Lodgify SEO Checklist: Get Your Site Found on Google

To improve SEO on a Lodgify website, work through nine steps in order. Connect a custom domain. Verify the site in Google Search Console with Lodgify's HTML tag method. Submit sitemap.xml, which Lodgify then resubmits every 24 hours. Write a unique SEO title and description for every page. Use one H1 per page. Caption every rental photo, because captions become alt text. Add local content. Connect Google Vacation Rentals. Track results in GA4. Every menu path below comes from Lodgify's current help center, not from its older 2018 blog advice.

Independent publication. Direct Booking Academy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official resource of Lodgify. Paths verified against Lodgify's help center in October 2026.

This guide is part of our Lodgify Academy, an independent collection of guides (not an official Lodgify resource).

The checklist

1. Connect a custom domain

On yearly or bi-yearly plans you can register a domain free: Website builder → Settings → Domain → Get a free domain → Register, then ⋯ → Set as main domain. You can't change the name after registration, and the process can take up to 48 hours (Register a new domain). Lodgify recommends a .com. If you're moving from an older domain, it suggests keeping that domain live and connecting it as an additional domain so you don't lose rankings (Lodgify Help: SEO).

2. Verify in Google Search Console

1. In Search Console, add a URL prefix property.
2. Choose HTML tag and copy the meta tag.
3. Paste it into Website builder → Settings → Advanced → Header-Custom HTML.
4. Save, publish, then click Verify.

If you bought your domain through Lodgify, you must use the HTML tag method rather than a TXT record (Search Console article). Lodgify now redirects www to non-www, so set up the non-www address (Product updates, May 2025). Google's general guide to verification methods is here.

3. Submit your sitemap

In Search Console, go to Sitemaps and enter sitemap.xml next to your domain. Lodgify also resubmits it automatically every 24 hours (Submit your sitemap). Lodgify suggests resubmitting once you've finished your keywords (SEO article).

4. Write an SEO title and description for every page

Go to Website builder → Pages, hover over a page, then click ⋯ → Page settings → SEO. Enter the SEO page title and SEO page description, then save. Lodgify shows a Google preview. Its suggested title formats are "Page Title - Primary Keyword | Brand Name" and "Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name". Add metadata in every language your site is published in (SEO article).

5. Use one H1 per page

Lodgify recommends one H1 per page that contains your primary keyword, with H2s for subtopics. To add a heading, go to Website builder → Pages → ⋯ → Edit, add a Heading section and choose H1, H2 or H3. You can also set headings inside a Content section with the Formatting button (same source).

6. Caption every rental photo

A rental photo's caption becomes its alt and title text. Edit captions in Rentals → [rental] → Photos. For images in Content sections, add alt and title by hand in the HTML view. Slideshow and image-section images don't have alt tags, so give those files sensible names (same source). Lodgify's image blog also recommends descriptive file names, compression, and JPEG for photos (Optimize images). More in the Lodgify photo guide.

7. Add local content and links

Lodgify suggests link building with local businesses, a blog page, social profiles, and badges such as an Airbnb Superhost badge (SEO article).

8. Connect Google Vacation Rentals

Go to Channel Manager → Google card → List. Each rental needs a name and description, at least one bed, at least 8 captioned photos of 720×720 px or more, and an eligible rental type. Your site must have a logo and be published. Google completes the listing, which can take "a few days or weeks" (Connect to GVR). Maximum occupancy is 15 guests (Lodgify GVR page).

As of Oct 2026, GVR is only on the Professional plan ($47/month) and the Ultimate plan ($68/month), as listed on Lodgify's pricing page for USD, one property, billed yearly (Lodgify pricing). Prices vary by property count and currency.

9. Measure with GA4

Go to Tools → Marketplace → Google Analytics, turn on the toggle for your site, paste your G- Measurement ID, then save and publish (GA setup blog). Lodgify documents GA4 eCommerce tracking (a "Purchase" event) for bookings (Retrieve data).

What we left out

Structured data (schema). Lodgify doesn't document adding custom structured data, so this checklist doesn't recommend it.

Printable summary

#	Task	Where in Lodgify
1	Custom domain, set as main	Website builder → Settings → Domain
2	Search Console HTML tag (non-www)	Website builder → Settings → Advanced → Header-Custom HTML
3	Submit sitemap.xml	Google Search Console → Sitemaps
4	SEO title + description per page	Website builder → Pages → ⋯ → Page settings → SEO
5	One H1 per page	Website builder → Pages → ⋯ → Edit → Heading
6	Caption every rental photo	Rentals → [rental] → Photos
7	Local content and links	Pages / blog page
8	Google Vacation Rentals	Channel Manager → Google → List
9	GA4	Tools → Marketplace → Google Analytics

Related: Lodgify website not getting bookings, Lodgify website setup, and for Hospitable users, Hospitable Direct SEO.

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By Claire Bennett, who covers Lodgify for Direct Booking Academy. Written with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. Last verified: October 13, 2026.