human allergy medication, can be taken by dogs at a dosing of 1 mg per pound to assist with skin allergies and other itchy issues or allergies. However, you should never do something like this without consulting a doctor first. After all, there’s nothing worse than an adverse reaction that could have serious consequences. Stick to pet medicine until or unless you speak to your vet and discuss otherwise. 

9. My pet ate something poisonous or otherwise dangerous. What do I do?

Pets are great, but they can also be troublesome. If someone’s pet ingested something they shouldn’t have, it’s normal for the owner to panic a bit. However, they’ll also come looking for answers on the Internet, so they know how to proceed. You will want to advise people to contact poison control if there was a poisonous substance consumed and contact a vet if it was something you’re not sure about or that doesn’t seem poisonous outright. 

You need to call the pros, and that should start with your vet, or a 24-hour emergency vet if your vet isn’t available. Explain this to people and they will appreciate the peace of mind and insight on what to do next. 

10. What should I do about my overweight pet?

Sometimes, pets put on a little extra weight, just like people. The caveat, of course, is that just like people, overweight pets can suffer from a variety of health problems and debilitating conditions. Answer this question to encourage people to visit their vet, learn the proper dietary requirements for their pet, and start exercising them to get them back in shape sooner than later. A lot of people end up with overweight pets before they realize how far it’s gotten out of hand, but you can use this space to calm their worries and offer real solutions. 

Focus on the furry companions while we take care of the human connection 

At Smith.ai, we know that running a business is a full-time job, and then some. While you’re educating the masses and doing your best to be the pet care service that people need, you could be missing valuable calls, chats, and other communications because you simply don’t have time to do it all. When you choose to partner with the dedicated receptionists at Smith.ai, that’s no longer an issue. 

We’ll help you craft the perfect strategy for managing your communications and then we’ll assist with everything from live chat to after-hours phone calls, intake and scheduling, and so much more. We can even assist your pet care business with payment collection and integrate with your CRM and other software to keep you in the loop and keep everything streamlined. 

To learn more, schedule your consultation to discuss how the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can change the game for your pet care business and fast-track the success of your communications. You’ll also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.