How To Grow The Traffic Of Your Newly Launched Travel Blog

Boris Dzhingarov

Updated on:

There are numerous travel blogs online at the moment. Most of them do not have much traffic but some exceed all expectations. Why does this happen? In most cases it is because of the fact that the travel blogger fully understands what has to be done in order to be successful.

When you launch a travel blog it is very important that you manage expectations. The first few months will surely see you working hard and not much traffic will show up. However, if you properly build the travel blog’s audience and foundation (which does take time), you are going to enjoy a really good organic growth.

One of the most important things to remember is that you need to have Google Analytics added to the travel blog. This offers great information that will surely help you to develop the blog. However, during the first months you do not need to keep checking since just once every couple of weeks will be enough.

Always keep your eyes on the long run and focus on building traffic through strategies that were proved as being successful in the past, including those highlighted below.

Use Facebook


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When you launch your Facebook page, make sure to invite those that you met while you traveled but only do that after the page is properly set up. Although you could also buy some ads, this is not necessary when you first start. Buying Facebook likes is much better suited when the blog already has more traffic, not when you start out.

Try to build a social media strategy and stick to it, even if when you start out you do not get great results. This is because building consistency on Facebook is something that is much more effective than what many believe. You will eventually end up with loyal followers but this is impossible if you do not consistently post. Use tools like Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance. This tool is also useful for the following tip to grow traffic.

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Use Twitter


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Start off by following those fellow travel bloggers you like. Then, look for other people that might be interested in what you post and follow them. Carefully monitor follow-backs and focus on developing your Twitter account to around 500 followers. This is more than enough for when you start and then you can start scheduling posts at the best possible times, preferably on a strict schedule. This will not get you many clicks but whenever you have a tweet that becomes popular, you do get quite rewarded.

Comment On Other Travel Blogs

Contrary to what some might think, when you comment on other travel blogs you do not get a lot of traffic in return but there are some advantages you should be aware of. For starters, you start to get known and your networking starts off even if you do not know others. Also, you do get a backlink to your site. Even if it is a nofollow, it is still valuable. Being social is a big part of being a successful travel blogger so start showing some love to others.

Consider Reddit


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Reddit is a very interesting social network that can allow you to grow, if you use it properly. The idea is to find some subreddits that are related to your type of content and to become active. You should never just blindly post your content there since there are always rules that have to be respected. If you promote yourself too much, you will most likely get banned from those great subreddits you can use.

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If you want to use Reddit and post on wonderful subreddits like /r/travel, be sure that you post around 7 posts that are not at all self-promotional for every single post that promotes your content. Actually, this is a rule you should follow for all social media channels. Nobody loves bloggers that only promote themselves.

As an extra related tip, when you post on Reddit, be sure that you only post your best content. Never share those that are just so and so in terms of quality. Also, share only after you have enough content and when there is a mailing list system set up to get some subscribers and practically capitalize on the extra traffic you get in the event a post becomes vital.

Talk To People About Your Blog In Real Life

This is an option that is so rarely considered and when it is, many bloggers do it wrong. It is never a good idea just to hand out business cards. However, it can be a great solution to have a t-shirt with your blog URL on it or have some flyers that you leave here and there with just the URL.

One interesting suggestion that you should take into account is to share stories about people you meet on your blog. Then, just tell them that you wrote about them. This often leads to shares and more traffic, plus some social media followers.

Start Gathering Emails Early

The focus is always put on getting traffic to the new travel blog but retaining visitors is something that should be taken into account as early as possible. You need to start building a mailing list and you should start doing it as soon as possible. Have something different to offer to the brand new subscribers you get. When you start out, the regular sign-up box is what is added. This is not as effective as some might think. It is always much better to write an ebook and offer a chapter for free. Make sure that free chapter will give new subscribers advice and solve some problems to increase efficiency.

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Guest Posting

Guest posting is really big and will most likely always be big when it comes to growing traffic to your site. However, it is not necessarily in the way that you think. When many travel blogs are launched, the bloggers think that guest posting is all about getting quick traffic. While you can get some traffic when you are published on sites or blogs with a lot of traffic, the big benefit comes through the authority that you build.

Guest posting allows you to get new inbound links. This helps increase Google rankings and domain authority. While guest posting is in itself something that has to be learned, a quick and great suggestion is to follow and read travel blogs. Focus on those that you really like and interact with the bloggers. Then, after some time, talk about the possibility of getting a guest post published. Just make sure quality is as high as it could be. Most bloggers end up being really frustrated by the fact that the posts they are sent are not at all great. When something really good is received, usually the article is published and you get the benefits of guest posting.

Final Thoughts

Growing a travel blog is all about consistency, networking and quality. You want to first focus on creating really good content. Then, you need to start networking and get involved in the community. As you do so, learn as much SEO as you can and never underestimate the power of being published on a reputable travel website.