Why Does SEO Matter For Your Campground?

Search Engine Optimization—or SEO—is a term that sounds scary at first, but is simple when you break it down. It’s the process of optimizing your online content (campground website, blog or otherwise) for search engine algorithms like Google’s. Search engine algorithms are what look at all the content on the web, and lay it out on the search engine results pages. This is where your RV Park will get found, or be lost in the world of “second page and beyond.” Your campground’s SEO efforts are what determines your SERP (search engine results page) ranking, and consequently, determines how “findable” you are online to your guests.

Still confused? SEO is the process of tweaking your campground website, blog and other online content so that Google, Bing and other search engines will put you at the top of the search results page when customers start looking for you online.

Basic SEO terms

SERP

Stands for Search Engine Results Page. The list of results that search engines formulate and present to the user after a search is done. Your SERP rank is where your RV Park website/content appears on the list of results.

Backlink

When one webpage hyperlinks to another website; very popular in blogging and creative writing. The more backlinks your campground website gets, the better your SERP rank!

Keyword

A word or phrase that a consumer enters in a search. Your website and content should be optimized to draw in the consumers who are searching for specific keywords. E.g. “best campground in San Antonio.”

Metadata

Data that tells the search engines what your web page/content is about. This helps the search engine algorithms know if your content is relevant to what the person is looking for.

Why does SEO matter to my campground?

If you’re thinking “well, that doesn’t matter for my campground,” then you’re wrong! Optimizing your website and blog content with the right metadata meta data and other SEO factors will be massively beneficial to your RV Park.

If you play your SEO cards right, it will get your park found when customers ask Google and Bing about things relevant to your campground. If you’re a campground in San Antonio, SEO can help you be seen whether local Texans are searching “www.yourcampground.com (you)” or “best campground in San Antonio,” or even “where should I stay in San Antonio?”!

Here are the four biggest reasons you should care about SEO, no matter what your business is.

Traffic

If one person types in “best campground in San Antonio” into Google, and your RV Park is at the top, then they’re likely going to click on your name. But there isn’t just one person Googling that term—there are thousands. Each person who clicks on your park name from Google is another boost to your website traffic and more potential business and sales for you! Hello SEO, hello more traffic, hello higher revenue!

Offering helpful solutions for customers

Optimizing your content for specific keywords like “campground amenities” or “best campground for my kids” means that when a customer goes to Google to find answers to their questions, they’ll find you. Creating a name for yourself in your industry as a helpful, informative brand will improve your reputation, and get more customers flocking your way!

SEO makes marketing easier (and cheaper)

If a customer can find you at the top of Google by typing in “best campground in San Antonio,” then why would you need to pay for ad space at the top of the page? SEO is what determines where your RV Park appears on Google, so optimizing your content for the search engines just makes sense when it comes to where you spend your marketing dollars.

Don’t give business to your competitors

Still not sure why you should use SEO? Well here’s a big one—if you don’t implement SEO tactics for your campground, then it’s your competitors who will be found when local customers go looking. Someone has to be on the top page of Google, right? If you’re not employing SEO tactics for your business, then it will be your competitors who show up when your potential customer turns to Google for advice and answers.

Search Engine Optimization is important to consider when creating and publishing any kind of online content—whether it’s your campground website, blog or otherwise. The better your RV Park gets at optimizing your content for SEO, the more likely you are to be seen online, and the more business you’ll get to your campground!