When Kris Caluwaerts felt so burned out at work he couldn’t take it anymore, he discovered himself at a crossroads together with Sylvia Van Overvelt.
On a whim, they determined to take an opportunity and observe their ardour for journey. Beforehand, they solely actually traveled significantly yearly. However, at that second in 2017, they determined to dive headfirst into their journey and so they created their weblog Wapiti Journey.
Slightly than being a normal journey weblog, they deal with three essential locations: Japan, South Korea, and Portugal. Their weblog has allowed them to journey the world and earn passive earnings.
In reality, they’ve been incomes 6 figures a yr from show adverts alone.
Preserve studying to seek out out:
- What led them to create their web site
- What their unique concept was
- The place their earnings comes from
- Their essential advertising methods
- Their ideas on search engine optimisation
- Their method to key phrase analysis
- How they create content material
- How they develop their e mail listing
- Their go-to assets and instruments
- Their biggest problem
- Their essential accomplishment
- Their largest mistake
- Their plans to pivot
- Their recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Sylvia Van Overvelt and Kris Caluwaerts
Kris: Journey buddies since date primary—that is us!
We spent half that night geeking out over journey tales. Seems, exploring the world is our shared obsession. Sylvia even dreamt of being an explorer as a child!
Sylvia: Life took a detour although.
We each had regular jobs, and for years our adventures had been restricted to annual epic journeys and metropolis breaks.
However then, Kris hit the brakes with a burnout. It wasn’t supreme, nevertheless it grew to become the push Kris wanted to show his journey ardour into one thing actual.
We do not have youngsters, however we have got a furry little adventurer named Pepper!
Sadly, he cannot be a part of our globetrotting expeditions, however fortunately, he is bought superior cat-sitters on the prepared (aka our household) who spoil him rotten whereas we’re gone.
Why They Created Their Web site
Sylvia: Kris’s burnout was truly a bizarre sort of fortunate break. If that hadn’t occurred, we would nonetheless be within the rat race.
But it surely compelled Kris to do one thing together with his journey ardour, and hey, guess what? Seems we’re each loopy about exploring the world!
Fact be advised, a weblog wasn’t our unique grasp plan. We had been truly going to construct this complete fancy journey platform for planning epic journeys. The weblog was meant to be only one piece of it.
The thought was to create a web-based platform the place individuals may independently plan their journeys based mostly on waypoints.
Kris labored on it for a few yr after his burnout. Nonetheless, it by no means went dwell.
Step by step, we realized that this could be too large of a mission requiring vital funding and collaboration with many individuals, which was not one thing we needed to pursue.
As that plan grew a bit too bold, we pivoted and centered absolutely on the weblog as a substitute.
Again then, we had no clue you can truly generate income simply from running a blog. Who knew?!
We found that complete facet of issues as soon as we began digging into the running a blog world.
We began our weblog in October 2017. At first, we didn’t know what we had been doing. After our first journey to Japan in March 2018, we began to take it extra significantly.
How A lot They’re Incomes
Our running a blog journey began gradual and regular.
We initially wrote about no matter got here to thoughts, however after just a few months, we determined to get strategic and began researching search engine optimisation and key phrase analysis.
The primary yr was robust. We had barely any guests and it took months to earn our first fee of about 1 euro. We had been so excited, we did slightly dance!
We stored going, even when issues had been robust. It took a variety of perseverance, however finally, we began seeing some traction.
We had been incomes about €2500 monthly when Covid hit. It was a tricky time, however we stored creating content material and selling our weblog.
We believed that journey would finally bounce again, and we had been proper. Now, we’re each capable of make a full-time residing from our weblog.
Our essential supply of earnings is internet online affiliate marketing. We earn commissions from selling inns, automobile leases, and different travel-related merchandise.
We’re additionally members of Mediavine Professional, which implies we earned over $100,000 in promoting income final yr.
Here is a breakdown of our earnings:
We’re grateful for the chance to share our love of journey with the world. We’re excited to see what the long run holds for Wapiti Journey!
Our workload for the weblog can fluctuate loads.
Within the early years, we had been each engaged on it full-time. Now, there are some weeks the place we’re full-time on the weblog, however there are additionally weeks the place we take it a bit simpler.
We’re taking issues a bit slower proper now as a result of it isn’t totally clear how Google goes to evolve.
We do not need to pour a ton of time into the positioning if we’re undecided what the very best plan of action is in the meanwhile.
Their Prime Advertising and marketing Technique
The Fastlane course was a game-changer for us. It taught us loads about search engine optimisation, specializing in our strengths, and e mail advertising.
We discovered methods to optimize our weblog posts. We additionally discovered methods to determine the matters that had been bringing us essentially the most site visitors.
The course additionally lined methods to construct an e mail listing. We managed to develop ours to over 18,000 subscribers.
We’re so glad we took the Fastlane course. It is helped us take our weblog to the subsequent stage.
Their Ideas on search engine optimisation
search engine optimisation is our bread and butter. We have by no means paid for promoting, and we depend on search engine optimisation to drive site visitors to our weblog.
We solely write about locations we have been to and that we expect we are able to rank for. It is a large distinction from our early days once we would write about something and every thing.
This additionally signifies that we don’t cowl all of the locations that we journey to.
We’re undecided if search engine optimisation is lifeless or not. Google has been making some unusual modifications recently, and we had been hit by the HCU replace in September 2023.
We have been specializing in search engine optimisation for the previous few years, however we’re questioning if we should always diversify. Nonetheless, we’re not fairly certain how we’d try this.
Key phrase Analysis
As I discussed earlier than, we do not write about each vacation spot we have visited.
We additionally write in clusters, which implies we create a variety of content material across the similar matter. We deal with Japan, South Korea and Portugal.
These are locations we go to repeatedly.
Key phrase analysis is tremendous necessary for this, and it is one thing we spend a variety of time on. I attempt to deal with long-tail key phrases that the competitors hasn’t written about intimately but, and that complement current content material that is already doing effectively.
This takes a variety of work. Typically I spend half a day searching for the suitable key phrase.
I hold these key phrases in an inventory and search for associated key phrases.
Hyperlink Constructing
Hyperlink constructing will not be one thing we actually deal with. No less than not on exterior hyperlinks.
We will place inside hyperlinks in a lot of the content material we write, however we do not actively hunt down exterior hyperlinks.
Now that our weblog is a bit older, we’re seeing some exterior hyperlinks coming in routinely. Not loads, however just a few right here and there.
Their Content material Creation Course of
Earlier than we write an article, we examine to see if it suits with our current content material and if it is one thing we are able to rank for.
Provided that that is the case can we begin writing the article.
Due to the element we put into our articles, it generally takes 3 to 4 days to put in writing one.
So we actually need to make it possible for individuals will truly discover these articles earlier than we spend 4 days writing one thing that may simply acquire mud.
We at the moment have about 400 articles dwell on our web site.
Their E-mail Record
Guests can join emails concerning the vacation spot they’re studying about.
When individuals go to a few of our pages, they’ll obtain a journey guidelines in trade for his or her e mail deal with. As soon as they’ve stuffed this in, they’re added to our mailing listing, and we ship out an automatic e mail sequence. In these emails, we share helpful data and primarily direct them to our affiliate pages.
In fact, we do not have these emails for all locations, however we get good suggestions on those we do.
We at the moment have 18,000 individuals on this listing.
We even have quite a few Fb teams the place individuals can depart their particulars once they be a part of, in the event that they need to. We get fairly just a few e mail addresses from there too.
Now we have round 4 Fb teams centered on particular locations the place individuals can ask questions. In these teams, we additionally share helpful data. We additionally extract helpful concepts for brand new posts from the teams.
Their Favourite Assets
Kris: We might advocate the Fastlane course. We discovered loads from this course within the early years.
Sylvia personally follows the Revenue Faculty YouTube channel and we additionally discovered loads from blogger teams on Fb.
She follows the DNW group by Sharon Gourlay and the Mediavine group day by day.
Their Prime Instruments
Kris: WordPress is our running a blog platform of selection.
Positive, it has its flaws and is continually below fireplace from potential hackers, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an actual blessing to work with.
It gives so many potentialities, and because the introduction of the block editor, it is also change into a lot simpler to use a stupendous structure to your web site.
Asana is our go-to device for protecting observe of duties and priorities. We use it to divide up the work amongst ourselves and our VA.
In the mean time, our group is simply the two of us and a VA. Earlier than, we had about 5 freelance writers whom I discovered by Fiverr.
Sadly, Sylvia was very unwell final yr, which resulted in us nearly not working for 9 months and never writing any new posts.
Additionally, because of the present Google updates, it does not appear opportune for us to take a position a lot time in new articles. As a substitute, we’re focusing extra on advertising our current posts.
KeySearch is our weapon of selection for key phrase analysis. This helpful device helps us discover the suitable key phrases to focus on in our weblog posts in order that we are able to appeal to extra guests to our web site.
Their Greatest Problem
Beginning a weblog is a comparatively low-cost funding in comparison with many conventional companies. Positive, you may want a laptop computer and a few internet hosting, however that is about it.
The actual price comes within the type of effort and time. It takes years to construct a profitable weblog, and through that point you may seemingly be incomes little or no.
We had been lucky sufficient to produce other sources of earnings once we began our weblog. However when you do not, it may be robust to make ends meet within the early years.
It takes a variety of grit and willpower to keep it up, particularly while you’re not seeing any outcomes.
However when you’re keen about your matter and also you’re keen to place within the work, it may be extremely rewarding. We have been capable of journey the world and do what we love, all because of our weblog.
Sadly, we had been hit by the HCU replace in September 2023… as a result of nothing within the on-line world stays the identical for lengthy! Change is the secret.
As a result of we have realized the necessity to differentiate, we have additionally launched a brand new Japan web site referred to as Japan Right here We Come. Nonetheless, this web site continues to be in its infancy.
Their Best Accomplishment
We’re tremendous proud that we have been capable of develop this weblog from nothing right into a enterprise that helps each of us. And the very best half? We’re not slaves to it!
We often journey for about 3 months annually (in 6-week blocks).
Once we’re on the street, we barely do any work for the weblog, nevertheless it all the time stored on chugging alongside simply nice. We’ll see what the long run brings…
What They Want They Knew When They Began
Kris: We knew we had been taking a danger once we put all our eggs within the Google basket.
However we by no means anticipated {that a} single Google replace may have such a devastating affect on our search outcomes. We misplaced greater than 80% of our site visitors.
Up till the September HCU replace, we had been enhancing with each replace. If we had recognized this was coming, we’d have diversified our site visitors sources.
Lesson discovered. Do not put all of your eggs in a single basket!
We might additionally select a reputation that resonates extra with a weblog.
We selected this identify once we began with the opposite enterprise and stored it once we reworked right into a weblog however Sylvia doesn’t prefer it in any respect.
Their Essential Mistake
Little doubt about it, we put all our eggs within the search engine optimisation basket and uncared for different site visitors sources. In hindsight that has for certain been our largest mistake!
We often obtain inquiries about whether or not we are able to manage full excursions. We’re at the moment exploring this feature.
Previously, we aimed to make our earnings as passive as potential; nevertheless, given the present Google updates, we understand that relying solely on that’s not viable.
Establishing a journey company specializing in Japan and South Korea would be the subsequent step. Moreover, it could enable us to proceed studying, which we additionally discover extremely gratifying.
Their Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
Sylvia: Relating to running a blog, I discover it very troublesome to present recommendation proper now. search engine optimisation has been the identical for years, and when you discovered a great course and adopted the recommendation fastidiously, you can make your web site a hit.
However now the foundations have modified. The sport has utterly modified, and I do not assume anybody is aware of what to do proper now.
Possibly issues will probably be completely different in just a few months, however the uncertainty may additionally final for years.
So would I like to recommend beginning a weblog proper now? I do not know.
However one factor we each agree on is that we’re each very completely happy that we began doing one thing with our ardour after Kris’ burnout. That has modified our lives utterly.
Discovering work carefully aligned along with your passions is recommendation I might give to anybody with out hesitation.
