How to Get More Customers as a Pet Boarding in Hobart

Introduction

If you run a pet boarding facility in Hobart, you already know the basics: clean kennels, happy animals, reliable staff. But none of that matters if pet owners don't know you exist.

Most pet boarding businesses in Hobart still rely on word of mouth. A recommendation from a happy customer at the dog park. A vet who hands out your business card. 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 frantically looking for boarding the week before their holiday to the Gold Coast. They're typing "pet boarding near me" or "dog kennels Hobart" into Google, scanning reviews, comparing websites, and making a decision — often within minutes.

If your business doesn't show up in that search, you're invisible. And invisible businesses don't grow.

The good news? You don't need a massive marketing budget to fix this. You need a system. This guide walks you through exactly how to get more customers as a pet boarding in Hobart, step by step, using strategies that actually work for local service businesses. We've helped dozens of trades and service businesses across Australia increase their leads, and the same principles apply to pet boarding.

Let's get into it.

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TL;DR

• This is a step-by-step guide to getting more customers as a pet boarding in Hobart
• Covers Google Maps, reviews, website optimisation, content marketing, and AI search
• Average pet boarding job value sits around $40–$80 per night, meaning even a handful of new bookings each month can significantly impact your revenue
• Most of these strategies cost nothing but time — and the ones that cost money deliver measurable ROI
• If you want help, we offer done-for-you packages starting at $500/month

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Step 1: Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most powerful free tool for driving phone calls and enquiries. When someone searches "pet boarding Hobart," Google shows a map pack — three local businesses with their name, reviews, phone number, and location. If you're in that pack, your phone rings. If you're not, it doesn't.

Here's how to set yours up properly:

First, go to business.google.com and claim your listing if you haven't already. Google will verify your ownership through a postcard, phone call, or email. Don't skip this step — unverified profiles barely rank.

Once verified, fill out every single field. Your business name should match your real trading name exactly. Choose "Pet Boarding Service" as your primary category, and add secondary categories like "Dog Daycare Centre" or "Kennel" if they apply.

Write a business description that includes your key services and location naturally. Something like: "Family-owned pet boarding facility in Hobart's Eastern Shore, offering overnight dog and cat boarding, daycare, and grooming services." Don't stuff keywords. Write for humans.

Upload at least 20 high-quality photos. Show your kennels, play areas, staff interacting with animals, and your front entrance. Businesses with photos get 42% more requests for directions and 35% more website clicks.

Post weekly updates using Google's built-in Posts feature. Share a photo of a happy dog, announce a seasonal discount, or link to a new blog post. Regular activity signals to Google that your business is active and engaged.

Set your service area to cover all of Greater Hobart — including suburbs like Sandy Bay, Kingston, Glenorchy, Moonah, and Howrah. This tells Google where to show your listing.

Finally, make sure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are identical everywhere online. Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your rankings. Check your Facebook page, Yellow Pages listing, and any directories you're listed on.

For a deeper dive into this process, check out our guide on local SEO for pet boarding in Hobart.

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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 results below it. Owning both spots means dominating the search results page, and that means more clicks, more calls, and more bookings.

Start with your core keyword: "pet boarding in Hobart." Your homepage should target this phrase. Include it in your page title, your H1 heading, your meta description, and naturally throughout the page copy. Don't overdo it — write naturally, but make sure Google understands what your page is about.

Then build suburb-specific service pages. This is where most pet boarding businesses miss a massive opportunity. Create individual pages for each area you serve:

• Pet Boarding in Sandy Bay
• Pet Boarding in Kingston
• Dog Kennels in Glenorchy
• Cat Boarding in Howrah
• Pet Boarding Eastern Shore

Each page should have unique content — not just the suburb name swapped out. Talk about the specific area, mention landmarks, driving times, and why pet owners in that suburb choose your facility. Google rewards unique, helpful content. It penalises thin, duplicated pages.

Technical essentials matter too. Your site needs to load fast — under three seconds on mobile. It needs to be mobile-responsive, because over 60% of local searches happen on phones. Every page should have a clear call to action: a phone number that's clickable on mobile, a booking form, or both.

Install Google Search Console and connect Google Analytics. These free tools show you which keywords bring traffic, which pages perform, and where you're losing potential customers.

Your website is your digital shopfront. If it looks outdated, loads slowly, or doesn't clearly communicate what you offer and where you're located, you're losing bookings to competitors who've invested in theirs.

We cover the full technical and on-page strategy in our SEO for pet boarding in Hobart resource.

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Step 3: Build a Review Generation System

Reviews are the deciding factor for most pet owners. They're trusting you with a family member. They want proof that other people's pets came home happy and healthy.

The numbers back this up: 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Businesses with more than 50 Google reviews see significantly higher click-through rates in the map pack. And Google's algorithm uses review quantity, quality, and recency as a ranking factor.

So you need a system — not a hope-and-pray approach.

When to ask: The best time to request a review is at pickup. The owner has just been reunited with their pet, the animal is happy, and emotions are high. That's your window.

How to ask: Keep it simple and direct. Train your front desk staff to say: "We're so glad Buster had a great stay. Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It really helps other pet owners find us." Then hand them a card with a QR code that links directly to your Google review page.

Follow up digitally: Send an automated text or email within two hours of pickup. Here's a template that works:

"Hi [Name], thanks for choosing [Your Business] for [Pet Name]'s stay! If you had a great experience, we'd love a quick Google review — it helps other Hobart pet owners find us. [Direct Link]"

Respond to every review — positive and negative. Thank happy reviewers by name and mention their pet. For negative reviews, stay professional, acknowledge the concern, and offer to resolve it offline. Future customers read your responses as carefully as the reviews themselves.

Aim for five new reviews per month minimum. Consistency matters more than volume spikes.

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Step 4: Create Content That Attracts Customers

Content marketing isn't just for big brands. For a pet boarding business in Hobart, the right blog post can rank on Google for years and bring in a steady trickle of enquiries without ongoing ad spend.

Think about what pet owners search for before they book boarding:

• "How to prepare your dog for boarding"
• "What to pack for your cat's kennel stay"
• "Best pet boarding options in Hobart"
• "How much does dog boarding cost in Tasmania"
• "Signs of a good boarding kennel"

Each of these is a blog post waiting to be written. When a pet owner reads your helpful, knowledgeable article, they start trusting you before they ever call. You've positioned yourself as the expert.

Write FAQ pages that answer the questions your staff hear daily. How do you handle feeding schedules? What vaccinations do you require? Can owners visit during the stay? Do you separate dogs and cats? Every answer is a chance to rank for a long-tail keyword and build confidence with a nervous pet owner.

Local content works especially well. Write a guide to Hobart's dog-friendly parks and beaches. Create a seasonal post about keeping pets cool during Tasmanian summers. Partner with a local vet for a joint article on travel anxiety in pets.

Publish at least two pieces of content per month. Keep them between 800 and 1,500 words. Include images — ideally your own photos, not stock imagery. Link internally to your service pages so readers can easily take the next step and book.

Content compounds over time. The article you publish this month could still be driving enquiries two years from now.

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Step 5: Optimise for AI Search (GEO)

AI-powered search is changing how customers find local businesses. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, and Siri are increasingly the first place people ask questions — including "Where should I board my dog in Hobart?"

This is called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), and it's the next frontier for local businesses.

AI models pull their answers from structured, authoritative, well-cited content. To get recommended, your business needs to be mentioned across trusted sources: your own website, local directories, review platforms, and industry-relevant content.

Practical steps:

• Ensure your website has clear, structured data (schema markup) identifying you as a local pet boarding business
• Get listed on every relevant directory: TrueLocal, Yellow Pages, Yelp, PetBoardingFinder, and Hobart-specific business directories
• Publish content that directly answers common questions in a clear, structured format — AI loves pulling from FAQ-style content
• Build mentions and backlinks from local media, blogs, and community organisations

AI search doesn't replace Google — yet. But it's growing fast, and the businesses that position themselves now will dominate when it becomes the default. We've written a complete breakdown of this in our GEO for pet boarding in Hobart guide.

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Step 6: Track Your Results

You can't improve what you don't measure. Set up tracking from day one so you know exactly what's working and where to double down.

Key metrics to monitor:

• Phone calls: Use a call tracking number on your website and Google Business Profile. Services like CallRail or even Google's built-in call tracking let you see exactly how many calls come from your online presence.
• Form submissions: Track every booking enquiry that comes through your website. Set up Google Analytics goals or use your CRM.
• Google Business Profile insights: Check weekly how many people viewed your profile, clicked for directions, called, or visited your website.
• Keyword rankings: Track your position for "pet boarding Hobart," "dog kennels Hobart," and your suburb-specific terms. Tools like BrightLocal or SEMrush work well for this.
• Review count and rating: Monitor your total reviews and average star rating monthly.

Create a simple monthly dashboard — even a spreadsheet works. Track these numbers over time and look for trends. Did a new blog post spike website traffic? Did a review push improve your map pack position?

Data removes guesswork. It tells you whether your marketing investment is paying off — and at $40–$80 per night per booking, even a small improvement in visibility translates to meaningful revenue.

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When to Hire a Professional

Everything in this guide is achievable on your own. But let's be honest — you're running a pet boarding business, not a marketing agency. Your days are spent managing staff, caring for animals, handling bookings, and keeping facilities maintained. Finding 10–15 hours a month for marketing is a stretch.

That's where we come in.

At Searchmaxxed, we specialise in local marketing for service businesses across Australia. We've built systems specifically designed to help businesses like yours show up in Google, generate reviews, rank for local keywords, and prepare for AI search — without you needing to touch any of it.

Our packages range from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on your goals and competition level. Every package includes Google Business Profile management, on-page SEO, content creation, and monthly reporting. No lock-in contracts. No vanity metrics. Just more calls and bookings.

Get in touch with our team today for a free audit of your online presence. We'll show you exactly where you're losing potential customers and what it'll take to fix it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can pet boarding get more customers online?

Optimise your Google Business Profile, build a review system, create a fast mobile-friendly website targeting local keywords, and publish helpful content consistently.

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

Claim and fully optimise your Google Business Profile. Most businesses see increased calls within 2–4 weeks of proper setup.

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

Allocate 5–10% of your revenue. For most Hobart pet boarding facilities, that's $500–$2,000 per month for meaningful results.

Is Google Ads or SEO better for pet boarding?

SEO delivers better long-term ROI. Google Ads can supplement during peak seasons like school holidays and Christmas, but organic visibility compounds over time.

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Ready to stop relying on word of mouth and start filling your kennels consistently? Book a free strategy call with Searchmaxxed and let's build a system that brings Hobart pet owners straight to your door.