I am a self-taught golfer. My free summer days involve me searching fun and cheap golf courses in my area where I can go to hone my skills. I never considered that when I type “golf courses near me” that the first site has been SEO optimized. For golf courses, a key factor of their SEO is their ability to guide visitors from curiosity to booking a tee time. When I typed “Golf Courses in Pittsburgh”, there were twenty-one courses on the first page. In this article, Effective SEO Strategies for Golf Courses: A Guide, Nikola Baldikov explains that 75% of searches never click past the first page. So, for my example, you have to be either a top 21 golf course in the Pittsburgh area or be left in the dust.
Something that differentiates golfers from other kinds of people that use the internet is that we “don’t wander – we search”. When we get on Google, we are looking for something very specific to meet our needs; so, the best golf courses need to be tailored to this reality. How? Here are three tips for golf courses and SEO.
First, Baldikov says “optimizing for geo-targeted searches isn’t optional – it’s essential.” Golfers usually aren’t planning a massive golf trip; they are just trying to get on the links. Make sure your site is up to date and consistent. It is so frustrating to find a golf course with no consistent phone number. The second tip is to streamline the process for the prospective golfer. “Accurate hours, photos, and services listed act as a digital welcome sign for nearby players.” We want to know if you’re open and if your course matches our needs. It’s that simple. Finally, quality keyword placement drives solid results. Knowing your strengths and playing to them is crucial. Do you have a good weekend deal? Are you an affordable course? Are you focused on quality? Whatever it is, make sure these kinds of words are in your title and description tags so that the right golfer clicks on your site to make a reservation.
2 Responses
This is a helpful post because I am also a golfer. In addition to having accurate photos, prices, and phone number for the course, something else that is usually important to those who want to get better at golf is the ability to practice outside of just playing a round. Golf courses could really differentiate themselves and increase their rankings if they have a driving range, by adding that as part of the keywords for their website. This would probably attract a lot of people since not every course has a driving range.
Golf isn’t something I’m into but this seems cool!