How our local pet shop is different to Pet Circle.
The Petfood Warehouse is a very different business to Pet Circle, very different.
Hi, my name is John, I am the owner of The Petfood Warehouse. My local small business is based in Warrawong, NSW. This business is vital for my family and those who work here and we all live locally.
Part of our business is our website, www.thepetfoodwarehouse.com.au. This helps us reach more people.
Recently, we noticed that the giant Pet Circle company was targeting us with a Google Ad that uses the name of my business.
The headline of one Pet Circle ad says: The Petfood Warehouse – Fast Delivery + Free Shipping.
The headline of another Pet Circle ad says: Petfood Warehouse | Low-Priced Pet Food Online
If you click on either ad it takes you to the Pet Circle website.
I can understand how a shopper may think they are shopping at The Petfood Warehouse when they click on the link. The headline suggests that it is an ad for The Petfood Warehouse and the ad presents when you do a Google search for The Petfood Warehouse. But this is actually an ad for Pet Circle.
Pet Circle is a very different business. It’s certainly not the local small business serving Warrawong and the Illawarra area like The Petfood Warehouse.
I’m not saying Pet Circle is a bad business. But, I am raising a concern that they are paying to use the name of a competitor of theirs in an apparent move to see people looking for that business to shop at Pet Circle.
In my opinion, it sucks that Google permits this type of advertising, where a competitor uses the name of another business in a headline for an add to effectively pass the ad off as being for the other business.
I am all for competition, fair competition. Local small businesses do not have the marketing budget for expensive Google campaigns. I think any Google ad that uses the name of a competitor to divert eyeballs and clicks is unfair and inappropriate.
Maybe the best way for businesses that squat on another competitor’s business name like this is to click on their ads. A higher ad spend for no revenue will soon get the attention of those in control of their ad budget.
Here at The Petfood Warehouse we are committed to providing you with quality petfood you will love giving to your pets and that they will love eating. We understand that price is important. We work hard to give you the best value possible.
Being a local small business is challenging. We are doing the best we can to serve you.
Thank you for your support. It means a lot.
Cheers & Stay Safe
John