For Those Seeking To Be NUMBER 1
Welcome to how to make your blog the best and really stand out from the crowd! Although the travel blogging industry is saturated, it’s a fun and rewarding industry that requires dedication and a lot of work to stand out. Remember that blogging is not an overnight success story, so ensure you’re in it for the right reasons!
Starting a travel blog was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I wanted to own something, put all my energy and efforts into something I was passionate about, and share all my knowledge with others, especially women in the travel world. Starting a blog wasn’t the easiest journey, but it definitely has been the best thing I’ve ever done so far.
Ready To Learn How To Make Your Blog The Best & Really Stand Out?
I worked on my travel blog for 20 months (on and off) before launching it in January 2024. It’s been less than a year, and the results from all the hours spent on training courses, revamping the website, and learning the boring stuff (SEO, analytics, etc.) prove it’s working. I started making money from affiliation, and my data shows positive monthly growth.
Although I’m very new to the game, I’ve learned much about blogging. If my knowledge can help you fast-track to making your blog great with better results, then I’ma writer about it, right? I’ve written a blog about starting a successful blog, and now here is how to make your blog the best and really stand out from the crowd.
1. KNOW WHO YOU ARE
We May Be Alike, But We Are Different. Who Are Ya?
This might sound…like duh, but this is a deep question to ask yourself in the blogging world. Grab a piece of paper to write on and ask yourself: Who am I? Describe yourself in 5 words. What do I love? – Name 5 things you love. What do I stand for? – What are your beliefs? Value in life?
Before making your blogging stand out, you need to zero in on what makes you, well, YOU! You want to be sure who you are and not get lost in the influence of others.
2. WHY?
The Reason Behind It All
Once you’ve nailed down what makes you unique, it’s time to dig into your motivation. Write down these questions: Why do I want to start blogging? What’s my message? What’s my brand all about?
I wanted to share my travel adventures and help others, especially solo females, travel confidently. My message and brand represent empowerment and spontaneousness and encourage self-belief. Over the years, my core ‘why’ will stay the same, although I may add to it.
Why is your ‘why’ so important? It guides everything—how to make your blog the best, how you want it to look and feel, and what topics to write about. Making your message clear will help your visitors be confident in you.
3. YOUR END GOALS
Visualise Your Goals…Know What You Want
When I started blogging, my goals were content-related. I wanted to write quality content to help others live their best YES. Sure, it would be amazing to make a living from blogging instantly. Still, the reality is that most blogs take years to see any income, and unless you are selling products or services, a blog alone will unlikely make you a millionaire. Your heart should be in it for the passion, and as a result, you will find ways to make your blog the best to increase profitability.
I spend about 12-16 hours a day working on my website through passion. That’s not because I have to; I want to. I have a vision in my head of how my website will look six months from now and all the juicy travel content I want to write about. This excites me, so I just want to work on it. These hours are quite unhealthy in a typical working week, but this is just who I am. Set your boundaries and listen to your body when you need a rest, as it is important to avoid burnout.
Like any business, you must work to make your blog the best and most successful. That’s why it is important to figure out your end goal. Will it just be a hobby? Or do you plan on making blogging a big part of your career? If so, there may be things you need to sacrifice.
There are amazing Skillshare courses that can boost your skills. Free resources are also available on YouTube and other platforms to help you gain knowledge on blogging. Be inspired by others and use all the information to make your blog the best. I have a Facebook group for new bloggers that you might also find handy.
4. WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE
Not What You Like Sometimes, But What You Love All The Time!
Blogging can be about anything, from bird watching to train spotting to food and well-being. Of course, travel is what I know best, so that is what I write about. If you’re into it, I can guarantee someone else is too. If you’re picking a niche, you can actually benefit from thriving faster in that market as it’s unsatuated.
Everyone talks about picking a niche. However, I think it’s boring to limit yourself. I struggled initially because I was trying to focus on a niche to write about! I didn’t know how to choose it because I was into many things. From solo travel to mum-and-daughter travel to resourceful tips and boujee hotels for low costs, I just couldn’t decide how I would do niche blogging. So I didn’t. I stripped it back to a female travel blogger -because that’s what I am. I write about anything I want to write about on MY blog.
Now, just because you’re in the travelling space, you don’t need to travel daily! If you go to Rome, for example, you can create multiple pieces of content to write about, such as the food you enjoyed, the places you visited, the history of Rome, the hotels you stayed at, an itinerary for Rome, etc. Also, remember that your hometown is a destination, too. Embrace the idea that where you live is unique and different for people who don’t live there! I tend just to do a hotel stay somewhere in the UK as I have a hotel category that I enjoy blogging about.
5. WHO ARE YOU WRITING FOR?
What Do They Look Like? What Are Their Hobbies?
Determine who you write your content for and who will likely read it. This is known as audience personas. Ask these questions: Who is your ideal reader? Who are you targeting? If these don’t align, adjust them to work together to make your blog the best.
Picture the reader you want to attract. It makes a huge difference in the quality of your writing and how well it connects with people! Imagine writing a message to your BFF versus writing a letter to your boss. Different tones, right? You’d never use the same style to write about both. Always keep that person in mind to make your blog the best and most relatable. This helps with the kind of imagery and graphics you use and shapes the overall brand you create! Consistency is key.
6. KNOW YOUR STYLE
Are You Coming With Swagger, Or What?
Think about some of your favourite brands, such as JD Sports. Their online and in-store vibe is clear and distinctive, making it an identified brand. This needs to be the same flow for your brand, reflecting it. This includes colour palettes, fonts, logos, and writing styles.
When you’re ready for social media or visuals on your website, Canva is a fantastic resource for designing brand elements and graphics. They offer thousands of templates, stock photos, and premade graphics for just about everything, and they’re super easy to customize.
7. ACCELERATE YOUR STRENGTHS
Let Your Strengths Be Your Strengths…Own It!
If being on camera makes you cringe, maybe YouTube isn’t your thing. I really wanted to try uploading on YouTube, but this wouldn’t suit my style. While getting out of your comfort zone is great, I realised my energy and efforts are best focused elsewhere. I love photography and short reels, so Instagram is my ideal platform. Start where you are most comfortable, and then take on a bigger challenge if you’re up for it!
Throughout the years, I have taught myself so many skills. I wanted to learn everything from building websites to SEO and marketing, but it became overwhelming. I tried to learn everything simultaneously, which is ambitious but not smart. Instead, I chose to learn one by one and try each thing in practice. It took a lot of time, but I’m so happy I did it; knowledge is power – and I really mean it. However, you can’t be a master at everything; as much as you want to, there’s not enough time in the world. Focus on what you love, and let the pros, like Fivver, help.
8. QUALITY…NOT QUANTITY
Would You Rather 5 Ok-ish Doughnuts Or 1 Amazing, Juicy Doughnut?
If you aim to post content to have something out there without spending the time or effort to make your blog the best, what really is the point? If you want to help, teach, and guide people, rushing through with no care in the world to what you’re posting defeats the objective. People learn when the content is quality and engaging and when you can sense the authority and quality of the work.
I took a break from posting on my Instagram feed for a few months because I was busy revamping my website. Trying to focus on both meant my content quality was suffering. Quality is my priority, so I paused to work on the website instead of spreading myself too thin. This way, I could come back and create quality content for my followers. Forget algorithm goals; who wants half-hearted content?
9. ENGAGEMENT
That Online Social Butterfly
This one is harder for me, as I still work on it weekly. Once you’ve posted your blog, don’t just sit back and wait! Although SEO is important to make your blog the best to be seen on a search query, other methods should also be applied to gain additional traction and a community of loyal followers.
You can start by networking with others within the industry, engaging in their posts, reaching out for collaboration opportunities like guest posts or doing something fun together for your social media, etc. It’s all about building and expanding your audience.
If you can see your audience is coming from social media, set up things like a newsletter subscriber pop-up or use a pop-up to guide them to other related pages or landing pages. OptInMonster is a great WordPress plugin with pre-made templates. Finding time to do everything is harder when you’re a one-woman band. This is where time management comes into play.
10. TIME MANAGEMENT
Your Life, Your Time!
To make your blog the best and really stand out, you’ll need to make some great time management choices. However, no one size fits all, as it’s relative to your industry and job roles. As a one-woman band, this has been my biggest challenge. Multi-tasking on many different areas often leads to less focus; as you’re just getting into one task, you’re thinking about the next. Something I found really useful was splitting my weeks up and focusing on tasks, for example:
Week 1 – CONTENT: Create physical content for Instagram and Pinterest. This week is about being creative and making content in different styles and formats so I can use it on these social platforms. I upload around four pins daily, so I aim to make 120 pins, mixing travel quotes and posters.
Week 2 – EVERYTHING BLOGGING: This week, I’ll spend drafting new blogs, analysing my website and links on my blog, and creating new blog ideas.
Week 3 – EVERYTHING NETWORKING: I will use this week to network, engage with others, out-link, make myself known, and shoot my shots.
Week 4 – LEARNING & REST: This week, I would learn new skills and catch up on bits like paperwork, finances, and planning for the next month. Then, I would spend the rest of the week resting. It’s a great way to get off the screens and do other things I love.
Of course, during these different weeks, you’ll still need to set aside time for posting, publishing and whatever else. Life happens, so your months will not always look like this, but this is why it is also good to work a month in advance.
11. BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Love You, For You, All You <3
Again, break as often as you feel you need to! There’s no shame in that. Overworking till burnout is real, and it’s not good for your mental health. Although reaching goals is important, it can wait until tomorrow.
You may not get it the first or the tenth time, but dedication and consistency definitely pay off! So don’t be too disheartened if your content doesn’t perform as well as expected. If you’ve tried to make your blog the best and really stand out, congratulate yourself! Then, later on, retry.
It’s a hard industry to excel in, and with the internet filled with content to the brim, standing out will never be easy work. But I believe in you, as much as you believe in yourself, that you can make your blog the best and reach all the goals you have for yourself. Just remember, always be kind to yourself!
