Five Steps to Start your Hiking Blog

Hiking is a popular hobby that people of all ages can enjoy. After all, getting out into nature on foot is a great way to unplug from bustling everyday life. Plus, it also makes it easier to connect with like-minded individuals. 

If you’re a hiking enthusiast, one of the best ways to share your love for hiking and inspire others to hike is by starting a hiking blog. After all, what greater pleasure than sharing your experiences with a like-minded audience? Even better, a hiking blog won’t just be an outlet to share your passion but can also help you earn money. 

With a hiking blog, you can share your adventures on the trail and earn an income through your audience. However, here’s the kicker; setting up a successful hiking blog requires much effort and consideration. So today, we show you how to run a successful hiking blog in five easy steps. Keep scrolling to learn more.

How can you make money from your hiking blog?

Hiking blogs don’t just have to be something you do for fun; with consistent efforts and the right strategy, you can turn your online blog into a side or even a full-time hustle. 

Once your blog has garnered a significant audience, you can use it as a platform to generate income. You can reach out to brands as an affiliate and direct your audience to purchase their products; in return, you’ll make a profit every time someone buys from your link. You can refer to this list of hiking companies to find ones that suit the blog you’ve created and start making money as an affiliate.

Steps to Start your Hiking Blog

1. Pick your niche

Your niche will be the defining factor of your blog and help you stand out against others. Choose a niche that speaks to you and your passion for hiking. The goal is to narrow the focus and choose something that makes you unique from the rest of the pack.

Avoid anything already covered a hundred times over, like hiking trails. You may think hiking trails are a good subject for your blog but trust us, there are other better topics, like long-distance hikes, how-to guides on gears or backpacking, and trekking. 

2. Backlinks make the world go round

Your blog links are one of the best ways to increase your blog’s traffic. You can link your blog to popular local trail sites and scenic parks to facilitate traffic to your site from these pages. 

Remember that if your blog article covers a trail that isn’t well-known among hikers, you can enhance your leads and boost traffic by linking local gear shops and engaging with local hiking communities.

3. Pick a blogger-friendly website

WordPress and Squarespace are probably the best platforms for any blogger out there. And which one you choose as your platform depends largely on your needs and preferences. Ideally, you should choose a platform with templates highlighting the writings and pictures you use.

WordPress is a free blogging platform. However, you are limited in what you can do. For example, you can’t use a domain name of your choice, and you don’t have much choice in choosing a design layout. Plus, it can be quite complex for beginners.

In contrast, although Squarespace costs 10$ a month, you have much more freedom in designing the website, and publishing your website is a breeze. 

4. Write engaging content

Content is the cornerstone of your blog; make sure you post content that resonates with your audience, piques their interest, is entertaining, and, most importantly, answers some questions about hiking. Write about your hikes in a way that allows your audience to live vicariously through you.

Apart from that, frequently updating your blog is key to success as it keeps your audience engaged in your blog. Don’t forget to add pictures from your hike to add more value to your content. Lastly, plagiarism is a huge red flag in the blogging community and will bring trouble. Your readers will keep coming back for more if you offer unique content.

5. Do some marketing

The end goal of most bloggers is to earn an income through their blogs. However, for that to happen, you need to build your audience. After all, a successful blog is impossible without a loyal audience. If your site gets no visitors, it doesn’t matter how much effort you put into your content and strategies; the chance of your blog making any money would be minuscule. Hence, marketing your blog should be among your top priorities.

Your blog will not reach its peak readership until you familiarize yourself with effective marketing strategies. However, that doesn’t mean tweeting about your blog 24/7. Linking to other blogs and engaging with other blogs is one way you can boost your exposure. It’s best to learn effective marketing to facilitate the long-term growth of your blog.

Bottom Line

There are many considerations involved in creating and running a successful hiking blog. However, it is rewarding as you can share your hiking stories with a large audience and generate significant revenue. We hope you found this blog helpful and you can succeed in following these five tips to start your hiking blog.

Brett Sartorial
 

Brett is a business journalist with a focus on corporate strategy and leadership. With over 15 years of experience covering the corporate world, Brett has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, analytical and insightful journalist. He has a deep understanding of the business strategies and leadership principles that drive the world's most successful companies, and is able to explain them in a clear and compelling way. Throughout his career, Brett has interviewed some of the most influential business leaders and has covered major business events such as the World Economic Forum and the Davos. He is also a regular contributor to leading business publications and has won several awards for his work.