When I started travel blogging, I had no clue what I was doing and had no idea where to start. Subscribeerz helps you buy YouTube likes easily and instantly.
1. Get a name… a really cool one.
You have to love it. You’ll write your travel blog name over and over again, and it’s a real pain to change it down the track.
Be memorable. So many travel blogs sound the same to me. Wanderlust something, Nomad something else. Be creative, be memorable and most of all BE YOU.
Google it. What comes up? Is it taken already? Make sure that nobody else has had the brilliant idea before you.
Claim the social media handles. Check that you can secure the social media names for your new fab travel blog. Key ones to think about are Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to get started. If you can’t get the name, you may want to to rethink your blog name as social media is a critical part of success. Tip: I had no idea about this step before I started, and as such ended up with @chasethedonkey for Pinterest and twitter as chasingthedonkey was too long – keep that in mind too. Don’t complicate it. Pick a blog name for your travel blog that is short and to the point and easy to remember.
2. Secure your place on the world wide web
When I first read I needed to find ‘a host’ for my blog, my eyes popped out of my head. “What the heck does that mean”? I thought. In a nutshell you need to find a company that you can buy your groovy new travel blog name from and then have them do their fancy internet tricks so that people can find your new found name on the internet. A great place to start is start a travel blog: Get hosted
A great place to start is Bluehost. They’ll give you your name when you sign-up as well as offering quality hosting for an affordable price. Starting at just $3.95 a month it’s a great investment, and you’ll get your money back should you change your mind. They also promise 24/7 support – and trust me you’ll want that if there is ever an issue. Go secure your place on the web, look for the big green ‘get started now button’.
Tip: Your blog can take off very fast, and so it might be a good idea to get started on a dedicated server for extra speed and control of your travel blog.
3. Install WordPress
It’s a cinch, if I can do it, you can too. There are several other platforms (like Blogger) but, seriously don’t waste your time – go straight to WordPress. You’ll need a platform like WordPress so you can start writing and your fun photos too. Once you’ve installed it you are on your way to having your travel blog read and enjoyed by others.
4. Get a unique design that suits you
Now it’s time to design your place on the web, and show your readers who you are. Part of the reason I recommend you get WordPress is because you can do oh-so-much with it. Now it is time to think colours, a logo and an image that represents you, and your future travel stories. You’ll also need to add a few things that help your site function, and make a great user experience – such as plugins like how people can follow you on Facebook. I fumbled my way through this and had a few ugly designs before loving my current design. Free themes seem like a good idea, but they are slow, not as responsive to mobile phones and can be loaded with bugs. Instead head over to Theme Forest, spend some time and choose one.
Here are a few themes that look good and are mobile responsive.
SimplePro. Kick ass designs – including ours now. It’s easy to use and even better looking.
Your Mag. It has an easy to use panel to set it up and is mobile responsive.
Bliss. This one is also mobile responsive and has a clean and crisp design.
Jupiter.This is the one we used previously.
Plugins. These little suckers do so much to help your blog, and while you may be overwhelmed now, just make a note to look at these ones once you are ready for that step.
Askimet. Helps reduce spam comments (and trust me you will get 1000’s of them)
Arqam. The best way to connect your fans to your social media accounts
Social Share Counter. Floating sidebar for social shares
WP smush.it. Shrinks the size of your photos without reducing quality
Yoast. The only SEO plugin you need
W3 Total Cache. Will help your site run faster
Interactive World Maps. Everyone loves a map
WordPress Editorial Calendar. Keep track of what you plan to publish
5. Take a course
This is the one HUGE-MASSIVE step I missed for far too long. I spent countless hours and hours wasting my time on things like how to set up WordPress, figuring out SEO strategies, how to set up an email subscriber list (really important by the way!) and wanting to find ways to make money while blogging. So much of what I read was outdated and was contradictory. I was so confused! If you want to start a travel blog, and want to not waste time sorting through the do’s, do not’s and how to’s, then I recommend you take the course I took that was designed for travel bloggers by travel bloggers.
No matter what your blogging goals are, just be sure to have fun, and be you.
