5 Best Travel Blogs on the Web
From Australia to Atlanta, travel businesses are always looking for new ways to get more organic traffic to their website.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the best way to get organic traffic, but it has become increasingly difficult due to intense competition in the industry. Also, it's hard to choose a travel marketing strategy to run with because there are so many options out there.
In this guide, you'll learn how to create organic traffic methods that work fast, without wasting your money or time on methods that don't work.
Many people think organic traffic won't work for them because they haven't got the time, the money, or the skills to do it. However, the organic traffic methods in this guide are easy to learn and will get organic traffic flowing to your website within days, not months.
What Is Organic Traffic?
Organic traffic is when someone finds your website organically (i.e., by using search engines). It's the free kind of traffic you get from search engines such as Google.
The organic traffic methods you'll learn here are based on getting your website listed high in organic search results so that people can find you. Once you've done this, all organic traffic is yours … and it won't cost a penny because organic traffic is free.
This organic traffic system explained here will work with any travel industry website. It will help your business acquire new clients without spending money on ads.
Why Would You Want Organic Traffic?
With organic traffic, you'll enjoy better conversion rates because your visitors have come to you on their terms. Organic traffic comes from customers who are really interested in what you have to offer.
They have usually found you by searching for a travel-related topic that is in your area of expertise, which means they will be ready to hear your sales pitch.
They've already shown they are interested in travel by searching for travel-related words, so you're wasting less of your time dealing with people who may or may not be interested in travel.
How Do You Get Organic Traffic?
The organic traffic methods explored here will take your organic traffic to the next level and turn your existing customers into repeat visitors.
Search engines such as Google and Bing use complex algorithms that consist of hundreds of ranking signals to determine the best-quality web pages when a user types in phrases. Ranking factors generally fall into two buckets: on-page SEO, which is about improving your site’s content and links, and off-page SEO, which includes things such as social media posts or article submissions. However, first, you need to understand the role that keywords play.
Keywords
Keywords are the cornerstone of increasing the volume of search traffic. To figure out which keywords potential customers might be searching for, you'll need to conduct some keyword research using a smart tool such as Google's Keyword Planner (free with Google Ads), Moz, Longtail Pro, Ahrefs, or SEMRush.
Let’s start by looking at keyword volume, the number of unique searches per month.
Keyword Volume
Keyword volume can vary by many factors, including the location of the search and the season or time of year.
High-volume keywords tend to produce more traffic than low-volume ones. More searches don’t always mean that the keyword is any better at generating leads or business though.
Keyword Intent
The higher the intent of a keyword, the better it is. When you know a person's keyword intent, you can. For example, keywords like “Hawaii” have low intent because the user could be looking that up for any number of reasons.
When people use high-intent terms like “hotels in San Francisco” or "vacation destinations in the United Kingdom," you know they're looking to go on a trip.
Keyword Competition
Keyword competition refers to how many websites and pages are trying to rank for a keyword. The higher the keyword volume and the clearer the commercial intent, the more competitive it is. For example, keywords like "cheap rental car in New Zealand" are highly competitive because they have very good search volumes as well as clear commercial intent.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is about techniques that help search engines find what your site and individual pages are about. For a search engine to understand what your website is all about, and then match it with relevant keywords, you need to label your content correctly.
There are five key areas that a search engine explores to understand what keywords would be relevant to a page:
- URL
- Page title
- Header tags
- Media tags
- Metadata
Search engines also care a lot about the user or customer experience. Your goal is to make sure each web page on your site provides an optimal, well-organized, and easy-to-navigate experience for users as they browse content that aligns with what they are looking for.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is a term used to describe techniques that establish trust and authority signals for websites. The main two off-site ranking factors are backlinks and social media shares, which help search engines determine the organic rankings of web pages.
Backlinks
A backlink is like a vote of confidence for your website. The more people who point their links toward your site, the higher up on search engine pages your site will go and the easier it'll be to find.
Here are some simple ways to get more backlinks:
- Encourage other travel websites to link to your content.
- Encourage bloggers to mention your business and post about you.
- Ask your social media followers to share your links.
Social Media
While not as important as backlinks, social media is also a driver of off-page ranking factors in SEO. The more likes, shares, and retweets you get on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, the more likely your site will rank high in Google's algorithm for popular pages. At a minimum, you should have a Facebook page.
Keywords for the Travel Industry
In the travel industry, you can expand and refine your keyword research by adding related keywords such as:
- Travel agents
- Tour operator
- Travel insurance
- Travel guides
- Travel packages
- Hotel
- Top restaurants in the United States
- Travel restrictions
- Air travel
- Information for travelers
- Cheap flights
- Tourist sites
- Travel mobile apps
- Travel updates
- Check-in times
- The country with the best travel experience
- Tourism industry secrets
- Pandemic travel tips
Types of Content That Resonate With Audiences in the Travel Industry
The easiest way to get organic traffic is to put out high-quality travel content on your travel website. For example, you could write an article about travel tips for beginners or what it's like being a travel blogger.
These travel-related content ideas will help you rank well in the search engines:
- Travel deals
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about travel and travel destinations
- Travel tips and hacks
- Inspirational travel stories from real customers who have visited the destinations you're selling packages to
- Product recommendations
- Tutorials and tips for travelers based on their travel patterns, such as "the best camera to take with you on a trip" or "how to choose the right travel insurance"
- Traveling as a vegan or vegetarian
- How travel makes you a better person
- What travel writers love about travel writing
- Budget travel tips and hacks
- The best travel destinations in the world for foodies and history buffs
- Top travel destinations for families with kids or solo travelers
Don't forget to define your audience. It's important to focus on content that attracts a specific audience.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who are the people visiting your travel website?
- Do they already travel or do they have plans to travel soon?
- What kind of information is relevant to them right now?
- What kind of budget do they have?
- What do they value when they travel?
- How long do they want to spend on their trip?
- What kind of travel content resonates with them?
- Where do they want to travel to?
- How many travel packages do they usually buy per year or trip?
The travel industry is ever-evolving, which means that there will never be a shortage of destinations to write about.
It can be difficult for travel websites to rank well in search engines, especially if they are new and don't have many backlinks yet. One thing that you can do to improve your search engine rankings is to include video content. This is a good strategy because people are much more likely to watch a video than read about the same information. The videos should be travel-related and at least one minute in length.
Examples From Top Sites by Traffic in the Industry
When you're writing articles for your site, it's great to get some inspiration from some of the best travel websites on the internet.
Here are just a few:
Travel and Leisure (also known as T&L) is a hugely popular site. It publishes news stories such as a list of countries that are open to COVID-19 vaccinated travelers.
It also publishes articles such as:
- Planning a trip based on your zodiac sign
- Finding the best airfare deal every time
- T&L's Destination of the Year
Afar publishes travel tips, news, and in-depth features on topics such as:
- A Somali refugee's journey to healing amidst the natural beauty of Maine
- Female flamenco guitarists in Spain
- A Filipino-American chef’s search for a recipe his grandmother used to make
The name makes it pretty clear — A Luxury Travel Blog is a travel site focused on high-end travel experiences.
It publishes articles such as:
- Luxury hotels in Tenerife
- What to eat in Egypt
- The best beaches near Barcelona
- Exploring Croatia's eight national parks
Travel & Leisure
Travel & Leisure, or T&L, hosts an impressive blog space that doesn't just talk about destinations. T&L also offers tips about traveling solo, how to vacation on a budget, and how to plan that bucket list getaway. They even give you the lowdown on upcoming and current deals on travel gear.
Some of T&L's most recent posts include:
What Does the TSA Do with Confiscated Items?
Is My Nonrefundable Ticket Really Nonrefundable?
Vail Acquires Park City Mountain Resort, Plans Country's Largest Ski Area
The T&L blog is clean and easy to navigate, with a clear top menu to help readers find what they're looking for. While the site offers a bit of something for everyone, posts lean a bit more toward mid- to high-end trips. The T&L blog has plenty of inspiration for travel bloggers to emulate, capturing the attention of destination seekers.
AFAR
AFAR's website is a bit of everything related to the travel industry. While the site offers information on the next best destination, they also offer travel industry news, information about reopening destinations, and suggestions for places to travel with children.
The most popular posts on AFAR include:
When Will We Be Able to Travel to Europe?
Ecuador Joins List of Countries Open to Vaccinated Travelers
The World's Happiest Country is All About Reading, Coffee, and Saunas
AFAR posts something new almost daily – sometimes more than once per day. If you're just starting a travel blog, that can seem a bit overwhelming. Hiring a travel writer – or a few – means you can leave this part of your growth strategy to a professional while you focus on other aspects of your new travel site. If you're established and just looking for new inspiration, you'll find it here.
The Blonde Abroad
There's something in the way solo travel breathes fresh air into our lungs. Kiersten Rich, AKA "Kiki," is the woman behind The Blonde Abroad. She's a native of California who decided to trade in her corporate position for the life-giving freedom of solo travel. She splits her time between her home state and South Africa and has traveled solo to over 70 countries. In her blog, she and other solo female travelers show other women how they can experience the same freedom and abundance, too.
Some of The Blonde Abroad's best posts include:
Best Places to Travel in the US Right Now
Top 10 Experiences for Solo Female Travelers
The Blonde Abroad works so well because Kiersten's carved out a niche and she speaks directly to her audience with personal, first-hand accounts of solo traveling for women. You can emulate her style by discovering your target audience, what they crave, and giving them exactly that.
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a site for those looking for the finer things in life, in true Condé Nast fashion. Luxury tips for traveling people of color, Best Of lists, and more make this travel website one of the best in its niche. The site especially caters to the most discerning of visitors, which is highlighted by its best performing blogs, such as:
12 Nostalgic Drive-Ins to Visit this Summer
The Best New Hotels in the World
19 Travel Photographers to Follow on Instagram Right Now
Like The Blonde Abroad, Condé Nast Traveler also has a section devoted to women who enjoy traveling solo, which offers all the inspiring content a lady might need to plan that trip she's always wanted to.
A Luxury Travel Blog
While not as well known as the rest of our list, A Luxury Travel Blog lives up to its name. Most of this blog's posts are about luxury travel destinations or products, but once weekly, the Recipe of the Week offers a glimpse into the gastronomy of these cities, towns, and countries.
Some of the most popular posts on A Luxury Travel Blog include:
5 Luxury Travel Treats You Can Enjoy Now
Unique Wildlife Experiences to Look Forward to After the Pandemic
A Luxury Travel Blog caters to a wide but niche audience – everything's luxury, from the food to the photography, and the hotel to the destination. Consider offering a bit of everything on your travel blog, but carefully curated like the creators at this one.
Booking.com
An average of 222 million people visits Booking.com every month. The site's main source of traffic is its booking engine, which helps travelers compare hotels to find the "guaranteed best rate" for their stay. Of course, in addition to Booking.com's service offering — which can help users compare flights, taxis, and car rentals, too — the site also offers a wealth of content.
The brand's travel blog, known as Unpacked, explores destinations near-and-far and covers essential categories like family travel, gadgets, cuisine, and more. While Booking.com tries to keep its content as "evergreen" as possible, they do touch on timely topics with articles covering things like adjusting to working from home and making the most of it.
Airbnb.com
Over 60 million visitors frequent the Airbnb website every month, with the site's main draw being its person-to-person booking engine. While the concept is familiar to most travelers these days, Airbnb broke ground in 2008 when the site launched and gave people an easy way to rent out their spare couch, spare room, or vacant home to travelers.
In the years since, Airbnb has come a long way, and content marketing is definitely a strength of the brand. From their motto "live like a local," Airbnb has created an entire culture around the couch-surfing travel style that started it all. This is made obvious on the Belong Anywhere blog, which speaks about guest-friendly home improvement, responsible travel, and other pertinent topics.
TripAdvisor.com
About 98 million visitors head to TripAdvisor each month to make use of the site's excellent sources. While you can book directly through TripAdvisor, the site's strong suit is definitely its collection of reviews. TripAdvisor is a unique example because they use user-generated content (UGC) more than any site on this list, and that's the beauty of a quality review website.
Of course, Trip Advisor supplements user reviews with a steady supply of in-depth content about various destinations and accommodations. The blog, which is run "for travelers by travelers," talks about the best destinations for various activities, explored award-winning hotels, and more. It also helps travelers discover out-of-the-box things to do wherever they find themselves.
Uber.com
Around 90 million people visit Uber each month, with the brand being most well-known for its ridesharing mobile app. However, Uber has grown to offer a lot more than cheap rides in commuters' cars. Uber Eats, for instance, competes with the likes of DoorDash and Postmates to help hungry users get their favorite restaurants delivered to their door. Meanwhile, Uber also offers freight transport services for businesses, along with bike and scooter rentals in certain areas.
All of that said, Uber's blog is one of the best examples of modern content marketing at work. It's devoted to showcasing the best in drivers, travelers, and local businesses, helping to promote Uber's offerings while also helping travelers and locals alike learn more about the place they live and the places they love.
VRBO.com
VRBO sees around 39 million visitors each month. This brand has a business model very similar to Airbnb, but maybe best known for its unique advertising campaigns. Within the Discovery Hub, VRBO explores evergreen and timely content alike, with articles ranging from advice on sanitizing between guests to case studies on how a welcome guide helped one rental get more reviews.
Expedia.com
Around 34 million people visit Expedia each month, which is surprising considering Expedia is still listed as the top travel booking website on most experts' lists. The brand continues charging forward with the ViewFinder blog, which explores travel trends and tips in the form of evergreen content while also taking on timely issues front-and-center.
An excellent example of the latter is Expedia's content regarding Black History Month, where they link to virtual events and resources while tying in travel by looking at destinations that are pertinent to the discussion. This type of timely and unique content is both engaging and highly sharable, and it definitely contributes to the blog's on-going, steady success.
agoda.com
Agoda sees about 29 million visitors each month, although it's not a very well-known name. Many people may consider it "yet another" hotel and flight booking site, but it's actually a service that's been steadily growing since its founding in Thailand in 1998. The unique thing about Agoda is that they allow you to search hotels and homes, along with private stays (i.e., entire houses) and monthly stays using one website.
The Agoda blog has a simple layout, showing a long excerpt from the most recent post in a long, classic scrolling style. Beautiful photos catch the eye but, other than that, the content holds its own. From fuss-free family holiday advice to the best places to see winter lights, the blog explores a wide variety of topics while staying true to travelers' changing interests throughout the seasons and over time.
Southwest.com
One of the most popular sites in air travel, Southwest sees about 25 million visitors each month. As an airline, Southwest spends a great deal of time advertising their fare deals and explaining the perks of their partnerships with hotel and rental car companies. However, the brand also spends time adding engaging content to the company blog.
From articles announcing themed challenges, like the Acts of Kindness Challenge, to promote user-generated content to brand-building content showing off the airlines' loyal customers and hard-working teams, Southwest is a leading example of personal, human marketing done right.
American Airlines
American Airlines' website gets about 21 million visitors each month. Similar to Southwest, the airfare booking tool and links to the latest travel deals often take center stage. Still, the AA Newsroom routinely produces fresh content that shares the latest news about flying with AA and travel in general.
Impactful stories about the brand and how it's doing good are the stars of the Newsroom, like articles showing how AA partnered with the Red Cross to help those experiencing severe power outages due to winter storms. It's that type of content that helps AA build and sustain its brand and show off its values.
Hotels.com
Around 21 million people a month go to the Hotels.com website to find and compare hotel deals. With an excellent rewards program where eligible stays help users earn free nights across hotel brands, many choose Hotels.com if they aren't loyal to a specific portfolio of hotels or resorts. Interestingly, though, Hotels.com doesn't maintain a blog.
Instead, you can read the "Go Guides," which Hotels.com maintains to help people explore the destinations they're considering visiting. Go Guides are static, eliminating new or timely content from the Hotels.com website. This is an interesting choice, and definitely something most smaller brands couldn't pull off. Of course, with the brand's advertising budget, it's a bit easier to achieve.
What Makes for a Great Travel Website?
From looking at these travel websites and their top-performing content, here are some takeaways to guide your own content strategy:
- Offer value. Whether you're just writing "Go Guides" to explore destinations or offering a fully-fledged guide, make sure that everything you publish offers real value. When possible, quote experts, locals, and seasoned travelers.
- Keep it focused. Travelers want information here and now about travel restrictions, luggage sizing, the best transport options, and so on. Get into your travelers' shoes and consider what they care most about.
- Make it entertaining. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, traveling should be fun! So, make sure you keep your content upbeat and entertaining, even in the face of delays or challenges.
Lastly, whenever you publish content for your brand, make sure you reinforce your brand values. Look to American Airlines and other big brands for inspiration on how you can constantly bring out your brand's values and connect with followers on a deeper level.
How to Measure Your Organic Traffic Results
Here are some key metrics that you can track to gauge your travel website's performance:
- Number of visits
- Where visitors came from
- What they did once logged in
- Site revenue
- The click-through rate for landing pages and blog articles
Recommendations for Tracking Tools
Organic traffic is the lifeblood of a travel website. You might have invested in travel-related keywords to draw targeted visitors, but if you don’t know how many people are visiting your site and what they do when they get there, then it’s impossible to see the results of your efforts or make adjustments as needed.
Depending on how much time and money you want to invest in tracking tools, there are some different options. For example:
Seolyzer is a powerful tool for analyzing and improving your website’s SEO. By crawling through the site log files, Seolyzer identifies any errors on individual pages or redirect issues that can be fixed to improve rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It also tracks page speed performance so you know which areas need more attention when creating content-rich landing pages.
SEOquake is a free Google Chrome extension that automatically checks your web page's SEO parameters. This includes on-page SEO audits, external link reviews, real-time URLs, and domain comparisons with data file exports.
You can also use it to get detailed descriptions of how all of your links are doing — including URLs and anchor text.
Google Analytics is a free tool that allows marketers to:
- Compare organic and paid traffic
- Identify which web pages receive the most traffic so you can improve SEO on those pages
- Determine engagement metrics and page exit metrics on each web page
- Find the conversion rate for landing pages
Increase Organic Traffic to Your Travel Blog with Scripted
When you partner with Scripted, you get access to a stable of highly vetted travel writers with extensive experience. Depending on the plan you choose, you can even let Scripted's account managers take the reins while you sit back and watch your organic traffic grow.
If you're a travel writer, the blogs above are the perfect places for global inspiration. If you're not a writer and need help boosting your site's visibility, reach out today or signup for a free trial to see how Scripted can help you increase organic traffic to your travel blog.
Published by Scripted Writers on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Industries, Afar, A Luxury Travel Blog, Conde Nast Traveler, The Blonde Abroad, Travel & Leisure.
