So you've written and amazing travel blog something life changing and you want people to read it. It is funny, profound and filled with great information. But nobody is coming over to your blog for a visit.
Let's face it, most of us aren't writing a blog for ourselves. We would appreciate an audience. But how does one get an audience, especially when they are first starting out?
You have to network. If people don't know you are out there, they will never find you.
cartoon courtesy of HardikPargi.com
How to Promote Your Travel Blog
Fast Facts – Quick ideas to start promoting your blog today:
- Start with your friends and family, promote your blog posts on your personal Facebook and social pages. It's a good place to start, we did.
- Start a social media account on all the places you want to start promoting your blog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
- Put your blog url in all your social media channels
- Immediately start building your email list. Build your loyal following now.
- Be consistent. Choose a time and day to post on your blog, send out your emails and interact on social media.
- Enable social share buttons so others can share your content.
Tip #1 Content
Promote your Travel Blog Tips
It sounds cliché but you need to write great content. If you don't write something of interest, people won't come back.
People want information, but they also want to be entertained.
They want to know that when they come over to your blog, they will find something different.
Let's assume that you already know the basics of blogging. If you don't, head over to our other posts:
- How to Start a Travel Blog – And In Depth Guide from the Experts
- How to Become a Professional Travel Blogger
“If you don't have good content, you won't have anything to promote.”
Tip #2 Courses and Communities
I was overwhelmed when we first started trying to get our blog recognized.
I had been looking at all these “top travel blog sites” and “lists of the best travel blogs” and said..”I want on that.
How do I get on those?”
I scoured the Internet looking for advice.
When we started, there were a few resources like The Travel Writers Exchange and The Travel Blog Exchange, but today there are courses, communities, facebook groups and countless posts about how to be a successful travel blogger.
I think the best one is the The Superstar Blogging Course by Nomadic Matt.
He has a community you can network with and he has rotating experts run different streams of his course, so you can focus on what you need the most help with.
Superstar Blogging. Nomadic Matt changed his make money travel blogging book into the Superstar blogging course Superstar Blogging Course.
Business of Travel Blogging
He has split up his course into 4 different streams and has brought on different experts in their field to run and lead the courses.
These are intense in depth tracks that will help you succeed and he offers monthly mentoring and support through his teachers.
- Business of Travel Blogging: $300 (6 monthly payments of $50) and he also has a 30 Day money back guarantee.
- How to become a Travel Photography: $199 (5 payments of $39.99)
- How to be a Travel Writer: $485 (5 Monthly Payments of 97.00)
- How to Become a Videographer $349 one time fee
The First Year of Travel Blogging
The first year of blogging can be the toughest. It is where you may see the least amount of growth and may have trouble finding an audience.
It's where a lot of people give up because they realize that travel blogging is a lot harder than it looks.
promoting your travel blog
Write About What You Know
We were lucky when we started our travel blog. We had been traveling for almost a decade and had already been to over 30 countries.
We had a repertoire of stories that were just waiting to be told.
In a sense, we could compete with the “big boys” of travel blogging because we had already travelled to a lot of different places and had a lot of information to share.
If you are thinking of starting a travel blog start writing today about the places you've been, the tips you can share and writing about the amusing moments you've had on the road.
Have fun and be you!
Dave being interviewed for a podcast
People thought that we were already established bloggers when we began ThePlanetD because we presented ourselves as professionals and travel experts immediately.
We could do that because we had a lot of travel experience in travel, adventure, couple's travel tips and off the beaten path destinations. So we stuck with that niche..
We didn't write about what we didn't know. We focused on what we had experience in and people looking for information eventually found us.
So even if you don't have a lot of blogging or even travel experience, you still need to present yourself as an expert in something.
Maybe you know all about sports of the world, or languages, or you are an expert on one destination (if could be your home town or country) If you write about what you know, people will come back. You will become the authority on that subject.
Fast Facts #2 – More Quick Ideas to Promote Your Blog
- Ask and Answer Questions in in forums
- Participate in Travel chats. On Twitter I have seen people's presences skyrocket by participating regularly in travel chats.
- Suggested Travel Chats #TravelSkills, #TTOT, #RTWChat, and #TNI – Once you start talking to other influencers you will raise your travel profile.
- Put your blog on social bookmarking sites like bloglovin, AllTopTravelSites – You want to get people finding you outside your blog
- Share your content everywhere once it's published – Tumblr, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest
- Share posts more than once. Not all eyeballs are on social media at the same time, so schedule them out at different times and days.
2. Find a Niche
The Planet D has an adventure niche
There are a million travel blogs out there.
Backpackers, solo travellers, travel couples, you have to find something that makes you unique. What are you passionate about? When you write, are you funny?
Are you a straight and to the point type of person, do you like controversy and will rant about anything?
We are an adventure travel couple from Canada.
A lot of the world doesn't know the little things about Canada, they think we are the same as the United States. We like to write about that.
We also like to write with our hearts on our sleeve and discuss our insecurities, our accomplishments and our struggles.
We like to take on extreme adventures like cycling Africa or doing the Mongol Rally. But we are just every day people, so people can relate to us.
We're not trying to be a Bear Grylls or trying to be head above others in adventure.
Our niche is to show people that if we can do it, anyone can! That's why our motto is “Adventure is for everyone!”
By finding a niche as an adventure couple, we've been able to stand out from the crowd.
Tip #3 Network, Network, Network
Networking is the best way to promote your brand
A great way to make a mark in the travel blogging community is to network.
Conferences and meet ups are a good place to start.
Travel Massive is an organization that is in cities all over the world and you can go out and meet like minded people.
Travel Massive even runs tutorials and monthly information sessions.
TBEX, New York Times Travel Show, WTM, ITB are all travel conferences where you can network with other bloggers and attend sessions on travel blogging.
These are essential to attend.
I have seen people grow their name just by attending several conferences, getting to know the right people and being charismatic.
Meeting people in person goes a long way.
Online Networking
The beauty of the Internet is that you don't have to leave home to make connections. Here are ideas to raise your online presence.
Join Forums
Twitter Chats, Facebook Groups, The Travel Writers Exchange, Lonely Planet are a great way to get your name out there.
Introduce yourself and join the discussion.
There are so many places that you can network with other Bloggers.
There are even Travel Blog forums on facebook. Find the one that you are comfortable with and start chatting.
Write Guest Posts
People are always looking for great content.
If you approach a larger blog with something that you think would be suitable for their readers, people will most likely say yes.
We accept guest posts. When someone emails us an article we read it. If we like it, we post it with their bio and a link back to their website.
It not only introduces them to a new audience but brings new readers our way too. So don't be afraid to approach blogs if you have a great idea, they may just say yes.
We accept guest posts here at TheplanetD.
Write for Travel Websites
Take it one step further and write for websites.
What travel bloggers do you admire? Write to them and ask if you can write a guest post for them?
Send pitches and queries to places like Matador Network, BBC Travel, CNN, Huffington Post and Lonely Planet.
This will give you a boost in traffic, build your name and your body of published work. Some larger sites even pay a small amount for your articles.
Go for it, start searching for other online travel magazines and send in your submission today.
Leave insightful Comments
When we first started blogging, we would go to other people's blogs and see the insightful comments and discussions going on between established Bloggers and we were blown away.
Just by going through comment threads, we could pick out who was an authority in the travel market.
The more we saw them around the Internet, the more we wanted to read about them. The ones that are big online, are the people that network well.
They leave comments that add to the post not just a silly “great post” comment that does nothing for a person.
Build a Social Media Presence
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and facebook are your friends.
The referrals and network you will build these sites are astounding.
People will follow your Facebook fanpage because they like you.
They may watch your Instagram stories because you are funny!
If you engage with your followers on twitter, you will find that people retweet your posts regularly and drive traffic your way.
There are many different Social Media sites to choose from.
Some people may love TikTok, Flipboard, Digg or Reddit. Whatever it may be, choose a couple and focus on them.
The most important thing is to be generous. If you spend all your time promoting yourself, nobody will click on your stuff. The more you give, the more you get.
Offer an Option to Sign up for Your Newsletter
Your loyal followers will want to hear from your regularly. Give them a chance to sign up for a newsletter and then send it directly to their inbox on a regular basis.
It doesn't have to go out weekly, but just make sure you are consistent.
Are you going to send out news weekly, monthly or quarterly?
Decide and stick to that schedule. In your newsletter offer insider tips, discounts, and giveaways.
Give your followers incentive to sign up. This is an excellent way to remind people who signed up for your newsletter to come on over and check out your blog again.
Persevere
Blogging takes a long time. You have to build an audience and sometimes it takes longer than others.
There are some websites that explode over night but for the most part, consistency is the key.
Keep posting, keep writing, keep leaving comments, work on building your friendships and contacts on your social media sites, work on becoming a better writer or photographer and stay true to yourself and your vision. Eventually it will pay off.
Thinking of getting into Travel Blogging? Read our post: How to Start a travel Blog in 11 Easy Steps
Technical help and Instant Community
There are many technical things that can help a person to place higher in the search engines.
If you show up on the first page of Google, you will definitely find an audience of people looking for advice and information.
But that doesn't happen overnight.
There are some great courses out there. Check out Neil Patel, Pat Flynn and Nomadic Matt's course to consume as much information and help you can.
Read Next:
How to Become a Professional Travel Blogger
From Trailer Park to Travel Blog, Our Path To Success
9 Strategies to Managing Your Travel Blog While Traveling
Tips to Keep Your Blog Running When Not Traveling
Xtremeyacht says
Hey, great article. A very good read and I love the pictures! I’m going to start working on a guest post for you! I’m going to take a look at those courses you have recommended too! 🙂
Sameer (LonavalaCab) says
Very useful information. It will definitely help us while maintaining our travel blog. Thanks!
Hardik (Pawna Camp) says
Nice article. This information is very useful for beginners and experience travel blogger. Information worth sharing 🙂
[email protected] says
Hi Dave & Deb,
Thanks for such an info-packed post! I just got started with my travel website after travelling for 2 years around South America. It can be tough getting started when no one visits your site after you spend so much time writing and editing photos but even with no traffic, the process of writing out your thoughts and seeing a complete article at the end is really rewarding. I’m aiming to have a website that people can see, enjoy, and benefit from. So it’s super helpful to have your promotion tips and that last bit about hanging in there is encouraging! Cheers
Dhanvi Tour says
This is such a helpful guide . Being a traveler I personally liked your advice to for travelling alone, so bold and true.
Wow, a great list of travel blog, loved every blogin this listing.
“One’s destination is not a place, but a new way of seeing things” – This was the best.
Matty & Sunny says
No matter what post we read of yours, we always walk away with a handful of knowledge. We have launched our travel blog this week and have took so much inpiration from you as we are also a young couple who are well travelled and have decided it is time to pass our knowledge of the world down to others. Thank you being you and inspiring us build a blog as informative and as interesting as you have.
Taimur khan says
Hi Dave!
Thanks for sharing your expreience, This is very helpful post
camping near Pune says
Hello Dave and Deb!!!
Feeling great to read your article. It’s really good and informative. Keep posting such helpful articles.
Alina on Tour says
Always good to learn from the best! Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. It’s timeless!
Abedin says
Lovely post! Thank you for sharing!
Ummi Nadrah says
Hey Dave and Deb,
Thank you so much for this article. I just started my blog a month ago, and I had always been wondering how exactly to promote it apart from the usual social media platforms. This is very helpful. Thanks!
Tracey Jones says
wow. amazing tips you have shared. I was wondering how to deal with my blog. Thanks for sharing gonna implement these ways too.
Scout says
Regarding this piece of advice:
“Immediately start building your email list. Build your loyal following now.”
I see this copy-pasted on literally every ‘how to grow your blog’ post I’ve been reading for over 10 years. But nobody, not once, has ever said HOW to do this. Sure, have a mailing list, but that doesn’t get people’s addresses unless they sign up.
Some advice on how to grow your mailing list, and how to grow your social media (so that posting your links actually does something, since most of the time it doesn’t do anything on a Twitter with, say, 11 followers) so that you may in turn grow your contacts list.
Thanks!
L'Erbolario UK says
Hey Dave And Deb,
Such an awesome Blog!!
You have shared a piece of great information regarding the travel blog. Please keep sharing with us in future too. Thank You so Much.
Aiden says
Can’t put my phone down while reading your post. I have shared my travel experience but not many people excited with my blog. This would help me a lot. Thanks.
Chitra Pandey says
Wonderful! well done,keep it up!
Anna says
informative blog. by following this one can easily promote their blog.
Swastik Tours says
Thank you for the advice. Really amazing blog
Morgan Teresa says
Excellent information on your blog. I am a blogger and your blog is very helpful for me. Thanks you share the right information.
Swagatika says
This was a very helpful post. I have recently start my blog and very new to blogging.Thanks for sharing the tips 🙂
Abdul Majeed Butt says
Great advice and useful post. This post is very helpful and interesting. Thank you so much for sharing the travel blog.
Paket Tour Belitung says
This article is very helpful, so far I have always had difficulties for travel bloggers who are having a hard time marketing their blog
Corbin Treacy says
Thanks for sharing the travel tips. Amazing tips for the travel. Useful post.
Guy Sands-Pingot says
This post is very helpful. Nice post and great content for the travel. Thank you so much for sharing this post.
Charles M. Glaze says
Great tips. Nearly 50 but desperate to do some travelling after flying out to Thailand for just one week to meet my son who was travelling. Best week of my entire life.
John says
Great post! Traveling and blogging is definitely a goal of mine and hearing these tips is inspirational. Keep up the great work!
planetfiesta says
Nice article, i also read an article about “Best Places to visit on Christmas Eve 2018”.
Dalyan Guide says
Very helpful advice, thanks for sharing.
African Sermon Safaris says
Valuable information,Thanks lots for sharing them with us….
Steven says
Great Blog man… Very beautiful post thanks for the sharing this one.. Keep it up with new blog…
Indraneel Sengupta says
Absolutely failproof ways to promote a travel blog. Pinterest is another great option to promote our blog for free. Thanks for sharing.
Sara says
Fantastic article! Superb content! Great advice. Thank you.
Andrew Deagle says
Hi thanks very you tips on how to promote your travel blog. My wife and i have sold our house, car and most of our stuff and are now traveling the word house and pet sitting. I am building our blog to let people see how we are going and your blog has given me some new ideas. So thank you. If you would like to have a look that would be great.
Cheers Andrew
Elise says
Thank you very much, Planet D! I am new to travel blogging and I really need a lot of help on how to start. I actually had another blog The Broadway Queen but thought I should move to a more focused blog, The Bright Adventure. I am having difficulty because I noticed that my old blog already had stats but my new blog still has low stats. I tried to move my posts from my old blog to the new blog but I don’t know, Google still recognizes my old blog better… Do you have insights on these?
selena says
Your travel blog information help me a lot to write about travel ,it’s give such a great information which is very helpful.thanks for sharing such a grate promotion ideas.
Priyadarshi says
I was searching the different ways to promote my post on my personal blog and found this post. It is engaging as well as informative which made me read the post from top to bottom. Nice post guys.
basketball games says
Remember to play it everyday to laugh more
Contiki Discount says
These tips are so helpful. I mean I really didn’t know that we could use Facebook this way. Really appreciated man, keep up the good work.
Tours in Hurghada says
Thanks for sharing such a great travel blog tips. I definitely follow your tips. I am also a travel lover and explore many destinations every year in the world. Keep sharing always….!!!
Mayuri Patel says
thank you for sharing such insightful tips on blogging, its really helpful.Love your networking tips on which I am not focusing now
kosherstays says
Great advice! Every tip is spot on, and especially #8…
John Wills says
Really useful information. Thanks for sharing great information
Mount Toubkal Trek says
Very useful. It helps to rank my website. Thank you.
SoCalActvities says
Building a legitimate opt-in email list is a great idea to gather loyal readers/returning visitors! Thanks!
AirKeeper Australia says
Such a pleasure to read your tips ! Love this so much! Thank you.
Jessica says
Great post, it helped a lot!
Thanks,
Jessica
kosherstays says
great tips and thanks for sharing informative words.
Jessica says
Great. I like it.
shopmuni says
Thanks for sharing with us it is very useful to promote our blog
Josh says
Thanks for the tips! I love your site by the way, I looked at it a lot when we were designing ours. Also, I had no idea that you were fellow Canadians until now!
rashikumar says
Thanks for the points.
sindhu says
Thanks for sharing. I was in an urge to start a travel blog
Book Coimbatore to Ooty Taxi says
Good Post.Worth to read this article.
planodo.com says
Thanks for these useful tips. Really appreciate it.
Ankita says
Hey,
Thanks for an insightful and well detailed post. I appreciate you.
Zoya Parveen says
Thanks for sharing. Great work. Keep it up.
Regards
Callum says
Hello I am so happy I found your web site, I really found you
by mistake, while I was researching on Bing for something else, Regardless I am here now
and would just like to say many thanks for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I also love
the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have saved it and also
added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be
back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the
excellent work.
Cheapflightsfreak says
This post is really helpful, thanks! I just started my travel blog two weeks ago, but have been consistently updating with new entries almost daily, as well as commenting on other blogs. While I still have ways to go before “making it big”, my hits have been steadily rising. I currently use own site http://cheapflightsfreak.com/.
Shanawar says
Great tips to promote blog.
Marcio says
Very good this post.. It was one of the best I’ve ever read about building successful travel blog. I have also focused on my online projects and have the dream of starting to travel through several different places. I love to read the content of Theplanetd because it motivates me to chase my dreams that is traveling.
Luis Sanser says
Normally i write best & useful content, sharing beautiful & real picture on my website, then visitor from search engine can find it
felicito nato says
Very long yet very detailed and informative blog post. I was inspired to write more and never stop doing my passion. Thank you for this article.
joxy says
Goood Information thanx
Laura L McCall says
Yo! You were at the Merkle Ethereum event in Toronto over the holidays. Crazy seeing you on here with such great content! I was the videographer for the event. I’m just getting started on youtube, Would love some feedback!?
Dave And Deb says
Hi Laura, great to meet you! Congratulations on your website. I’ll definitely check it out!
Gogotrip says
Amazing travel blog
Jammes Law says
Wow nice tips for promotion of travel blog..
Yes i really impress by reading your article on net its just an awesome. keep it on for more idea regarding the vacation rental finger lakes.
Karan says
Thanks for sharing it………….:) 🙂
yo yo mohit says
good luck Tiffany, you are so right. Blogging takes time and I really don’t think anyone can be a success without loving it because it takes so much time! Looking forward to seeing your articles on the net.
Megri says
Wonderful post.I would never have normally come here to read the blogs but I’m really glad I did. Will definitely be coming back
Himanshu Nire says
This is definitely a good read. Thanks a lot for this.
Now I have a website for Safari Lodge in South Africa, called Mopane Bush Lodge which has a blog integrated. I am thinking of ways to improve the blog with rich content, so I can have more returning visitors. I will follow your pointers, and see how it goes.
martina says
Great post! It’s a relief to know that the first year is (usually) the taughest! That was 2017 for me!!! Thanks for sharing and all the best 🙂
Mike Belobradic says
Very informative post as I look for new ways to expand my audience. And I didn’t realize you were fellow Canadians even though I had read your posts in the past, so Happy New Year and a big shout out to you!
Isabella Chris says
Amazing post, I definitely agree that getting out there and experiencing (and networking) is the best way to do it. Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising. We apply this to our blog as well which has some great articles.
Cristina Vanthul says
Great tips and great encouragement. Sometimes hearing or reading, “Keep at it… It takes time…The first year is the hardest,” is what a newbie really needs to hear. I’ve enjoyed your site for awhile and love your tagline. Thanks again!
Dave And Deb says
Thanks Cristina, all the best to you and your blogging!
paul smith says
Thanks for the great info, I really like your BLOG layout. It looks very clean and is easy to follow..
sevenyachts says
Seven-year-old post and still helping all of us. Indeed, we need to write about yourself as our blog is the mirror of us.
Thank you so much. I am not able to read all your posting but I am adding your blog to my list.
tripguide says
So even if you don’t have a lot of blogging or even travel experience, you still need to present yourself as an expert in something.
Please anyone inform me how to promote travel website.. Thanks!
Anubhav Raikar says
this is really cool … “Keep posting, keep writing, keep leaving comments, work on building your friendships and contacts on your social media sites, work on becoming a better writer or photographer and stay true to yourself and your vision. Eventually it will pay off.”
beepntell says
Excellent blog!!
It is very useful content.
Thank you for sharing “How to Promote Your Travel Blog”.
Keep sharing new ideas.
Travis says
Hi Guys,
Amazing post, I definitely agree that getting out there and experiencing (and networking) is the best way to do it. Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising. We apply this to our blog as well which has some great articles.
Megan says
Hello! I came across this post as I was looking for ways to network and build relationships within the travel blog community. This post was SO informative about getting more traffic to your site and networking within the community. Thank you so much for writing this. I had been feeling a little unmotivated because it’s my first year blogging and it’s moving slow, but you confirmed that I just need to keep posting and keep being consistent and it will come. Thanks again for the awesome content. I’ll definitely be back for more!
kiaraa says
Yeah its always good to share your travel memories on social media as well your experiences with everyone.
sravani m says
Hello ..Great job. While surfing in internet about travel blogs, I found your blog and got this awesome information. Nice blog. Thanks for sharing the information. Good luck.
https://mytraveltrips.in/
Ankita says
Social media is one of the major factor for improving traffic. You have written nice article.
Thank you for sharing.
danieltran says
Interestingly. I once first started to a guide book blog. But it didn’t go well
Thanks for great share
Now i have established https://www.vietnamtravel.co/ with your guidences, Hope it’ll attract more visitors
Emmanuel says
Good read here if I may say. Well to be honest, I would also be starting my own blog/website for Thailand. It is “http://thaimtraveler.com/” It will journal my travel in and around Thailand. I hope all of you could read it please.
Agata says
This is such a great article. My family and I traveled with 3 kids under 10 for 8 months last year which inspired me to start a travel with kids blog. Writing the articles is a lot of fun but the rest is such a steep learning curve. This article is so helpful! Thanks heaps.
Adam Patterson says
Hi Dave and Deb
This is GREAT information. I am reading from Leicestershire, UK. I created a new blog on “TRAVEL DAIRIES UK”.
You can have a look @ – https://traveldairiesuk.wordpress.com/
StephanieRMontgomery says
Hi this an interesting article. You have described very well. Thanks for such valuable information about promoting a travel blog. I was doing half of it and will try do another half now onward. Best regards…
Cory Welsh says
I know I’m late to the conversation but you’re right about #8. in my little experience with SEO, perseverance is very important. You can’t expect to get hits right away – it takes time. You’d doubt yourself and feel like throwing in the towel, but just let it organically grow. You’ll be excited when you start gaining followers. You’ll thank yourself for not giving up.
Thanks for all the tips! Even the comments are very insightful!
Dave and Deb says
Great tip Cory, thanks for sharing!
Hannah says
This was a really helpful article! I always wonder which travel bloggers to reach out to, and this usually stops me from trying to online network.I guess I should stop being afraid of people saying no…
Fedelchot says
I hope this is not seen as spam, but I own a travel magazine that is currently under construction (literally still empty now and improving the website) Would love to work with travel writers for the new site, so I love the 5th point of this story. I am open to work with bloggers, In exchange we always mention the writers social media accounts.
Kausani says
Great Blog with great information thanks for sharing all the details
Rajendra Koduru says
Very nicely explained
Anowar Hosain says
Your 8 Travel Blog Ways useful for me. Please anyone inform me how to promote travel website Thanks!
Steffi says
Thanks for all the tips – they were useful and I’m compiling a blog to-do list!!
Kunal Priyadarshi says
Those are some really great tips. I was looking for them to boost my travel blogs traffic. Thanks for sharing.
dan says
Very Interesting, like this has implied i have just started to add myself to the facebook travel blogger groups and they are like minded people who read my blogs and promote them.
Thank you
senjo says
Nice post, it is very helpful, thanks for sharing 🙂
Ange says
Hi,
Great read, thank you for the post. As a newbie, it’s always great to find posts that sum up tips that actually make sense.
I recently read this post about TBEX in the Adventurous Kate blog. Any reality in this that you guys are aware of?
http://www.adventurouskate.com/tag/tbex/
Safe travels >
Prav says
Thank You. I have just started a vlog but not sure how far it will go.
Here’s a link to my first video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycm2WEySpB8
Becky says
Thanks for this post! I have started my blog a couple of weeks ago and it is not getting a lot of visits, but now I know that it will take some time and I will just stay consistent with my posts and promoting and see what is going to happen in a couple of months 🙂
Chris says
7 years later and this information still holds true! I just started writing my blog with a focus on the combination of design and travel (focused on Bangkok, where I’m based), and these tips are incredibly valuable!
Grace S. says
Thanks for this article! I’ve been writing for a while now, and yes, my problem is promoting and finding the audience for my blog (http://www.undertakingsofmary.com).
Nancy Wallace says
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this article and all of the other fantastic content you guys provide. My husband and I recently launched our new website and blog your site has been absolutely invaluable to us – from leading us through the setup to keeping us pointed in the right direction when we start to get a little lost. I’m now a subscriber and looking forward to all the knowledge I know I’ll be able to glean from both your archives and future posts. All the best in 2017 and thanks again for all the amazing work you do!
Anil Verma says
Thanx for such valuable information about promoting a travel blog. I was doing half of it and will try do another half now onwards. Thnx again
Agence de Voyage Indonésie says
Hi, Thanks for your sharing, i’ll do it for my travel blog and website, principally to promote my service. I work for travel agent based in Bali, Indonesia and as you know nowadays, there are a lot of travel agent that has been developed day by day. And i think your article is really useful and help my problem. Once again, thank to share your good idea 🙂
Salut, Merci de votre partage, je vais le faire pour mon blog er mon site de voyage, surtout pour promouvoir mon service. Je travail dans une agence de voyage à Bali, Indonésie, et comme vous avez savoir qu’il y avait des agences de voyage en Indonésie qui se développées jour après jour. Et je pense que votre article est très util pour aider mon problème. Encore, je vous remercie de partager votre bonne idée
Visa Agents Punjab says
A unique way to promote.
Jane Smith says
Thanks for sharing your travel blog with us . I definitely follow your tips, I am also a travel freak and explore many places in world.but the most amazing trip of mine was wine tours in Blenheim. I never forget that trip in my life with friends. And thanks again for sharing these kinds of blog with people who love traveling like me . Keep posting like this.
Crystal says
I loved reading this post. Thank you for being so honest and insightful. I created my travel and dating blog back in November 2016, and even though I’m still in the beginning stages, I feel like I’m getting nowhere! Our couples blog is dedicated primarily to our travels in the United States and places that are suitable to take your partner to on a date. I love the advice you give on this blog and will be returning often!
Christie says
Great post! I’ve had my travel blog http://www.sunsetscribbles.com/ for awhile now, but am finally able to place more focus on it. These tips will be very helpful, thanks!
Nathan says
Thanks for all the advice, I’ve been looking at starting up my blog soon, I’m hoping to go see more of America again. Though this time, I would like to discover more of the little gems of places I found on the way! I’ve always been nervous on ‘how to write for the audience’ but you’ve helped with this, to give confidence to express myself.
I’ve only read one or two articles, but you both seem lovely, best of luck with your travels! I more than appreciate the time you put into it!
Brigitta says
This was really inspiring to read and answered a lot of my questions.
Thank you for sharing, you made a newbie travel blogger happy 🙂
Adventure Mountain Club says
Thanks for the tips.. I will surely apply this to my sites..
Dave and Deb says
You’re welcome. Hope we could help.
Enrico & Zuzana says
This is what we were looking for! We started blogging in September, and we’re trying so hard to promote our blog.
Will drop you an email, maybe we can do some guest post for you 🙂
Thanks for the great content!
Enrico & Zuzana
Dave and Deb says
Great to hear Enrico. Best of luck with your blogging!
Jennifer Kolbuc says
Great tips Dave and Deb! I think the most important one is the perseverance! Meeting so many great bloggers like yourself I always have to remind myself that it takes time and dedication, and a little bit of luck!
Melody says
Thanks everyone for your comments they really helped. I have so many questions but here are 2.
1. What do you do when you don’t feel like writing or are too sick to start something new? Do you start a few articles and keep a few on the side just in case?
2. As someone who works full-time and wants to become a full time blogger, is it a good idea to schedule in when you want to write, travel or visit a website. Sometimes the time seems to move so quickly there isn’t enough time in the day.
I love the content you. It’s been very helpful.
Dave and Deb says
Hi Melody, we have several articles in draft for future posting. We also try to have our blog written two weeks in advance so that while we are traveling we can enjoy the moment. If you travel all day and rush back to the room to write every night, we find that we got burnt out and the quality suffered. We found that taking a few days before each big travel to stock pile articles works best for us. Best of luck to you!
Nikki says
This is my first time at this site, and I just want to say thank you! Lots of good tips and encouragement in this article…I look forward to exploring more.
Edgar says
Loads of thanks. I’ve just launched a Travel blog and I really need it up there!
debndave says
Best of luck with your new travel blog Edgar!
Edgar says
Loads of thanks. I’ve just launched a Travel blog–vacationsconnect.info and I really need it up there!
Gaurav says
I like your post, a great job, i will definitely do this. Thanks!
http://travelids.blogspot.com/
lucy says
Great advice thank you, will work on checking out other bloggers and interacting with them.
http://luceandscottupsidedown.blogspot.co.uk
debndave says
Best of luck Lucy, glad we could help a bit. Cheers.
Kiki says
Finally, a helpful article on this topic! Everything I’ve seen so far via my googling has been a bare list without really explaining the why behind it. You guys do a great job of illustrating that with your experience, that really brings it home for me. I love how you had such a good handle on what you were doing that it was assumed you were already established– it seems like it is so hard for a newcomer to get started but you really proved otherwise.
Question– is it possible to have too narrow a niche? My travel/souvenir shopping blog is so specific I am not quite sure it falls into any category! I’ve been searching for similar blogs to read and comment on but I haven’t seen any yet. I am sure there are other rabid traveler shoppers out there somewhere, lol, but the question is how to find them!
Xamlinnette says
Thank you for the advise, I am actually in the baby steps of this process. I love to write and travel, even though I am starting to travel more now. I am taking advantage of my local area to write things about. I will keep working and using some if your great tips. Thank you again!
Xamlinnette
http://www.writingnewstories.com
Carmen says
Numerous individuals will be benefiting from
your writing because they are excellent. Cheers!
Barrie Roulston says
Hey, thanks for the tips. I've just launched my new site today and I'm really keen for people to see it. I'll be ticking off your tips over the next week or so and watching those analytics.I think another site to add to the one you've listed would be Travel Bloggers Unite. I put up a link there whenever I've finished a post and it seems to attract some traffic.
Cheers
Barrie
http://www.fortuneglorykid.com
Nastassja says
I just stumbled upon this piece of advice. I see so many fashion bloggers who get world wide recognition and always wonder what their secret is! My blog is a mix of travel, culture and art history so it’s definitely a niche subject blog. Hopefully I can get my figures up with your advice, though I have been guest blogging and using social media. Fingers crossed and thanks for your advice again!
AWA Travels says
hi, i really like your post.
i’ll try my best to follow your tips on promoting my travel blog.
thanks.
debndave says
Best of luck to you!
Ryan says
This is a great post. Thanks for all the help. I’ve been blogging for over two years but I think my problem is that I haven’t been consistent enough. I’ve got the design aspect of the blog almost perfect now (perfect by my estimation), but I think my blog is lacking the opportunity for people to interact. I don’t have a subscribe option because I don’t like the default subscribe widget that comes with WordPress. Do you have any suggestions for subscription widgets? Also, how do you get that cool floating share widget down the side of your page? I’ve been considering adding that to my blog but I can’t seem to find one yet.
Thanks again.
Ryan
debndave says
Hi Ryan, that is a plugin for wordpress called digg digg for the floating share button. For our subscribe button we use our email sign up through Aweber, you can use Mailchimp too. They let you do customization. Hope this helps and best of luck!
Ouzoliny says
Thank you for the informative content, reading it I once more realized how overwhelming the work around a blog is. It is indeed a 24/7 endeavour, all the more rewarding though. Anyway, I’d have one point/question to add – you mentioned writing for websites, which is a great point. However, I after writing a post/article for a well established portal, for example CNN iReport, I always ask myself whether it is acceptable to post the same on your own blog.
Would appreciate some advice about this…thanks, Vlado.
debndave says
We don’t accept posts that are already published somewhere else. It is better to write unique content for any blogs so if you’ve written it on CNN iReport, we suggest writing something different on your blog. You can always but an excerpt on your blog though and then send people to CNN, that’s just a suggestion.
Walter Bailey says
That would make Google penalize you if you are going to post the same article on different website. One unique article per website is the way to go.
angelatravels says
What a great post. After reading, I did start a StumbleUpon account. I am also going to start subscribing to you blog. Thank you for your help!
Ams says
Thanks for the great tips. I’ve just recently started this year my own travel blog:
http://www.theforeverexplorer.blogspot.com.
I hope to put to use your tips and get good results. 🙂
Elaine Schoch says
You’re spot on regarding #8 – Turning your travel blog into a business takes a lot of time…
pramod says
I have seen this particular tool which is used in few websites already which definitely is going to be a big hit in the next couple of month.
http://www.jirnee.com
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jirnee/ if you have a blog that deals with travel then i highly recommend you to use this one .
Its like a share this or add this widget however its dedicated to travel and the website provides the in depth analysis as well.
Jay Daviot says
Great post guys. I am a travel photographer/blogger myself and I just started using Instagram recently. Now I am completely addicted! As photographer it is the holy grail of social media. I am sure this isn’t new to you guys but I think it is another great social medium worth noting. Cheers.
Ratnesh Mehn says
Hi, Keep sharing info like these, for an amateur blogger from India who has just started, these kind of blogs are like Bible…. will try and take something out of each point mentioned in the blog. Hope to grow and make place in this blogger's world…
Cheers!
Ratnesh
debndave says
Glad we could help. Dave is planning on writing more How To photography posts in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Erik says
Thanks for a great read. My wife an I will be beginning our traveling careers soon with a sail from California to Panama in a 26 ft MacGregor 26x. We are experienced photographers and travelers but have since struggled with finding an audience for our work. I think the hardest part is to commit the time to write and post entries. Your tips are very helpful and encouraging.
By the way we are from Alaska so understand the Canada thing!
debndave says
Glad we could help! Sounds lik you are off on a great trip. We’re looking forward to following your journey and do keep us posted on how the blogging goes!
Bugs says
An awesome writeup! Thanks especially for sharing point #5. I didnt know such travel websites existed till I read your article. Thanks a million 🙂
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Himalayan Monk says
I’ve just begun and the most important lesson for me to remember is ‘Perseverance’ I guess 🙂 Thanks!
Crystal @Little Sightseers says
I have hit my one month point for my family travel blog! My hits are up and down, and I’m looking for new ways to market blog. Thankfuly the travel blog community is very welcoming and a few have offered tips and advice. So far one of the easiest things I’ve done is join link parties. I have done a few photo Friday type links, and a Travel Tips Tuesday link, and that seems to bring in some new readers. The main way I promote my blog at this point is posting a link on facebook pages in our local area. Being a military family living in Germany, the yardsale pages have been a good way for me to reach people that dont know me. BUT I am really looking for other ideas, and can’t wait for the day when I dont have to promote myself, as others will do it for me. Thanks for the tips, I have been doing many of these things since I found your post when I was getting started.
Shekhar Thapa says
Dear Travel writer,
I am looking a best travel blog/ forum to share my ideas and trip. Could any one suggest me your best?
Regards
debndave says
The Thorn Tree at the lonely planet is a good forum for sharing and asking questions. Cheers.
Juan says
Thanks for the tips, being blogging for few years with not a huge followers I’ll try to follow your advice & let you know in here how all goes.
Juan
debndave says
Good luck Juan, I would love to hear how it goes, keep us posted:)
Aggy says
For a newbie like me, this is a great post containing useful information. Now, to get them started! Thanks a bunch 🙂
Amit says
Thanks for such nice tips. Though the Tips will work same same for promoting any blog niche but I was really looking for some great tips for promoting my Travel blog. I am from India and have started travel blogging about various travel destinations of India. But soon my passion fade out just for the lack of getting visitors. But your tips are really great and I am feeling lucky to visit your site and read the tips.
debndave says
You are right Amit. I think that this can work for any niche blog, the same advice applies to all. It can be difficult to keep going when you aren’t seeing results. Remember there are ups and downs for everyone so if you truly love what you do, you’ll stick it out and eventually make it work. That’s what we did:)
Marie says
Thanks – this was reallllly helpful 🙂
Steven Taylor says
Good tips – we are just starting out and we’re struggling to break out of the friends and family circles. If you would like to have some articles about Chile please let us know. Kind regards, Steve & Ada
David Urmann says
I would suggest to see what the competition is doing in terms of getting links. A lot of links are easy to get just by participating in travel forums or making profiles on social networks. Over the course of a few years if you develop good content on your website it will attract natural links. Dont skip doing initial link building getting some traffic is key even if you have great content – you cant attract natural links until you get some traffic to start. Focus on quality over quantity.
debndave says
Thanks David, very good advice, strong content is key to get quality link backs.
Apartments in Barcelona says
Barca is vida loca! We had a great time and house through Barcelona Apartments. Not too noisy and for the right price
Kate says
Thanks for this post. As a newbie blogger, this is really helpful, even two years later! I’m curious as to what your page views look like now and if there is anything else you would recommend doing that you didn’t think of back then.
Glenn Barker says
Thanks for the great advice! I’ve really enjoyed traveling my entire life, and have always enjoyed writing. I work in communications and love reading travel blogs and websites, so it finally dawned on me that I should try doing this myself. I know there are a lot of people out there doing the same thing, but I hope there is an audience out there who will enjoy reading what I have to say and taking a look at my photos.
Again, thanks for leading the way!
debndave says
That’s awesome Glenn. I am sure that there will be an audience. It’s an exciting time to get into travel blogging and there is room for everyone. just find your voice and write about what you love and people will embrace you. It’s all about connecting with your audience and finding the people that have the same interest.
putu ariawan says
Thanks for the information… i just make a new website and i don’t know how to promote it.
Regards
Putu Ariawan
Shaun says
I think a lot of it comes down to just producing good content and letting Search Engines help you grow organically. You can promote the site a lot, but the more organic content there is, the more search hits you will get.
Driving traffic is always the hardest part of any site and 30k pm is a great effort!
debndave says
Good point Shaun, we get half of our daily views from search engines. But then again, the other half is very much needed and that comes from referrals and social media. When we are getting upwards of 200,000 views per month, that means that 100,000 is coming from social media, referrals and links from other websites. So the trick is to have balance, because as you said, it is important to have SEO because 100,000 other come from that. Cheers!
Noah Scott says
Thanks for the lovely advice here. Especially the last part on persevering! Good things take time to come to fruition indeed, but nothing comes from giving up. Looking forward to reading through your stories before I officially set off to travel the world!
Eliz Burger says
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I really feel strongly about it and enjoy studying more on this subject.
Krista says
Thank you so much for the multiple, marvelous blog-advice posts! My blog is strictly a leisurely pursuit, but I’m doing it to share my favourite things about travel, and your advice will definitely help focus my efforts and keep it going. Thanks and happy travels!
Agus Nugraha says
learn so much from it…thanks a lot
Jonathan Look, Jr. says
Great article! Last summer my wife and I took early retirement to experience the planet through travel. Our plan is to see the world; one country at a time, one year at a time, for the next ten years. Our first country is Mexico where we have been living since July. We were initally on the Caribbean coast in the tiny fishing village of Xcalak, very secluded and off the grid, and now we are in mountains of Chiapas living in the lively town of San Cristobal de las Casas.
I have been blogging about it and slowly getting more and more hits but I think this article will help. Thanks and hope to see you “out there”.
hostels in london says
Nice post. Thank you for the eight ways you have shared.
Derek says
very interesting, but how can i get more from search engine… do u have advices?
Jharna says
I will try this tip thanks…
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Jharna says
I will try this tip thanks…
Cairns Accommodation says
I’m so happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the random misinformation that’s at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this best doc.
Jack says
Very interesting and helpful tips, many thanks for sharing them
Puppy says
Interesting… i’ll try it…
* in case you need recommendation to go to Asia please kindly visit http://travelingasia.puppytraveler.com *
Jade says
You have some great ideas here! Being fairly new to blogging, I’ve found that one of the most important aspects is just finding your voice, which gets easier and easier the more posts you publish. Also, it’s important to do your research – visiting other travel sites and blogs- so you can, not only understand what’s already out there, but also to get your mind working on ideas that could be successful on your own blog. I will definitely be using some of these tips!
debndave says
Jade, that is an excellent addition. Finding your voice is very important. I think that many people tend to copy what others are doing when they first start out. It is important to do what is right for you and write about what you are passionate about. It can be very easy to think that you have to do what the big guys are doing to succeed, but they’ve already done that. That is great advice about researching other blogs. I will read an article written by someone else and it will create an idea for another article for my own blog. It is funny, it may not be related at all, the idea my have sparked just from a certain sentence or the structure of the post and get my creative juices flowing. Good luck with your new website and all the best.
Kiran Pande says
I’m trying most of the things you have mentioned but getting on average about 60 visits a day.
I think I have to persist on what I’m doing like promoting on social networking sites, blogcatalog, forums and others.
If someone will visit my blog and comment on what should I do more?
http://aceguide.blogspot.com
FourJandals says
Hmmm “insert insightful comment here” – done.
But seriously, great post guys. Having only recently come across your blog from twitter from your posts on the Mongol Rally I am loving reading through the back catalogue. Would love to be able to write a guest post some day and looking forward more to chatting more with you guys.
Trying to get it in to my head that blogging takes time is definitely a tricky one. I wish we were the ones exploding over night. Never mind. Back to the basics of writing for ourselves in the first place 🙂
Cheers
FourJandals
davendeb says
Hi Four Jandals, send us an email and we will happily accept a guest post. Cheers.
maroochydore Accommodation says
Hey mate, good to visit your portal. I really enjoyed reading people experince. I would expect more on this portal. Thanks for posting.
Rena Smith says
I’ve read blogs on how to create a effective blog and so far so good and another thing blogs popularity will always depend on its content.
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Terri Lundberg says
Thank you so much for this piece. Your words, “I had been looking at all these “top travel blog sites” and “lists of the best travel blogs” and said..”I want on that. How do I get on those?'”
Thanks for sharing and Have a Great Day!!
BTW: Please forgive me for responding to this post 8 months after it’s posted. 🙂
davendeb says
Hi Terri, no worries about responding 8 months later. The tips are timeless I think. Hope you got some inspiration out of it. That is exactly how we felt. We wanted to be them. Now we have new goals and hope that we can fulfill those as well and then write about it to inspire again. Cheers!
Colleen Setchell says
Hi there
This is a fab post, thank you so much. I have been blogging for 4 months now and I absolutely love it. Then due to various reasons, I decided to throw in my corporate job and go travelling. There is a whole world out there and I am not going to see if if I am stuck in an office doing reporting, am I 🙂
You both are a wonderful inspiration, thank you!
Colleen
davendeb says
Colleen, thanks so much for the comment. Congratulations on going for your dream. Good luck with the new travel blog and we look forward to seeing you out there in the Blog world
Colin McSweeney says
Thanks for your openness with advice. We also are a Canadian couple who love to travel. Not as experienced as yourselves but working on it. Just started blogging on some of our trips and enjoying the experience. We have found that by blogging we get to re-live the experience. That alone is great payback. Of course as time goes by we hope that our blogging skills grow as well as our audience.
Pat & Colin
davendeb says
Good luck with your new blog and great to meet another fellow canadian travel couple. We love blogging about our travels because like you, we get to experience it all over again when we go through our photos and write about it. I look forward to seeing your blog grow and hope that this post helps a little bit. Cheers.
Travellingrants says
I was really looking for some pratical advise how to move ahead.
i am happy i landed here and its good to see real advise from the one who have build it from scratch.
They will gona to help me a lot and even bookmarked the site.. 🙂
For 91 Days Travel Blog says
Thank you so much for all the tips. We started with our blog 8 month ago and now starting to promote it a little bit.
child friendly holidays says
I have been through the whole content of this blog which is very informative and knowledgeable stuff, So i would like to visit again
Benjamin John says
Some really good tips on promoting your blog here, especially about joining communities and guest blogging. It really is all about building relationships with other site owners, and adding value to your off-site marketing efforts.
Michelle says
This post is really helpful, thanks! I just started my travel blog two weeks ago, but have been consistently updating with new entries almost daily, as well as commenting on other blogs. While I still have ways to go before “making it big”, my hits have been steadily rising! 🙂
davendeb says
Good for you Michelle. Good luck with the new sight.
Micah says
Great advice here, Dave and Deb. I’m a new travel blogger (leaving the states in May) and am finishing up my site as we speak. It’s been interesting navigating my way through the travel community – I’ve discovered some great people with awesome advice. Thanks!
Edelito C. Sangco says
Being a neophyte travel writer, I figure myself as hitting the gold mine with this post and I will consider it as a bible in my travel site administration. By the way, may I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation for your generosity in linking my site. Truly, exchanging links with a novice and struggling travel writer is no ordinary act, only the truly great-hearted and unselfish ones can do it.
davendeb says
You are welcome Edilito. Good luck with your new blog and feel free to talk to people in the Travel Blog community. They are a very friendly and helpful group. This is by far the most complimentary comment we have ever received.
Bob says
Hi Guys,
First off I want to say that I really like your BLOG layout. It looks very clean and is easy to follow.
I like your tips for promoting a BLOG and have decided to give my Anza Borrego BLOG makeover.
Thanks for the inspiration. I think I need to organize my content a bit cleaner. 🙂
Best,
Bob
Laura says
I like your advices. Nothing fancy. Just the truth. Oh, and you are so cute together! 🙂
Vacation Destinations says
Got some good tips for blogging and really appreciate your work of sharing them. Your blogs are really an interesting and do provide some good knowledge.
Thanks for the post and awaiting to read more.
Priyank says
Hello Dave and Deb,
I’m glad I read this today. I was virtually away from blogging for over a year and when I resumed last month it seemed a totally different thing, quite intimidating actually! It seems that having patience and celebrating little achievements on the way is a good approach. Thanks for your support!
Priyank
Magda says
Thank you for this post. I’ve been blogging for a while, but my latest blog is my first attempt to reach a wider audience. Your advice is fantastic!
davendeb says
Thanks Magda, good luck with reaching the wider audience, it takes time but it will happen.
tony @Dallas Roofing says
Blogging really does take a long time to get the ball rolling, I agree. I think just constantly putting up great new pics of your travel spots is the best way to generate buzz. It will obviously take a long time but the rewards are worth it. Good stuff 🙂
davendeb says
Posting great photographs definitely does help, you are right Tony.. Popular posts on our blog are photo stories and sunday snapshots. But we definitely like to mix it up, we don’t want to constantly just put up a photo, we have a photography blog for that.
One Girls Wanderlust says
Heya
Thanks for the great tips, they are so so useful and really inspiring. Well done for gaining 30 000 views a month that is AMAZING and you should be really proud. My first blog was a travel writing blog with me posting articles and photos from all my travels and trying to combine it with a quick and simple DIY project to go with it. I really enjoyed it at the beginning but have now found it almost impossible to gain readers. I have lately started a fashion blog and have realised how easy it is to gain followers for something like that and have been looking for something similar for travel bloggers and I think you have answered my questions. Thank you!!
http://www.onegirlswanderlust.blogspot.com
davendeb says
Great Job, One Girls Wanderlust. You are so right, once you find what you love and keep writing about it, people will come. If you love what you are doing, how can others not! Good luck with the fashion blog and glad we could help.
sheila gallant-halloran says
Great tips! Thanks for posting. I’m fairly new to blogging, and have been trying to increase frequeny and blog daily. Tough to build the numbers and audience, but it takes a while to get a loyal audience. Thanks for suggestions.
.-= sheila gallant-halloran´s last blog ..Guest Blog- Some Q&As with Event Planner Cristie Vito =-.
Victoria Gibson says
Hi Guys,
I agree that the blogging thing can be daunting, but I got a tip from Social Media Queen Laura Roeder, who advised setting out to write down 52 topics in a weekly calendar. This is actually quite easy when you think about what your audience may be interested in hearing about. At least you’ve got an easy reference point for your blog posts, which can then be fleshed out from there. Of course you add more timely topics as need be, but a headline is a great starting point!
Can’t wait to hear more about your trip to China.
.-= Victoria Gibson´s last blog ..Hidden Gems of Shekawati =-.
davendeb says
That’s a great idea Victoria. Definitely something to think about for people having trouble coming up with topics. A good plan is always the best way to go in any business and blogging should be no different. Thanks for the excellent suggestion.
greg urbano says
a list 8 plus pieces of advice, links to other resources on the web, thanks so much for the article on travel blogging howto’s
.-= greg urbano´s last blog ..Bok Tower and Gardens =-.
davendeb says
Your welcome Greg. Cheers!
Lorna - the roamantics says
Hi Dave & Deb, I’m SO grateful for these tips! I’ve learned many new things here. Despite having already traveled quite a bit, conducted anthropological research, and worked in documentary film, (all sort of relevant) travel blogging is still a whole new culture to discover. It’s incredibly helpful to have guidance from the “natives” 🙂 Thanks for being so generous & imparting what you’ve learned to those of us just getting started. Happy trails, Lorna
.-= Lorna – the roamantics´s last blog ..Rarotonga’s Giggle-Worthy Signs =-.
davendeb says
Thanks for the kind words Lorna. We know how you feel, it was almost a decade into our travels that we started our blog. That is the amazing thing about having all those years of travel though, you have an amazing amount of experiences to draw from and write about. Good luck with the new blog and we look forward to following you!
PNR Status says
Nice advice.RSS and social media is must to be focused in the initial phase when you are promoting your travel blog.
Jason says
Hi Dave and Deb,
I enjoyed this post as I have many of the same challenges and I have wondered how others get so much traffic from their blogs. Some of these things I’ve known but it’s good to see a nice comprehensive list like this one.
Jason
.-= Jason´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Pickup Basketball In Cusco =-.
Zablon Mukuba says
thanks for the advice, am going to use what you have said
Emily says
Thanks for this really valuable info! I have been doing most of the things listed for just over a year, and I’m not getting a ton of success, but I’m also juggling a full-time writing job in the travel industry unrelated to my blog, some unrelated freelance writing work, and for the last few months, I’ve also been planning my wedding! I have been tempted to abandon all social media/networking and purely focus on producing quality content on my blog, because sometimes I feel like there is too much emphasis on networking than good writing. But you’re totally correct that you need the networking to help actually bring readers to the blog! It’s a symbiotic relationship that can definitely be hard to balance when you’re very low on time. Thanks for these tips on keeping the networking going! You guys do a great job.
.-= Emily´s last blog ..Review- PakSmarte Packing Organizer =-.
Anne says
Hi, thanks for this wonderful tips.
I started blogging before but after a couple of months, I got upset because I seldom have visitors. I’ve checked the traffic coming in and as months pass by, it gets lower even if I write 2-3 times a week. It is of my great passion to write but I think my fault is that I did not focus on one niche. I am so grateful that I read this post and I will surely follow your tips.
The Only Gringo says
Thanks for the tips Dave and Deb. I think what I’ve found recently is to set myself realistic targets: get x number of views a day/week; get x number of comments per post etc. I’ve tried basic SEO, I’ve tried using Twitter, I’ve written an article for a travel website (I have had no traffic from that site!). My blog hasn’t taken off like I naively thought it might, so my targets stay realistic (low!) and my initial audience of friends and family remain appreciative! I find that most of my traffic comes from travel forums, so I tend to try and comment on them and on other travel blogs.
My blog is growing slowly but surely (although my trip is almost over), and I’m sure some of your tips will help me to get more readers. You’re definitely right when you say that even though I think the content is good, doesn’t mean other people will automatically find my blog. Of course, the catch 22 when you’re travelling is finding the time to put the tips you outline into practice!
.-= The Only Gringo´s last blog ..Want to feel famous for a day =-.
travelerkate says
I didn’t read all the comments before I posted- what domain (I think that’s the right lingo) do you recommend? I didn’t want to put a lot (or any) money into my blog, so I just set up a blogger.com one…any thoughts on using that vs. a more unique one? I hope that makes sense; unfortunately I don’t really know a lot about the internet it seems.
.-= travelerkate´s last blog ..Ensuring The Perfect Vacation =-.
travelerkate says
Thanks so much for this. I’ve tried (poorly, I might add) to start my own blog, but I quickly became discouraged. I know it takes time, but I had hoped that SOMEONE would comment. This really helps me to stick it out- after all, I know I have something to say, and I’m sure eventually some people will start reading! Guess I’ll go back and start blogging again!
Aaron @ Thailand hotels blog says
Hi Dave and Deb, Thanks for the tips.
My blog started off a couple of years ago purely for SEO purposes, i.e sending links back to my main site. I didn’t put too much work into it and it floundered, with one or two posts a month. I wasn’t really looking for traffic.
This past summer though I decided to revamp it, take it in a new direction and really put my back into it.
Part of that was committing to a blogging schedule which I see all the time on blogs about blogging. I tell ya, consistently pumping out 4 bogs posts a week is hard work, for me anyway. AND I’ve only been doing that since the beginning of September 🙂 So yes, perseverance is important and will do my best to keep it up.
While I have certainly picked a niche and it is something that I know and love to write about, I don’t know how much of an audience there is for a blog about Thailand hotels and resorts….hehe
While I am doing the commenting and social media thing, guest blogging is certainly that I want to get into, but I guess I just don’t have the confidence to approach other blogs with. I am guessing that the best type of guest post you can write is something not only of interest to the readers of the blog that will publish your post, but also something that will bring in a certain amount of search traffic. Do that with a guest post and I imagine they would love to have you back.
.-= Aaron @ Thailand hotels blog´s last blog ..Agoda’s cancellation and refund policy examined =-.
davendeb says
Hi Aaron, I think that there is a niche for Thailand for sure and hotels are a big part of that. I wonder if you could spin it a little. Post something about Hotels maybe only once or twice a week and then post interesting Thailand facts? Thailand is a huge search and an expert on Thailand would do very well. It is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. I know it is difficult putting up posts, but it will get better. When I first started it took almost a day for me to write one post. Now I can write on very quickly. I just have to have an idea. If you are worried about approaching a blog, you can start here! We would welcome a post on Thailand. We have been there a few times and love it. We haven’t been back since 2004 so don’t feel right about blogging about it now since the information would be dated. But to put up a post about Thailand today…we would love it! We dont normally worry about search traffic for guest posts, we look for something that would fit with our blog. Destination driven, adventure, advice, budget, off the beaten path, travel as a couple. If you feel like writing something send us an email in our contact page and we can discuss it. Cheers and good luck! I dono’t
Aaron @ Thailand hotels blog says
Thank you for the kind invitation, I will certainly do my best to send you something useful and interesting that you can use.
I’ll send an email through your site as suggested.
BTW, how did that thing with the stolen material go?
.-= Aaron @ Thailand hotels blog´s last blog ..Loy Krathong 2010 Hotel Packages =-.
Audrey says
When I read this I realize how clueless we were when we started our blog. We had no idea about blogging lists and that there was a whole world of travel blogging. We started writing and posting photos about 6 months into our trip – I remember the satisfaction of seeing our site go live from an internet cafe in Tbilisi, Georgia and then returning to our home stay to drink some bad wine and celebrate. But, after a few months we realized there was a lot more to this game if we wanted to reach more people than our immediate family and friends – and we decided then that we did want to get a wider audience. This post really sums up some of the key issues and components bloggers should pay attention to and focus their time…I’m reminded that we have work to do on some of these points 🙂
.-= Audrey´s last blog ..From Hilltowns to Harvest- Tuscany in Autumn =-.
davendeb says
Isn’t that the truth. We started our blog for the Tour d’Afrique and simply posted every once in a while thinking that people would be so intrigued with the fact that we were cycling Africa that they would just come! Of couse, nobody but friends and family read it and we stopped blogging once we came home. When we relaunched the blog, we started to do the research that there is a lot more to blogging than just putting up a post. You two have definitely reached a wider audience. You are one of the top blogs on the Internet and living proof that we all started out the same way – Unsure about this whole blogging thing but if we stick with it, it will pay off. As I read my own post, I am reminded too that we have a lot of work to do. The list is never ending
:-)Michael says
You guys are simply great. Not only are you fun to be with, you are also always so generous to share your tips and secrets of your blogging success. You never cease to amaze me – the range of topics you cover and of course your writing as well – very personal, “approachable” and fun to read. We never really needed to look anywhere else for insiration. You are the one-stop shop! Wishing you further success and hope to spend some time with you guys again – in Paris.
.-= Michael´s last blog ..A Day Of Easy Hiking In The Arches National Park =-.
davendeb says
Michael, thank you so much for your kind words. I am so sad that we couldn’t make it to France when our plans changed. But we will be passing through during the Mongol Rally next year so we will see you again! It was a wonderful experience spending time with you and Marlys in France. It was the highlight of our stay in Paris!
Jennifer says
I love reading this blog because it’s always so fun and accessible — this post included. You guys are great.
A terrific post (especially for worried newbies). Your distinct voice in the bloggosphere is one of the things that helps you stand out, Dave and Deb. That’s something that can’t be “gamed.” You just “got it.”
🙂
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Fun Travel Accessories by Anne Taintor =-.
davendeb says
Thanks Jennifer, that means so much coming from you. The ladies of Vacation Gals are not only top Bloggers but fabulous people.
monica says
Thank you for all your advice, I was about to give up blogging for various reasons, but after reading this I think I will give another go!! Thank you again from Venice!
.-= monica´s last blog ..25th Venice Marathon 2010 – 24th October 2010 =-.
davendeb says
I am glad to hear that Monica. Don’t give up, it takes time, but with persistence people will come over for a visit. You just have to love what you are doing and keep going through the tough times.
wandering educators says
bravo! one of the most important things is the perseverance part. that, i think, is the most critical. great tips – esp for newbies – i’ve passed this url around a LOT this morning, LOL.
don’t forget that your audience shouldn’t only be other travel bloggers, but people you really want to meet – that’s the niche thing again. i am always so pleased when we have more and more wandering educators contacting us, to share their stories and journeys.
.-= wandering educators´s last blog ..Walking tour of Boston’s Big Dig led by architectural historians =-.
davendeb says
Very true and good point. Our audience shouldn’t be travel bloggers at all. We like to attract adventurers and people that love to travel. At the moment though, we are at a point where we are in the mood to write about our blog. We hit the road again in a couple of weeks and we probably won’t be writing any “how to” or advice posts for quite some time. While we are home, we might as well share some of our knowledge. But most of our readers come for the travel articles. Our top searches are for our travels and adventures. Travel Blogging is pretty low in our stats. That doesn’t mean that we don’t like talking about it though
:-)Adam says
Great tips for those just starting out. I personally think #8 is the most important. It takes patience and perseverance. I don’t know how many times over the last few months since I started this that I said to myself, “There’s no way I’m going to be able to make this work.” It’s a time consuming process that requires a tremendous amount of patience. Sure, you may think and hope that you’ll be the next overnight success story, but you simply have to be honest with yourself and realize that those sites are few and far between. You just have to plug along, write good content, and follow the very helpful tips you have outlined here, and the readers will come. It may be a very slow process, but seeing just a slight bump from week to week and month to month should be enough to keep you going.
.-= Adam´s last blog ..Changes they are a coming =-.
davendeb says
Great points Adam. I remember our first comments that came from someone other than our families or friends and we were so excited. When we cracked the 100 views in a day we felt so good. Every little step feels amazing. We still say to ourselves “how are we going to make this work” “how are we going to support ourselves?” We know that we have found our calling though, because even though we are not getting rich, we are loving the process. We are willing to work at it for as long as it takes because we can’t see ourselves doing anything else with our lives. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have little panic attacks now and then. We worry and fret as much as everyone. It takes time but one day we don’t mind the wait.
JoAnna says
Thanks for the great info, Planet D! As always, you guys know how to engage your audience and provide useful information. I picked up a lot of great information at TBEX on ways to gain more traffic, but I’m just now getting around to implementing a lot of the technical details. When it comes to all the other stuff – commenting on other blogs, participating in online forums, social media, etc. – I *think* I’ve been doing an okay job. It’s tough, though. Writing, managing and maintaining a blog sometimes seems like a full-time job, but I guess if it’s going to be a job, it might as well be one that you do right!
.-= JoAnna´s last blog ..Two Hostels in Vietnam =-.
davendeb says
Very true JoAnna, at least we love every minute of it! You do an amazing job. You always have incredible writing and I see you all over the Internet. We are still working on the technical details too. There never seems to be enough time in the day. By the time we are finished writing posts, organizing photos, commenting on social media etc. We finally get around to doing the tech side of things and fall short. We have three weeks to bear down before China and I hope we can get a lot more done:)
Corinne @ Gourmantic says
Perseverance and patience rate highly in my opinion. One can follow a formula, it doesn’t mean it’ll happen overnight 🙂
.-= Corinne @ Gourmantic´s last blog ..The Heineken Experience in Amsterdam =-.
Merav | AllWays Car Rental NZ says
Thanks again for the valuable tips. This came just in time for me, thought I’m not a travelling blogger, these are still helpful. I guess my main problem is time. How do you manage the time to do it all? I would love to read, comment and particiapte in so many blogs but it seams like time just fly out the window too fast. Any ideas?
.-= Merav | AllWays Car Rental NZ´s last blog ..Iconic Kiwi Food =-.
davendeb says
Thanks for the comment Merav. The time management part of blogging is the hardest part. Every day we are overwhelmed with the work load. As we have grown (and we aren’t claiming we are huge or anything, we are just growing steadily) the load becomes bigger. We are writing proposals, putting on presentations, going to meetings and events and trying to do all of the above listed in this post. We can’t seem to keep up, but a diligent schedule is the key. We try to write a post a day then head on to the social media part and then do research for sponsorship etc. Alicia from LifeBehindtheLens had a great tip…she has her computer tell her the time every hour to keep her schedule on track. Time can fly when you are on the computer and it is good to be reminded. My best suggestion…give yourself a schedule and stick to it. Don’t tweet too long, don’t facebook too long, get your work done and then go have fun commenting and networking.
Katie says
As a very new blogger (less than 2 months), I love these tips. I had kept trip blogs on other sites like travelblog.org in the past and finally moved everything into one place and launched my blog at the end of August. Now I’m trying to work on developing new content while I’m not traveling and doing a lot of what you recommend above – networking on Twitter and Facebook and I’ve even managed to do a couple guest posts on other blogs. I think #8 about perseverance is so important though – remembering that people are not going to immediately flock to my blog overnight and that it will take time (especially when I am currently at home saving up for another big trip).
.-= Katie´s last blog ..How Am I Going to Travel Gluten Free =-.
davendeb says
Good for you Katie! I think you are already making an impact. I have seen you around and already thought that you had been blogging for awhile! You are totally on the right track doing guest posts and networking. I think it is a great idea to build your blog before you travel too. Work on building friends and readers before you go and create a buzz about your upcoming trip. It will save a lot of work on the road if you do the tough stuff beforehand.
Katie says
Thanks! Glad to know I’m on the right track. Now I just need that upcoming trip planned to start creating some buzz about it. 🙂
.-= Katie´s last blog ..How Am I Going to Travel Gluten Free =-.
Gregor Wilson says
Some great tips and ideas. Have been enjoying your recent “how to” tips. They have been helpful with my new adventure sport website.
Keep up the good work.
davendeb says
Thanks Gregor, I am glad we could help. I will definitely check out your new website!
Michael Hodson says
Well, as usual, I learn something on each one of your “how-to blog” posts. Again, you guys have been wonderful about pulling back the curtain to reveal some of the inner workings. I totally agree on your last point — takes a while. The key for me was moving to a self-hosted site, but I did it way, way too late. Wish I would have done that from the beginning.
Thanks ya’ll. Keep the tips and pointers coming. And thanks again for your StumbleUpon tips. You made my understanding of that tool a lot more complete.
.-= Michael Hodson´s last blog ..How-to- StumbleUpon to Drive Website Traffic =-.
davendeb says
Great point Michael about the self hosted site. dot Blogspot or .wordpress blogs just don’t show up in the search engines like a self hosted site. Glad to help anytime.
Amy @ The Q Family says
Great tips and I think we all can agree that writing is the main thing. From 8 tips, basically you have to write, write and write. 🙂 That’s why your site is growing because you have great content. Thank you for sharing as always!
davendeb says
Thanks Amy. You have been amazing and supportive since the beginning. It has been fun watching the two of us grow together. And you are absolutely right…write, write and write some more. Luckily, I love writing!
Trisha says
Great advice! Every tip is spot on, and especially #8…….if someone wants their travel blog to be a business (as opposed to a ‘hobby’, and there’s nothing wrong with that), then like any business it takes time and work to build it.
And thank you very much for the link love and kind words about Travel Writers Exchange – I appreciate it!
.-= Trisha´s last blog ..Optimize Your Travel Blog with Scribe =-.
davendeb says
Very true Trisha. Not everyone wants their website to be a business, for us, we do.
:-)We have been travelling for a decade and had been trying to make it our careers for 5 years. Finally, we have made it happen by doing something we love. So we are definitely not afraid to admit that we want the blog to grow and to make a living out of it. We enjoy sharing our process as well for anyone else that wants to do the same. Thanks for all your help over the past year. You have been a huge influence on us!Tiffany says
Appreciate the tips. You hit the nail on the head with this one: “Blogging takes a long time.”
Can’t even begin to think of the hours spent writing, but it’s so rewarding too. Good to see some networking tips and some other websites to start writing for. That’s definitely where I need to go from here. 🙂
davendeb says
Good luck Tiffany, you are so right. Blogging takes time and I really don’t think anyone can be a success without loving it because it takes so much time! Looking forward to seeing your articles around the net.
David Dvali says
Please anyone inform me how to promote travel website.. Thanks!