ICYMI, a while back we shared 6 things every dog walking website needs. If you haven’t checked it out yet, head on over to learn what your website might be missing! Your website is a great resource for new and existing clients to learn about you, the services you offer, and more. It’s often the first impression pet parents have of you, so it’s important to put your best paw forward!
When you use pet care business software to stay organized, it not only saves you time on your day-to-day admin but also offers your clients a smoother and better experience, if your software – like PetPocketbook – offers a pet parent portal for your clients too. Through this portal, pet parents can easily request and view upcoming appointments, message their pet care professionals, pay for services, and keep their human and pet profile information up-to-date – all in one place! The experience pet parents get with their own portal lets them know you’re organized, professional, and have been around the block a time or two. So why not promote this on your website to help differentiate you from others while also making it easier for existing clients to access?
Making your pet parent portal accessible on your website is super easy! Simply create a button labeled “client login” for example and link that button to the URL of the login page for your business management software. Keep in mind some platforms have separate login pages for businesses vs. pet parents. At PetPocketbook, we use the same URL for both just to keep things simple 😊
Now let’s talk about where to add this button because that matters too! In our graphic example above, there’s a couple ways we incorporated our client portal to our hypothetical website. Let’s dig in!
1. It’s always a good idea to make your login button accessible in the top navigation bar so that it can be accessed from any page on your website, like our friends at Highland Hounds have done.
2. Embed a link to your homepage or contact us page. Your homepage is the often the first page of your website that visitors go to, and as we mentioned before, it’s often the first impression pet parents have of you and your business. While real estate on this page is limited, dedicating a section to link to your portal is helpful if you want pet parents to know about it. Check out the existing client login button on the home page of Ugly Dog Adventures! It’s simple and straightforward, yet it stands out – calling attention to it, without being distracting.
3. Give your clients the scoop. This is your chance to explain the functionality and benefits of using a pet parent portal so they know what took look forward to when logging in. You can add a little blurb about the portal on your services or contact us pages, or if you’d like, you can give it its own page like Leash Love. Another great idea is putting together a blog post. Check out Rest Your Paws Pet Care's post as an example. Blog posts are an excellent way to drive traffic to your website and help grow your business! In our interview with Kyle Morse, owner of Simply Yours Concierge, Kyle listed blog posts as one of the key components of a website. He shares, “I try to write about something different every time and put a fresh new spin on something.”
After you’ve added your client portal links to your website, be sure to test these links to make sure they’re working properly. Broken links are never great for any website experience and is another reason we at PetPocketbook keep things simple with the use of one login link for everyone! There’s less room for error and makes it easier for you too.
Building a good website can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re feeling stuck, think about your favorite website. What do you love about it? Can you implement it on your own website? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Want your own client portal to help streamline your business? Schedule a demo to get started with a free trial!