When someone searches "RV parks near [your city]" on Google, the first thing they see isn't your website. It's the Google Maps pack — a cluster of three local businesses with ratings, photos, and basic info.
If your park isn't in that top three, you're invisible to the majority of searchers. And even if you are, a poorly optimized profile with few reviews and outdated photos is losing to the competitor next to you with 200+ reviews and a complete profile.
Your Google Business Profile is free. And it's one of the highest-impact marketing assets you have. Here's how to make it work.
Complete Every Single Field
Google rewards completeness. Profiles with every field filled out rank higher in local search than profiles with gaps. This is the lowest-effort, highest-impact thing you can do.
The fields that matter most:
- Business name. Use your exact legal business name. Don't stuff keywords in here (e.g., "Sunny Acres RV Park - Best RV Resort in Florida") — Google penalizes that.
- Primary and secondary categories. Your primary should be "RV Park" or "Campground." Add secondary categories like "Mobile Home Park" if applicable.
- Business description. You get 750 characters. Use them. Include your key amenities, location highlights, and what makes your park different. Write for humans, not search engines.
- Hours of operation. Keep these accurate, including seasonal hours. Incorrect hours frustrate potential guests and hurt your profile.
- Amenities/attributes. Google lets you check off specific amenities. Go through every option. Wi-Fi, pool, pet-friendly, dump station, laundry — check everything that applies.
- Website URL. Point to your homepage or a dedicated landing page.
- Phone number. Use a trackable number if possible so you can attribute calls to your GBP listing.
Photos Are Your Secret Weapon
Listings with more than 100 photos get 520% more calls and 2,717% more direction requests than listings with fewer than 5 photos. Those numbers aren't typos.
Google's own data shows that photo quantity and quality directly correlate with engagement. Here's your photo strategy:
- Upload at least 50 photos to start. Cover your entrance, office, sites (various sizes), amenities, common areas, and surrounding nature/scenery.
- Add 3-5 new photos monthly. This signals to Google that your listing is active and current.
- Include people when possible. Photos with happy guests (with permission) outperform empty facility shots.
- Show seasonal variety. Upload photos across seasons so guests can see what your park looks like whenever they're planning to visit.
- Use your best photo as the cover. This is the first image people see in search results. Make it count — an aerial shot or your most impressive amenity tends to work best.
Reviews: Your Ranking Fuel
I've covered reviews in depth in another post, but here's the GBP-specific angle: review quantity and quality are the two biggest factors in local pack ranking.
More reviews + higher average rating = higher ranking in the Maps pack. It's that straightforward.
Your review strategy should include:
- A direct review link. Create a short URL that takes guests directly to the review form. Make it easy. The fewer clicks, the more reviews you'll get.
- Systematic requests. Build review requests into your checkout process. Email, text, or even a QR code at the office.
- Consistent responses. Respond to every review. Google has confirmed that owner responses factor into ranking. Plus, it shows potential guests that you're engaged and responsive.
Google Posts: Free Micro-Ads
Google Posts are a massively underutilized feature. They let you publish updates directly on your GBP listing — like social media, but on Google.
Post ideas that work for RV parks:
- Seasonal specials. "Book your winter getaway — monthly rates starting at $XXX"
- Event announcements. "Join us for our annual chili cook-off this Saturday"
- New amenities. "Our new dog park is now open! Fully fenced, separate areas for large and small breeds"
- Local events. "The county fair is next weekend — we still have sites available!"
Post weekly. Each post stays visible for 7 days. This keeps your listing fresh, gives potential guests more reasons to engage, and signals to Google that your business is active.
Q&A: Control the Conversation
Google lets anyone ask questions on your listing — and anyone can answer. If you're not monitoring this, random people could be answering questions about your park incorrectly.
Proactive approach:
- Seed common questions yourself. Ask and answer the top 5-10 questions your guests typically have: pet policies, check-in times, hookup types, cancellation policy, nearby attractions.
- Monitor weekly. Set up notifications so you're alerted when new questions come in. Answer them promptly and accurately.
- Flag incorrect answers. If someone provides wrong information, submit your own accurate answer and report the incorrect one.
Insights: Your Free Analytics Dashboard
Google provides performance data for your listing. Check it monthly and track:
- Search queries. What terms are people using to find your park? This informs your SEO and PPC keyword strategy.
- Photo views. Which photos get the most views? Upload more like those.
- Direction requests and calls. These are your conversion metrics. Are they trending up month over month?
- Website clicks. How many people are clicking through to your site from your listing?
The 15-Minute Weekly Routine
GBP optimization doesn't require hours of work. Here's a weekly routine that takes about 15 minutes:
- Respond to any new reviews (5 minutes)
- Publish a Google Post (5 minutes)
- Check and answer any new Q&A (3 minutes)
- Upload 1-2 new photos (2 minutes)
Fifteen minutes a week. That's the investment. The return is more visibility, more engagement, and more bookings from the most important free marketing platform available to your park. There is no reason not to do this.