You can find many free WordPress themes on www.wordpress.org and by doing a Google search for “Free WordPress themes”.

Domain Registars

Namecheap is one of lowest priced Domain Name suppliers and is very easy to work with. They also have very good  support.

Web Hosting

Big Scoots is an reliable webhost for WordPress hosting.

Being on a 7 night FAM with the wrong supplier can be a huge waste of time and money! If your idea of a FAM is a cheap vacation, you are not being realistic and are not really adding to your destination knowledge. Knowledge is King in the travel industry and the more you know and can properly advise a client, the more successful you can be.

There are websites where you can purchase graphics and nice themes for a reasonable price. The cost of these items is much less than paying a webmaster foreven  a simple business card style website. It is easy to add content as you find the time to learn more about how it all works.

I would purchase a domain for $10.99 per year and host it with one of the $4.95-$6.95 per month webhosts rather than host it on one of the free hosts. You will be able to customize your Blog easier and have more options. If they were to close your account or go out of business you may not have a backup and could lose all of your data. This can also be the case with a self-hosted WordPress site, but there is an easy to use Database Backup Plugin that only takes a few minutes to install and setup.

I’ll list some of the theme sites and hosts where you can host your WordPress application in my next post. Even though WordPress is mostly called a Blog, it can easily be used as a content management system (CMS) with the right theme. Other than saying “Powered by WordPress” a the bottom of the page, you probably would not know it was not a custom formatted website.

1) Keywords: This is the core of all SEO marketing. Search engines are based on an index of keywords that web crawlers use to identify the relevance of sites based on search engine inquiries. The more relevant, specific, and unique your keywords are, the better your chances of performing highly in a search engine inquiry. Free tools, like Google Keyword Tool or Wordtracker, can help you if this is difficult, which it probably will be in the beginning.

2) Titles: Along with keywords, a unique and catchy title will surely attract many curious visitors to the content on your site. The more enticing and interesting your title the better the chances are that visitors will return for more later.

3) Backlinks: This is the most technical aspect of SEO marketing. Backlinking entails links that you have embedded into an article that you posted on a third party site that will direct a visitor back to your site. The more backlinks you post on quality, highly-visible sites, the more likely your traffic will increase from referrals. When your links are clicked from these third-party sources, web crawlers recognize this as an increase in your popularity, which boosts your optimization rating.

4) Directories: You can easily and quickly submit your site to a variety of web directories, like Google and Yahoo. All you have to do is go to each particular search engine and fill out the form they supply for web site directory submission. This will automatically add your site and the related links to the web crawler index, which will update your score every time it searches the web.

Backlinking is a marketing term that refers to a kind of third party referral where you submit a blog, article, or other media to an outside site that contains a link that leads back to your homepage.  There are two basic kinds of backlinks that you can take advantage of.

Two-way backlinks, are the most beneficial because it requires that you establish a symbiotic relationship with the host of another site.  You exchange link information on an equal service basis, meaning that you can post content and links on their site, and in return they can post on yours.  You most often will do this within your niche market so that you are both attracting and referring visitors with similar interests.
The second way is, of course, the one-way backlink.

You do this of your own accord, and it is usually much more efficient because it takes less time to set up.  Submit your information to the different social networking sites and web directories, much like you would an SEO article and let the reputed web crawlers do the work.

Your behavior within online forum discussion groups can affect your online business.  Whether the impact is positive or negative is up to you.  Make sure before entering into discussion groups or posting questions or answers within the forum that you are well rested and alert.  One little mistake while performing these tasks can be the reason for possible mess ups such as tempers flaring or giving information which is not helpful to the forum posters.

What can I expect from people within the online forums?

When participating in an online discussion forum, two things will more than likely happen.  People will either agree with you or disagree with you.  Let us begin with possible scenarios with people who agree with you.

What are my responsibilities?

You have responsibilities to the people within the online discussion group as a sincere business owner.  They will more than likely admire you for such reason.  Make sure you justify their admiration with your behavior.  Do not be a know-it- all.  Be humble.  In other words, do not become a jackass.

What if people disagree with me?

Now, for those who do not agree with you.  Some online forum posters will have valid reasons to not agree with you. You must respect their decision, even if in your eyes they are not displaying logical sense.  Take the criticism gracefully. Do not lash back.  Do not begin nasty verbal wars within the online discussion groups.  This might lead to your being booted out of the discussion group and this is not helpful to your online business.

Forming good relationships

Overall, it is only an online forum.  This is not something, which is equivalent to life or death.  If you want to interact with people within the online forum, you must focus on forming positive and constructive relationships with them.  You might need these people in promoting your business or they may be previous customers or potential customers.

You do not want to damage your reputation within the online discussion forums.  This would not only make yourself look bad but your products and services, which your online business offers.  If you do end up being kicked out of an online discussion group, remember it is ok to lose the game but while not losing the lesson.  Learn from your mistakes while ensuring it does not happen again.  When it comes to our behavior, sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

Remember you are representing your company as well as your products and services.  People do not want to deal with hot heads or someone who will not listen to them.  Your business depends on your professional demeanor you portray to the online forum posters.  Act accordingly and you will see that things will fall into place.  When in doubt, just be professional, remember why you are in the online forum in the first place, it’s not to truly make friends, it’s about generating business for your products and services

Have a game plan in mind.  If you are a Jamaica specialist and have traveled to the Island many times, let it be known. If there are side trips, excursions that are different from the traditional resort or cruise ship excursion, publish this information. Your readers will appreciate your advice and may contact you for booking assistance for their  next vacation.

If you have personal photos that show the destination, this will add more impact to your story. Like they say, “a picture is worth a 1000 words”.

Whether it is creating mailing list labels, creating a flyer, writing a letter or simply answering a client’s e-mail request for a price quote, your computer can be your best friend.

1.  Be sure to answer your phone with your first name and your Company name.
2. Have a separate phone line that only you answer. No children or adults that might affect your ability to be professional.
3. Try to have an office space that is dedicated to your travel business in a quiet area of your house.
4. It is great if you can isolate a dog so there is not barking in the background. Sorry Rover.

1. You need to be on time when you are meeting a client.
2. Do wear clothes that show you are a professional.
3. Make sure your shoes are in style.
4. You need to be early or on time when meeting a representative from a Tour Operator or supplier.
5. This should go without saying but, please practice good hygiene habits.
6. Your hair should look good for both men and women.  Easy on the hair products!
7. Don’t wear too much aftershave or cologne.
8. Be careful not to wear too much makeup.
9. Be sure you have an ample supply of business cards available.
10. Make sure you have a writing instrument and a backup one too.