Paid Search for Pet Industry Manufacturers

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What is Paid Search? 

With paid search, companies pay a search engine company, such as Google, to appear in a prominent position on results pages for a specific search term. Search terms include one or more words. For example, keywords relevant to pet store buyers might be “dog food” or “cat toys.”  

Paid search ads are sold on a “cost-per-click” (CPC) basis – advertisers pay only when a searcher clicks on an ad. Price per click is set based on the number of companies that bid for that term. Buying using a CPC model can help ensure better ROI from your ad spend. Paid search ads are usually used to drive website traffic and leads, but they can also increase brand awareness. 

4 Reasons Why Paid Search Matters for a Pet Industry Supplier 

• 89% of Traffic from Paid Ads is Net New Traffic (1) 
• 79% of marketers say paid search is “hugely beneficial” to their businesses (2) 
• 27% of all web traffic comes from paid search ads (3) 
• The average ROI from Google Search is $8:1 (4) 

Most Common Ways Pet Retailers Search  

Here’s how pet industry retailers usually search:

• By Manufacturer Name
• By Pet Brand Name
• By Product Type (e.g., dog food, cat toys)
• By Material (e.g., nylon, rubber)
• By Pet Type (e.g., dog products, cat products)
• By Design Styles (e.g., eco-friendly, luxury)

Why Paid Search Works So Well for Manufacturers 

Pet retail decision-makers search for pet-related items every day. Your ads reach them just as they are seeking information!  Effective paid search starts with analyzing the most popular terms for reaching retailers. You need to find search terms that:  

• Appeal to retailers versus consumers. You don’t want to pay for consumer clicks if you don’t sell products directly.  
• Drive more clicks from interested buyers. Some terms will be better at driving clicks and leads. 

How to Create an Effective Paid Search Program 

You can buy paid search ads using self-service tools on Google and Bing. But unless you have a lot of experience, it’s better to get professional help. With Paid Search, spending money is easy, but getting great results is tougher. Finding an expert helps safeguard your marketing resources. 

To get the best results, find a search program leader who knows the pet industry. They will have a big head start finding the correct terms for your brand and will be best at focusing on terms that attract retailers versus consumers.  

Paid Search Tips and Tricks for Pet Industry Manufacturers 

Today’s search ads give manufacturers many more opportunities to capture attention: 

• Explore Optimization Options: Google can automatically set your campaign and optimize performance to drive the most clicks and website visits, the most leads, the most purchases (if you have an e-commerce site), and the lowest cost per action.  
• Include Phone Numbers: Include phone numbers in your ads to drive calls from people who would rather connect now than wander on your site.  
• Try Responsive Ads: Instead of writing a few complete search ads, you can submit lots of brief statements and messages, and their algorithms will test thousands of combinations until they find the mix of headlines, copy, and links that is most effective. 
• Include Extensions: Google lets you add more text and links to your ads. You can include these “extensions” to specific sections on your website, special items, customer reviews, and more. Extensions increase both the number and quality of clicks you receive.  

Remember that 6 out of 10 searches on Google are made on mobile phones. Take the time to develop great ads for small as well as large screens.  

Get in Touch 

At Pet Age, our mission is to help companies do more business and grow the industry. If you’d like more ideas and insights on making Paid Search work for your business, get in touch with one of our marketing experts by filling out the form below.  

(1) Wordstream 2021
(2) Hennepin, 2019
(3) SearchEngineLand 2019
(4) Google 2021