Home / Sponsored listings policy

Sponsored listings policy

Labels

Every paid placement is labelled 'Sponsored'. Links carry rel="sponsored nofollow noopener". Sponsored content never appears in a lake's answer card, rules, FAQ or structured data, and sponsors have no say over the rules we publish.

Allowed categories

Marina (slips, moorings, storage, fuel) · boat and pontoon rental · PWC rental (only on lakes where PWCs are allowed) · boat dealer · marine repair, winterizing and shrink-wrap · boat storage · marine fuel · launch-area lodging or campground.

Not accepted

Bait and tackle; fishing guides and charters; real estate and home inspection; dock and lift builders, dredging, weed and algae control, pond services; insurance; lending; paddling outfitters and tours; anything not in the allowed list.

Not allowed in any listing

Claims of agency connection or approval ('official', 'approved', 'permit office'); payment instructions such as Zelle, Cash App, gift cards, wire transfers or crypto; adult content; drugs; weapons and ammunition; gambling; hate or harassment; multi-level marketing; payday loans; 'guaranteed' claims; medical claims; links, emails or phone numbers inside the description; all-capitals text; look-alike or invisible characters.

Location

Your business ZIP must be within 30 straight-line miles of the lake (60 for page sponsors).

Websites

https only; no IP addresses; no link shorteners; no redirects to a different site.

Reports

Readers can report a listing as closed, not a real business, wrong lake, offensive or a scam. Three reports from three different networks within 30 days hide the listing and pause its paid time until the owner edits or confirms it.

Link watch

We check each listing's website daily. Fourteen failed days in a row pause the listing until the site works again.

No moderation queue

Every submission is checked automatically and goes live or is rejected with a reason at once.