Pet Brands Organic Search Benchmarking Report 2025

Pet ownership in the UK has never been higher, and spending on pets continues to grow year after year. But which brands are actually capturing that demand online?

At Bubblegum Search, we analysed 20 leading UK pet brands to see who’s winning, and who’s missing out, in organic search and Google’s new AI Overviews. The results highlight a split in the market: while some brands are balancing brand loyalty with content-led discovery, others are leaving huge opportunities on the table.

Executive Summary

• Traffic Leaders: Animed, Pooch & Mutt, and Butternut Box each attract 100k+ monthly visits from Google UK.
• Brand vs. Generic: Barking Heads relies on branded searches for 80% of its traffic, while Pooch & Mutt drives growth through non-branded visibility.
• Authority vs. Traffic: Royal Canin has the strongest domain rating (DR 83) but only mid-pack traffic, proving that backlinks alone don’t guarantee visits.
• AI Overviews: Royal Canin and Pooch & Mutt lead the pack for Google AI Overview citations, with Untamed punching well above its weight.
• Strategic Takeaway: Pet brands need a balanced strategy – invest in both brand awareness and content-led discovery, build authoritative backlinks, and optimise for AI-driven search.

Introduction

The UK pet sector in 2025 is one of the fastest-growing digital markets. Pet owners aren’t just buying food and toys online; they’re also searching for training advice, health guidance, and recommendations. Ranking high in Google is a direct route to visibility and revenue.

But search is evolving. With Google’s AI Overviews now appearing in 30-50% of queries, brands can no longer just fight for “blue links.” Being cited as a source in AI answers is the new frontier for authority and trust.

This report benchmarks 20 UK pet brands across traffic, branded vs non-branded visibility, backlink authority, and AI search presence, highlighting who’s winning and what it means.

Methodology

• Scope: 20 prominent UK pet brands spanning food, supplements, e-commerce, and services.
• Data sources: Ahrefs, proprietary analysis, and AI Overview monitoring (Q3 2025 snapshot).
• Metrics analysed:
  
  • Organic traffic (UK)
  • Ranking keywords
  • Branded vs. non-branded share
  • Top keywords (sample)
  • Domain Rating (DR) and referring domains
  • AI Overview citations

Key Findings

Organic Traffic Leaders

Observation

• Animed: Tops traffic charts (138k monthly visits) despite modest DR 41, proving niche focus (pet meds) can outperform global brands.
• Pooch & Mutt & Butternut Box: Balance authority with strong keyword breadth, showing the value of consistent content investment.
• Key takeaway: Content depth and relevance can beat raw authority when aligned with high-intent searches.

Branded vs. Non-Branded Visibility

Insight

• Discovery-led brands (e.g. Pooch & Mutt, Untamed): Win reach by ranking for thousands of non-branded keywords, but must work harder on retention and repeat purchase.
• Brand-led brands (e.g. Barking Heads, Lily’s Kitchen): Benefit from loyalty and high recognition, but risk slower growth by missing new search audiences.
• Balanced approach (e.g. Animed, Lords & Labradors): Strongest long-term strategy, capturing awareness and loyalty while smoothing out traffic volatility.

Backlink Authority

Observation

• Royal Canin: Strongest backlink profile (12.5k referring domains, DR 83) but only mid-pack traffic.
• Butternut Box & Pooch & Mutt: Lower DR but far higher traffic, driven by broader keyword targeting and content strength.
• Key takeaway: Links support rankings, but keyword coverage and topical depth drive traffic growth.

AI Overview Presence

Takeaway: AI Overviews are being fuelled by a mix of informational content and third-party mentions. Blogs and guides help, but Google’s AI often cites sources like Reddit threads, YouTube videos, LinkedIn posts, and review sites such as G2. Brands with both a strong content base and a visible presence across these external ecosystems are the ones showing up most often. Thin e-commerce sites with little authority, conversation, or community presence remain almost invisible.

Correlation Analysis: What Separates Leaders from Laggards

When we compared the top three brands (Animed, Pooch & Mutt, Butternut Box) with the bottom three (George Barclay, Arden Grange, Cat in a Flat), clear patterns emerged across every major metric:

Correlation Summary

Traffic leaders don’t just rely on one factor. They succeed by combining:

• Broad keyword coverage
• Balanced branded vs non-branded traffic
• Mid-to-strong authority with steady link growth
• Frequent off-site mentions and AI citations

Meanwhile, laggards typically fail on at least two of these dimensions: too little keyword coverage, too heavy reliance on brand traffic, or too weak a link profile.

Implications

1. Traffic is skewed. A few brands dominate by covering more keyword territory.
2. Two strategies exist. Brand-led vs content-led, but the most resilient brands blend both.
3. Links matter, but not alone. Authority supports visibility, but targeted content wins searches.
4. AI search is here. Visibility now means being quoted by Google’s AI, not just ranking.
5. Content is the common denominator. Informational, structured, updated content feeds traffic, authority, and AI presence.

Recommendations

• Balance branded + non-branded strategy. Optimise for both loyal customers and new searchers.
• Invest in AI-friendly content. FAQs, clear answers, structured guides.
• Pursue digital PR. Earn quality links from news outlets, pet blogs, and veterinary sites.
• Track branded search demand. Use growth as a signal of marketing impact.
• Continuously update content. Keep guides, comparisons, and advice fresh.
• Don’t neglect the basics. Technical SEO and site speed still underpin everything.

Conclusion

Organic search for pet brands in 2025 is a tale of two approaches: brand-led loyalty vs content-led discovery. The strongest players combine both while also preparing for the next battleground: AI search visibility.

Brands that invest now in balanced content strategies, authority building, and AI optimisation will not only compete with today’s leaders but also future-proof themselves as search evolves. At Bubblegum Search, we help brands uncover these opportunities – get in touch to see how your brand compares.