by 6 Comments

The #1 Mistake That Kills Travel Blogs and Makes You Feel Like A Failure

It isn’t a lack of brains, talent or money.

That would mean only the brilliant, rich and exceedingly talented could ever succeed.

But you know that’s not true, right?

After all, there are plenty of idiots and wild mountain jack-asses with money (just turn on MTV and you’ll see what I mean).

So what is it? What separates the successful from everyone else?

It’s not what they have… it’s what they don’t let get in the way.

Distraction.

Distraction from doing what really matters: writing great content, building relationships and creating profitable products.

Distraction really is a killer. It’s also makes you feel like a failure.

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Which Plugins You Should (And Shouldn’t) Install

Ah, WordPress plugins…

… at first they seem like the answer to all life’s problems.

Update files? There’s a plugin…

Block spam? There’s a plugin…

SEO? Yep, there’s a plugin for that, too.

But as any seasoned blogger knows: plugins slow down your website. They can break the next time WordPress updates… or worse, leave open holes for malicious hackers to exploit.

For these reasons, use as few plugins as necessary.

Sure, you’ll require additional plugins depending on your travel blog. But the following are ones I recommend everyone install:

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Case Study: How Trekity.com Scored 8,370 Pageviews Its First Week

I must warn you: this is a long post.

But you deserve the full story and - if you’re willing to walk through this - you’ll discover exactly what my wife and I did to launch Trekity.com, our new travel blog.

More importantly, you’ll discover the exact traffic strategies we used to get 8,370 pageviews the first week.

Ready to get started?

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Does Your Blog Pass This Safety Test?

90% of companies say they’ve been hacked in the past 12 months (Source: Ponemon Research, 2011).

Almost 60% have been hacked twice. And more than half doubt they can stop it from happening again.

These aren’t bloggers… they’re multi-million dollar companies with enterprise level security.

They’re not a one-man operation - some employ over 75,000 people - and despite their best efforts, hackers tear through security holes each and every day.

What’s to stop them from taking down your site? WordPress? Unfortunately, WordPress is notorious for security issues (out of the box, at least) which makes them WIDE open for anti-social cyber-weasels to chew through.

Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself.

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How to Write a Super Sexy eBook in 2 Days Without Losing Your Mind

Good writing takes time. But it shouldn’t take too much time.

So if you want to write faster, use the following method. It  will cut your writing time by at least 50% without sacrificing quality.

In one case this method helped me deliver a 30 page eBook on painting (houses, not canvases) in just two days.

So if I can do this on painting, think how easy it’ll be on a sexy topic like travel.

Ready? Then let’s roll…

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5 Shortcuts for Optimizing Your Blog in Record Time

WordPress works well “out the box.” 

But it could be better.

Hopefully, you downloaded the necessary plugins already. If not, keep reading as I’ll mention each again here (along with some other worthwhile tips).

This lesson is all about ACTION. Follow these instructions right now. Don’t wait.

These optimizations will make your site faster, safer and more search-engine friendly.

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101 “Magnifiers” For Exploding Your Travel Site’s Traffic

Ants beware…

Struggling to get your content out there?

If so… you’ve come to the right place.

Because no matter how fantastic your website may be, the sad fact is…

Great Travel Content – No Matter How Brilliant - Goes Unread Every Day!

Until someone reads it… finds value in it… and shares with others, your content exists in a black hole.

Therefore, instead of publishing content and “hoping” it goes viral, use the following 101 methods to get the word out about your travel blog.

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Interview Series: Geraldine DeRuiter From Everywhereist

Geraldine DeRuiter (Everywhereist)

Creating killer content doesn’t have to be hard.

In this action-packed interview, Geraldine DeRuiter  from Everywhereist reveals how she continuously churns out fresh, interesting takes on everyday situations like cupcakes, restaurants and mean women in Lego stores.

You’ll learn:

  • how Everywhereist went from 200 daily visitors to 10,000 in a single day…
  • three crucial things travel bloggers need to do now (but rarely do)…
  • why “haters” are actually a good thing…
  • how “the Mom factor” helps you know when/how to promote your blog…
  • an interesting take on monetization (one we don’t talk about here!)…

Plus a whole crate-load of obscenities and observations.

Watch the Video Now

Resources & Notes

Filed Under: Content, Interview Series
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101 Proven Headlines for Travel Blogs (Yours Free)

Know why you’re here?headlines for travel blogs

It’s because proven headlines work.

On this page you’ll find 101 proven headlines – some of which have been around for over sixty years.

Plus,  I’ve provided examples specifically for travel so you can see how they work.

I’ve written two examples for each… for a total of 202 ready-made travel headlines.

Feel free to “steal” them for your site.

So without further ado…

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Interview With Mike Richard From Vagabondish

Do you know Mike Richard?

He’s the guy behind Vagabondish.com, a travel blog which gets between 200K and 300K pageviews a month.

Mike and I have worked together on a number of projects, and he stopped by the Academy to answer some hard questions about building a successful travel blog.

In this 38 minute interview you’ll learn:

  • What Mike does to make money (and what he avoids)
  • How the “Dunn Effect” got him interviewed by Tyra Banks
  • The three things every travel blogger must do right now to succeed
  • Why he doesn’t put himself on the site (hint: it’s not because he’s shy)
  • What he wished he did earlier (and you can do right now)

This interview should be required study for anyone looking to build a successful travel blog.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Interview Series, Traffic
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