{"id":25599,"date":"2024-12-24T11:13:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T08:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/?p=25599"},"modified":"2025-07-18T10:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T07:56:09","slug":"wander-somewhere-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wander-somewhere-story\/","title":{"rendered":"From nowhere to everywhere: how Wander Somewhere got huge in one year\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My name is Lesley, and I\u2019m a content publisher and freelance travel writer from Edinburgh. I started my blog, Wander Somewhere<\/a>, around five years ago, using my love for travel and storytelling to help fellow travelers plan their trips and inspire them to visit destinations they might not have thought about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started as a hobby blog quickly took off, and my traffic skyrocketed to an average of 130,000 page views per month. I was able to transition from my corporate job to blogging full time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this didn\u2019t happen overnight. It took me about five years to get my blog up and running in earnest, but that time wasn\u2019t wasted. I learned about affiliate marketing, SEO, backlinking, and much more \u2013 often the hard or wrong way! This knowledge allowed me to grow my blog into a full-fledged business in just one year. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The Wander Somewhere<\/a> blog homepage <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Taking my traffic from zero to 100<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At first, and for a long time, SEO wasn\u2019t a priority, which meant my blog grew very slowly. For nearly five years, I averaged around 15,000 monthly page views. But towards the end of 2023, I realized that if I wanted to grow Wander Somewhere to the point where I could make a comfortable income, I\u2019d have to make some big changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This started with a mindset change: I had to look at the blog as a business. Technical SEO was a big component that needed work, and I spent a lot of time ensuring my site was fast and user-friendly, including for mobile users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a hectic period, and maintaining momentum was a challenge. But following my gear shift in 2023, my blog grew from 15,000 to just over 130,000 monthly page views. I also got accepted into Raptive, launched successful digital products, and was featured in Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveller! This just goes to show that hard work and patience pay off. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Screenshot from Squarespace analytics, which shows my highest ever monthly traffic which was August 2024. It also shows the year on year increase in traffic.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Where my traffic comes from<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a breakdown of my blogging traffic, including my main sources and areas where I need to expand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the beast that is Google since it\u2019s on everyone\u2019s mind nowadays. My approach to Google is simple: I\u2019ve decided to stop worrying about it. I know that might sound unhelpful, but I simply can\u2019t control Google, and worrying about the algorithm isn\u2019t good for my mental health. Around the time of the March HCU, I was obsessively checking analytics, even in the middle of the night, and that\u2019s not a good place to be. It also doesn\u2019t accomplish anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I can control is creating consistent, high-quality content and optimizing my site as much as possible. I now schedule one day per month to check the previous month’s analytics, make a note of any actions to take, and then focus on other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinterest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My second-biggest traffic source is Pinterest, which accounts for around 25% of total traffic. Pinterest is a great source of traffic and something I want to focus on going into next year. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Wander Somewhere Pinterest<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Instagram<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While I haven\u2019t been able to dedicate too much time to Instagram, I still think it\u2019s a great platform for connecting with brands and building a community of travelers. Now that the blog is ticking along, Instagram will be high on my priority list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I write and manage my blog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I focus on original content but dedicate one day a week to updating older posts, optimizing affiliate conversions by adding affiliate links. Before writing or updating, I use KeySearch to find keywords that (a) I think I can rank for, and (b) my audience will find valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are sometimes as simple as \u201cthings to do,\u201d \u201crestaurants,\u201d \u201coutdoor experiences,\u201d and \u201cboutique hotels\u201d at a certain destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 The destination is usually determined by my travels, so I\u2019m always writing about somewhere I\u2019ve been and experienced firsthand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I currently run my blog on my own \u2013 it\u2019s my baby, after all, and I find it hard to delegate anything! But I\u2019m also at a point where I know it would be sensible to get help (from a virtual assistant, editor, and\/or freelance writer). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that it\u2019s a solo enterprise, time management can be a challenge, and I know that burnout, or what Travelpayouts calls blogxiety<\/a>, is a real possibility. So building a small team is something I want to do soon \u2013 otherwise, I won\u2019t be able to grow, whether by developing more digital products or creating more great content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I keep everything organized<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are some things I\u2019ve found helpful to keep my blogging life running smoothly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n