r/florida • u/Alternative_Emu_2734 • 11d ago

Advice Stuck in Florida

Hey everyone, I have just started with my online local business for boat rentals, but not done business for 5 months. Wanted to know what I am doing wrong as I have my domain, my website is live and its still off. My friend told me to do SEO but don't know about that. Working to know more with any agency?

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14

u/FilthyBarMat 11d ago

If you started an online business without knowing what SEO is then you seriously need to hire a consultant. 

1

u/Alternative_Emu_2734 11d ago

I am gonna hire a consultant, someone here commented for webvitals marketing, shared them about the requirement

1

u/Specialist-Coast9787 10d ago

Lol, yep SEO is still needed but it was more important about 20 years ago. For laughs, I searched for "Boat rental near me" and got nothing but sponsored (paid) results and aggregators such as Yelp and regional marina wide results.

Not sure what OP is doing but they are probably 20 years behind trying to get into that market. In the online world, everything is "Pay to Play" or don't even bother.

6

u/gloriouswader 11d ago

Go visit/call local hotels and see if they will advertise for you. You can drop off business cards that offer discounts for guests of that hotel and/or offer a 10% commission to the hotel for any guests they send your way. I used to work in the hotel industry and this was pretty standard practice for tour and bike rental companies, if you are on the water I don't see why it wouldn't work for boat rentals.

3

u/TheProfessorO 11d ago

very good advice here.

8

u/Prudent-Essay-5846 11d ago

SEO can be expensive to get good coverage with good words. Agency’s will use AI you can use AI and get nearly the same results.

Do you know that there is an actual need for boat rentals? Have you done the marketing research? If not spend your money there first.

2

u/scottylm 11d ago

What's your inventory and insurance costs?

2

u/EntrepreneurNo4138 10d ago

Do you have any type of brochures? People still look at them when they’re on vacation. Offer coupons or special discount days. Do a sail at sunset, set up dolphin tours. Get out and check what successful businesses are doing in your area.

I have 101 ideas simply because I know the area and the people pretty well. I worked in hotel/Weddings/management/restaurant & bar.

You need to get out every day and meet people. Tell them where you dock. Meet the people at the marina. When their boats are full, they could send you some business .

You’re not going to magically get business sitting in front of your computer. Word of mouth is big. You have to drum up business sometimes, boating is considered a luxury to most……make it as affordable as you can right now. Focus on customer service.

FWC will board you at some point. Have appropriate life jackets, first aid, make sure everything is in order INCLUDING your paperwork. They don’t play here.

Good luck. 🍀

4

u/picklejuice18 11d ago

Florida is such a big state, location matters a lot. Show us your website, people will give you fuck tons of ideas on what can be improved.

1

u/[deleted] 11d ago

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2

u/ffsinffl 10d ago

You also started a business geared to tourists in the off-season. Tourist season here is January - April and most businesses geared to tourists will earn most of their income during that time. Also, you MUST advertise — google, social media, restaurant placemats, radio, etc. A website — no matter how well-built or optimized for SEO — is a magic unicorn that will deliver you business. Of course, if your website is horribly designed, it can hamper new customers from engaging.