Name of your website?Negril Tour Guide
Your name?
Patricia Clarke
Your Location (city, etc)
Negril Jamaica
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Unbiased descriptions of accommodations, attractions and activities in and around Negril Jamaica. Included is information on what to expect from Negril, it's people, the Jamaican culture as well as accommodations, restaurants and more.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
Having been a travel agent for 30 years and traveled to Jamaica and Negril many times I've spoken with many travelers who enjoyed the destination and some who did not. Almost always the travelers that were dissapointed had not taken the time to research the destination and see if it was a good fit for them. I would like to be able to provide unbiased to help potential travelers decide if Negril is the destination for them and, if so give them information on where to stay and what to do while in Negril--so they can make the best of their holiday.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was for single travlers in 7/99. I sold the site becuase making all the reservations, was too high maintenance. It is still doing very well for the person that purchased it from me. http://www.singlescruises-tours.com
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I felt tour guide would best describe the information provided in the site. Where to stay and what to do--all things a good tour guide would do.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
The descriptions of attractions and accommodations are truly unbiased. All other information I've been able to find are created soley to sell. I wanted to be informational not provide just another sales pitch.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I would like to add a few select income generating streams. Like Google Add Sense and allow visitors to click through to the various resorts and obtain first hand information and/or make a reservation (generating referral income for me). They will be able to purchase a few products like travel insurance, books, maps.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I have invested a fair amount of time, but relatively little money. Some of my less popular key words already place in the top ten on some major search engines. For the time and money I have put in I feel it is coming along nicely.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I do have a limited budget. So wouldn't make any changes.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I am setting the site up so that it will be able to generate income with limited time on my part.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Very few unexpected costs. Fees for dictory listings was a little higher than expected. I have been having trouble with increasing my traffic flow (getting over the hump). I need to increase traffic flow before I can add a few other enhancements--the major one is to offer visitors a way to add their own experiences, tips and photos to the site under various categories; accommodations, attractions, experiences in Negril, recommendations for watersports, car rentals, sightseeing, and just general posts about Negril as a vacation destination.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Building traffic and devoting regular time each day to generating more pages of information.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I have had success with free directory listings and adding a RSS feed, but need to submit some articles and probably pay for some secondary directory listings.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I expected the attractions in Negril to be the most searched keywords and was pleasantly suprised to see so many requests for unbiased information about accommodations and where to stay (beach vs. cliffs).
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The site was created in July/06, so a little over a year. I don't have any deadline and am confident that if I steadily add valuable information to the site it will eventually (make take a year or two more) climb in popularity, generate more traffic and yes, some income too. I am fairly determined and will continue to make adjustments along the way as I feel necessary.
What is your website address?
Negril Tour Guide
