Blogging is one of the best ways to earn passive income, create a loyal community, and document what you love most. You may not know it, but some people have quit their 8 to 5 jobs to take up blogging as a full-time occupation. If you are passionate about traveling, creating a travel blog could be what is going to change your life. Our funeral guy from GoSimply Funerals has been talking about starting a travel blog for ages.
Here are the steps you can take to create a travel blog and earn from it:
1. Choose a niche
People travel for various reasons. The reason you travel should be the focus of your blog—your niche. Choosing a niche makes your blog authoritative. For example, you may love to travel to see the world’s best architectural works, view stunning natural landscapes, sample different types of food from different cultures, or see wildlife. Your blog should tell a story about your passion. Your blog can also focus on budget, luxury, family-friendly, or solo travel.
2. Choose a blog name
Choose a blog name for your blog that matches your niche. Because you are creating a travel blog, the name will be your brand. And because it is the first thing a new visitor will come across, make it easy to remember.
When choosing a blog name, consider your target audience and make it enticing for them. If you can’t choose a name, use online blog name generators. Remember that once you add the .com component, your blog name will become your domain. For example, if your blog name is xyz, your domain will be xyz.com.
3. Choose a blogging platform
A blogging platform can either be a website builder or a content management system (CMS). Website builders are individuals who have learned to code and can help build your website. On the other hand, a content management system like WordPress may not require coding from scratch. CMSs are easier to install and are more affordable.
4. Select a web hosting company
If you choose WordPress, you can opt for a self-hosted account by buying a hosting plan. WordPress provides a premium hosting plan that includes premium themes that you can install and use right away. Premium themes are ready-made websites, so what you need to do is pick one that suits a travel blog.
Another option is to choose a web-hosting company to host your website. When choosing a hosting company, consider security, speed, uptime, and support.
5. Customize your blog
If you install a ready-made theme, customize it to fit your taste and needs. Make the website attractive and user-friendly to leave a good impression on first-time visitors. It should also grab the visitors’ attention and entice them to continue reading or viewing your images and videos.
Some WordPress themes you can consider for your travel blog are Blossom Travel, Astra (which has ready-made templates), Bingle, Essence Pro, or Soledad. You can also download and install themes from other coders.
With the theme installed, you can design a logo and create a slogan for your site. You can hire a graphic designer to design a beautiful logo for you or use online logo design tools.
6. Install plugins
Plugins add extra features to your website. WordPress has over 59,000 plugins you can choose from. But the most important plugins for your travel blog are:
• Yoast SEO
• MonsterInsights
• Wordfence Security
• Akismet Spam Protection
• LiteSpeed Cache
• Smush
• Geo Mashup
• Blog2Social
• Creative Mail
These plugins will make it easier for your website administrators to perform their duties effectively. They also add more security to your website. Once you install the plugin, you can set up your site pages in readiness to receive content.
7. Create and post content
As a travel blogger, you can create travel-related content and post it on your website. You can research online for content or travel and get your own content. To make your site more attractive and captivating, include photos and videos. Finally, you can monetize your website to start earning from it or use it to sell your original photos.
Final Thoughts
If you can’t go through this process on your own, hire an expert to design the website and create content for you.