Hey there! Today, I want to share an awesome guest post from Alex Kroeger at ViaTravelers about how they grew their travel blog to 100,000 monthly pageviews in less than a year. Let’s dive in!
If you enjoy reading travel articles or following travelers on social media, you might have thought about starting your own travel blog. The daily grind of a desk job often makes us daydream, but that dream can become a reality! If traveling is your hobby, you have a great way to monetize it. You don’t need to travel full-time to make money from a travel blog; even occasional trips can work.
When you travel, you gather a ton of photos, food experiences, hotel stays, lessons learned, and more. These memories are perfect for journaling and can also help you earn some money. Why not use these memories to generate some passive income? Who knows, it might even turn into a full-fledged online business!
Don’t let the existence of countless travel blogs discourage you. With the right strategies and a passion for exploring the world, you can turn your blog into a real moneymaker. Eventually, you might even fund your travels through your blog.
My husband and I started with travel hacking methods and travel credit cards to explore the world at little to no cost. Then, we decided to document our experiences through a travel blog. Travel blogging seemed fun because there are so many ways to monetize it, like selling printables, courses, photography, books, and earning affiliate revenue. At the very least, we could journal our travel experiences in one organized place.
Starting a travel blog during the pandemic was challenging, but we knew we had to either give up or put in extra effort to achieve our goals. Giving up was not an option, so we used the extra time to build a travel blog that would thrive in a post-pandemic world. It wasn’t easy, but it worked.
Persistence is key in blogging. You need to keep going, even if the road ahead is uncertain. By consistently publishing high-quality content and focusing on effective strategies, things will eventually work out.
Now, let’s talk about some strategies that can help you make money from your travel blog:
1. **Identify Your End Goal and Work Backwards**: Determine what you want from your blog—passive income, fame, travel experiences, or supporting a charitable cause. This will help you set a theme and strategize accordingly.
2. **Decide Your Travel Niche or Not**: While having a niche can help target a specific audience, general travel blogs can also do well. Choose what suits you best.
3. **Follow a Schedule**: Successful blogging requires a consistent schedule. It doesn’t have to be rigid, but sticking to a schedule ensures timely posts.
4. **Guest Post with Your Landing Page**: Guest blogging can drive traffic to your blog. Ensure your landing page is informative and directs readers to your best content.
5. **Use Email to Generate Traffic**: Email marketing can bring in an audience interested in your content. Make sure your emails are compelling enough to drive traffic to your blog.
6. **Offer Something Valuable for Free**: Offering free valuable content, like an ebook or guide, in exchange for email subscriptions can help increase traffic and profits.
7. **Beginner and Advanced SEO Strategies**: Use SEO techniques to stand out. Target longtail keywords, optimize web pages, use external links, answer questions on forums, and include rich media. Advanced strategies include creating pillar content, auditing existing content, targeting FAQ schema, and hiring an SEO specialist.
8. **Is Pinterest Still Effective?**: Pinterest can be a great platform for travel bloggers due to its visual nature. Understand its audience and algorithms to make the most of it.
Travel blogging is different from other types of blogging because it often involves being on the move, dealing with internet connectivity issues, and sometimes traveling according to content needs. It also has higher initial costs due to travel expenses. However, it offers amazing experiences, genuine connections, and good money.
In conclusion, focusing on revenue streams is crucial for maintaining motivation and profitability. Whether it’s through display ads, sponsored posts, or other methods, monetizing your hobby can make it worth your time.
Are you ready to start a travel blog? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!