Starting a travel blog has become something a lot of people want to do. It is an easy way to share about your travels and even make some money on the side while doing so. However, with so many travel blogs out there, how do you make yours stand out from the rest?
The truth is there are some simple steps you can take to stand out. Everyone has a unique voice and unique travels, so your content will stand out, but if your blog looks the same as all the rest, how will anyone know? Here are 5 steps to starting your own unique travel blog.
What’s in a Name?
One of the keys to standing out is to have a unique domain name. With thousands of websites and blogs out there that talk about travel, having a different name will help you set yourself apart. This means that something like suestravels.com won’t really cut it. Be creative.
Think of it like this. Use the type of travel or places you travel to be unique. thailandtrainadvantures.com would be much catchier than a really simple name. Try combining different things to get the name and results you want. If one is not available, use an online domain name search tool to find one that is.
Remember, your blog name is like the name of a business. You want it to be memorable, easy to say and spell, and one that tells readers exactly what to expect from your site.
It’s in the Design
Another unique way to make your site stand out is to change the design. Many people will use free WordPress or other themes and other simple solutions and not put much thought into design and development.
This is a mistake if you want to stand out. Colors, the fonts you use, and the type and placement of photos all go into making your site not only unique, but user friendly. Also, don’t forget about mobile. Your site needs to work just as well on a phone or tablet as it does on a desktop, as this is where many people do their web reading and even make purchases.
Lest we pass color by without the proper mention, colors make a difference in how people react, and understanding the psychology of color makes a huge difference. Understand what the different colors do to set the tone of your blog, and use the ones that make people most comfortable yet engaged in your adventures.
Build an Audience
Speaking of users, if your travel blog is going to stand out, it will need to have an audience. The more visitors you have, the greater your Google ranking will be. Also, the best marketing is still word of mouth, so the larger audience you have, the more the word will spread, and the more your audience will grow.
That is not to say you do not need to invest in growing your audience yourself. Be active on social media in hashtags and groups. Pay for boosted posts and other marketing efforts. The more you can invest, the more return you will get later. Your blog will be more popular and stand out from the rest if you can grow your following often and quickly.
SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it is important to any blog, but especially so when it comes to travel blogging if you want to stand out. While many bloggers will focus on popular and broad keywords, this will often mean your site gets lost in the crowd.
Just like your name, your SEO and keywords need to stand out. Be more specific about what you are doing, and talk about destinations, modes of travel and more when considering what titles and keywords to focus on. This will give you a more targeted audience.
Using the example above of Thailand train travel, take a moment to think about the competition for travel site traffic. You are not going to win over blogs like Travelocity and Expedia with keywords like travel and hotel. However, you might compete with combining travel with Thailand and train travel along with the names of unique attractions you saw.
In short, if you are going to stand out and compete for traffic, you need to be specific rather than general with keywords, know your SEO strategy, and use plugins and other efforts to make it even better. With this in mind, you might want to consider outsourcing some of the marketing of your website to an SEO agency such as Victorious. Monitoring and maintaining a website is a huge undertaking and therefore outsourcing your SEO responsibilities to a digital marketing agency can free up time so that you can focus on other activities like copywriting or social media.
Content is King
Regardless of how great of a name you have, or if you have the best design and SEO, you won’t hold an audience or be successful at standing out unless you have great content. This means a number of things, not just about your writing, but about the other things you do with your blog.
- Writing: Writing is a part of it all though, and should be clear, engaging, grammatically correct, and error free. Most of all though, it must educate people on all aspects of travel and be entertaining. This will take practice, but keep writing and learning, and your blog will stand out because of quality.
- Photos: Maybe you are not a photographer and cannot hire one or bring one with you. You can still capture great photos for your posts. Your cell phone camera is probably much more capable than you think, and you can learn how to use it better over time. You can even take classes and learn to use a more sophisticated camera yourself.
- Ads and Affiliates: Eventually you may want to monetize your site. Just make sure that the ads and affiliates you use actually add value for your readers and don’t detract from your site. Remember, everything counts as content.
When it comes to websites and blogs, content is king, and it is what drives traffic, builds an audience, and brings you up in Google rankings, earning your more respect and a larger following. These will make your blog unique.
Travel blogging can be fun and even a great way to earn some extra cash to pay for your trips> Follow these steps to set yourself apart and start your own unique travel blog.
