We have some exciting news to share! Best Bark has officially been named a finalist in the Digital & Creative Excellence category for the Belfast Chamber Business Awards 2026.
It is a huge moment for us, and a very welcome bit of recognition after what has been a massive year of growth, hard work, and building behind the scenes.
This was a joint entry, recognising the combination of Best Bark’s creative content and growing digital platform, alongside the technical strategy, development and search expertise behind it from our digital GEKKOSHOT.
From a Local Guide to an Ireland Wide Discovery Platform
Best Bark started with a simple problem.
Dog friendly information was scattered across Google, social media and individual business websites. Details were often outdated, unclear or difficult to find.
We wanted to make it easier for dog owners to find genuinely dog friendly places, trusted services, events and better days out with their dogs.
Since then, Best Bark has grown from a Northern Ireland platform into an Ireland wide dog friendly discovery platform, with more than 1,000 businesses now listed across the island.
The response from our community has been incredible, and the numbers behind the scenes show just how much demand there is for reliable, curated dog friendly spots:
- 20,000+ followers now part of our social community
- Nearly 2 million content views across our channels since January
- 14,000 unique website visits and 26,000 page views in a single 30 day period
The Engine Behind the Creative Content
The creative side of Best Bark is easy to see.
Our reels, guides, café visits, dog friendly stays, events and local content are what most people interact with day to day.
Behind that sits a much wider digital strategy. A huge amount of effort goes into the less visible side of the business.
Working alongside GEKKOSHOT, We’ve invested heavily in:
- Technical SEO and search strategy to make sure our listed businesses show up when dog owners actively search online.
- AI discovery so Best Bark stays ahead of how modern search engines recommend local places.
- Platform development to ensure the website remains fast, intuitive, and genuinely useful for both owners and venues.
That work has helped Best Bark build strong visibility across traditional search and newer AI powered discovery.
As the way people search continues to change, our focus is making sure Best Bark remains easy to find and genuinely useful wherever dog owners begin their search.
Our growth hasn’t been accidental. It has come from combining engaging, creative storytelling with a very deliberate digital strategy.
A Joint Effort
This nomination means a lot because it recognises both sides of the work.
Best Bark brings the audience insight, creative direction, content and community.
GEKKOSHOT provides the technical and digital expertise needed to support that growth and keep the platform moving forward.
That combination has allowed us to build something much bigger than a social media page or simple directory.
What Comes Next
Our next focus is continuing to grow Best Bark across Ireland, building stronger local coverage, deeper tourism partnerships and a platform that remains useful to both dog owners and businesses.
Our partnership with Visit Belfast has already shown us the potential for Best Bark within dog friendly tourism, and we want to build on that across the island.
There is still a lot we want to do, which makes this recognition feel particularly well timed.
Thank You to Our Community
We wouldn’t be here without the incredible support around us.
A massive thank you to every dog owner who uses the site, shares our posts, recommends a spot, or trusts our guides for a weekend day out. To the hundreds of local businesses, partners, and directory listings who work with us, thank you for believing in us and building a better dog friendly culture alongside us.
And of course, a big thank you to the GEKKOSHOT team for the technical and digital work happening behind the scenes.
We’re very proud to see Best Bark x GEKKOSHOT recognised together in the Digital & Creative Excellence category.
Fingers crossed for award night!
