2023 Pet Owner Content Trends & What They Mean for Your Practice in 2024

Name: Veterinary Care
Brand: GeniusVets

2023 was a big year for content. We saw changes in reader behavior and preferences, increased use of paradigm-shifting tools like AI writers, and more Google algorithm updates than anyone expected throughout the year. But despite all of these changes in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, 2023 continued to be another successful year for GeniusVets’ content.

In 2023, the GeniusVets team published thousands of new content resources across our pet care blogs, resource libraries, and veterinary marketing blogs. In total, our blogs reached over 2 million people last year, but we had a few stand-out content pieces from our pet care information blog that truly shined. Let’s take a look at GeniusVets’ top-performing pet care content of 2023.

GeniusVets’ Top 10 Pet Care Blogs of 2023

Pet owners are diving into blogs about understanding and improving their pet's mental health and wellbeing.

What We Learned From 2023 Content Trends

Today’s pet owners are not the same as they were five or ten years ago, and the types, volumes, and topics of content they’re looking to consume have changed drastically. That’s why taking time to audit and analyze content performance is crucial to delivering the right topics to your clients through the right channels.

The content topics and the ways in which pet owners consume content can also offer valuable insights into their needs and wants when it comes to pet care. So, without further ado, let’s dive into what we can learn from our top-performing pet owner content from 2023.

Cat and Dog Focused Content Remains On Top

It’s no surprise that cat and dog-focused content dominated our top 10 blogs of 2023. In fact, dogs and cats are the two most popular types of pets in the United States; Forbes reports that 65.1 million U.S. households own a dog, and 46.5 million households own a cat.

But this doesn’t mean you should count out content for other animal types! While there always has been – and likely always will be – demand for information about dog and cat care and wellbeing, the demand for care content for other animal types has risen over the past few years. Between 2011 and 2016, there was a 25% increase in exotic pet ownership in the U.S – as the number of exotic pet owners increases, so will the demand for reliable content!

Pet Parents Are Going Beyond Physical Care

From the success of blogs like “8 Signs of Separation Anxiety in Cats And What to Do About Them” and “How to Spot the Personality Differences Between Male and Female Cats,” it’s apparent that pet parents are venturing beyond the basics of physical care. This shift signifies a profound change in the way we perceive and nurture the wellbeing of our canine, feline, and exotic companions.

Long gone are the days of pet owners only being concerned with scratches or mysterious bumps on their furry friends; better understanding and improving pet mental health and wellbeing has become an ever-increasing priority for pet owners around the world. Some owners even take things a step further and work toward understanding their own pet’s unique preferences and how to safely integrate them into their care, as evidenced by the popularity of “My Kitty Wants to Be an Outdoor Cat: What Do I Do?!”

Owners Want to be Informed Before They Enter Your Clinic

In today’s “always-on” information-rich world, pet owners have started to look to veterinarians and veterinary professionals for more than just routine veterinary services and are looking to their vets for guidance outside of the traditional clinic setting. Pet owners want to be able to do some of their own research and get up to speed on potential diagnoses so that they can better advocate for their pets when they get to your office and better follow your care instructions at home. It's not just about visits anymore — it's about empowering pet owners with the information they need for a proactive approach to their pet's wellbeing.

Blogs like “7 Ways to Tell If Your Cat is in Pain - Some May Surprise You! - Some May Surprise You!,” “Matting in Cats,” and “How to Spot an Ear Infection In Your Dog” highlight that pet owners are actively looking to be better educated to provide the best possible care to their pets – which leads us into our next trend…

Prevention content was top performing in 2023.

“Prevention” Was the Word of the Year

Looking at all of our top-performing blogs as a whole, one word comes to mind as an overarching theme of what pet owners are prioritizing: “prevention.” Pet owners are investing more time and money into keeping their pets healthy and safe, and when they can rely on you and your practice to provide reliable and trustworthy information for preventative care and identification of serious symptoms, they’ll be more likely to spend their time and money with your practice, both online and in-person.

Why Content Matters for Veterinary Marketing – Especially in 2024

In a world where pet care information is available just about anywhere via “Dr.Google,” but discerning and vetting it is crucial, content marketing serves as the bridge between veterinary practices and pet owners.

High-quality, informative content not only positions practices as authorities in the field but also fosters trust and loyalty among existing and potential clients. Not only that, content marketing allows practices to communicate their expertise, showcase their commitment to pet wellbeing, and address the concerns of pet owners. Through blogs, social media posts, and other forms of content, practices can establish a meaningful connection with their audience, ultimately driving client engagement and retention. This new level of engagement can lead to the attraction of new clients and retention and relationship-building with existing clients – both crucial factors for practice growth.

Step Up Your Content Game in 2024

By embracing these trends and leveraging the power of content marketing, practices can meet pet owners' evolving needs and thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape. If you're an independent practice owner or manager looking to climb the ranks and beat out the competition, implementing a robust and consistent content strategy is a must. But, like most things in marketing, that’s way easier said than done.

HubSpot estimates that it takes most marketers between 1 and 2 hours to write a blog post, but for veterinary professionals who are much more comfortable holding a scalpel or syringe than a pen, that time could double. But don't worry; we have a solution for that.

GeniusVets has created the most extensive libraries of veterinary service information pages and pet care blogs in existence, and your practice can tap into the power of these curated and SEO-optimized pieces to raise your site authority, attract new clients, and keep existing clients coming back for more.

Ready to step up your content game in 2024? Get in touch with one of our veterinary marketing experts to learn more about our Content Library offerings.

GeniusVets Contributor