Keyword targeting: does the page say what guests search?
An audit can confirm a page has a title, a heading, and five hundred words. It cannot tell you whether any of those words are the ones a guest types into Google. A cabins page that never says the town, the number of cabins, or the word "cabin" in a heading is targeting nothing. This is where the judgment comes in.
IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Keyword targeting means deciding what search each page is for and writing the page so it plainly answers that search: in the title, the heading, the first paragraph, and the body. Campers search plainly: "RV park near Buena Vista," "campground Yellowstone west entrance big rigs," "monthly RV sites Prescott," "cabins Arkansas River." Each of those deserves a page that says exactly that. A script cannot judge this. We decide the target for every page with the owner, write the page to it, and check Search Console afterward to see whether the page shows for it.
What campers actually type
Not what park owners think. Owners say "resort," "experience," "getaway." Campers type the town plus "RV park" or "campground," then a need: "big rigs," "pull through," "50 amp," "monthly," "cabins," "near [attraction]," "pet friendly," "open year round." They also ask questions, more so now that they ask AI assistants: "is there an RV park with full hookups near the west entrance to Yellowstone." The pages have to use those words.
How to pick the target for a page
- One search per page. The homepage is for "[park name]" and "[town] RV park." The big-rig page is for "[town] RV park big rigs" and "pull-through sites [town]." The monthly page is for "monthly RV sites [town]."
- Put the target in the title, the H1, and the first sentence, in plain words.
- Answer it in the body with the facts: lengths, hookups, rates, season, distance.
- Add the questions people ask about it as a FAQ block.
- Do not aim two pages at the same search; they compete with each other.
What it looks like on a park website
- A homepage that never says the town.
- A page titled "Accommodations" for cabins, when nobody searches "accommodations campground."
- A monthly page that says "extended stay" and never "monthly," which is what people type.
- Five pages all trying to rank for "[town] RV park," so none of them does.
- A page stuffed with every term at once: "RV park campground camping cabins tent sites glamping resort," which reads as spam to Google and to guests.
What it costs a park
Everything an untargeted page could have earned. The cabins exist, the page exists, and it never appears for "cabins near [town]" because the page never quite says that. Targeting is the difference between a site that ranks for its own name and a site that ranks for what guests are looking for.
How to check your own
- For each main page, write down the one search it should win. If you cannot, the page has no target.
- Read the page's title, heading, and first paragraph. Do they contain that search in plain words?
- In Google Search Console, open Performance and filter by the page. The queries listed are what it actually shows for. Compare them to the target.
What we do about it
Before building, we work out the searches each page is for from what guests ask the park and what Search Console shows, then write every page to its target. Afterward we watch Search Console monthly for pages that show for their target on page two and tighten them. That monthly step is its own page.
Questions about this.
What keywords should an RV park website target?
The town plus RV park or campground on the homepage, then one need per page: big rigs, pull-through, 50 amp, monthly, cabins, pet friendly, near the attraction guests come for. Plain words campers actually type.
Can an SEO tool tell me if my page targets the right keywords?
Tools can count words and suggest terms, but deciding what search a page is for and whether it answers it is a judgment about your park and your guests. That is the part a person has to do.
Should I put keywords in the page over and over?
No. Say the target plainly in the title, heading, and first sentence, then answer it with facts. Repeating terms reads as spam to Google and to guests.
How do I know what searches my page shows for?
Google Search Console, under Performance, filtered to the page, lists the queries it appeared for and where it ranked. Compare that to the search you meant it to win.
Want this checked on your park site?
Send us the address. We run the full check and tell you what we found, in plain words. SEO for parks starts at $250 a month.
Part of the RV park SEO guide, section: What a script cannot see. Previous: Internal linking: which of your pages Google can reach, and which it thinks matter. Next: Broken external links: the links that die when other sites change.