HOW TO MAKE A PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL BLOG IN 7 STEPS
Ready to create your travel blog? Let’s start!
1. Plan your objective – the most important step before starting a travel blog
One of the first things you should ask yourself is, why do I want to create a travel blog? Is it because you would like to share your travel experiences, help other travelers, try to make a living traveling?
No matter what that reason is, it needs to be substancial. As I mentioned before, behind a travel blog (any blog really) there are hours upon hours of work. I don’t want to discourage you, but if you’re not quite sure why you want to start a travel blog, it’s best to wait and clarify your ideas. Many people abandon their blogs. I don’t want you to do the same.
2. Come up with a name for your blog
The second step will be to choose a name for your blog. It is very important to choose a name that you feel identified by. The name will be one of the first impressions anyone will have of your website and brand.
This step is difficult and takes time. Think about your past trips and brainstorm for words that caught your attention, something you always say while traveling, etc. You can also get inspired by movies, songs, etc.
I recommend coming up with a name that stands out and is easy to remember.
3. Purchase a hosting plan and domain, how to start a travel blog
Once you’ve come up with a name for your blog, it’s time to purchase the domain (name of the website) and hosting (cloud where your website is hosted).
Our website was first written in Spanish, therefore it is hosted in Webempresa, which is the best hosting company for blogs based in Spain. Your blog will most likely be in English which is why I recommend Bluehost. The company was recommended to me and upon checking, it has amazing customer reviews. Every account offers 24-hour customer service.
How to purchase a hosting and a domain?
1. Go to the Bluehost website, on the home page, click on the “Hosting” tab on the top left corner and click on “Shared Hosting” then, click on the “get started” button.
2. You will see that there are 4 different options with different rates. Read each one and choose the plan that best suits your needs. Bluehost recommends the “Choice Plus” plan. It costs $5.45 a month for a 12-month term.
3. Now it’s time to register the domain with the name of your blog. I recommend choosing “.com” instead of “.org, .net, etc”. If the name you want is already registered, you have to go back to step 2 and think of a new name for your project or see if the domain is going to expire soon.
4. After clicking “next”, fill in your account information, payment method, and make sure that everything is correct. Then click on “submit” your order.
Now you have a hosting and a domain. That easy! You are closer to starting your own travel blog.
4. Install WordPress, an important step when starting a travel blog
Once you’ve successfully created a Bluehost account, the next step in order to start a travel blog is to install WordPress. WordPress is a CMS (content management system). You can create and edit a blog without having a clue about coding. Installing WordPress in Bluehost is a relatively quick and easy process.
To install it, you have to login into Bluehost.
1. Click on the “Create your website” button.
2. Skip this step if you don’t need help creating your website.
3. Click on “get started”.
4. Skip the following steps until you are greeted with this window, then click on “log into WordPress”.
5. WordPress has now been installed and you can begin to customize your website. Once you are ready to launch your website, on the WordPress dashboard, go to the bottom of the page and click on “launch your site”.
5. Elegir un tema para diseñar tu blog
In order to log into WordPress’ administration panel, write your domain before /wp-admin. For example: howtostartatravelblog/wp-admin.
Once you are inside, click on “themes”, under the “appearance” tab.
To start designing your travel blog, you have to choose a theme or template. You can activate any of the free themes or install a paid one. You can find several paid themes on this website.
Once you have activated your theme or template, it is time to make all the necessary changes until you get the final product.
6. Install recommended plugins
Plugins are extensions that you can install on your wordpress dashboard. Plugins allow you to perform many functions without the need of CSS, Javascript, Coding, etc.
Some of the plugins that I recommend installing are:
- Yoast Seo: Highly recommended plugin to make your website SEO ready. It is also very useful when writing a blog post because it informs you if you have completed the necessary steps to be able to rank the article in google.
- Contact Form 7: Allows you to create contact forms.
- Speed Booster Pack: improves your website’s loading speed.
- An antispam plugin like Akismet or FV Antispam.
- Monarch Plugin: It adds buttons to share on different social networks.
7. Create the website Content
It seemed like the last step was never going to come, but here it is! It’s time to start creating content for your travel blog.
You have to think again about the reasons (first step) why you wanted to start a travel blog. You have to be passionate about every article you publish. For example, if your goal is to help other travelers, keep in mind that your posts will have to be full of practical and helpful information. The posts that usually help others a lot when preparing a trip are those with recommendations, routes, what to see in a given place, etc.
If you don’t want to reach more people, you should consider learning about SEO. SEO will help you rank your posts in Google. If someone is looking for places to see in Paris in one day, for example, your article will appear, that’s the goal at least. It takes time. SEO will ultimately increase your blog visits.
Before making your travel blog public, I recommend writing at least 3 articles.
I hope this post on how to create a professional travel blog has been very helpful. If you have any other questions, I will be happy to help you. You can contact me by leaving a comment or through the contact form.