This article discusses web site content from two perspectives – as a potential customer and as a travel consultant who researches campgrounds.
Dear Campground Owner
Do you realize that 73% of people who use the Internet research travel information?* If you don’t have a web site yet it is time to get on the bandwagon. If you already have a website, does it have the information campers are looking for?
This article discusses web site content from two perspectives – as a potential customer and as a travel consultant who researches campgrounds.
We camp in a 36 foot motor home. We bring our car on top of a flatbed trailer behind the motor home. This give us an overall length of 56 feet. One of the most important pieces of information I need when selecting a campground is – How big are the sites? I want to read something like – Large pull thru sites that are 65 feet long. If your website simply states Big Rig friendly, you have not given me enough information. At that point, I may go to another campground website or refer to a campground directory which contains that information. If you also tell me how wide the site is, I have an idea of whether the site can accommodate slideouts and still leave us room to walk around.
The next most important thing I want is pictures, pictures and pictures. I like to see pictures of the campsites in particular. This helps me choose to stay at your campground or not. Pictures of the amenities and entrance are nice as well. I recommend that your photo album area be on a separate page so it does not impact the length of time it takes to load your homepage. Please use thumbnail pictures with the option to view a larger size.
I want to know what kind of hookups I can expect, whether I have a choice of open, shaded and wooded sites (include pictures for each type) and other amenities that your campground offers such as modem hookup, cable TV and pool.
I need to know if your campground accepts pets. Even though it is assumed most campgrounds do accept pets, I like to see it in writing on the website. And please be sure that you understand the terms for pet restriction when you put an entry into a campground guide; electronic or printed. I have read through many campground entries that say “Pet Restrictions” only to find out that the campground requires a dog to be on a leash. All campgrounds require pets to be leashed. If I read “pet restrictions” within your listing, I will probably not take the time to find out what the restriction is if I have a choice of another campground.
Now some ideas from the perspective of RV Vacation Planner. I have the same needs as the customer plus a few more items. When I am planning a trip for someone else, I still need the size, hookups and pet information. The pictures are very important as well.
I prefer to copy the campground name, address and phone number directly off the site. If I need to retype this information there is a chance that I will spell it wrong or type the wrong phone number. That impacts the customer’s ability to make a reservation. Even if you place this information within a graphic at the top of the page, please repeat this information grouped together at the bottom of the page.
I want printed directions rather than a map. I want to see how many miles in which direction. I want to copy these directions so I don’t give incorrect information to your potential customer.
Please include your rates for the current year. I need to know if the rates are just for 2 people or a family. Are there additional charges for using A/C or 50 amp service?
One campground website had all the pertinent information in a sidebar. That was very helpful and left me with more time to explore the site since I was not spending a lot of time reading through the text for specifics.
The Internet is a wonderful tool for research and marketing. Some sites make the research process a pleasure and others just cause frustration. I hope this article has given you important information on what can be helpful. Thank you for taking the time to visit this site.
Happy Camping
Donna Flanders
