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W.T.H. is a fake dog blog?
Clue, we're not one of em (we'd be idiots to right about this topic if we were after all).
A fake dog blog is a blog SOLELY created out of a greed - or to say it more politely - to make profit out of your unsuspecting attention.
Like most humans on earth, you've likely turned to the web for advice on caring for your dog.
Unfortunately, this could be a misleading practice. If you're not careful, you could find yourself taking sketchy advice from fake dog blogs.
Never heard of them?
Well, you've probably visited dozens of them as they're everywhere!
Kind of creepy actually.
Learn more about the how's and why's of this dog blogging conundrum.
What's a Fake Dog Blog To Begin With??
A fake dog blog is a blog created SOLELY to bring in revenue via affiliate payouts and advertising money.
Blogging for profit has become increasingly popular over the past decade - especially in certain niches such as home and garden, cooking, survival gear, and pets.
However, pet blogging absolutely sky rocketed a few years ago when Internet marketers (selling courses, of course) began bragging about how easy and lucrative the space is. (Great Amazon affiliate payouts (8% at the time), easy keywords to target, etc)
Voila! A bandwagon of fake dog blogs were born, seemingly overnight it seems.
Why Are They Considered "Fake"?
There's different levels of "fake" when comparing blogs that fall in this category.
There's "kind-of-sort-of fake", "somewhat fake", "very fake", and "super-duper" fake.
But usually all share the same underlying mantra - they were created solely for profit vs. passion.
And as for the fake part - here's a breakdown: (from most egregious to least)
- FAKE persona - not a real person in the "about us" section - just posing as one - stock images are commonly used
- FAKE credentials - could be a real "person" but not a topic expert with much or any experience on the topic
- FAKE content - mostly outsourced "low quality" content aimed at high volume keywords or affiliate income potential (note: the content itself usually has some truth, though the intention for being there is usually always 100% fake.)
Why Do Fake Blogs Exist?
Because there's a market for it.
According to cnbc.com, Americans spent over $99 billion on pet care in 2020. About 53% of American pet parents have at least one dog.
This means there are 63.4 million dog owners in the U.S. alone searching for info about their best friends.
Fake dog bloggers know this. They simply buy cheap content with good keyword potential, set up affiliate links / ads - and they're ready to bring in undeserved revenue from their low-quality content.
5 Easy Ways To Spot a Fake Dog Blog
# 1 - The "About Us" Page -
Fake dog bloggers usually hide behind a fake persona consisting of a stock image and some lame story about growing up with dogs.. yada, yada.
It's usually easy to to pick these out simply by going through the site or Facebook, YouTube page to look for evidence of more sightings of this individual.
If absolutely ZERO can be found, you're likely looking at a fake persona.
Legitimate dog blogs want to personally connect with you, the dog parent. Offering a short biography or story about who they are helps the reader know the authors are for real.
A Typical "About Us" Page:
More Social "Proof": YouTube Channel / Instagram / Pinterest / ETC...
Finally, we launched a YouTube channel.... More to come soon!
# 2 - Website contains tons of "random" categories:
Most dog blogs have some kind of consistency to them. Sometimes there's a focus on one specific breed.
Others are focused on dog nutrition or training methods.
However, if you spot a blog with strangely different categories, it should be a blaring red flag.
If you find the site writing about "best dog beds for Pit-Bulls", then "best hair clippers for Poodles" - you're almost certainly on a "fake" dog blog.
Mostly "random" articles
# 3 - Website contains "absurd" advice:
Not only is strange advice unethical, but it's also dangerous to our dogs.
Fake dog blogs don't care. They just want to the web traffic.
Creating strange content or odd advice piques the interest of dog lovers everywhere.
By posing as dog experts, fake blog writers can repost or create interesting fake fixes to common pet parent problems - resulting in more clicks and revenue for fake dog blogs.
An example of these "weird" topics would be articles such as "How many nipples does a male dog have?".
TIP: Many fake websites target "Can Dog's Eat.....?" articles
Or, "Is it safe to give my dog popcorn?"
I mean, seriously?
Is it really necessary to devote entire articles on these questions that can be answered with a few words?
For the fake blogger, it definitely is - they're targeting these "easy" high volume keywords to bring unknowing web searchers to their site.
If you read strange health advice about caring for your fur babies, be sure to fact check with a known legitimate source. Sites like aaha.org and avma.org provide resources for accurate information.
Absurd or "shocking" advice simply to attract interest
# 4 - Dramatically advertising "miracle products"
Buy this product and your dog will never bark again!
This miracle dog food will prevent all shedding.
Our magical toenail trimmer that your Shiba will adore!
These claims are obviously outrageous! Any blog pushing miracle products should raise concerns. This is another way fake dog blogs get more clicks and, as a result, more profit.
Because of this, fake dog blogs articles are usually quite dramatic.
If every post is anxiety-inducing, beware. Fake dog blog creators will find trending dog products and capitalize on them.
Playing on the emotional responses of dog parents is a classic scammer tactic.
Approach blogs about hot button issues with a critical eye and you should be able to tell real from fake.
A sure-fire way to spot a fake blog: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Not every fake dog blog is this easy to spot, but looking for the clues mentioned in this article will help in spotting the fakes.
Peddling products that make grandiose claims
# 5 - Website contains tons of "BEST OF" review articles
Fake dog blogs usually have tons of "Best of" posts to generate affiliate income.
"Best dog beds for Labradors", "Best tough toys for German Shepherds". You get the picture...
How can a single dog blog be so knowledgeable about all of these products for multiple dog breeds?
Most likely, they're not.
Most fake dog blogs hire writers to drum up multiple review articles without ever even touching any of the products they're reviewing.
So if a site has oodles of reviews with "best of" articles for multiple dog breeds - be wary.
However, it's important to distinguish affiliate marketing in fake blogs from affiliate marketing in legit blogs (like yours truly).
There's nothing wrong with affiliate marketing if done honestly in a way that'll help the website's audience find good products that'll meet their needs and solves their problems.
Affiliate income is a great way for bloggers to create revenue that'll support their site, their time, and their cause.
Many well known and reputable bloggers use affiliate income to make honest careers out of their true passions.
However, when earning affiliate income becomes the goal at the expense of good content, good intent, and true passion, that becomes a problem.
Lots of "Best Of" articles for various dog breeds
Final Thoughts
Now that you've read about fake dog blogs and how to spot them, trust your instincts.
If the blog your reading seems like it's void of passion or compassion, find a new dog blog.
Legitimate dog blog writers genuinely care about canines - and actually have knowledge on the articles they put forth to their audience.
They want what's best for dogs and their parents.
I created My First Shiba Inu 6 years ago to share my passion, experience, and knowledge of a dog breed that I've adored and worked with for almost two decades.
At that time, there weren't many comprehensive websites on the Shiba Inu, so I decided to to create one myself - learning and enjoying the process along the way.
Monetizing the site was never my top priority.
My main priority was doing my best to create the best site I could with the limited resources and time I had.
In fact for the first 5 years, the handful of ads I had here and there on the site made me less than $350 - even though my hosting / security fees costs nearly $585 per year!
Thankfully affiliate income was a tad bit better to help with balancing costs and provide revenue to slowly grow the site.
Since I had experience in online retail sales (jewelry) at the time I started My First Shiba - I envisioned eventually creating Shiba Inu products to sell on the website once the site got some traction.
That finally materialized a year or so ago when I created Kawaii Shiba Co. to sell my first few Shiba Inu products - plush dolls and bandanas.
While not an overnight success, sales have slowly been plugging along allowing me to slowly add team members to help with site management and social media accounts.
Whenever possible, we've been donating our products to Shiba Inu charities and rescues around the U.S.
Hopefully by learning this, you'll see that we pass all the "fake" blog criteria set forth here.
Fake blogs truly annoy us.
Why?
Because they make it so so much harder for smaller blogs like us to reach the audience that could truly benefit from the content OF our website.
So do us a solid. Take the knowledge you learned from this article to spot the fakes and spread the word to others.
We are genuinely passionate about Shiba Inus and our Shibas Inu COMMUNITY!!
Thanks for visiting Myfirstshiba.com! We do our very best in providing our readers with awesome content about our beloved Shiba Inu breed. Some of our articles include reviews and recommendations to our favorite products. We do occasionally earn commissions from certain affiliate links that help support our work and mission. Thanks again for visiting. Shiba Kisses To All!