Why DIY Digital Marketing and Websites Are Risky Business for Vets in 2025

Confession time.

I’m a typical example of a highly capable person who thinks she can and should do everything herself.

I set high standards, I like to be in control, and I’ve always had confidence in my ability to figure out creative solutions to complex problems.

But the hard knocks collected over 30+ years as a business owner have painfully taught me that trying to DIY everything is a fast track to creating rather than solving problems.

It took me more than a few years to learn.

In my early days in business, I dabbled in accounting and bookkeeping, business development, business administration, project management and graphic design. Oh, how I was going to change the world!

What happened?

The outcome was way, way below the standard the business deserved, and I took my eye off the things I am actually good at.

Take-home message.

Even the most capable, resourceful people need help.

This is especially true in the world of websites and digital marketing.

In 2025, it’s oh so tempting for capable vets to dive headlong into DIY marketing.

It’s a chance to flex your rusty and underused creative muscle and there are seemingly endless tools like Canva, cheap offshore freelancers and even ChatGPT, that make marketing your vet practice look and sound ‘so easy’.

Who wouldn’t jump at the promise of a beautiful website in a few clicks, and social media content that practically writes itself?

But easy doesn’t mean results.

And sub-optimal results take your clinic backwards while your competitor moves forwards.

Ouch.

The digital landscape is crowded and competitive, and the noise goes up every year.

To stand out and grow in 2025 and beyond, you need more than a pretty website design and a few social media posts. You need a custom, strategic and high-performance marketing engine powering your growth.

Creating this engine requires deep technical skill, platform knowledge, design intelligence, content expertise, and most of all, a master strategy tailored to your specific practice.

Even the most capable person can’t pick up these skills in an afternoon. To become a master requires full-time dedication.

At Specialist Vet Marketing, every member of our team works full-time in their specialist area.

I live and breathe strategy.

Our content writers are seasoned veterinary storytellers.

Our designers, developers, SEO experts and project managers are professionals with years of full-time experience in their chosen field.

What we do is complex, and doing it well is not a DIY exercise.

When vets try to DIY their marketing, a few common problems arise, especially in busy urban or competitive markets:

• Underperforming or outdated websites: Your website might look OK, but if it’s not converting visitors into clients, it’s just window dressing.
• SEO gaps: If you’re not found on Google and the emerging AI search engines, you’re invisible to your ideal clients and referring vets.
• Ineffective ad campaigns: We’ve seen clients waste thousands on Google Ads that weren’t targeted properly, wrong location, wrong keywords, and no tracking.
• Over-reliance on social: It’s easy to get caught up in likes and followers, but social media alone won’t fill your appointment book or build lasting referral relationships.
• Inconsistent branding and design: This erodes trust and makes you look less professional than you really are. (More about the power of brand here)
• Incomplete websites/ latin text: This is something we often see with DIY websites. Your market assumes you lack attention to detail in all things and leave the website.
• Time costs: Every hour you spend fiddling with design, writing blogs, or adjusting ad budgets is time you miss leading your team or delivering exceptional care.

Working with a specialist veterinary marketing team doesn’t just save time, it delivers results. Here’s what you gain:

• Tailored strategy: We design marketing plans that reflect the unique needs of both general practices and complex referral or specialist services. In short, we target the right audience with the right message via the right channels.
• Execution at speed and scale: Do something full-time and you get good at creating high-quality outcomes fast. Our team integrates everything from your website to analytics to your business systems quickly and professionally.
• Data-driven decisions: With the right tracking in place, we are agile and responsive, optimising and strategising based on what actually works.
• Ongoing momentum: Marketing isn’t set-and-forget. Our team is in the trenches every week creating new content and making sure you are in front of your market.

One long-term client created a DIY website and managed their marketing for years.

And to be fair, they’d done a decent job.

But what worked a few years ago was seriously outdated by 2025.

Handing over control wasn’t easy for them, but the result? Like night and day.

Their practice is filled with ideal clients, they’re busier than ever, and have time to focus on what they love and do best.

Another client tried to save on management fees by DIYing their Google Ads.

Unfortunately, the ads were completely misconfigured, wrong geography, wrong keywords, and zero tracking.

They were spending money and only getting the odd unhelpful enquiry in return.

Once we stepped in and rebuilt the campaign professionally, ideal clients started to fill the waiting room.

At Specialist Vet Marketing, we exist to help both general practices and specialist or referral vets stand out and grow with confidence.

We know veterinary practice inside out, and we know marketing inside out, both clinically and commercially.

Our team brings the expertise, energy, and systems to deliver real, measurable growth.

So if you’re still wearing all the hats, this is your invitation to stop doing it all alone.

Hand over the marketing to a team that truly understands your world, and focus on what you do best: delivering exceptional veterinary care.

Need help with your Google Ads? See our Veterinary Advertising Services.
Curious about SEO for your clinic? Read about SEO for Vet practices.
Explore how we help Specialist and Referral Vets grow sustainably.