What should I budget for an RV park website in 2026?
Most quotes cover the build and go quiet about the six other things that show up on a card later. Here is the whole list so nothing surprises you.
SHORT ANSWER
Budget $1,000 to $3,000 for the first year on a monthly plan, which covers the build, hosting, the domain, and ongoing changes. Budget $4,000 to $9,000 for a one-time custom build plus $300 to $600 a year afterward for hosting and maintenance. On top of either, set aside $300 to $800 once for professional photos if you do not have good ones, and roughly $200 a year if you want a paid booking widget or a review tool. Google Business Profile is free and matters more than most paid line items.
Every line item
| Item | Typical cost | Needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | $15 to $25 a year | Yes |
| Hosting | $100 to $400 a year | Yes, often bundled |
| SSL certificate | $0 to $100 a year | Yes, should be free |
| Design and build | $0 to $8,000 | Yes |
| Content writing | $0 to $1,500 | Yes, someone does it |
| Photography | $300 to $800 once | Nearly always worth it |
| Site map illustration | $0 to $600 | Yes for any park over 20 sites |
| Business listing management | $0 to $600 a year | Optional, doable yourself |
| Ongoing SEO | $1,800 to $6,000 a year | Optional |
| Google Business Profile | Free | Yes, absolutely |
The two most underestimated items
Photography and content. Every quote assumes you will supply both, and most parks supply neither, which is how a site sits unfinished for six months. If you have 2019 photos taken on a phone in flat midday light, budget for a morning with someone who shoots real estate or hospitality. And decide up front who writes the rules, rates, and area copy, because "the park will send that over" is the most common reason a launch slips.
What you can skip in year one
A custom booking engine, if your platform already has one. A blog, unless somebody will actually write it. Live availability embedded on the homepage, which usually loads slowly and shows a calendar most guests misread. Chat widgets. Video backgrounds. None of these move the needle compared to accurate facts, a real site map, and a claimed Google profile.
A realistic first-year plan
- Month one: claim and complete Google Business Profile. Free, and the single highest-return hour you will spend.
- Month one: photo session. $300 to $800.
- Months one to two: site built and launched. $85 a month with us, or $3,000 to $8,000 once elsewhere.
- Month three: check what the site actually says versus what the office tells people on the phone. Fix the gaps.
- Month six: decide whether SEO is worth adding based on whether you are showing up for your town.
Related questions.
Do I need to pay for photos of my RV park?
If your current photos are phone snaps in harsh light, yes. Photos are the single biggest driver of whether someone books after landing on the page.
Is Google Business Profile free for a campground?
Yes, completely. It is also the highest-return thing on this list, and it costs an hour to set up properly.
Should I budget for a blog?
Only if someone will write it. An abandoned blog with three 2023 posts reads worse than no blog at all.
How much should a site map illustration cost?
$0 to $600 depending on whether it is included. Any park over 20 sites needs a real numbered diagram, not a satellite screenshot.
Want this handled for your park?
We build and run websites for RV parks and campgrounds, and nothing else. Websites from $85 a month, SEO from $250.