Need your advice - how to monetize city guide website

**Gator** · 12-01-2008 01:10 PM

If you created a website about your home town. How would you monetize it?
Talking about sites like these:
pragueexperience.com
cracowonline.com
........
etc. etc...

Ideas I came up with:
collect commision from hotels because you refer clients to them
colect money from restaurants/night clubs which advertise (are listed) on your site
Organise "city tours" or just refer clients to guides and city tour operators and collect commision
Organise airport pickups

What else would you suggest? How would you operate such a website? Income streams?
Thanks

**Rayay1** · 12-01-2008 01:15 PM

Well For one thing, You need to sell your town in the first second that someone logs on to your site. Travel, Stay, and dining are all givens you need to make it new. Intresting and apealing to families and singles. Just keep thinking on it and you will do fine.

**BizGuy** · 12-01-2008 06:05 PM

Have a look at: Vancouver B.C. - Restaurants, Travel, Blogs, Videos, Nightlife, Hotels, Real Estate, Forum

This site has incorporated several revenue streams!

**Gator** · 12-05-2008 11:58 AM

Thanks for you replies

**Gator** · 12-14-2008 02:30 PM

No more replies? They don't have to be big/unique ideas, just how would you earn from the site

**BizGuy** · 12-14-2008 02:45 PM

You will want to:

1) partner with a travel reservation company that is applicable to your area. This way you will be able to become a booking engine for tourists visiting your city guide site.

2) I noticed that you have a restaurant directory on your site. This is an easy place to try and build up some revenues by selling featured spotlights to the restaurants on your directory. If they pay a small yearly fee, they can be at the top of the list etc.

3) you may want to incorporate a local city guide blog on your site which will create fresh city relevant content.

4)You can do the same offers to the nightlife/bars etc. in your guide and offer them a special positioning and highlight for a small monthly fee.

5)You may want to spotlight a few local city travel guide books on prague through an amazon.com affiliate program.

Best of luck!

Adam T.

**BizGuy** · 12-14-2008 02:47 PM

Out of curiosity do you own the sites that you mentioned:

pragueexperience.com
cracowonline.com

Or are you trying to start your own? Just curious.

**Gator** · 12-14-2008 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by BizGuy

Out of curiosity do you own the sites that you mentioned:

pragueexperience.com
cracowonline.com

Or are you trying to start your own? Just curious.

No I don't own them, they are just random sites I posted in order to ilustrate what sites I am talking about. I own a site, but don't want to post it. Its poorly monetized, I guess I can say it started as a hobby and now I am thinking of some kind of business plan for it.
And apreciate your advice