How pet parents search in 2026 (and what that means for your site)

Despite plenty of doom-chatter on social media, the vast majority of pet parents are still using search engines like Google to search. While you can’t ignore AI search (we’ll come back to that in a minute), you do still need to make Google searchers your main focus. Regardless if they’re searching with Google, another search engine, or AI, pet parents rarely start with your brand name. They type problems and goals: “best food for itchy dogs”, “glucosamine for senior labrador”, “is pumpkin safe for cats”, “cheapest pet insurance for puppies”. You need to match those queries as closely as possible to surface in those search results.

AIO, GEO, AEO and the rest

It’s testament to how new AI search is that nobody has yet settled on a preferred term. AI Optimisation (AIO), Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) are all competing for now, and each has their own merits. Either way, we’re talking about optimising pages and posts for large language models (LLMs, like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini) and the way that they surface results. In 2025, there was solid evidence that these searches are growing, but still made up less than 15% of daily searches online, with most people still turning to Google. We’ll wait to see what 2026 brings, but it’s likely to be a continued rise in LLM searches, with AI overviews also taking some search traffic.

They are more likely to provide context and longer queries, but the essence is the same. They’re looking for solutions to problems.

One of the most important things to understand is that people search inside these LLMs much as they do inside Google. They are more likely to provide context and longer queries, but the essence is the same. They’re looking for solutions to problems. So their query might look more like “what is the best food for itchy dogs that don’t like chicken? It needs to be fresh or canned, they won’t eat dried food”, but they’re still looking for the same answers. To rank, you still need to comprehensively, accurately match their question (and their intent) with your answer.

The main problem we have right now is that there are no good ways to track and monitor who is finding your brand through LLMs, and what terms they’re using to do it. While SEO SaaS companies are scrambling to find a solution, many are over-promising, using their AI to extend results from very small amounts of data, which could be inaccurate.

As a very first step, you need to find out what people are searching for when your product would solve their problems. A Google Search Console account is invaluable for seeing the searches you’re already surfacing for, but it pays dividends to do some brainstorming, and to check in on competitor websites too, to find the keywords you aren’t ranking for (yet!).

• Brainstorm the problems your product is solving, then split these into keywords. For example, you might have a cat joint supplement – so you’re solving “limping in cats”, “joint pain in cats” etc
• Brainstorm the synonyms pet owners might be using when looking for your product – “cat joint supplement” could also be “cat natural pain relief”
• Check Google Search Console (more details on that here)
• Search some key terms in Google, see what else comes up, and look at the People Also Asked results for some long tail search queries
• Use a keyword tool, like the free AHREFS
• Get a trial or account with a high-powered SEO tool like SEMrush
• Check out our regularly-updated list of keywords for pet businesses
• Get more tips in our article how to find the best pet company SEO keywords

By the end of this process, you should have plenty of keywords. Some you’ll already rank for, some will be easy to rank for, and some will be difficult to rank for. For many pet businesses, especially in the early days of content marketing, it makes sense to go for the low-hanging fruit first. Put them into groups by which product they support, and then into groups again of related terms.

What kind of content do I need for a pet product or service business?

Your site needs three kinds of pages to match those searches:

• ‘Bottom of the funnel’ product pages that answer “Is this product right for my pet?”
• ‘Middle of the funnel’ category / comparison pages that help choose (“dry vs wet”, “basic vs comprehensive cover”)
• ‘Top of the funnel’ helpful articles that educate without the hard sell

This is where it pays to go back to marketing basics. What pain are you solving for the customer? What problem does your product or service solve? In some cases, people will know they have the problem and what the solution is (“dog walkers near me”). In others, they won’t – “signs of boredom in dogs”. For every customer pain, you should have a collection of articles and pages that speak to all parts of the funnel.

Building content pyramids – a content strategy for pet businesses

People refer to content funnels and content pillars – I like the term ‘content pyramids’ because it helps me visualise what I’m doing. The products are at the top of the pyramid, and I want my customers to climb to the top of the pillar and buy them. Each article should move them further up the pyramid, and closer to your goal – buying your product (or service!) In some cases, such as with supplements for different conditions, distinct products might even have their own pyramids, because each product meets a distinct need. In others, like a pet toy business, the needs are fairly similar, and the content to lead to the toy purchase can be shared between several, or all, toys.

Hyperlinks form bridges between pyramids, and some pieces of content might act as elevators, taking your customer quickly from base to top. The other reason I like referring to these as content pyramids as it visually explains that you’ll often need several pieces of content to support your product – a wider base.

Although I’ve drawn this pyramid with three layers, it can sometimes be four or more – the important thing is to nudge people up it (aka down the funnel) with well-crafted content, CTAs, and a good understanding of customer pains.

1. Choose a product, and create a standout product page with plenty of SEO keywords in it. Don’t make the text too long or confusing – drop-down FAQs or your supporting content is the place to put any doubt.
2. Create 2-4 ‘middle of the funnel’ comparison pieces or decision aids, each with a single important keyword for that product, clear CTAs, and links to the product page. Here’s how to use effective internal linking to build SEO.
3. Create 3-100+ supporting pieces of ‘top of the funnel’ content to help capture a wider audience. Each piece should link to either your middle of the funnel content or your product pages – you want to be moving people up the pyramid as you go!

Here’s a visual representation of some of the articles that might support a dog bed product. You’ll need more content than this, but it serves to show how each article links and moves the reader up the pyramid.

Trust signals: E‑E‑A‑T for consumer pet brands

While a large part of how Google, Bing, other search engines and AI surface your content is due to how well you answer people’s questions, there’s also an impact of E-E-A-T. E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust, and, while it’s a term coined by Google, it’s safe to say that the other search engines and AI search have followed their lead.

E-E-A-T means that pages that are more credible rank more highly than those that don’t.

E-E-A-T means that pages that are more credible rank more highly than those that don’t. Some of these Trust signals are technical – if you haven’t got an SSL certificate on your website, and a working phone number and email address, you’re doomed – while others are content-based. It’s all about being helpful, genuine, and giving safe information, especially when it comes to health.

The search engines favour real Experience from people with Expertise. That’s where we come in – if you’re writing about pet health, Expertise is best demonstrated by hiring a vet writer, and to make your pet business content even better, the writers here at TVCC include their real life Experience wherever possible. Here’s a bit more about E-E-A-T and our vet writers.

Authority, on the other hand, is built over time. This is a difficult metric to force – it’s based on how your brand is seen online. If other brands share your content or link to your website, your Authority is higher. That said, there are things we can do here at TVCC to help you increase your brand Authority – get in touch and we’ll explain more!

Here’s three things you can do to increase your E-E-A-T right away:

• Check you have an SSL certificate (https and a little locked padlock on the left of your web address)
• Make sure your product pages include transparency – like about where products were made and what from
• If you make health claims, link to a recognised source (or, use a recognised source to write the article and credit them as the author).

Mastering your Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is an essential part of the digital marketing mix for pet businesses in 2025. But it can be tricky to get right. Remember, social media shouldn’t be a place to sell – it’s a place to connect with your customers and build a community. You’ll have different types of customer on each channel, so it’s an opportunity to reach out to each of them separately. The 7-11-4 rule means that customers need to see you genuinely show up at least 11 times before they want to buy – social media is a great way to increase that.

Here’s some more info about building your pet brand on social media.

Remember, social media shouldn’t be a place to sell – it’s a place to connect with your customers and build a community.

Social Media Content for Pet Businesses

So we know social media is important, but what should you be putting on there? We recommend exploring and leveraging your customer personas and experimenting to see what lands with your audience. Content that works well for our B2C clients includes:

• Quick-fire pet care tips
• Video content from a vet
• Testimonials
• User-generated content (photos from your previous customers!)

Lastly, social can feel like yelling into space. Don’t expect instant results, or to go ‘viral’. Instead, just show up for your customers regularly, so they can start to trust in your brand.

Summary

When you’re a DTC marketer in the pet space, the learning curve can feel pretty steep. It’s a fast-moving world, and the addition of AI has complicated matters! Developing a strong content strategy that speaks to your audience pains should form an essential part of your pet business’s marketing strategy.

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