How is my ranking in the search results determined?

How is the ranking determined?

DogBuddy aims to help dog owners find their perfect dog sitter easily and quickly, as well as offering dog sitters the chance to do what they love!

In order to do this sitters are ranked in the search results for each area using a complex dynamic formula, which takes into account many factors of the dog sitter's listing and their performance. The aim of this formula is to promote the best sitters for a specific search, and to help owners find the perfect dog sitter for their dog.

The factors that are taken into consideration to rank the listings are the following:

• Attractiveness of your listing Having many attractive photos and a full description.

• Response rate The percentage of the booking requests that you've responded to

• Response time How long it takes you on average to respond to a new request.

• Number of bookings and number of return customers The more completed bookings you have through DogBuddy - especially the number of customers who decided to rebook with you - are both strong indicators that you did a good job!

• Number of reviews and review rating We ask dog owners to leave a review after every completed booking with you.

• Other factors such as availability for recent Enquiries or bookings. 

If you've declined many bookings recently we assume that you're not currently available, and we promote sitters who are looking to take more bookings.

Please note:

• Many new sitters are promoted temporarily to higher positions in search results for a few days after becoming active, to gain a little extra exposure to potential new customers.

• The ranking may change every day, since it's not something fixed - it depends on a sitter's activity and performance over time.

• Owners can also choose to sort sitters by proximity or reviews, in which case the formula's weight decreases.

What can I do to improve my ranking?
If you want to rank higher in the search results you can:

• Always reply to every message and booking request you receive within 4 hours.

• Keep all the bookings and transactions on DogBuddy, so you can get more reviews and repeat customers.

• Remember to update your calendar regularly (at least every two weeks) so you don't have to reject any bookings.

You can help gain extra bookings by sharing your unique DogBuddy listing link on social networks and with dog owners you already know from the park or your area.