How This 40-Year-Old’s Travel Blogs Earned $700k+ in 2023 From Ads and Affiliate Marketing

Like a number of journey bloggers, Megan Starr has at all times had a ardour for journey. However Megan shouldn’t be like most journey bloggers.

Fourteen years in the past, she packed up her issues, left her dwelling state of Virginia, and moved to Norway. That grew to become her dwelling base for touring, and she or he began a journey weblog known as Megan Starr to doc her adventures however had no intentions of ever turning it into an precise enterprise.

Initially, it was a former USSR nation weblog, and she or he additionally wrote extensively about touring to locations like Kazakhstan, Romania, Armenia, and Croatia.

When she lastly realized she might flip it right into a enterprise, issues actually took off.

As we speak, she has expanded her portfolio to 4 journey blogs, will get over 7 million periods per 12 months, and can shut out 2023 with an earnings of over $700k.

Maintain studying to seek out out:

• What websites she created and why she began them
• The place her earnings comes from
• Her essential advertising and marketing methods
• Her ideas on Web optimization
• Her method to key phrase analysis
• How she builds hyperlinks
• Her content material creation course of
• Her method to e mail lists
• The assets and instruments she makes use of
• The largest problem she’s confronted
• Her biggest accomplishment
• Her essential mistake
• The recommendation she would give to different entrepreneurs

Meet Megan Starr

I’m Megan, a blogger and digital marketer from Richmond, Virginia (however residing in Europe for the final 14 years). 

Rising up, I used to be at all times interested by journey and you might catch me sitting within the again nook of the library studying journey guidebooks about Scandinavia and different locations that appeared fairly far-flung to me on the time. 

I performed school basketball for some time, acquired my diploma, after which ended up in Ohio earlier than selecting up and transferring to Bergen, Norway. 

And, all these years later, I’m nonetheless on this aspect of the pond! I’ve a visa and condo that ties me to Frankfurt, Germany… however I purchased a home final 12 months in Rovaniemi, Finland, so I’m there very often, too. 

I celebrated my fortieth birthday this 12 months (it feels bizarre writing that!), have a associate (he’s British), and am child-free by selection. However, I do plan to undertake one other canine sooner or later if issues work out.

Why She Created Her Websites

I created my blog about two years earlier than transferring to Norway… so roughly 16 years in the past! It was a way of life weblog at first after which form of transitioned into an expat and journey weblog as soon as I moved overseas. 

It was simply me on the time.

I feel I’m one of many few bloggers who really blogged out of ardour and as a passion with no intentions of monetizing it. 

Norway was so costly once I lived there, so I discovered myself in former Soviet nations within the east as a result of the Norwegian kroner went loads additional there. 

So, I began running a blog about this a part of the world and had grown a reasonably viewers round my rambles. 

I used to be the primary blogger to essentially write about Abkhazia, loads of Ukrainian locations, Belarus, and so forth. with on-going return journeys and constant content material. I blended this content material with Norway guides and expat rants.

In 2017, I used to be with out a Schengen visa and doing 3 months stints in locations like Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Croatia, and Kazakhstan. 

I made a decision to monetize my website with adverts simply to provide myself a buffer since I used to be residing out of lodges, hostels, and Airbnbs. 

As soon as I monetized the weblog, I used to be in a position to make it a full-time job immediately as I had unknowingly constructed up visitors over time when doing it merely as a passion. My first (and solely) advert community has been Mediavine. I’m of their Mediavine Professional for 2 of my websites.

Aram joined in 2018 and we began an Armenia journey website, Absolute Armenia, as he’s Armenian. It’s targeted on tourism growth within the nation. 

A couple of 12 months later, the Virginia website, Virginia Travel Tips, and my Hawaii website, Next is Hawaii, had been began as my viewers was trying to keep within the US due to the pandemic and I wished to create content material that may very well be used shortly and be of function throughout a bizarre time on this planet.

How A lot She’s Incomes

I don’t actually consider every weblog on how a lot it makes since I run 4 (maybe I ought to!) however in response to Mediavine, here’s a breakdown for 2023. 

Please have in mind we had been annihilated by the HCU in September 2023 on the Virginia website and additional by the October 2023 updates on the opposite websites.

2023 Numbers (by mid-December)

– Megan & Aram: $239,021.25 (4.6 million periods)
– Subsequent is Hawaii: $42,137.34 (887,567 periods)
– Virginia Journey Ideas: $96,982.84 (1.9 million periods)
____________
$378,141.43

In 2022, we made $518,817.86 on Mediavine adverts throughout the three blogs (with the Hawaii website not being monetized with adverts all the 12 months).

In 2022, we didn’t focus an excessive amount of on affiliates as advert cash was fairly good and we took on loads of paid initiatives in Armenia. I don’t have the precise quantity, however I think about we made about $150,000 on associates in 2022 (I didn’t use Affilimate all 12 months, so it’s laborious to get the quantity).

However, in 2023, we targeted loads on associates and have at present made $270,173.26 in response to Affilimate (the affiliate instrument we love and use). 

Affilimate doesn’t embrace a few of our associates, nevertheless. It’s lacking our Amazon, Information to Faroe Islands, Welcome Pickups, and Manawa. Collectively we in all probability made one other $12,000 throughout these platforms.

In complete, for 2023, our confirmed earnings is $700k+.

As for visitors, earlier than the updates in September 2023, we did pretty nicely. 

Now I’m ready to see how issues shake out as soon as this settles a bit. We misplaced about 85% of visitors on the Virginia web site and a good quantity on the Hawaii website (which was really down about 80% earlier than HCU due to the fires on Maui).

I used to work round 15 hours a day on my websites a few years again! 

Now, I’m barely working as I’ve spent loads of time on the highway this 12 months. I hope to get into one place and might work a bit extra constantly once more (though with out these 15-hour days)!

Megan’s Prime Advertising Technique

My diploma is in advertising and marketing and I’ve at all times had a knack for understanding the shopping for course of, which I discover form of goes over the heads of many different bloggers. I primarily simply deal with myself and what I can contribute to the online and vacationers. 

I additionally write a good variety of posts that basically aren’t nice for monetization however they land customers on the weblog and that’s the purpose, in the beginning.

For affiliate earnings, top-fold packing containers have been tremendous useful for me. I feel I used to be the primary blogger to place these throughout the weblog again in 2019 and it was simply an concept deliberate out by my Get Your Information supervisor and me as we all know that round 80% of individuals don’t scroll previous the highest display on their mobiles (or desktops). 

I might say these packing containers have accounted for 70%+ of my affiliate earnings. I’m at present attempting to scale them again a bit in 2024 and eradicating ones that haven’t transformed as I had hoped. Beneath is an instance from an article about Reykjavik in winter.

The Significance of Web optimization

Web optimization is admittedly necessary, however I’ve form of stepped again from the on-page aspect of it this 12 months. 

I run a number of area of interest blogs and on these websites, I write about all the pieces pertaining to the locations, so losing time curating Web optimization-heavy articles simply isn’t the perfect use of my time. 

On the principle website (Megan & Aram), I exploit it a little bit bit extra as it’s a common journey website. However, I figured that Google is wise sufficient to comprehend what is nice and never good content material no matter overdoing it on key phrases and semantics. 

I believed that till the Useful Content Update in September 2023 – now I’m not so certain!

I discover off-page and technical Web optimization way more necessary than on-page at this level of my running a blog journey so I are likely to focus extra on that.

Key phrase Analysis

I exploit Semrush and can do analysis when crucial, however I’m at some extent the place I simply write no matter fills in a content material hole on the blogs. 

The one factor I actually use it for is that if I query how an viewers searches for one thing. I’ll analysis that and write down completely different variations of issues simply to make sure I’m utilizing the correct terminology and phrases. 

My viewers is closely American, however I’ve been out of the US for thus lengthy now that I generally neglect how we phrase issues.

I don’t have a tendency to take a look at the competitors, however once I see sure blogs within the prime outcomes, I generally shudder as I do know they’re laborious to beat (usually as a result of they’re excellent!). 

However, I often nonetheless write the publish as a result of I determine if I can get a small piece of the “pie,” I nonetheless can take pleasure in a little bit of success on the work put forth.

Hyperlink Constructing

I don’t hyperlink construct a lot. I’ll generally go into blogger teams and put a request for a number of contemporary swaps on content material, however then I often neglect about it by the following day and by no means get again to the publish. 

I do some collabs with different bloggers when becoming, however it’s far fewer today than earlier than as I don’t actually see the worth.

Her Content material Creation Course of

The primary website has about 800 dwell articles, Hawaii has about 100, and Virginia about 200. The Armenia website has round 200.

Relating to the content material creation course of… that is certainly one of my weaknesses. 

Once I’m creating an article from scratch by myself, it’s wonderful. However, we now have a workforce of writers and it goes by a course of that may be a bit mentally chaotic for me as I handle all of it. 

I’ve a VA creating briefs for the writers, then I assign the content material. As soon as completed, it goes to our editor and content material supervisor, who will get it in WordPress for me and able to go. 

I then go in and add private perception the place I can after which publish. This course of is much too complicated and fairly frankly, isn’t working all that nicely because it has left me with 300+ articles in draft as a result of I can’t get to all of them by myself. So, fixing that is one other 2024 purpose. 

I’m additionally horrible at discovering time to replace guides. My new purpose is to deal with that extra, as nicely.

As for EEAT, I’ve some writers who’re specialists on sure locations and Aram is an knowledgeable on others. 

For me, I get my EEAT from my travels in locations. I cite my errors and my wins in a really real method. 

Whereas I’m good at this on my essential website, I actually have failed at this on the Virginia website (and components of the Hawaii website). It’s one thing I’m fixing now. I want to offer higher perception and suggestions for folks.

Her Electronic mail Lists

That is in all probability my largest failure in running a blog. 

Whereas I began out as somebody who had loyal readers and a group, I don’t anymore. I form of backed away from that fashion of running a blog (regrettably). 

I accumulate emails a little bit right here and there on the blogs, however I’ve by no means accomplished something with that listing and I might really feel uncomfortable shocking readers from 2 years in the past with an e mail. 

I perceive e mail advertising and marketing and have even accomplished it for manufacturers, so that is fairly inexcusable. Maybe a 2024 purpose?

Her Favourite Assets

Earlier than beginning a travel blog (as a enterprise), I might study a bit concerning the buyer in the beginning. 

Then join some Facebook groups and be a sponge… however not an excessive amount of the place you emulate another person’s whole enterprise. Yours can be completely different, it doesn’t matter what you initially suppose. 

Additionally, take what many individuals say with a grain of salt. Lots of people in these Fb teams fabricate their numbers and experiences, sadly.

Then ask profitable folks what errors they made and the way they’d do issues in another way.

Her Go-To Instruments

Affilimate is nice for monitoring affiliate earnings and consumer actions, Semrush for Web optimization stuff, and I simply began utilizing RankIQ to replace outdated content material and it appears fairly nice to date. 

That’s all running a blog stuff… I suppose I don’t actually use a lot else outdoors of labor!

I exploit Asana to handle my workforce.

Her Largest Problem

Actually, that might be Google. 

I’m taking part in in another person’s sandbox and I really feel a bit insecure about that and don’t prefer it. I don’t love social media and am at an age the place I simply really feel a bit apathetic about Instagram and stuff and I refuse to dive into that to diversify my earnings (which I have to do to really feel a bit safer). 

I do like TikTok as a consumer, so possibly I’ll give {that a} shot.

I even have struggled as a result of I didn’t construct my workforce proper and scaled within the mistaken course. 

I’ve lots of people doing the “similar factor” and never the issues that basically should be accomplished or are useful for me. I’m restructuring in 2024, because of this. 

AI can also be leaving me a bit involved. Whereas I discover the solutions AI is giving laughable, it additionally leaves me squirmish. 

Luckily, journey is often not an “impulse” purchase, so I really feel there may be nonetheless a spot for journey running a blog. 

However once I see among the stuff on the market that was clearly created by AI, I genuinely really feel unhealthy for the traveler who’s utilizing their hard-earned cash and trip time and planning with info that may fail them in the long term.

Her Best Accomplishment

For me, it’s not working for one more particular person. I prefer to name my very own pictures. If I fail, it’s on me. If I succeed, it’s additionally on me. 

And I can have a good time my successes with a visit someplace with out worrying if I exceed the two weeks of trip I might have if I labored for another person.

What She Needs She Knew When She Began

Since I began way back, even earlier than Instagram was a factor, I don’t suppose I can say because the trade has modified a lot! 

However, I do want I had monetized earlier. I used to be so hesitant as I felt my passion can be misplaced when the weblog grew to become a job. 

That by no means really occurred… Actually, it made my journey extra purposeful and I now step into these museums and sights I wouldn’t have stepped foot in earlier than as I have to seize a photograph and expertise the place myself.

Her Essential Mistake

Not constructing an e mail listing is up there! I hope to rectify this in 2024 (not holding my breath although, as it is a purpose yearly for me). 

I additionally want I had been extra hands-on with my content material in the previous few years on the Virginia website. I’m updating it now and notice how horrendous loads of it was. Actually, I’m ashamed, as a Virginian. 

Whereas I feel Google acquired their HCU replace very, very mistaken, I feel my Virginia website being impacted was warranted and a very good kick in my butt to repair my content material technique for future posts.

Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs

Industries change. I’ve been by no less than 3 main shifts in journey running a blog and all thrice I’ve thought my world was going to finish and I’d lose all earnings. 

Adapt to these adjustments or you’ll be out of a job. 

And whereas folks could be mad at Google or different causes for the ever-changing trade, we now have to comprehend that this occurs in each single trade on this planet… not simply the online.

Competitors retains me on my toes and if folks click on on a weblog that isn’t mine, no less than they clicked a weblog and never a Reddit discussion board or Tripadvisor web page, which means running a blog nonetheless serves its function and I can stick round a little bit longer.