As you may already know I created a marketing company in 2002 (SFC Design Group) that specializes solely in fishing guides. My mission was to give fishing guides elite marketing services they can depend on to book charters. Truly the best in graphic design, the best in coding, and the best in web marketing. It took me over 10 years to get my team to where it is today. In this business, technology changes every 90 days on average, so we have our hands full to keep you ahead of your competition.
Fast forward to today, we are working with some of the top guides in the industry with most booking over 300 trips per year. In fact, we have several clients that have up to 5 boats with a full team of captains/mates grossing over $5k per day and very good margins.
Whether you decide to stay small or grow, one thing is for sure, you need a website template that fits the formula of The Charter Fishing Business Kit. Your website is your most important marketing tool, no question.
Just yesterday we completed Captain Chad’s 100% custom website, Vitamin Sea Charters. Great brand name right?! Just wait until you see this engaging design, developed to do one thing, BOOK TRIPS.
I invite you to visit his LIVE Galveston Bay Fishing Guide website both on your phone and computer to get a feel for what a true responsive website looks like. I normally don’t brag about our work as competitors try to steal our designs, but I really wanted you to see this one.
So what makes this website a booking machine?
First let’s look at some key components:
- Check out that AWESOME logo! You Texas guys will love that one. All custom.
- Website is responsive, meaning it adapts to all sizes of browsers including phone, tablets, computers, etc.
- The phone number is BIG and easy to tap on any phone and remains at the top when scrolling down.
- There is a call to action (CTA) half way down the page to call or email, again very easily.
- Beautiful high resolution pictures take up the header to grab the users attention.
- Kid friendly fishing trips are noted throughout the site. More on this in this business kit.
- Deposits are easily taken online.
- All social media icons are at the top of the page for credibility.
- Testimonials page is the 3rd on the navigation, again for credibility. Very important page, remember Reputation Management?
- The photo gallery includes his best pictures and not just tons of mediocre pictures.
- The contact page is easy to find along with a map of the location (SEO benefit).
Those are just some of the features. We do a lot of other technical aspects behind the scenes to ensure the website ranks high in Google Organic as well as Google Local.
This website combined with SEO and PPC is an absolute booking machine and today Captain Chad is fishing over 300 days year as well as selling off overflow charters for more profits. And it all started when he read The Charter Fishing Business Kit.
It makes me so happy to see success stories and work directly with captains who are living their dream and frankly getting paid to go fishing! It is an amazing time to be a fishing guide with travel and tourism spending at extreme highs.
Tight Lines and Profits,
Captain Michael Grimm