Vacation Rentals have come a long way since the "summer vacation" days.

Customers are demanding better amenities and owners are continually upgrading their homes, condo and cottages to attract new renters.

One of the absolutely necessary steps for anyone who currently owns or plans to purchase a vacation rental, is to get yourself posted on multiple websites that promote vacation rentals. While sites like VRBO and VLBO get a lot of traffic they also are the virtual equivalent of a Supermarket. Properties range from cabins in the northeast to ski resorts to beach rentals, and they are all over the world.

What many savy property owners have realized is that most people looking to find a rental do is search Google or Yahoo for the area FIRST. Getting your property onto a site that is specific and targeted is the key to maximizing the number of weeks you can rent.

One such site is Florida Gulf Vacation ( www.floridagulfvacation.com ). The site has been around for several years and provides owners the ability to target just travelers to the area they support - the Central Gulf Coast of Florida. Looking through the site you find properties from Crystal River down to Key West. All listed properties are Beach Rentals (on or near the beach) and are all direct from Owner with no middleman.

The site is run by a vacation rental owner named Jim Swartwout who keep his property booked virtually 100% of the time. "Our goal is simply to provide travelers with some of the best properties in the area at the best prices" he stated. "For owners, getting lost in the massive sites is just not cost effective, we offer a free trial and then extremely competitive prices should you wish to continue with us".

Right now the site lists under 20 properties but a recent marketing campaign and overhaul of the site is seeing positive results. Once you list with these guys your listing priority stays for life - which is another key feature - No big extra expenses to move up the ranking.

So if you are looking to market a vacation rental definitely post to the big rental sites because they will give you exposure - but also check your local area to see if there are niche sites you can post your property on for a more reasonable price and get higher targeted traffic.

For the best florida Gulf Coast Vacation Marketing Niche site check out http://www.floridagulfvacation.com - connecting Vacation rental Owners with Travelers on the web since 2004