How to Get More Customers as a Pet Store in Australia

Introduction

Most pet stores in Australia still rely on word of mouth, a decent shopfront, and maybe a Facebook page that gets updated once a month. That approach worked a decade ago. It doesn't cut it anymore.

In 2026, 97% of customers search online before choosing a local business. That includes pet owners looking for premium dog food, reptile supplies, grooming services, puppy accessories, or a reliable local shop that stocks what the big chains don't carry. If your pet store doesn't show up when they search, you don't exist to them.

The Australian pet industry is worth over $33 billion annually. Pet ownership rates sit among the highest in the world, with roughly 69% of Australian households owning at least one pet. The demand is massive. The question isn't whether customers are out there — it's whether they can find you.

This guide walks you through exactly how to get more customers as a pet store in Australia, step by step. We cover the strategies that actually move the needle: Google Business Profile optimisation, local SEO, review generation, content marketing, AI search visibility, and tracking. Whether you run a single suburban pet shop or manage multiple locations, these tactics apply. No fluff. Just the stuff that drives phone calls, foot traffic, and sales.

TL;DR

• This is a step-by-step guide to getting more customers as a pet store in Australia
• Covers Google Maps optimisation, reviews, website SEO, content strategy, and AI search
• Average pet store transaction value ranges from $30 to $200, so even a handful of new customers per week adds up fast
• Most of these strategies are free to start — but consistency is what separates stores that grow from stores that stagnate

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Step 1: Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important free tool for driving calls and visits to your pet store. When someone searches "pet store near me" or "dog food [suburb]," Google pulls results from GBP listings — not websites. If your profile is incomplete, outdated, or unclaimed, you're handing customers to your competitors.

Here's how to set it up properly:

Claim your listing. Go to google.com/business and search for your store. If it exists, claim it. If it doesn't, create one. You'll need to verify ownership, usually through a postcard, phone call, or video verification.

Complete every single field. Business name (exactly as it appears on your signage), address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and business category. Your primary category should be "Pet Store." Add secondary categories like "Pet Supply Store," "Aquarium Store," or "Dog Groomer" if they apply.

Write a compelling business description. Use natural language. Mention your suburb, the types of products you carry, and what makes you different. Example: "Family-owned pet store in Fitzroy supplying premium dog and cat food, raw feeding supplies, reptile equipment, and fish tanks since 2012."

Upload high-quality photos. Google prioritises listings with recent, genuine images. Photograph your storefront, aisles, popular products, staff interacting with animals, and any in-store pets. Add 5-10 photos to start, then upload new ones monthly.

Post weekly Google updates. GBP lets you publish posts — think of them as mini social media updates. Share new product arrivals, seasonal promotions, pet care tips, or upcoming events. This signals to Google that your business is active.

Enable messaging and Q&A. Make it easy for customers to reach you directly through your listing. Answer every question in the Q&A section promptly and thoroughly.

A fully optimised GBP can generate 50-200+ calls per month for pet stores in competitive suburbs. It costs nothing. There's no reason not to do this today.

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Step 2: Get Your Website Ranking for Local Keywords

Your Google Business Profile gets you into the map pack. Your website gets you into the organic search results underneath. Together, they dominate the page. Separately, you're leaving money on the table.

Target the right keywords. Start with the obvious ones: "pet store [suburb]," "pet shop [city]," "dog food [suburb]," "aquarium supplies [suburb]." Then branch into service-specific terms: "raw dog food [city]," "reptile supplies near me," "cat grooming [suburb]."

Build dedicated landing pages for each service and location. If you sell dog food, fish supplies, bird cages, and reptile gear — each of those deserves its own page. If you serve multiple suburbs, create a page for each one. A page titled "Premium Dog Food in Brunswick" will outrank a generic "Products" page every time.

Nail the on-page SEO basics:

• Include your target keyword in the page title, H1 heading, and first paragraph
• Write at least 500 words of genuinely useful content per page
• Add your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) to every page footer
• Use internal links between related pages
• Optimise image file names and alt text (e.g., "raw-dog-food-brunswick-pet-store.jpg")

Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and fast. Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile devices. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load or looks broken on a phone, visitors bounce — and Google notices.

Don't forget schema markup. LocalBusiness schema tells search engines exactly what your business is, where it's located, and what you offer. It's a technical addition to your site's code that can improve how your listing appears in search results.

For a deeper dive into ranking strategies specific to your industry, check out our guide on SEO for pet stores.

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Step 3: Build a Review Generation System

Reviews are the digital version of word of mouth, and they carry enormous weight. A pet store with 150 five-star reviews will attract more clicks, calls, and visits than one with 12 reviews — even if the 12-review store offers better products.

The numbers are clear: 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Google also uses review quantity, quality, and recency as ranking factors for local search.

Here's how to systematically generate reviews:

Ask at the point of sale. Train your staff to say something simple after a positive interaction: "If you've had a great experience today, we'd really appreciate a Google review — it helps other pet owners find us." Keep it natural. Keep it brief.

Follow up digitally. If you collect email addresses or phone numbers (through loyalty programs, online orders, or grooming bookings), send a follow-up message 24-48 hours after purchase. Include a direct link to your Google review page.

Use a template:

"Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Store Name]! If you have 30 seconds, we'd love a quick Google review. It genuinely helps us keep the doors open and serving pet owners in [suburb]. Here's the link: [direct review URL]. Thanks so much!"

Respond to every review. Positive and negative. Thank happy customers by name. Address complaints professionally and offer to resolve issues offline. This shows prospective customers that you're engaged and accountable.

Never offer incentives for reviews. Google's guidelines prohibit it, and it erodes trust. Just ask consistently, make it easy, and the reviews will accumulate.

Aim for 5-10 new reviews per month. Within a year, you'll have a profile that dominates your local competitors.

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Step 4: Create Content That Attracts Customers

Content marketing isn't just for tech companies and lifestyle brands. For pet stores, publishing helpful content on your website builds trust, drives organic traffic, and positions you as the local authority on pet care.

What should you write about? Think about the questions your customers ask every day:

• "What's the best dog food for Australian shepherds?"
• "How often should I clean my fish tank?"
• "What do I need before bringing home a new puppy?"
• "Are raw diets safe for cats?"

Each of those questions is a blog post waiting to be written. And each of those blog posts is a chance to rank in Google and attract a potential customer who lives in your area.

Content ideas that work for pet stores:

• Breed-specific care guides
• Product comparison articles (e.g., "Top 5 Grain-Free Dog Foods Available in Australia")
• Seasonal content (e.g., "How to Keep Your Pets Cool This Summer in Melbourne")
• Local event coverage (pet expos, adoption days, community events)
• FAQ pages addressing common customer queries

Publish consistently. Two to four blog posts per month is plenty. Quality matters more than quantity — but regularity signals to Google that your site is active and worth crawling frequently.

Link internally. Every blog post should link to relevant product pages, service pages, or location pages on your site. This distributes SEO authority and guides visitors toward a purchase or contact action.

For more on building a local content strategy, see our resource on local SEO for pet stores.

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Step 5: Optimise for AI Search (GEO)

Here's what most pet store owners aren't thinking about yet: AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Copilot are changing how customers find local businesses. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of ensuring your business gets recommended by these platforms.

Why does this matter? When a pet owner asks ChatGPT, "What's the best pet store in Parramatta?" the AI pulls from web content, reviews, citations, and structured data to generate an answer. If your store has a strong online presence — consistent NAP data, quality reviews, authoritative content, and mentions across trusted directories — you're far more likely to be recommended.

How to optimise for AI search:

• Ensure your business information is consistent across every directory, listing, and website
• Build citations on Australian-specific platforms (Yellow Pages, TrueLocal, Yelp AU, Hotfrog)
• Publish content that directly answers common questions in clear, structured formats
• Earn mentions and backlinks from local media, pet industry blogs, and community organisations
• Maintain an active, well-reviewed Google Business Profile

GEO is still an emerging field, but the businesses that invest now will dominate later. We wrote a full breakdown on GEO for pet stores if you want to go deeper.

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Step 6: Track Your Results

Marketing without measurement is guesswork. You need to know what's working, what's not, and where to double down.

Key metrics to track:

• Phone calls: Use call tracking or simply monitor GBP insights to see how many calls your listing generates monthly.
• Form submissions: If your website has a contact form, booking form, or quote request, track submissions through Google Analytics or your CMS.
• Google Business Profile views and actions: GBP provides data on how many people viewed your profile, requested directions, visited your website, or called you.
• Keyword rankings: Track where you rank for your target keywords (e.g., "pet store Manly," "dog food delivery Sydney"). Tools like Google Search Console, SE Ranking, or Ahrefs work well.
• Review velocity: Monitor how many new reviews you're getting each month and your average star rating.
• Website traffic: Use Google Analytics to track organic search traffic, top-performing pages, and user behaviour.

Review these numbers monthly. Look for trends. If a particular service page or blog post is driving traffic, create more content like it. If calls have dropped, investigate whether your GBP listing or reviews need attention.

What you measure, you improve. It really is that straightforward.

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When to Hire a Professional

Everything in this guide can be done in-house. But let's be honest — you run a pet store, not a marketing agency. Your time is better spent serving customers, managing stock, and building relationships with suppliers.

Consider doing it yourself if:

• You have dedicated time each week (5-10 hours) for marketing tasks
• You're comfortable with basic technology and enjoy learning new tools
• Your budget is tight and you're willing to trade time for money

Consider hiring a professional if:

• You want faster results with less trial and error
• You're in a competitive market (major metro areas, high-traffic suburbs)
• You've tried DIY marketing and haven't seen meaningful growth
• You'd rather focus on running your business

At MoneyNearMe, we work with local businesses across Australia — including pet stores — to build the kind of online presence that generates consistent calls, foot traffic, and revenue. Our packages range from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on scope, and everything we do is designed to deliver measurable ROI.

Get in touch with our team to find out how we can grow your pet store's customer base →

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can pet stores get more customers online?

Optimise your Google Business Profile, build a locally-focused website, generate consistent reviews, publish helpful content, and ensure your business appears in AI search results.

What's the fastest way to get more calls as a pet store?

Claim and fully optimise your Google Business Profile. Most stores see an increase in calls within 30 days of proper setup.

How much should I spend on marketing as a pet store?

Allocate 5-10% of revenue. For most independent pet stores, that's $500-$2,000 per month — enough to cover SEO, GBP management, and content.

Is Google Ads or SEO better for pet stores?

SEO delivers better long-term value. Google Ads can supplement for immediate visibility, but organic rankings and GBP optimisation generate more sustainable, cost-effective results.

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Ready to stop relying on foot traffic and word of mouth alone? We help Australian pet stores build the online presence that drives real, measurable customer growth. Talk to MoneyNearMe today →