Considering that there are over 1.5 billion websites around the world, it can feel overwhelming trying to stand out from the crowd. You might be dreaming of having a profitable travel blogging website, but you aren’t sure where to begin.
If this sounds like you, there’s hope. There are some tricks and secrets to help you stand out from the sea of competition, and turn your visitors into buyers. Read this guide on how to get started with a profitable travel blog today!
It’s All in the Name
When you want to make money blogging, the name that you choose is vital. If you pick out a long/hard-to-spell name, it’ll be difficult for your visitors to remember you.
Decide how long you’ll be traveling and to what places as you pick out a name. Keep it short and memorable. Brainstorm and write down a list of names that you come up with. Stick with .com and avoid hyphens.
Registration Time
Once you have the name for your blog, it’s time to register it whether you go through Siteground, Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc. Some of these sites will allow you to have your domain name for free for 1 year when you buy hosting. Some of these will have easy drop and drag features to set up your site with WordPress.
Pick Your Theme
Check out other travel bloggers and see what they’re doing right when it comes to designs. While your site might come with some default themes, decide between a free or paid option.
Design Time
It’s time to set up your email list to turn visitors into buyers. Consider highly converting popup designs to attract your visitors.
Once that’s complete, you can focus on your logo and the overall design of your site. If you’re not a designer, you could hire someone for less on Upwork or Fiverr.
If you’d like to try your hand at designs, head over to Canva or Adobe Photoshop. Don’t skip this step. Think about when you head to sites, do you stay on a site that doesn’t look professional?
Install Plugins
You’ll want to install different plugins including a contact form, Akismet, and Yoast SEO. Yoast SEO will let you know what you’re doing wrong and right as far as attracting free visitors.
Look through other options as far as plugins but keep it simple since you don’t want to slow down your site. Amazon said that if they have 1 second of load lag time then it would cost them $1.6 billion in sales each year!
User Experience
Once you have your theme and plugins installed, you’ll want to make sure that your site is easy to navigate. Have a menu bar with a home link for them to get from point A to point B with ease.
Write Your First Post
Let your personality shine through with your first post. Let them know why you’re starting this blog and what your travel goals are.
Once you’re done writing it, share it on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, etc. For future posts, you can take a look at the competitors for ideas. Remember to never copy another’s idea.
Before you hit publish, it’s a good idea to run your post through Hemingway Editor and Grammarly. Grammarly will catch any typos that you might have missed.
It’s a good idea to still self-edit since Grammarly might not catch every typo. You can install Grammarly right into Google Chrome and have it turned on. There’s also Grammarly for Word as well.
How To Make Money With Travel Blogging
One way to get started with making money is by using Adsense. Once you start having visitors and they click on a link, you’ll be paid a small fee. After you reach a certain amount of visitors, then you can switch to Mediavine which pays even more for ads.
Affiliate Programs
Sign up for affiliate programs that you would recommend to your family member. Avoid promoting scammy sites since your reputation is on the line. When someone signs up through your link, you’ll make a percentage.
If you’re a travel blogger, you could promote different hotels, travel services, or programs around the world. Once you set up your email list and build trust with your audience, they’ll be more likely to buy from you.
Sponsored Posts
Another great way to make money is through sponsored posts. This is where you write a blog post and mention another company in the content.
The same rule applies to affiliate programs where you want them to be a reputable company. As you come up with content, be sure that it matches the company that you’ll mention.
Shop
Consider setting up a shop on your site. Install the plugin for WooCommerce and this will allow you to sell different items.
From t-shirts to mugs you can get creative with the items that you sell. If you’re not a designer, consider hiring a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr.
Courses
Set up different courses to make money blogging. Whether you teach others how to score the top deals while traveling, or you show them how to set up their own travel blog, it’s a great way to earn passive income.
From here you can decide whether you’d like to go 3rd party or be in charge of your own course. Certain sites will allow you to create your own affiliate link for others to promote your course as well.
Understanding How To Make Money With Travel Blogging
After exploring this guide, you should be ready to get started with travel blogging. Take your time researching different places you can go and get your camera ready to take plenty of pictures along the way.
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