What should a dog walker's website have?

A dog walker's website has an unusual job: it asks a stranger to hand over a house key and a family member with four legs. Price matters, but trust comes first.

This guide covers what to put on the site, in what order, and what to leave off. It works for pet sitters and cat sitters too.

Key takeaways

• Lead with who you are and where you walk. Those are the first two questions every owner has.
• Put rates, group sizes and policies on one page, so the DMs get shorter.
• Make the first step small: a meet-and-greet booking, not a contract.
• Keep alarm codes and key locations off the website. Those belong in person.

1. A home page that says who, what and where

Owners decide fast. The first screen should answer three things without any scrolling:

• What you do: solo walks, group walks, drop-in visits, overnights.
• Where: the neighborhoods you cover, by name.
• What to do next: one button. "Book a meet & greet" works better than "Contact us".

Add a real photo of you with a dog that looks relaxed. Owners are hiring a person, and a stock photo doesn't show them who that is.

2. An about page that reads like a person

This is the page owners read twice. Keep it short and specific:

• Your name, and how long you've been walking or sitting
• Why you do it (a sentence, not a speech)
• Insurance and bonding, if you have them
• Pet first-aid training, if you've done it
• What you do if a dog gets sick or hurt on a walk, and which vet you'd use if theirs is closed

Owners who know your emergency plan worry less, and tend to book sooner.

3. Services and rates on one page

Walkers lose time answering the same price questions. Put them all in one place:

• The price of each walk length, solo and group
• How many dogs go in a group walk, and whether you group by size or energy
• Drop-in cat visits: what's included (food, water, litter, play)
• Overnight stays: what time you arrive and leave
• Weekend and holiday rates
• How much notice you need to cancel or add a walk, and what happens if you cancel on them
• How you get paid

You don't need to match the cheapest walker in town. A clear price from someone who looks trustworthy usually beats a vague one.

4. An areas page

Owners want someone close. Name the neighborhoods or zip codes you cover, and say what happens if they're just outside: a waitlist, an extra fee, or no.

This page helps with search, too. People type "dog walker in [neighborhood]" more often than just "dog walker". A page that names the neighborhood, in plain words, gives search engines something to match. Our post on local SEO basics covers the rest, including your Google Business Profile.

5. Reviews from real owners

A handful of honest reviews does more than a paragraph about how much you love dogs. Ask after a client's first month, when they've seen you're reliable. Make it easy: send a link by text.

Never write reviews yourself or ask friends to pose as clients. Owners can usually tell, and it can get you in trouble with review platforms.

6. A meet-and-greet booking

Most walkers won't take a new dog without meeting first. Make that the first thing people can book:

• A short slot, say 20 minutes, on the evenings or weekends you're free
• A confirmation email with the address and a link to reschedule
• A reminder before the visit

Regular weekly walks are usually easier to agree in person at the meet-and-greet, then keep in your own calendar. Many booking tools are built for one-off appointments, so check before you promise clients they can set up a repeating walk online.

7. A new-client form

After the meet-and-greet, you need details. A form saves a string of texts:

• Pet's name, breed, age and any medical needs
• Vet's name and phone number
• Feeding amounts and walk preferences (leash reactivity, routes to avoid)
• An emergency contact besides the owner

Keep it short enough to fill in on a phone. Don't ask for alarm codes, lockbox codes or where the spare key is hidden. Get those face to face.

What to leave off

• Long mission statements. One sentence on why you do this is enough.
• Every certification you've ever had. List the ones owners care about: first aid, insurance, bonding.
• Prices you haven't decided. "Contact me for rates" makes people leave. Pick a number.
• Photos of other people's pets without permission. Always ask the owner first.

What about apps and DMs?

If a pet-sitting marketplace or Instagram DMs already bring you clients, keep them. A website covers the people they don't reach: neighbors, referrals from a vet or a groomer, people who saw a flyer. Check your marketplace's rules before you invite clients you met there to book directly. And put your website link in your Instagram bio and Facebook group posts.

We wrote more on this in do I need a website if I have Instagram or Facebook?

How DollarSite helps

DollarSite builds the whole site from a chat with Chip. Tell it your walks, rates and neighborhoods, and it writes the services, areas and about pages. The apps a walker uses are included:

• Appointments for meet-and-greet slots, with confirmations and reminders
• Forms for the new-client form
• Reviews to collect owners' words by link
• An AI Agent that answers "do you cover my street?" from your pages while you're out walking
• An Announcement bar for holiday booking dates

It's $7 per month for your first website when you make it live to the Internet, with every app included. Building and previewing is free. See ideas for dog walkers and pet sitters and pet groomers, or compare DollarSite with other builders on our comparison page.

Got photos of you with the dogs on your phone? Send Chip 5 to 15 of them and it builds a site around them for you to approve.

Frequently asked questions

Do dog walkers really need a website?

Not every one. If you're full from referrals, you may be fine without one. A website helps when you want more direct clients, want to raise prices, or are tired of answering the same questions in DMs.

Should I put my prices on my website?

Yes, for most walkers. Owners compare, and many won't message someone who hides their rates. If prices vary, give a "from" price and explain what changes it.

What's the most important page on a dog walker's website?

The about page, closely followed by services and rates. Owners need to trust you before price matters.

Is it safe to put my service area on my website?

Yes, at the neighborhood level. Name the areas you cover, not your home address. Keep client addresses and key details off the site entirely.

Written by the DollarSite team. We make a website builder for small businesses, so we have a point of view. We've tried to make this guide useful whatever tool you choose.