Getting paid for traveling is one of the popular dream jobs to have. The good news is that the dream job is feasible, though it requires hard work and dedication.
Travel blogging lets you travel and earn money. Start small by collecting the memories, pictures, and information from the trips you’ve done in the past. Then brainstorm what your potential readers would be most interested in learning about your trip, and try your hand at writing a couple of articles.
If the process feels right, travel blogging may be a great project to try. If you’re interested in the idea, read on to learn more about how you can potentially turn it into a business.
1. Choose a Specific Niche
Travel blogging is just as relevant in 2021 as it ever was. The abundant resources, information, and technology innovation available right now makes it even easier to start travel blogging.
However, note that there are more than 30 million existing blogs to date. Many of them are successful travel blogs that were established years ago. Thus, you have to come up with something different for your travel blog to stand out.
Since you’re starting fresh, it’s best to specialize in a travel niche that people will be interested in. There are too many generic travel blogs, not to mention many traveling forums like Trip Advisor or Travellers Point that provide open discussions about traveling recommendations.
It’s recommended to be as specific as possible when deciding the niche of your blog. Being one of a kind also gives you room to be an expert in the field, helping you build credibility and brand awareness.
Keep in mind that you also need to conduct market research of your potential readers. Avoid writing about a specific traveling niche without giving any added value to the readers.
For example, instead of creating a food journal travel blog, it’s better to write a local healthy food guide travel blog. It’s specific, and there is an existing target market for that niche.
2. Buy a Proper Domain Name
A domain name helps the readers to identify and access your blog. Short domains are preferred, but choosing longer iconic words also works if the short domain is already taken. You can also make it rhyme to make it memorable.
Use .com as the domain extension since it’s the most convenient and credible option, even though it’s usually more expensive. If people type your domain wrong, they will find dns_probe_finished_nxdomain on the web browser, which will inconvenience your readers.
Though the cause of the dns_probe_finished_nxdomain problem may vary, you can avoid it by purchasing a proper domain name.
Choose words that are easy to spell, avoid double letters and special characters to make the domain name easier to remember. Once you have a couple of options in mind, check if they’re available on the domain name registrar.
Your domain registrar can be the same or different from the hosting company. Carefully weigh which option is more beneficial for your blog.
3. Invest in High-Quality Hosting Provider
When you aim to earn money from your blog, it is better to have complete control over it. Don’t use free blogging platforms that limit your room for monetization. Invest in a distinguished hosting provider instead.
A high-quality hosting provider doesn’t always mean the most expensive. There are many other factors to consider when choosing a good hosting provider, such as:
- Server uptime. This refers to the total functional time of a server that makes your blog available online. Look for a hosting provider that can guarantee 99.9% uptime.
- Loading speed. Travel blogs often contain high-quality images. Make sure your hosting provider has a good loading speed so that your readers don’t have to wait too long for your site to load.
- Security. Find out what security measures the hosting provider implements. Is it perfectly equipped? Do you have to pay for extra protection, or is it included in your hosting plan?
- Data back-up. A good hosting provider will provide you with daily or weekly backup options. Make sure it has a seamless data restoration process.
- Customer support. Find out about the hosting provider’s customer support through reading customer reviews. It is recommended that the support is available for you 24/7 over a variety of different platforms.
4. Create Great Travel Content
Travel only doesn’t make great travel content. Enrich your knowledge by reading, watching other people’s content on Youtube, and learning about different points of view.
To generate new content ideas, always aim to fulfill your target audience’s needs – research a problem that is hard to answer on the internet. Scroll through popular traveling accounts’ comment sections and look for any interesting questions or insights there.
Write detailed and helpful content, don’t just put general information which can be found easily. You can also try to feature the same topic as the other blogs from a different point of view.
For example, you find the content about searching for healthy food in the Vatican, try to present similar content in video format, or create GIFs and cute digital stickers.
5. Optimize for Search Engines
Creating great content should be followed by excellent search engine optimization, as it can help you generate organic traffic from search results.
Research the keywords you want to focus on. Try to understand the reader’s intent and the estimated words they would type on search engines.
Put the keywords in the URLs, headings, main text, and meta descriptions. When you write the keywords on the body of text, add relevant links to your own blog posts or reference websites.
Consistently posting new posts on your blog also helps to rank higher in search engines. To maximize the off-page SEO, create dedicated social media accounts for your blog and promote your articles there.
6. Build Your Network
The second important thing to have in your blog after the content is the audience. You can’t earn any money from blogging if there’s no one reading it.
Promote your travel blog through social media channels like Instagram, Youtube, or even TikTok. Creating more content for the platform may take some time, but expanding your blog can help increase your blog’s traffic.
Your social media posts will increase engagement with the audience. At the same time, your social media accounts can be a tool to network with other bloggers or public figures more closely.
Build trust and grow a community with your followers to improve your credibility and show that you care. That may not be an easy task, but successfully building your network can help your travel blog in the long run.
7. Guest Post on Other Blogs
Writing a guest post means writing for someone else’s blog. It is beneficial to the blog owner since they have more diverse and fresh content. At the same time, it gives advantages to your blog through backlinks and exposure.
Add a link to your blog post on relevant text when you write a guest post. Writing many guest posts on different platforms is better than overpromoting your blog in one post.
There are many ways to find a blog that takes guest posts. Remember that you don’t have to write guest posts on travel websites, any other theme that will work just fine as long as you can find a perfect placement for the link to your blog.
8. Advertise Online
Other than writing guest posts, you can also make an online advertisement for your blog. However, you’ll need to invest some money to do so.
Look for credible travel influencers or public figures. Approach people that have a significant influence on different social media platforms in your niche and arrange for them to promote your blog.
Plan your advertisement strategies in advance and contact as many influencers as you can.
9. Start a Newsletter List
When building your blog, don’t forget to put a text box form where your readers can leave their email addresses in order to get the newest updates. Use the list to send emails and increase your visibility.
When there’s a list of subscribers, you can start planning your newsletter content. It can contain promotional news or exclusive content that you dedicate only to the subscribers.
You can also rent other travel bloggers’ email lists to blast promotional emails. When you have a lot of subscribers, renting your email list can also be your source of income.
10. Evaluate Your Blog’s Performance
Install Google Analytics on your blog to easily create customized reports of how your blog is performing. It is a free yet powerful tool that can automatically collect data from your blog and analyze your visitors in-depth.
Figuring out what content to create can be easier with the help of the reports. It’s easier to track your content strategy and see whether it is working or not working, as well as figure out the steps to reach your blog’s goal.
In Conclusion
Traveling while making an extra income is possible if you are willing to dedicate your time and effort to make your travel blog a success. Being passionate about traveling alone won’t work if you aren’t consistent in creating valuable content.
You’ll also need to develop skills to promote your blog and generate decent traffic effectively. If you have the willpower and only need some directions on how to start, use this article as your guidance.
Just keep practising and making progress every day. Eventually, you can have a successful travel blog.
