Anyone with an internet connection can start a basic travel blog, and this is fast becoming the go-to method for keeping friends and family up-to-date on your adventures. However, creating a competitive travel blog that amasses a substantial following requires a little more know-how, and considerably more effort. For those who want to turn travel blogging into more than just a hobby, here are some tips on what makes for a seriously exceptional travel blog.
TAKING YOUR TRAVEL BLOG TO THE NEXT LEVEL
The most successful travel blogs serve as much more than just a written online diary. Rather, they are the ultimate go-to guidebook for would-be travelers, delivering invaluable content through a broad mix of media, including video footage, audio, text, and of course plenty of photos and images. The trick to creating a professional travel blog is twofold: firstly, acquiring great content, and secondly, hosting it online.
Great content constitutes advice and recommendations — from links directed to cheap hostels, to directions for the most authentic Thai food — as well as truly insightful and inspiring accounts of cities and countries visited. The advisory content of your blog is generally a case of relaying handy tips and tricks as picked up by you (the experienced traveler) to your reader (the travel novice). Really capturing the essence of a travel destination, however, requires a more extensive toolkit. One of the most effective ways to share your experiences with your followers is to publish video footage, for which you will need some professional camera and audio equipment. High-definition images are also essential to your blog’s aesthetic, and should be widely incorporated into your site design.
Just as important as collecting great content, is the creation of a professional online space that can host it. As well as the more standard elements, such as a professional-looking website design and a unique yet memorable domain name, there are some additional technical tweaks that will ensure your travel blog is equipped for success. Whilst free web hosting is perfect for more personal blogs, professional websites require a sturdier virtual support system. Purchasing webspace at places like this is the most effective way to ensure that all your blog content, particularly videos and images, are displayed correctly and without any lag. Additional webspace will also enable your site to cope with regular content updates and heavy site traffic – crucial for when your blog really takes off.
Finally, the key to cultivating the desired heavy site traffic lies within the all-powerful realm of social media. Make it easy for followers to promote your blog by incorporating clearly visible social share buttons throughout, and watch your following grow.
If you’re a serious traveler looking to create an influential blog, ensuring the right technical measures are in place is the first step to success. For more inspiration on what makes an exceptional blog, take a look at some of the top travel blogs for 2015.
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