Kimmie Conner has all the time been a blogger at coronary heart. She’s additionally all the time had a ardour for pictures and journey.
She began when she was 22, and she or he knew proper out of the gate that she wished to earn cash from her web site, Adventures & Sunsets. She documented her life in London and Australia as an expat as she honed her writing and pictures expertise.
Between studying the ins and outs of Web optimization, getting hit by Google updates, and weathering Covid, Kimmie’s journey has been a bumpy one, however her methods work, and right now, her weblog is incomes 5 figures a month.
Maintain studying to seek out out:
- How she began running a blog
- What she did throughout Covid
- The place her revenue comes from
- How a lot site visitors she’s getting
- Her prime advertising methods
- Her ideas on Web optimization
- Her key phrase analysis strategy
- How she creates content material
- How she manages her electronic mail record
- Her go-to sources and instruments
- Her greatest piece of recommendation for bloggers
- Her primary problem
- Her best accomplishment
- Her largest mistake
- Her suggestions for different entrepreneurs
Meet Kimmie Conner
I used to be born in southern California to a British flight attendant mom and an American pilot father, so I prefer to say journey and a world way of life had been in my blood from the beginning!
I grew up doing a number of sports activities, and really received into UCLA as a monitor & discipline athlete (heptathlete), which truthfully appears like a previous life at this level!
Sports activities took up quite a lot of my life and I all the time liked going to the seashores round my hometown.
Why She Created Her Web site
After I was about to graduate from school, I actually had no thought what I wished to do. I solely knew that I wished to journey and expertise different locations.
I positively wished to spend extra time within the UK (the place I’ve quite a lot of household), and in addition fell in love with backpacking after finding out overseas my junior yr and doing a brief solo journey to Europe throughout my senior yr of faculty.
I had all the time been into pictures, ever since I might choose up my mother and father’ digital camera and attempt to seize hummingbirds within the yard. I really began to develop my Instagram account far earlier than I began running a blog.
I had a Tumblr weblog web page the place I might use Photoshop to make attention-grabbing graphic artwork, too. I knew of some journey bloggers that I adopted on Instagram, and though it wasn’t tremendous common but, I knew I wished to try to do the identical, because it combined my passions and expertise collectively.
After deciding to maneuver to London upon commencement, beginning my very own weblog appeared like probably the most pure subsequent step. It took months to determine the very best platform to host it on and I checked out thousands and thousands of how-to guides.
I started writing some opinion items for retailers like Elite Every day and Thought Catalog about my determination to maneuver overseas. I began treating my weblog like a journal after transferring overseas, telling humorous tales about making associates in London and even sneaking into the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool (my first viral article).
I used to be creating tons of content material however had no thought the right way to monetize for the longest time. I labored tons of journey jobs alongside the way in which, from tour guiding to waitressing to gross sales. I passionately wrote about my travels, but it surely took me a number of years truthfully to get a full grasp of Web optimization to determine the right way to really earn a living.
By 2019, I lastly stop my job in Melbourne to weblog full time, however I received hit by an enormous Google replace, after which Covid a number of months later (which was clearly an enormous blow to journey bloggers)!
Not desirous to stop or pivot as that is actually my ardour, I labored my butt off via Covid to provide extra content material, hone down my area of interest, be taught increasingly, and strategize higher.
By 2022, I used to be lastly getting good site visitors, and this yr is the primary out of 8.5 years that I’ve been actually thriving simply from my weblog!
We (my boyfriend and I) now have two extra area of interest websites that we’re creating with tons extra concepts for the longer term.
How A lot She’s Making
I really simply hit my first 5-figure month in August this yr, which felt unimaginable after 8.5 years. It’s like, lastly!
I might in all probability have made lower than $1 an hour in the event you really measured out the hours I’ve put into my weblog, however to be at this level, it’s all worthwhile. And I can’t wait to go up from right here and preserve scaling, outsourcing, and rising.
At this level, most of my revenue comes from advertisements, associates, sponsored posts, and a little bit of social media model offers and vacation spot press journeys (however not practically as a lot as I would really like).
I’m blissful to interrupt down my superior August month under, however let’s not discuss Google’s September updates simply but!
$2557 – Advert Revenue
$3764 – Affiliate Revenue
$4283 – Sponsored Posts
$1500 – UGC/Model Offers
That was truthfully a crazily fortunate month by way of sponsored posts and concerned a number of bigger funds from a number of months of associates, however I couldn’t be extra stoked and hopeful that we will solely go up from right here!
I simply ticked over 100,000 pageviews in January this yr (which additionally felt superb) and I really reached as much as 150,000 pageviews and 127k classes in August.
Kimmie’s Prime Advertising Technique
I might say mastering Web optimization and rising the output of high quality content material is my primary technique.
I spent approach too a few years crafting immaculate journey guides from my expertise that received no site visitors as a result of: 1- the Web optimization was not adequate, and a couple of – they had been approach too lengthy, due to this fact they didn’t actually reply anybody’s consumer intent.
I’m one of many few bloggers I do know who struggles to write down shorter posts! My content material was complete and nice high quality, however nobody was trying to find it.
Since 2022, I’ve been publishing a minimum of two 2-3000 phrase posts per week following a number of choose themes I’ve selected for my web site, together with the assistance of a author I lastly employed (outsourcing sooner can also be one thing I want I had finished). This helped me scale sooner and higher than ever earlier than.
I taught my author my Web optimization analysis methodology (which pulls upon sure platforms for analysis in addition to different prime 10 outcomes) and hope to carry extra writers onboard quickly too for my primary and area of interest websites.
Oh, and one thing that helped me scale quite a bit too was lastly understanding that I would wish to publish content material about locations I had not really been to maintain up the article quantity I wanted to scale.
Sharing research-based content material (fairly than private expertise) is a no-no for a lot of journey bloggers, however I need to earn a living and reside off of this factor!
And as soon as I began doing this, I can’t even stress how shortly my revenue went up. I feel it’s a tough hurdle to recover from, realizing {that a} journey weblog isn’t a private diary however, fairly, a useful assortment of suggestions in your area of interest.
I’m additionally one of many solely bloggers I do know that has a big give attention to festivals. I’ve been to music festivals on 6 continents and have developed my very own kind of article I name a “review-guide” that opinions my expertise at a pageant in addition to serves as a information for others who go sooner or later.
I break down 17 classes of the pageant from the style, genres, crowd, safety, cash, timings, and extra to function probably the most informational useful resource on that occasion on the web. My pageant review-guides normally do very well on Google.
I’m additionally an element proprietor of a brand new Croatian crusing firm offering inexpensive luxurious for younger (and younger at coronary heart) vacationers, referred to as Fjaka Sail.
I used to be a tour information in Croatia for 3 summers and joined an previous coworker on his undertaking with my boyfriend after his companion dropped out. We’re going into our second season this yr and I’m the advertising/content material lead of the enterprise.
Her Ideas on Web optimization
Web optimization is of absolutely the utmost significance!
I basically narrowed down to some article themes that I repeat time and again for various locations, primarily based on search quantity.
My technique is mainly utilizing Google’s different prime outcomes for my key phrase (so long as they align) to see which headings are talked about most, and creating an overview from that (it’s extra difficult than that, however that’s the gist).
I make certain to incorporate often-mentioned headings in addition to different distinctive ones that align with consumer intent and to incorporate loads of comparable key phrase variations that even have quantity, relying on the principle key phrase.
My ardour nonetheless lies in writing about my very own experiences, which I nonetheless do as typically as I can! However the laborious fact is {that a} journey blogger can not merely expertise (or afford) as many locations and issues as the quantity of content material required of them.
It took me 4 years of writing about my very own experiences to make a few cents! However my favourite factor is occurring press journeys and writing Web optimization-researched articles concerning the vacation spot, together with pictures and social media.
Key phrase Analysis
I keep on with my matters and preserve writing comparable articles with completely different locations. I exploit KeySearch for my primary analysis and I all the time cross-check key phrase quantity/issue with Semrush to verify it’s a minimum of comparable and price writing.
I ought to in all probability pay for Semrush by now, however I normally don’t want greater than their day by day free search quota or I steal my boyfriend’s Semrush/Ahrefs subscription as he has been an Web optimization skilled for a few yr now!
Hyperlink Constructing
I’d say it’s fairly very important to have loads of good hyperlinks, however good content material that matches consumer intent is a very powerful. For me, a small variety of tremendous excessive authority hyperlinks helped me greater than big quantities of decrease authority hyperlinks.
I exploit HARO and Sourcebottle as a lot as I can, contribute to blogger collaboration posts, and do some hyperlink swaps (ideally 3-way).
The humorous factor is, my greatest hyperlinks and largest weblog increase really got here from a brilliant viral TikTok video that I had that information media retailers picked up. You’ll discover some in the event you Google “KFC pyramids,” it was such a random video that blew up.
I reached out to every journalist writing about my video and requested them to credit score my weblog. My DA went up 6 factors inside a number of months! Getting press mentions/consideration in different methods typically proves probably the most useful.
Her Content material Creation Course of
Regardless of if I’m writing an article from expertise or analysis, I all the time create an overview utilizing my very own Web optimization information and in addition what Google considers to be the highest outcomes for the key phrase already, as a result of if I already know what Google desires/expects, I can merely make my content material comparable however higher.
I additionally get quite a lot of sponsored posts, however all the time put tons of labor into them to make them useful, related, and keyworded in my area of interest. I attempt to publish a minimum of two articles every week and I don’t thoughts precisely what they’re so long as they’re useful.
Her E mail Record
I’ve an electronic mail record however I’ve been recognized to neglect it a bit. I’ve a number of opt-ins to do with sure content material matters I’ve quite a lot of (similar to Melbourne, Australia) and Mediavine’s highlight Subscribe.
I’ve but to actually make the very best use of my lists, to be trustworthy. I do newsletters each month or each few months with my current content material/what I’ve been as much as, journey offers of the second (which I normally get from emails from my associates), featured merchandise, and featured vacation spot/weblog posts.
How A lot Time She Spends on Her Weblog
I’m going full-time, however once I’m touring a lot, it’s laborious!
I’ve all the time been recognized to prioritize a little bit of an journey in a brand new place over work (which may all the time result in content material!), which is why it’s essential even for journey bloggers to calm down typically!
Even when my schedule and routine are in every single place (like they at the moment are on my USA highway journey), I nonetheless keep on with engaged on weblog and electronic mail stuff on Tuesdays and Thursdays (updating previous posts, publishing new ones, answering emails, pitching, and so on.), Instagram planning and photograph enhancing on Mondays, TikTok and video creation/enhancing on Wednesdays, and tying up free ends on Fridays.
Her Favourite Sources
Personally, I utilized quite a lot of different bloggers’ guides to start out a journey weblog that had been free on the Web, and have since created my very own information to beginning a journey weblog.
I additionally received quite a bit out of Make Visitors Occur’s Web optimization books and even a personalised audit that helped me flip my course again in 2021.
There are quite a lot of running a blog Fb teams that present an excellent sense of group and assist for each new and established bloggers. I like the “This Week in Running a blog” electronic mail publication that I just lately subscribed to.
However the greatest factor I might say right here is to attend running a blog conferences as these are actually the absolute best solution to launch your self into motivation and success. Not solely are there tons of informational classes on precisely the right way to do issues, however you get to hang around with and chat with different established bloggers and creators, all studying one thing from one another.
I all the time really feel so at dwelling at running a blog conferences, lastly being surrounded by “my folks” when many at dwelling don’t even perceive what running a blog is. My first TBEX in 2017 actually lit a hearth underneath my butt to get higher, and I did. I like to recommend TBEX, Traverse, and WITS, from expertise.
Her Go-To Instruments
My favourite instruments are:
Trello: I’ve completely different Trello boards for planning upcoming weblog posts, maintaining all my vacation spot/model pitching organized, affiliate packages to maintain monitor of, and sponsored posts.
My cameras: I used to be crew Nikon for years till I lastly might afford a Sony a7riii. Oh my goodness, this machine is unimaginable. I’ll by no means go away Sony and I completely adore this digital camera. I’ve the 28-75 lens which is nice for something, and just lately received a 70-300. I additionally love my DJI Mavic Professional drone.
Adobe Lightroom: I’ve my very own presets and have gotten very proficient at Lightroom over time, even via some occasion pictures jobs. I exploit it to edit all my pictures and have an identical vibe to my weblog posts and Instagram.
SEOTesting: I pay about $30/month for a subscription to a service referred to as SEOTesting, which I really love. You may run timed checks if you replace posts, examine URLs, get month-to-month updates on content material teams, and extra…
However my favourite factor about it’s that you simply get day by day emails about your site visitors/click on numbers and the way it in comparison with the week earlier than, weekly emails on profitable and shedding posts and different updates, and in addition an electronic mail each time Google Search Console has found a brand new URL in your web site, which is nice to verify new posts are getting crawled.
I even have an entire record of my favourite merchandise in my “What’s in my Bag” article on my web site.
Her Greatest Problem
Actually, I might say probably the most difficult factor is by no means actually figuring out if I used to be doing the appropriate factor, or being confused why issues weren’t rating or working or getting site visitors (as a result of within the running a blog world, one thing could possibly be going unsuitable or not working for 1,000,000 completely different causes, as everyone knows).
Some careers have a cut-and-dry path to success, however on this discipline, you by no means know.
Google could possibly be having a foul day, you possibly can have a literal coding difficulty in your web site, your host could possibly be messing one thing up, or one thing could possibly be caching unsuitable because of a plugin…. And it’s laborious to ever pinpoint a problem’s origin.
I feel if I employed a coach or an professional to inform me issues I used to be doing unsuitable approach earlier, I might have been doing significantly better extra shortly. Hiring a developer was among the best issues I might have finished to unlock my very own time and confusion!
Her Best Accomplishment
I might merely say that having the ability to say that I reside comfortably full-time off my weblog is my most essential accomplishment.
After a ridiculous quantity of ups and downs, an enormous blow with Covid, Google updates, and having all my household and associates at dwelling confused as to what precisely I used to be making an attempt to do and if I might ever cease… It’s superior to have the ability to present the world that it may be finished.
I additionally like to encourage others to observe their passions, too, since you actually could make a life out of what you’re keen on… In my case, it was adventures & sunsets!
What She Needs She Knew When She Began
Oh my gosh, so many issues!
I want I had centered laborious on Web optimization and the right way to monetize proper off the bat; running a blog isn’t journalism!
I want I had recognized to rent a coach or ask for assist beginning out or studying the appropriate solution to go about issues from the beginning (which, to be honest, is far simpler in 2023 than in 2015).
I want I had taken the time to study key phrases, backlinks, hyperlink rel tags, inner linking, niching down, and so many different issues earlier than I blindly began writing about my life on the web.
However I actually wouldn’t change my journey for something.
Her Fundamental Mistake
As I discussed earlier, my largest mistake was making an attempt to do the whole lot myself.
Rent coaches, make associates in your discipline, go to conferences, community, and outsource as quickly as you probably can if you wish to fast-track your success.
I did none of these items and my weblog was lifeless within the water for a lengthy time!
Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
Maintain going!
It’s an absolute load of labor, however if you lastly create passive revenue streams for your self and get the hold of it, there couldn’t be a greater feeling ever, particularly in the event you left behind a restrictive job and now have all the liberty on the earth.
There are infinite methods to earn a living running a blog, and there’s a lot room for all of us right here.
