1. Less Is More
   The average user spends just 4.4 seconds on a page, don’t waste it with filler language or beat around the bush. The more clear and concise you can be, the better.
2. Important Information First
   Don’t leave your call to actions or main selling points to the end of the page, bring your visitors in and get them excited. Then add the supporting arguments and details. If you don’t, they may not make it to the important points.
3. Use Headings
   Break up long pages by adding sub-headings, such as the <h2> and <h3> tags. Make them catchy, relevant, and of course describe the content immediately following them.
4. Images
   Attractive images are extremely effective in selling your message (even subliminally), if used correctly. Make sure they are very clean and attractive. Spend a few dollars on professional stock photography to get your message across, my favorite shop is IStockPhoto.com by the way.
5. Establish Trust
   The internet is a low trust environment. Don’t oversell, or be pushy, or your users will surely hit the “Back” button. Take every opportunity to make your site & content more personable, after all this is sales, not promenade. And don’t forget the “About Us” page, they’re looking for it….
6. Be an Authority
   If you want to look up defenestration, you go to the dictionary. Visitors should leave knowing that you are the first stop, should they have a future need. Use action verbs, demonstrate credentials, and give away good great information, customers will thank you with their business.
7. Emphasize Key Terms
   Bold or italicize key terms and concepts. Drawing a user’s eye to a section’s key concept will draw them into the rest of the text surrounding them.
8. Use Lists
   Whenever possible. Which looks better?
   
   Bass, catfish, trout, sharks, stingrays, and tarpon
   – or –
   • Bass
   • Catfish
   • Trout
   • Sharks
   • Stingrays
   • Tarpon
9. Break Long Content into Chunks
   Break long articles, tutorials, or product listings into sub-pages, with a small (but descriptive) navigation menu to help visitors get to their desired location.
10. Highlight Quotes
    Nothing makes the impersonal personal like quotations from valued sources. Whether they take the form of testimonials, or quotes from industry leaders, be sure they stand out. For example: “This is a quote that is inline with other text, is it very noticeable?”

    “Or does this quote grab a little more attention?”

We have just launched our new fishing report syndication service, which allows fishing guides and charter services to get their fishing report posted to twelve fishing report websites by simply sending an email. Find out how it works, builds traffic, and helps establish great search engine rankings by visiting our fishing report syndication section.

Trading links with relevant websites is a great way to increase your traffic and search engine rankings, so come on over and start trading links today.

Go to:

Outdoor Link Exchange Message Board

1. Pay Per Click (PPC) Ads
   Google Adsense is the grandaddy, but Yahoo and Microsoft offer PPC programs as well. Pay Per Click advertising works by displaying contextually relevant ads on your site, and allowing advertisers to bid on keywords. Once a visitor clicks on an ad on your website or blog, you get a percentage of the earnings.
2. Direct Placement
   A simple advertise here link or button where the ad will be placed can do the job.  This can be easy as an agreed dollar amount per month, or more complex such as setting up an ad-server to track impressions and click-throughs.
3. Sponsored Posts or Reviews
   Yes, you can paid to review products and services on your website or blog. Disclosure and ethics are a topic for another day, but if you’re interested check out: PayPerPost and SponsoredReviews
4. Text Link Ads
   Surprisingly, text link ads can be a big money maker due to their value in search engine optimization. And it’s really simple to do, just insert a link into an article, page, or and get a monthly fee.  See TextLinkAds and LinkWorth
5. Sell Products
   You can now sell products through your website that you never have to see, touch, or ship.  You don’t even have to handle credit cards.  Popular setups include selling some of Amazon.com’s millions of products through an Astore (do a search on fishing lures, there are tons of them), or selling everything from hunting or fishing related T-shirts, coffee cups, and mouse pads from CafePress.com
6. Affiliate Programs
   Affiliate programs work by you placing affiliate links or ads on your site.  If a visitor clicks on the ad and ends up buying something, you get a commission on the sale.  There are many, many general affiliate programs out there, but here are some Outdoor Industry related programs:
   - BassPro Shops
   - Cabelas
   - Associate Programs (Outdoors)
   - LandBigFish.com
7. Donations
   Doing good work, or have something really worth reading?  Simply create a paypal donations button.  Remember - if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
8. Newsletters
   Got a newsletter with a good circulation?  Add a sidebar or banner advertising for fishing or hunting related products.  Get advertisers by sticking an “advertise here” link on your sign up page or in the newsletter itself.

How much $$$?

Traffic amounts and the competitiveness of your site’s niche will largely dictate whether you’re making beer money or enough for a new boat.  But remember, there’s nothing wrong with beer money…

While diagnosing and fixing problems may or may not be easy, discovering a problem is very easy.

Enter BrowserShots.org to the rescue. BrowserShots allows you to check your web site’s appearance on literally dozens of browser and operating systems for free. You can then either view or download JPG images of how your site lays out in all of them. It usually takes 15-30 minutes to load them, but you can go do something else while it loads.

An example of AmericanVagabondPhotography.com in the Netscape Navigator browser on a Ubuntu Linux operating system. It’s not important that I don’t know what either of those are, what’s important is the site looks clean in whatever they are….

First, because many of these sites come up in major search engines for a variety of phrases, which can lead potential clients to your website. Second, it can help build your search engine rankings by giving you high quality, relevant inbound links to your charter or guide website. Most are free, and some require you to link back to their site from yours (reciprocal linking), but all offer web links as well as contact info pointed towards your business.

Here’s a list of 15 17 (*see below*) websites offering free services to post fishing reports on the web. Remember, you can post last week’s report to them all if you like.

***UPDATE: Thanks to the great response, we will be continually updating this list***

If you have or know of any other fishing report sites, please comment below and we’ll make sure they are added.

1. Big Fish Tackle
2. Fishing Reporters
3. Sportfishermen.com
4. ReelReports.com
5. Ultimate Bass Forum
6. ReelFishingReports.com
7. 2CoolFishing.com Message Boards
8. CyberAngler.com
9. Fish Eye Soup
10. FishingWorks.com
11. FishyFishing.com
12. LandBigFish.com
13. TheFishFinder.com
14. TheFishingGuide.com
15. US Angler
16. Waders On
17. Fishing Reports at Fintalk.com
18. Fox Lake Fishing
19. GoFishingForums.net

What is Outdoorzy?

It’s a social network, like MySpace or Facebook, for outdoors types.  Forums, to-do lists, trip reports, etc.  But it also has a Business Directory!

Why should I register?

You get photos or screenshots, an explanation of your business, and more, for the enormous price of $0.00 - all in front of your target audience on a growing social network. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, you’re allowed to place one-way, inbound links from your profile to your website which helps to increase your site’s standings in the search engines.

Here’s why this tool is even cooler than it looks:

1. It’s a great resource for your visitors.
2. It’s a simple and free way to differentiate your website or blog from the competition.
3. It builds visitor loyalty, as they need to come back to the page over and over.
4. It’s great link bait, which helps your search engine rankings.

Screeshot:

:

Or  view a live demo on my Bonefish Demo Website

I like designing websites. Is it too big of a dream that I can combine these two?

Rainmaker Web Design is giving away a beautiful Bonefish Fishing themed website, with no strings attached. If interested, please read on to discover why and what one lucky captain will get.

Screenshot below, please read on for features, etc.

Click image to see a live demo…

Why free, and what does Rainmaker get out of it?

I’ve been fishing since I could carry a pole. Bass & trout fishing in my native state of Georgia, and also in Key Largo where my grandparents lived for quite sometime. In addition, I’ve been designing websites for about four years, and have had some success with internet marketing and SEO for small businesses. I want to combine the two, and truly do what I love, all day every day.

The problem is, there are no fishing sites in my portfolio!

So when I talk to fishing guides & charter services, and offer my services, all I can show them is real estate sites, small business sites, and the like.

So help me help you which actually helps me, if that makes any sense at all….

The Deal

I’m giving the whole design away to one bonefishing captain, but not just any. I need a partner who is willing to put in a little work (non-technical) to achieve high rankings in Google, and therefore much greater traffic and hopefully more bookings. This system has worked very well for me, personally, and for many clients in achieving marked improvements in their search rankings - but you have to work the system for it to work for you. That said, you won’t pay me a penny.

How it works:

• You periodically have to add content to the site through your new blog “The Bonefishing Report.” Don’t worry, blogging is as easy as creating a word document, or checking your bank account online. You can even try it out before hand if you have any reservations.
• Trade links with other fishing sites and fishing blogs, again, it’s very easy and no need to write any code or other geek stuff.
• Lastly, you’ll need a domain name and Linux OS hosting (3rd party) if you don’t already. And if not, I’ll even help you set it up.

About the site

• Tested with all major internet browsers
• Built-in Wordpress blog
• Flash header with six custom bonefishing graphics
• Contact form (hides your email from spammers)
• Reservations management system
• Built in photo gallery
• Embedded weather, water temp., moon rise/phase, tide charts (location can be changed), and wave height.
• Other standard charter service pages, such as “What to Bring” - all you have to do is enter the information.

Any interested parties, please contact me through our “Contact” page, or give me a buzz at 770.377.6345.