How Should Golf Course Owners Approach Online Marketing?
Chad Faith
Director of Content
Are you concerned about your golf course website’s inability to attract prospective golfer searches in your local area? Today, a wide range of golf courses is fighting for real estate on major search engines such as Google. Many businesses want to rank for the keywords golfers typically use for searching tee times. Simply put, there’s a ton of competition to rank highly on search engines. Before you pull your hair out trying to rank better than the competition, take a look below. Here are some local SEO tips that can help you develop more effective golf online marketing strategies.
Start a Link Building Campaign
How does one increase Google’s trust? By getting backlinks from more trusted websites. Be smart. It’s time to leverage this highly effective golf course marketing strategy. You can start by getting reputable blogs to feature your golf course in an article that talks about the best golf courses in a certain area. If you are lucky enough, your golf course may have already been featured in a published blog post. In this case, you need to make sure the articles link back to your website. You may need to send a request to the webmaster or the author of the post to place the almighty link in the post.
One can even collaborate with blog writers by being the “Yoda” of golf. You can be the resource for these blog writers, e.g. offer information on how it’s like to manage a golf course, share insights about the golf industry, and more. This is a creative way to earn quality links.
Get Customers to Write Golf Course Reviews
If a lot of people, especially golf enthusiasts, are saying good things about your course, it’s possible to earn tons of credibility and visibility. These reviews, however, must be published online. They allow Google to rank your golf course in search queries. It increases the chances of someone finding your website when he or she searches for a round of golf in your area. Sometimes, individuals require a little bit of encouragement. Consider putting up advertising displays that encourage online reviews. These signs can be located in restaurants or pro shops.
Get on Google Maps
Don’t forget to claim your business through Google. Oftentimes, unclaimed businesses on Google feature limited information. After proving to Google that you are the owner of the business, start inserting as much detailed information as possible. For example, high-res images, opening hours, your golf course’s history, and more. If you are looking to expand your reach, repeat the same actions on Facebook, Yahoo!, and Bing as well.
Publish Evergreen Content Regularly
If your golf course website has a blog, fill it up with evergreen content! The goal is to engage your audience with useful and interesting content, develop a larger following, and develop a channel for online promotions. Additionally, active blogging tells Google that your site has meaningful information that’s beneficial for golfers. This causes Google’s search engine algorithms to push your site in front of other competitors. Start blogging today! You can even publish a simple post that recaps a recent tournament or upcoming events at the clubhouse.