If you are having a tough time gaining traction with your travel blog you may be falling prey to a few common mistakes.
These errors plague most travel bloggers at one time during their careers.
Instead of blaming the competition or bemoaning the fact that there is no money in travel blogging own the mistakes below and change your fortunes by turning course.
Note: these mistakes are common to most bloggers from any niche. Especially error #1. Just because you aren't a travel blogger doesn't mean you can ignore this post.
The Benefits of Correcting these Errors
Expect more:
- new blog traffic
- return blog traffic
- email subscribers
- blogging profits
when you own, address and correct these mistakes.
Do you want to hear something even more sugary sweet? Your bounce rate will drop like a boulder falling off of the Empire State Building if you correct mistake #1. When you address mistake #2 you will see a quick increase in your blogging profits. Take it from a guy who both made and corrected this error.
As for #3, once you turn that one around all aspects of your blogging campaign will move in a positive, prospering and profitable direction.
Own these blogging boo boo's, you aspiring travel bloggers. Watch your fortune turn by correcting what you need to change.
1: Slow Load Time
After spending much of last month reading and commenting on a new collection of travel blogs I decided to write this post. Even well read, established blogs scored poorly in this department with their huge, heavy images and advertising widgets.
Sacrificing load time for posting large, slow loading images hurts your chances at ranking well on Google and boosts your bounce rate. Few readers have the patience to stick around for 5 or 10 seconds for your page to load properly.
Pay for a premium hosting service. Invest in a CDN to speed up your blog.
Feel free to use large, eye-catching images and 1080 p videos but pay for both solid hosting and a CDN to host images offsite for a lightning fast load time.
If you need to change web hosts but feel afraid to make the quantum leap in speed and service read this helpful post on WHSR.com:
How to Switch from One Web Host to Another (Step-by-Step Guide)
2: Over Dependence on Sponsored Post and Advertising Revenue
Travel bloggers tend to rely solely on sponsored post or advertising revenue for their blogging income.
If you have a small readership it will be impossible to earn a dependable income through these 2 streams.
Even if you have a large, targeted following, depending on only 2 income streams is blogging suicide.
Until you grow your blog readership to massive proportions don’t expect to rake in consistent sponsored post or advertising revenue.
Offer consulting services. Coach individuals to build successful blogs. Be a freelance writer.
Create helpful online courses and eBooks.
Build proven, stable active and passive income streams. Add sponsored post and advertising revenue as back up income streams.
If you need a simple guide for how to make money blogging check out this post at ProBlogger.com:
3: Starving Artist Syndrome
A high number of travel bloggers play the roll of starving artist.
It is okay to travel on a budget but when you obsess over saving every penny and post a donate widget on your blog it sends off a lower energy, poverty conscious vibe.
I am all for budget travel on some level. I regularly do house sits. But I treat my blog like a business and do not rely on donations to keep the dream alive.
Don’t view yourself as a starving blogging artist, pinching pennies and living off a few bucks a day because you’re relying on donations to further your travels. See yourself as a powerful, successful blogger. Set up multiple streams of income. Drop $50 for the nice hotel room in Thailand once in a while.
Send off an abundant vibe to make more money through your blog.
If you want to study a high earning travel blogging couple that sends out an abundant vibe check out the Goats on the Road:
Your Turn
Are you making any of these mistakes?
What mistakes can you add to this list?