How to make a dog breeder website - step by step

Building a website used to be a challenging task.

It used to take time, skill and know-how to build and maintain even a basic online presence.

There are many tools available today that makes creating a website fairly easy, even for those non-technical people.

You can choose to use a content management system, blogging platform or website builder.

Breedpost is a content management system built for dog breeders and show dogs. 

This means that this customised system has capabilities specifically for dog breeders such as

• pedigree builder
• show results system
• litter management system

This article will walk through building a dog breeder website from start to finish, step by step, with pictures, using Breedpost.

Why start a website?

A website is a great way to showcase your dogs and your kennel.

It is a 24 hour promotional tool that never sleeps.

Your target market may be puppy buyers, show dog exhibitors or stud dog inquiries. 

Whoever your target market is, they will expect you to have an informative website that they can browse whenever they want to.

Dog breeders, especially those willing to share their expertise and knowledge may also utilise their website to 

• engage with like-minded people
• promote your breed and your dogs
• promote purebred dogs in general

What do I need to build a website for my kennel?

Before you sign up to Breedpost and start building your dog breeder website you should have 

• some high quality dog images
• your dogs’ pedigrees
• some ideas about content or even some written content

You don’t have to have all of the information required to make a start building your website.

You can certainly start setting up sections and pages with minimal content.

Access to dog photos and pedigrees will help you make a good start building your dog breeder website.

Sign up to Breedpost to start building your dog breeder website

You can request to have your website built for free to evaluate Breedpost.

Or if you prefer, you can register and start building a website yourself.

First you need to create an account..

To create an account, go to the signup page and enter your username and email address.

Your username should be your kennel name.

This will also form part of your built-in domain name.

For example, if your kennel name is Snow White Samoyeds, then use showwhite as your username.

Your built-in domain name will then be snowwhite.breedpost.com

Once you register successfully, you’ll be redirected straight into our easy-to-use website builder dashboard.

How to complete the onboarding process

Upon registration you will be redirected to the onboarding dashboard.

You can then walk through these simple steps to start setting up your website.

In the first instance you will be directed to start editing your homepage.

Edit your homepage

You don’t need to add all of your homepage content at this stage.

At the very least you should edit your site title.

You could also

• add a tagline
• upload two banners
• add your social media links

When you start creating dogs and about pages your task list will direct you to edit more of your homepage.

Once you have edited and saved your homepage, you should return to the dashboard for more instructions.

Choose a website design

The Breedpost website builder separates design from content.

This means you can change your dog breeder website design at anytime.

All you need to do is click a button.

You can select a design at this stage to see how the dog breeder website builder works.

But you may find a web design that suits your site more once you start publishing your images.

Scroll through the dog breeder website designs, hover over a design and click the Select Design button.

Check out your site by clicking View Site link in the top right hand corner of the dashboard.

Now go back to the dashboard to create your first breed.

Create your first breed

You can create one or multiple breeds using our website builder.

Enter the breed name into the Breed Title field and click the Publish button.

You have then created and published a breed.

In this screen you can also upload a main banner for the breed listing page.

All of these dogs will be listed on this page in alphabetical order using 

• their main image
• their pedigree name, titles and sometimes call name
• a small paragraph about them

You can also separate males and females and manually order the dogs on the breed listing page.

Now go back to the dashboard to finish the last step in your onboarding process.

Create and publish your first dog

Now you’ll be asked to create and publish your first dog.

You should have your dog’s pedigree as you’ll need to add the dog’s sire and dam at this stage.

When you’re in a dog edit page you will be able to create the following data for reuse over and over again on other dog pages.

• titles
• coat types
• owners
• breeders
• handlers
• other dogs (sire and dam)

Every time you create any of the above fields, they will be available to use on other dog pages.

For example, if you create a Champion title, it will be available for selection again.

You need to enter the following information to complete the dog’s page.

• pedigree name
• gender
• date of birth
• call name
• website dog
• informational text
• images
• certificates (health, awards etc)
• videos

Now you can return to the dashboard to complete the onboarding process.

Continue to the normal dashboard

Your dashboard is now activated.

The dashboard will help you build your dog breeder website.

You can use the pedigree helper to finish your dog’s pedigrees.

You should use the task list which will step you through completing your homepage, other sections and search engine optimisation.

Using the task list will help familiarise you with the website builder and to get the most out of your dog breeder website.

The dashboard consists of the following sections

• tasks
• pedigree helper
• manage sections and pages
• shortcuts
• all published pages
• all unpublished pages

Use the pedigree helper to build your first dog’s pedigree

Now you can either publish more dogs or finish your first dog’s pedigree.

We recommend finishing your first dog’s pedigree.

Each dog, whether that’s a dog published on your website or a dog that features in your pedigrees has its own page in Breedpost.

So when you start publishing your other dogs, it is likely you’ll have already created some of the dogs in their pedigrees already.

This makes it quicker and easier to build your other dogs’ pedigrees.

Using the pedigree helper you will now

• add parents to the sire and dam

• then add parents to the sire’s parents
• and then add parents to the dam’s parents

By following the pedigree helper, you’ll quickly complete your first dog’s pedigree.

Managing and publishing more dogs

Now that you’ve published one dog you may like to publish more.

There is a dedicated breed section available so you can

• manage the dogs
• view pedigrees
• search dogs

Navigate to the breeds section from the left hand sidebar and click on the breed that you previously created.

Your dogs are listed here and you can

• edit their pages
• view their individual website pages (if they’re a published dog)
• view their pedigrees

You can add another dog from this page.

You may already have created a dog that you’d like publish whilst building your first dog’s pedigree.

Simply click on that dog’s name and change their status to a Website dog.

Now that dog is published on your website and you can add their photos, certificates and informational text.

Continue publishing more dogs and using the pedigree helper on the dashboard to complete their pedigrees.

Managing and publishing more breeds 

In the manage breeds section you will be able to

• add a new breed
• add banners to your main breeds page
• edit the breeds label in your navigation and heading in your breed listing page

You can edit each main breed page so you can

• order the dogs on your breed listing page
• separate males and females
• order males and order females

Using the task list will help you create your dog breeder website

Now that you know everything about breeds and dogs, you should use the task list to move forward building your dog breeder website.

The task list is available from the dashboard and will add and remove items depending on what you need to do.

For example, now that there are published dogs, you have a task to feature those dogs on your homepage.

If you haven’t added a main breed banner, you will be instructed to do so.

Publish an About page 

Your about page is one of the most important pages on your dog breeder website.

Most of your visitors will read your about page, especially if they’re interested in engaging with you and your kennel.

You should spend some time constructing your about page content. 

Even if you don’t have some content ready, you should still create and publish your about page to move forward with building your website.

You may also publish an about section by publishing more than one about page.

For example, you could create an about section as follows

• About Us
• About the Breed (eg About Samoyeds)
• Kennel History
• Breeding Philosophy and Practices

We recommend having no more than six about pages, otherwise the section will become unwieldy.

You can easily manage information in your blog by utilising categories.

Your will have a task in your list. Simply click on the task to create your first about page.

Managing and publishing more About pages

You can manage your about page or pages from the About section in the Breedpost administration area.

You are able to

• add more about pages
• edit each about page URL
• edit about page menu labels
• change page statuses

Adding your about snippet and about link to your homepage

Now that you’ve published at least one about you may link to that page from your homepage.

This will help your visitors to quickly and easily find out more about you when they visit your dog breeder website.

You should also add your about text on your homepage.

It is important to craft some helpful information here so visitors understand at a glance who you are, what you do and what you can do for them.

By linking to the relevant about page your website visitors can then easily find further information about you if they so desire.

You should also consider search engine optimisation when crafting this text. 

Make sure you include information such as

• location
• registered and purebred dogs
• health checked
• show dogs, working dogs, obedience etc
• time involved in the breed or breeds

Update your contact page to help visitors contact you

On your dashboard one of your tasks will be to update your contact page.

This task won’t be completed until you have added some main text to the web page.

You should publish information so your visitors know the best way to contact you.

You may also 

• change the contact page header and menu label
• add a custom page banner (recommended)
• add your name, phone number, email address and physical address

Your name, phone, email and address will also display in your website’s footer with a link to your contact page.

How to activate your litter section and publish litter pages

The litters section consists of a main page which includes informational text and listing sections for upcoming, current and past litters.

You don’t need to promote litter announcements to activate your litter section.

All you need to do is add some informational text to the main litter page.

The main litter page is available from the main menu in the administration area.

Some information that you make like to publish on this page could be

• your breeding practices
• your breeding goals
• any policies

You should also include a link to your contact page.

We recommend not adding your contact information on this page. It may change and it’s best to keep the same type of information in one place - ie your contact page.

If you want to go into detail about your puppies and breeding we recommend using the blogging platform.

You can create a breeding or puppy category and publish your articles there.

You could then link to the blog category from your main litter page providing your website visitors with comprehensive and easy-to-find information.

Create and publish upcoming, current and past litters

From the litter section in the administration area you are able to add litter listings.

Each litter page has 

• litter name
• pedigree
• status (upcoming, current or past)
• date of birth
• informational text
• hero image
• multiple image galleries

When a litter is born all you need to do is change the litter status from upcoming to current.

And when the puppies have been placed in homes, you should then change the status from current to past.

Litters are listed on the main litter page under the three headings

• upcoming
• current
• past

It is recommended to create a litter category in your blog.

You can promote your litters by publishing blog posts about each litter.

Latest blog posts display on your homepage.

You should link to the relevant litter pages in your blog posts.

Activate and start publishing your blog

To activate your blog, all you need to do is create and publish one article.

You can do this from the Blog section in the administration area.

There are two types of blog posts.

A simple blog post consists of text and one image or an image gallery.

When you’re publishing a long blog post, it’s best to break it up into sections with media.

This makes it easier for visitors to read and scan.

The second blog post type is a sectional article which consists of multiple sections.

Each section contains text and an image. It is recommended that you select and use this type for your long articles.

Why should I start a blog?

Your blog could be the most important component of your dog breeder website.

There are five reasons dog breeders should start blogging.

• drive traffic to your site
• establish yourself as a leader and expert in your breed
• develop relationships with people who have the same interests
• helps to enhance your social media strategy
• share your expertise and knowledge

Consider publishing long blog posts to share your knowledge and expertise.

Long well crafted articles will significantly help to improve your website’s search engine optimisation.

Your latest blog posts will automatically display on your homepage. So publish regularly so your website doesn’t appear out-of-date to your visitors and to search engines.

What categories should I use on my blog?

Blog categories are managed in the Blog section in the administration area.

You can also create categories on-the-fly when editing a blog article.

You should organise your blog posts into broad categories. For example

• litters and puppies
• show news
• breed information
• obedience
• kennel updates

It all depends on what you’re going to blog about.

Each blog category has its own web page which lists the relevant articles.

Website visitors who are specifically interested in a particular topic can then view those articles separately.

This makes it quick and easy for them to find what they’re looking for.

How to activate your rehoming/available section and advertise older dogs

The rehoming section consists of a main page which includes informational text and a listing for dogs that are available for rehoming.

If you have older dogs occasionally available you can activate this section simply by adding informational text to the main page.

You may like to discuss

• rehoming practices
• link to other pages which may offer rescue dogs
• general information to help your visitors.

How to publish pages for older dogs that are available

Now that the main section is activated you can now start publishing older dogs that are available.

Each advertised dog will have its own web page on your dog breeder website.

Each dog will be listed on the main page with 

• hero image
• title and text snippet
• read more button

You should also link to your contact page on these pages to make it easy for your visitors to inquire about the dog.

How to activate your gallery

We recommend activating your dog breeder website gallery because visitors love looking at photos of dogs.

The gallery consists of albums.

Each album contains unlimited photos.

You could organise your albums by themes. For example

• puppy photos
• dog show photos
• fun photos

To activate your gallery section, simply create an album.

Each album consists of

• custom page banner
• album title and description
• unlimited photos

How to publish and manage your dog show results

The dog show results system publishes results and critiques to individual dog page.

You may also use it to keep a record of

• individual dog results
• results individual judges have awarded
• results from individual dog shows over time

You do not have to publish every result that you create but you can have it in the system as a historical record.

How to create a dog club and dog show

First you need to create a club and then add a show to that club.

Once you have a dog show created, you can then add each of your dogs’ results to that show.

A dog club consists of

• title
• location

Add the club from the Show Results section in the administration area.

Back in the main show results page in the admin area you can now add a show to that club.

Clubs consist of the following

• date(s)
• other (forms part of the show name)
• judges

How to add a dog show result to the dog show

Back in the Manage show results administration page you can now add a result to that dog show.

Dog show results consist of the following

• dog
• website publish or not
• 5 results where you apply judges to each result
• image gallery
• critique where you apply a judge to the critique

Each published dog show result has its own web page.

After you start publishing dog results a resutls listing will display on their individual web page.

The listings each link to the individual dog show result pages.

If you have published any critiques, they will also appear on the relevant dog pages in a critique section automatically.

Managing sections and main navigation

You can manage each section of your dog breeder website from the Site Sections page in the administration area.

You are able to edit the main navigation label from the Site Sections page.

You can edit the URL of your main sections.

For example, you may like to rename your Blog to News.

Or may like to rename Litters to Nursery or Rehoming to Available.

Improving your website’s search engine optimisation

Publishing regular high quality content will improve your dog breeder website’s search engine results.

This is why you should utilise our blogging platform not only to engage your visitors but to also improve your search engine optimisation.

Your task list on the dashboard administration page will drip feed you reminders about pages that need SEO titles and descriptions.

Optimising your web pages with SEO titles and descriptions can also improve your listing results.

In the administration area there is an SEO section which lists all of your published pages and their SEO titles and descriptions.

This provides you with a quick view of pages that are missing SEO titles and descriptions.

You can also edit and SEO titles and descriptions from this admin page.

Connecting your own domain name to your built in domain

We’ve been building a dog breeder website step-by-step using a built in Breedpost domain name.

You can certainly continue using this name but you really should purchase your own unique top-level domain.

Then all you need to do is point your domain to your built in Breedpost domain.

This is a simple task and carried in your domain registrar settings.

Conclusion

If you’ve walked through each of the steps and followed the tasks in your dashboard you should now have a fully functional dog breeder website.

Don’t forget to update your content regularly to avoid your website looking stale and unloved.

We here at Breedpost are always adding new features to our dog breeder website builder.

We appreciate and encourage feedback from dog breeders and show dog exhibitors to help us improve the system.

Remember your website will look great but we make sure it’s super easy to manage and update as well!