Industry Glossary

RV (Recreational Vehicle)

A motorized or towable vehicle that combines transportation and living quarters for travel, recreation, and camping. Includes motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, and more.

Motorhome

A self-propelled RV built on a motor vehicle chassis. Comes in three classes: Class A (largest, bus-like), Class B (camper vans), and Class C (mid-size, cab-over design).

Class A Motorhome

The largest and most luxurious type of motorhome, built on a bus or commercial truck chassis. Often 25–45 feet long with full amenities. Price range: $60K–$500K+.

Class B Motorhome (Camper Van)

The smallest motorhome class, built on a standard van chassis. Compact and easy to drive. Popular with younger buyers and weekend travelers. Price range: $50K–$200K.

Class C Motorhome

Mid-size motorhome built on a truck or van cutaway chassis, recognizable by the cab-over sleeping area. A popular middle ground between Class A and B. Price range: $50K–$300K.

Fifth Wheel

A large towable RV that connects to a pickup truck via a special hitch mounted in the truck bed. Known for spacious interiors and stability while towing. Price range: $30K–$150K+.

Travel Trailer

A towable RV that attaches to a vehicle via a standard hitch. Ranges from small teardrop trailers to large units over 30 feet. Most popular RV type by sales volume.

Toy Hauler

An RV (usually a fifth wheel or travel trailer) with a built-in garage area for transporting ATVs, motorcycles, or other recreational vehicles.

Slide-Out

A section of an RV wall that extends outward when parked to create additional interior living space. Most modern RVs have 1–4 slide-outs.

Dry Weight vs. GVWR

Dry weight is the RV's weight without fluids, cargo, or passengers. GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is the maximum safe total weight including everything. Critical for towing safety.

Boondocking / Dry Camping

Camping without hookups (water, electric, sewer) — typically on public land or in parking areas. A growing trend among RV buyers, especially younger demographics.

Full-Timer

Someone who lives in their RV full-time as their primary residence. A growing segment of the RV market, especially among retirees and remote workers.

RV Trader

The largest online marketplace for buying and selling new and used RVs. Dealers pay to list inventory. A major lead source for many dealerships — similar to AutoTrader for cars.

RVIA

Recreation Vehicle Industry Association — the national trade association for the RV industry. Sets manufacturing standards, hosts industry events, and publishes market data.

RVDA

RV Dealers Association — represents RV dealerships across North America. Hosts the annual RV Dealers Convention/Expo and provides dealer education.

Boat Trader

The leading online marketplace for buying and selling boats. The marine equivalent of RV Trader. Dealers list inventory and buyers search by type, brand, and location.

Pontoon Boat

A flat-bottomed boat supported by pontoon tubes. Popular for leisure, fishing, and entertaining. One of the best-selling boat types in the U.S. Price range: $20K–$100K+.

Center Console

A boat with the helm (steering) station in the center, leaving the bow and stern open. Popular for fishing and offshore use. Price range: $25K–$500K+.

Bowrider

A type of runabout boat with an open bow area for additional seating. Popular for watersports and family recreation. Price range: $20K–$150K.

PWC (Personal Watercraft)

Small, jet-propelled watercraft like Jet Skis (Kawasaki), WaveRunners (Yamaha), and Sea-Doos (BRP). A high-margin, high-volume product for marine dealers.

Outboard Motor

A detachable engine mounted on the outside of the boat's transom. The most common type of marine propulsion. Major brands: Mercury, Yamaha, Suzuki.

Stern Drive (I/O)

Inboard/Outboard — an engine mounted inside the boat with a drive unit outside. Common on bowriders and cruisers. Combines inboard power with outboard maneuverability.

Slip

A designated parking space for a boat at a marina or dock. Dealers often need to manage slip availability for inventory and customer boats.

NMMA

National Marine Manufacturers Association — the leading trade organization for the recreational boating industry. Hosts the Miami International Boat Show and other major events.

MRAA

Marine Retailers Association of the Americas — represents marine dealerships. Provides education, certification, and best practices for boat dealers.

Winterization

The process of preparing a boat for winter storage — draining water systems, adding antifreeze, fogging the engine, and covering the vessel. A key revenue service for marine dealers.

F&I (Finance & Insurance)

The department in a dealership that handles financing, extended warranties, GAP insurance, and other add-on products. A major profit center — often generating more margin per unit than the sale itself.

DMS (Dealer Management System)

Software that manages all dealership operations — inventory, sales, F&I, service, parts, and accounting. Common systems: CDK, Lightspeed, Dealertrack, DX1.

Floor Plan / Floorplan Financing

A revolving line of credit that dealers use to purchase inventory from manufacturers. The dealer pays interest on each unit until it sells. This is why dealers are motivated to move inventory quickly.

Turn Rate / Inventory Turn

How quickly a dealer sells and replaces inventory. Calculated as units sold divided by average inventory. Higher turn rate = healthier business. Dealers aim for 6–12 turns per year.

Lot / Front Line

The physical display area where units are shown to customers. 'Front line ready' means a unit is cleaned, inspected, and ready for sale. First impressions matter.

PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection)

A thorough inspection performed on a new unit before delivering it to the customer. Covers all systems, cosmetics, and safety items. A critical quality control step.

Trade-In

When a customer exchanges their current RV or boat as partial payment toward a new purchase. Managing trade-in values and reselling used units is a key part of dealer profitability.

CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index)

A score measuring customer satisfaction with the buying and service experience. Manufacturers track CSI scores and they can affect dealer incentives and allocation.

BDC (Business Development Center)

A department or team within a dealership focused on handling inbound leads, making outbound calls, and setting appointments for the sales team. Not all dealers have one.

Up / Be-Back

'Up' is a walk-in customer at the dealership. 'Be-back' is a customer who visited before and returns. Tracking up counts and be-back rates helps measure showroom traffic effectiveness.

Holding Cost

The daily cost of keeping a unit in inventory — includes floorplan interest, insurance, storage, and depreciation. This is why dealers are motivated to sell quickly.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in Google search results. For dealers, this means appearing when buyers search for 'RV dealer near me' or specific models.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Optimizing content to appear in AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The next evolution of SEO — and a core part of what Momentum offers.

AI Citation

When an AI assistant (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) mentions or recommends a specific dealership in its response. Tracking AI citations is a key metric we provide to clients.

Schema Markup

Structured data code added to a website that helps search engines understand the content. For dealers, this includes inventory schema, business info, reviews, and FAQs.

Google Business Profile (GBP)

The free Google listing that appears in Maps and local search results. For dealers, an optimized GBP is critical — it shows hours, reviews, photos, and drives showroom visits.

Local Pack / Map Pack

The group of 3 local business listings that appear at the top of Google search results with a map. Getting a dealer into the Local Pack dramatically increases visibility and foot traffic.

Knowledge Graph

Google's database of facts about entities (businesses, people, places). When a dealer has a strong knowledge graph presence, Google displays rich information about them in search results.

Entity Mapping

The process of establishing a business as a recognized entity across the web — consistent name, address, phone (NAP), and structured data across all platforms.

Topic Clusters

A content strategy where a main 'pillar' page covers a broad topic, linked to multiple related 'cluster' pages. Helps establish topical authority and improves search rankings.

Core Web Vitals

Google's metrics for measuring website user experience — loading speed (LCP), interactivity (INP), and visual stability (CLS). Poor scores can hurt search rankings.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of website visitors who take a desired action (submit a lead form, call, schedule a visit). A key metric for measuring marketing effectiveness.

CPC / PPC

Cost Per Click / Pay Per Click — advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are common PPC channels for dealers.

Retargeting / Remarketing

Showing ads to people who previously visited a dealer's website. Keeps the dealership top-of-mind as buyers research their purchase over weeks or months.

Buyer Journey

The process a customer goes through from initial awareness to final purchase. For RV/marine buyers, this journey often takes 3–6 months and involves extensive online research.

Zero-Click Search

When a search engine provides the answer directly in the results page, so the user never clicks through to a website. AI Overviews are increasing zero-click searches — which is why AEO matters.

Research-First Buyer

Modern RV and boat buyers who do 70–80% of their research online before ever visiting a dealership. They often arrive knowing the exact model they want. This is the buyer Momentum helps dealers capture.

Showroom Visit

When a potential buyer physically visits the dealership. The ultimate goal of dealer marketing — getting qualified buyers through the door. Also called 'ups' or 'floor traffic.'