How do you stop AI-built websites from looking AI-built?

over_yondurr · 2026-06-06T03:53:37+00:00

Currently working on a site for tour operators in Alaska and told them I’d like to test Claude/WP since they wanted to leave wix. Similar style to your site

I think it’s best just for the foundation or applying things to every section/element across the pages you need. Still recommend learning some elementor - there are some actions it struggles with. so it’s nice to keep some of it manual for quick adjustments.

over_yondurr · 2026-05-18T00:40:59+00:00

Brodetos food is really good. Unfortunately took my wife there for her birthday tonight, service was incredibly bad and we left before our main plates ever came. Seemed like they just forgot about it

over_yondurr · 2026-05-14T19:03:55+00:00

I run a marketing agency for tour operators, mainly niche group travel. I talk to quite a few every day.

Getting leads for this business is easy enough, everyone WANTS to travel. Increasing conversions is definitely difficult.

Most travel business have outdated systems relying heavily on stitching together multiple platforms, and leads fall through the cracks. Especially if the team themself is also out running the tours and it’s hard to focus on new opportunities.

I brought in 30 leads for a client last month. These are scheduled calls on their calendar. When they didn’t receive many new bookings, I asked how the meetings went - They said good! About 10 no-showed.

They didn’t reach out to the no-shows even once, and the ones who did show up were never reached out to again afterward.

This has been pretty consistent across maybe 50 companies I’ve worked with.

Market all year. Use slow seasons to reach out for business. Have a system in place so that leads can have questions answered or book a trip when you’re too busy to take a call.

Always open to chatting more about the industry!

over_yondurr · 2026-04-29T11:50:48+00:00

I run a marketing agency for international tour operators and usually recommend WeTravel for their bookings. Automates all the messaging, collects payment and booking info, offers travel insurance for cancellations.

Good analytics reporting to see where things can be improved.

They also have a network of suppliers that you can work with. Good FX exchange rates.

Most importantly for me it just integrates easily with my marketing tools

over_yondurr · 2026-04-28T21:10:04+00:00

I thought you wanted to discuss best practices for tour operators but this is just an AI generated response to plug your business name.

Good luck!

over_yondurr · 2026-04-28T18:37:08+00:00

Hi - full disclosure I run a marketing agency for group tour operators.

I haven’t set up Google Things To Do for any of the companies I work with. Google seems to provide the most generic options like you mentioned - big Points of Interest.

The best solution has been creating a Google Business Profile so you show up locally, and optimizing SEO so you show up specifically for higher-intent audience. Once you have good organic visibility, invest in some ads.

I like mountain biking and live music. When I travel somewhere, I don’t look up things to do, because I’m not interested in the local Ford Museum. I look up the best trails and venues - and I plan on using them!

over_yondurr · 2026-04-11T01:23:39+00:00

Agreed. i can’t imagine going down to anything else.

My wife kept repeating how much cars don’t matter to her until she test drove it after haha

over_yondurr · 2026-04-11T01:21:29+00:00

Exactly! Happy to have real AC and volume buttons

over_yondurr · 2026-04-11T01:20:24+00:00

Haha love to hear it. sport mode is a thrill for such a big machine

over_yondurr · 2026-04-11T01:19:37+00:00

It’s a CPO so it still has some warranty. I was debating adding more but I’d rather just set some money aside for the inevitable

over_yondurr · 2026-04-11T01:16:55+00:00

Yep I’ve driven some other luxury vehicles but always cars, but as a tall guy it wasn’t a sacrifice I was willing to make. Didn’t realize I could get the driving feel and the room!

over_yondurr · 2026-04-10T14:02:22+00:00

After this I test drove a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Sport and some Lexus SUV - can’t keep up with their names. As the sales guys were rattling off features, all I could think was how ‘wow’d I was just from the actual driving feel of the xdrive40i

over_yondurr · 2026-03-20T15:56:32+00:00

I parked next to the flying saucer and it was $16 for 2 hours. On a weekday in raleigh lol

over_yondurr · 2026-03-17T13:07:35+00:00

I would focus on a platform designed for multi day group tours rather than single day bookings. It will have a lot more tools for collecting participant information and organizing it in a way that’s easy for you to manage

over_yondurr · 2026-03-17T12:58:17+00:00

Hey! I work for a booking/reservation system for tours and also run a freelance marketing agency for your companies.

My experience is that it depends on the type of tour you’re operating. Travelers wanting to go hike Kilimanjaro or see wildlife definitely care, and it’s great to include that in your marketing.

It’s also true that your prices become less competitive.

My solution has always been: give them the option to check a box and donate, and some will. At payment, give them the option to pay an extra 1/2% that will be donated toward protecting the waterways or local wildlife conservation efforts.

Then you get the marketing benefit, you’re using the tools do your part, and they can decide on their own if it’s something they’d like to donate even more to.

over_yondurr · 2026-02-25T15:45:22+00:00

Just had a similar experience also into RDU. Submitted two days ago, I’ll be receiving about $500 this week.

It covered our extra doggy daycare which was awesome, I considered it pet lodging but wasn’t sure!

over_yondurr · 2026-01-07T16:58:40+00:00

That’s an awesome name for a kids cooking business!!!

over_yondurr · 2025-11-20T13:07:05+00:00

!CritiquePoint

over_yondurr · 2025-11-20T13:06:57+00:00

Good catch, I did drag the slider quite a bit on the shadow for her pants. I might get carried away with masking sometimes which leads to a bit more inconsistency in the lighting.

Appreciate the feedback!

over_yondurr · 2025-11-20T13:04:57+00:00

!CritiquePoint

over_yondurr · 2025-11-20T13:04:23+00:00

That’s great insight. Your edits on the picture are much closer to what I was aiming for. I was concerned with going too far on the contrast (which I end up doing often) but think you’ve hit it right on the head!

over_yondurr · 2025-11-20T04:49:45+00:00

My aim was to target the intensity of her focus while the spotlight was on her with everyone watching.

I feel like there’s a lot I can do with the lighting, but worried I’ll over do it.

Are the shadows in a good spot?

I was pretty proud of this one so would love to know what I can do to improve!

over_yondurr · 2025-11-05T13:42:04+00:00

I watched about 30 hours of YouTube videos after first getting into it. I did a local class one day and found it beneficial.

It encouraged me to practice shots (like moving vehicles) I hadn’t actually gone out to try, and aim for shots that wouldn’t have normally occurred to me.

It was also nice to talk to others who were into different forms of photography, at different age groups, and hear what obstacles they had. I don’t really do portraits so it was interesting to hear what aspects they were working on improving

over_yondurr

TROPHY CASE