How We Built Borton’s Doggy Play & Stay’s Site to Convert Pet Parents
Borton’s Doggy Play & Stay is a full-service pet care facility offering daycare, overnight boarding, grooming, and training. The brief: convert pet parents who are price-shopping and trust-shopping at the same time.
Here’s the structure we landed on. Live case study.
The pet-care trust problem
Boarding a dog is a high-anxiety decision. The customer is leaving a family member with strangers for several days. They’re going to inspect your website like a detective: facility photos, staff photos, reviews, what happens during a normal day, what happens in an emergency.
This isn’t a market where you can lean on copy. It’s a market where you have to show your facility.
Decision 1: Photos as the primary content
The site is heavy on photos — the facility, the play yards, the boarding suites, the grooming setup, the staff. Real photos, not stock. Pet parents need to see the actual environment to feel safe leaving their dog there.
Decision 2: Service tiers, clearly priced
Day care, overnight boarding, grooming, training — each as its own service with its own page. Pricing visible (or starting-at) so the customer can self-qualify before calling.
Hidden pricing is a conversion killer in this category. Customers will pick the place whose website tells them what it costs.
Decision 3: Testimonials carousel
Reviews from existing clients front and center. Pet care runs on word of mouth, and the website’s job is to surface that social proof immediately.
Decision 4: Social media integration
Pet care businesses live on Facebook and Instagram — that’s where customers see daily photos of their dog at daycare. The website integrates with social so the active community there feeds back into the site.
Decision 5: Booking pathway
Clear path from “I’m interested” to “here’s how to set up a meet-and-greet.” First-time customers always require a meet-and-greet before booking; the site walks them through that politely.
What we deliberately skipped
- Online booking for first-time customers (the meet-and-greet matters)
- Stock photos of generic happy dogs (real photos win every time)
- Long “our story” copy on the homepage (kept brief, expanded on About)
What this kind of site costs to build
- Coderize Express: $199-$399/month, $99 deposit, live in 3-5 days. Right call for most pet-care businesses if you have your own facility photos.
- Custom build: $2,500+ if you want client portal, online check-in, integration with your boarding software, etc.
Want a similar build?
Free 15-minute audit. Reach out.
Related: Borton’s case study, Web Designer in Lapeer, Why Isn’t My Website Showing on Google?
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