Traveling is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have in life. Going to new places, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people. They're all huge opportunities to learn and grow as a person.
It's no surprise, then, that so many people are becoming travel bloggers. It's a saturated niche, which means you'll have to work hard to set yourself apart from the crowd.
There's more to starting a travel blog than you may think. There's a lot of work that goes into setting it up and maintaining it. This is especially so if you're traveling a lot.
But don't fret, here is the ultimate guide to starting a travel blog to get you on your way.
Starting a Travel Blog: The Complete Guide
Starting a travel blog can be a great experience. It's fun, it lets you share your stories, and if you're lucky you can make money from it.
Before getting started, there's a few things you need to know about travel blogging.
It's hard to get followers at first. You spend a lot of time at the computer, and writer's block is a real thing. You also can't determine if it will be a success.
If you know all this and you're ready to give it all you've got, great! You don't have to be a literary genius or have even looked at a blog before. It can be a very rewarding thing to do even as a hobby.
Wondering how to start a travel blog? Fantastic! Here are 10 top tips to get you on the right path and to make the process as easy as possible.
1. Choose a Catchy Name
First thing's first, your blog needs a name.
Pick something that stands out from other travel bloggers. Avoid cliches like 'wanderlust' or 'nomad'. We've all seen them a million times before and they're boring.
Instead, pick something that captures your name, personality and what you're blogging about. Make it short, memorable and easy to spell.
Once you've chosen your name, you need to make it official. Registering your domain is the first step to becoming an official blogger.
When you do this, make sure the domain isn't taken. Don't try to get around it by using hyphens or numbers, people won't want to type them out. If it's taken, try to think of a different name that is free.
Also, try to make it match your social media handles. Or you could change your social handles to match your domain name.
2. Get Hosting
Once you've chosen your name, it's time to find hosting for your site and set up your domain.
There are endless websites that offer website hosting. Some are free, but they don't allow you to own your domain or customize your site.
Bluehost are a popular web hosting client and they're cheap for beginners too. You can register your name and set up your blog for under 10 bucks a month.
They allow you to customize your site as much as you want and you own your domain name. They also have reliable customer support should your site ever crash or stop working.
3. Use WordPress
You can install WordPress on most domains with ease and it's the most popular blogging client. The majority of bloggers will only use WordPress, so this is what you should be using.
It's easy to get used to and it makes editing and publishing blog posts super simple.
WordPress is the most reliable blog client you could use, so don't let any others tempt you into using them. It's used by a plethora of websites online and is by far the best one out there.
4. Install Plugins
Plugins are helpful tools to add to your blog. They help make the writing and publishing process easier.
They can help your blog to run smoother and become more efficient.
Be careful, though, as using too many plugins can slow down your site. This can cause people to click off, as nobody likes a slow website.
A few essential plugins to install include:
- Yoast SEO - Helps to optimize your blog posts and site pages to make them SEO friendly.
- W3 Total Cache - Clears your cache files and helps your site run faster.
- Akismet - Filters out the spam comments on your posts. They aren't good for business and you don't want to waste your own time deleting them.
Social media sharing buttons are also essential. Encourage readers to share your blog posts on their social feeds to help gain new followers.
5. Pick a Theme
There are a huge amount of different themes you can add to your blog.
Try to choose an eye-catching, aesthetic theme for yours. Minimalism with black and white colors usually looks great. But try to stand out from the crowd and make it appealing.
Don't go for bright, clashing colors or flashing gifs. It's not the 1990s. Also, make sure your text is readable against the backgrounds.
There are some free themes which look great but premium themes are of higher quality. They can give your blog a unique look and help you stand out.
6. Start Creating Content
Now that your blog is all set up, it's time to start posting!
It's a good idea to have a few blog posts lined up when you start. It gives new readers more than one post to read and will encourage them to come back for more once they're hooked.
Also, don't confine yourself to blog posts. With the digital world using so many mediums, it's a good idea to branch out. Add some travel videos, share your photos. Add a section for your social media posts.
Make your blog into a hub for your entire brand. When people see more than blog posts, it encourages them to stick around for more content.
Adding an 'About Me' page is a great way to let your personality shine through. It established a connection to your audience and shows that you're a real, unique person.
7. Make It SEO Friendly
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is an essential part of marketing your brand.
When it comes to blogging, SEO is king.
SEO determines how people find your work. The Yoast SEO plugin is a good start, but you have to put your own work in too.
To do this, you need to use the right keywords. This depends on what you're writing about. Try to thinking of what people would type in the search bar to get to your post.
Titles, keywords, links, referrals: they're all important aspects of SEO. You want to use the right amount and don't overdo it, as over-stuffing has negative SEO effects.
The main thing is to get your pages as high up on search engine websites as possible. The more people who search for similar content, the better. This means they'll be likely to end up on your page.
After that, you need to keep up the good work to give them a good reason to stay on your site and follow along.
8. Use Good Photos
As a world traveler, you should be taking a lot of photos. After all, an image speaks a thousand words.
Photos are far more valuable than souvenirs, and it's a great idea to share them on your blog. Using high-quality photos on your posts and across your site makes your posts better.
It adds a visual element to your story and grabs the reader's attention. It helps pull them into the story you're telling.
Using professional, relevant photos boosts your SEO rankings. It also gives more content for your followers to engage with.
Learn how to edit your photos well before posting them. You can use free photo editing software like Snapseed which makes the process easy.
Photos also help attract users from other websites. People who browse content on Pinterest or Tumblr may find your photo and make their way over to your site.
9. Shameless Self Promotion
Getting your blog name out there is key to making it successful.
SEO is a massive driving aspect of this, but there are other things you can do too. Once your blog is up and you're ready to start sharing some posts, it's time to get serious.
Shameless self-promotion is the way to go.
Tell anyone and everyone about your blog. Shout it from the rooftops if you have to! Okay, you don't have to go that far, but you get what I mean.
Social media is your best friend here. Use every one of your social accounts to get the word out.
Facebook, Twitter, heck even LinkedIn! They great tools to influence your audience to come your way. Any time you post a new blog entry or new content, let your followers know.
Encourage a conversation with your followers. Ask questions about your latest blog post. Have a call to action which encourages them to talk about your post on social media. Hashtags are great tools for this, and they encourage a close community of followers.
The more people who are talking about your blog, the more traffic it will get.
Scheduling tools can make this process a lot easier. If you have a post prepared to publish on a certain day, do the same with social media.
Buffer is a great social media management tool which helps schedule posts. Keep an eye on social media analytics and see which times your audience are interacting.
10. Get Educated
Having a blog doesn't mean you know everything there is to know. You need to get educated to know more about the industry.
There are a lot of ways to do this. Reach out to other bloggers and make a friendly connection. Get to know them and swap tips with each other.
Ask questions. You'll never know if you never ask.
Read other blogs, research blogging techniques, and see what works best for you. Watch videos and read articles. Consume as much information as you can.
To get your blog off the ground, there are agencies which can help you get your name out there. They'll work with you to help get your work noticed and further establish your brand.
Also, remember to be patient. It takes time to establish your blog brand and can take even longer to make any money from it.
If you set out making a blog with the sole purpose of making a profit, you're destined to fail. If you love what you write about and let your personality shine through, your audience will love you.
Stay true to that and keep things authentic. If you follow these steps you could have a very successful blog on your hands.
Most importantly, have fun! Blogging is a creative endeavor, and as long as you enjoy the process, you can't go wrong.
Starting a Travel Blog: 10 Simple Steps
Embarking on any new journey (literally and figuratively) is a rewarding experience.
It's a fantastic opportunity to build new skills and connect with others around the world. Travel blogging is the perfect way to share your experiences and establish a brand.
Starting a travel blog may seem like a lot of work at first, but you won't regret it. Even if you never make a cent from it, it's a valuable way to reflect on your travels. In years to come, it's a great digital diary that some always accessible.
It's a perfect outlet to improve your writing skills and learn self-discipline.
If you do happen to make it into a career, it's the ultimate dream job! Traveling the world for a living is something most people dream of.
Building a strong community of followers across social media is a great feeling too.
Want to give your blog a boost? Check out our services to see how we can help you out, and make sure to look through our work!