Four Ways to Make Sure Your Travel Blog Stands Out from the Pack

From following fabulous vacations to teaching others how to plan their own getaways, travel blogs are insanely popular right now.

However, that means that the field is incredibly competitive and it’s growing increasingly difficult to stand out from the pack of existing blogs. Likewise, monetizing your travel blog and increasing its search rankings is easier said than done when you’re trying to build an audience without coming off as just another spammy site.

The solution to standing out doesn’t require a complete overhaul or your site or search strategy, but rather some small, actionable tweaks.

Whether you’re just getting your travel blog off the ground or feel the heat from your competition, fear not. Instead, understand your site’s SEO potential versus your competition and how you can craft a travel blog that stands tall within your niche.

Nail Your Niche

Speaking of niches, having a general, “all-purpose” travel site simply won’t cut it anymore. From targeting long-tail keywords to building a dedicated audience, you need to get as specific as possible with your niche whilst still being broad enough to attract a readership.

For example, consider the following means of setting yourself apart from other travel blogs such as…

• Focusing on a specific travel region or location (Florida travel or Eastern Europe, for example)
• Tips and education for frugal or low-cost travel (how to travel cheap and find deals)
• Reviews and ratings of various locations or attractions in a region (think of the popularity of Disney blogs, for example)

Even within the aforementioned niches you can get much, much more specific. As long as you’re creating content that resonates with readers and drives search traffic, you’re good to go.

Beef Up Your Social Game

Travel blogs and social media go hand-in-hand as you invite your followers to quite literally track your journey.

For starters, you should have a constant presence on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook where you can let your visual content (think: pictures and videos of your travels) shine. Funnel your social traffic back to your site to ensure that your readership is growing.

Furthermore, nurturing your social leads can help you create a sense of community and serve as a place to reply to your followers in real time. Platforms such as private Facebook groups are a fantastic way to get closer to your followers.

Tweak Your Content

Regardless of your niche, you should strive to focus on how-to and review-based content whenever possible as means of targeting keywords and presenting your site as a resource. For example, an in-depth blog post about a hyper-specific travel location has viral potential. Don’t be afraid to get specific as means of unlocking targeted traffic: such posts can result in big returns over time.

Update Consistently

Although updating consistently may seem like a no-brainer, you should strive to feed your audience with updates on a regular basis to keep them engaged with your personal brand.

While juggling various mediums beyond your blog (think: Instagram, YouTube and Twitter), more content will most definitely help your blog stand out.

That being said, you don’t necessarily need to post a new blog every day; however, you should use the social channels to offer something such as a simple snapshot to your followers daily.

Running a travel blog should be a blast, not a joyless grind. With the aforementioned tips in mind, you can tweak your content strategy accordingly and stand apart from competing sites.