The Tools I Use to Run My Travel Blog
The Tools I Use to Run My Travel Blog
Are you wondering what it takes to create a professional travel blog?
I earn a full-time salary through the operation of several niche blogs and websites, which include Wander Her Way.
I am a total fan of being a travel writer, and it’s a great satisfaction to earn a living writing about something I am enthusiastic about.
The great thing about blogging is that the cost of creating and running your blog is quite affordable. Although it’s worthwhile to invest in tools and resources to run your blog, There are plenty of fantastic products on the market that you can purchase for no cost.
Here’s a list of all available software (free as well as paid) I’ve employed to run the travel-related blog I run.
Web Hosting
Bluehost Bluehost: I utilize and recommend Bluehost for any new blogger. I have multiple blogs hosted on Bluehost and have not encountered any issues. Their customer support is excellent, and they’ve been able to assist me numerous times (including two instances when I literally destroyed my site.)
Web hosting is a requirement you require if you wish to establish an online professional travel blog.
Bluehost also offers some of the most economical web hosting plans available. A year of hosting is about $120, and you could save even more when you choose to sign up for a 36-month contract.
If you begin your blog on Bluehost, they will offer the .com domain name for free in the beginning (a cost of $15 to $20.)
Follow my step-by-step instructions for setting up a travel-related blog with specific instructions on how to create your blog using Bluehost (it’s very easy to do, I swear! ).
WordPress Theme
Update The Update: Find out the reason I changed the theme of my WordPress design to the Kandence theme.
17th Avenue Designs: I bought a WordPress theme through 17th Avenue Designs, and I like the way it appears! I’m currently using the Vivienne theme, which is a very popular theme. I’ve found many other bloggers who use the music. It’s an excellent choice for travel-related bloggers.
I’ve worked with all of these designers before, and they offer fantastic options for travel bloggers! Particularly if you’re searching for a beautiful, feminine WordPress theme.
Premium WordPress themes aren’t expensive. They generally cost between $50 and $75 and are worth every cent.
While buying the best WordPress themes for your blog about travel isn’t an absolute requirement, I strongly suggest that you consider it.
A premium theme will give you more options for customization compared to the free music, as well as support for customers in the event you need help. The design also appears more professional than an unpaid theme.
Keyword Research
Anyone who is a professional blogger will inform you that blogging begins by conducting keyword searches. Without this, your blog posts may be unreadable to search engines, and the odds are that no one will ever look them up.
Semrush: I utilize a variety of tools to do research on keywords and keep a close eye on the competition. However, Semrush is by far my favorite. It’s an effective tool that comes with a steep cost; however, if you’ve planned your content well, you can join for a month or even two at one time.
You are able to join for a trial at no cost with Semrush.
If you’re new to SEO, make sure to check through SEO’s Semrush Academy. It’s a great resource for novice and experienced bloggers.
Email Marketing
An email list isn’t essential to be an effective blogger, but I strongly recommend it.
Email is an effective way to reach out to your most active audience. The sooner you begin building your email list, the more effective it will be!
I have used ConvertKit, Flodesk, ActiveCampaign, and MailChimp in my blog and previous jobs. (you already know that I’m a reformed marketer, n’t you?)
ConvertKit: One of the top email marketing platforms, ConvertKit offers a free option for at least 1,000 customers. After that, you’ll need to make the switch to their Creator Plan, which starts at just $29 per month. If you select an annual subscription, they’ll provide you with two months of free.
EmailChimp is percent free for up to 2000 subscribers. The next level costs $30.99 for 2500 subscribers. However, if you reach 2,000 subscribers on the free plan, you are able to buy credits and sign up for the Pay-As-You-Go option as an alternative. This is an excellent alternative if you’re still trying to build your email list but aren’t sending out a large number of emails.
While MailChimp offers more design flexibility and modern features (if you’re interested) and provides more contacts for free, I recommend ConvertKit for those who are new to email marketing. It’s a bit easier to manage your email list and start.
Pinterest is the only type of social media that I employ to advertise Wander Her Way. It’s wild, I know. I’ve tried different platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, for my blog, and none of them gave the same ROI as Pinterest offers.
I spent hours on these three platforms trying to drive visitors to my blog but with only a tiny amount of results.
Compare that with Pinterest, which I use for just a few minutes per day, and get more than 20,000 pages to my website each month. It’s definitely a place that every travel blogger should be focusing on more.
Tailwind: Tailwind is a Pinterest software for scheduling that lets you design and schedule pins in massive quantities.
Canva: Canva is a free graphic design software that I use to design the images on my Pinterest images.
Images with text overlays do much better on Pinterest and attract more clicks than photos with text overlays do.
To see an example of what I am talking about, look at the blog’s Wander Her Way blog board on Pinterest. I make various Pinterest images for every blog post I write with the help of Canva.
Pinterest Templates: Though I’m a graphics designer, I like to do things that increase traffic to my blog sites.
Therefore, I am a fan of Pinterest designs of Creative Market. They can be edited using Canva and specifically designed for travel bloggers (and designed by a fellow travel blogger! ).
I have been able to quickly create a myriad of stunning Pinterest images for my blog posts by using these templates.