11 Sneaky Ways Travel Sites May Trick You
11 Sneaky Ways Travel Sites May Trick You

11 Sneaky Ways Travel Sites May Trick You

Some "true" experiences may not be as real as you think!

Have you ever asked yourself if a travel website is trustworthy? I want to share my seven years of experience with you collected as an owner and editor-in-chief working for two global travel portals, with over a million annual page visits.

We both in the morning on South Kaibab Trail
We are two passionate travellers - hiking into the Grand Canyon for the third time this June 2022

A lot of travel content is written first and foremost to satisfy SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) engines, like Google. This is because when Google likes a website page, it benefits from a high ranking on the first page, which means a high revenue, through ads and affiliate programs. A common practice for travel sites to try and trick search engines into believing their site is of interest is to buy backlinks.

Campsite next to the sea
These are mesmerizing memories I also want for you.

This is against my principles, and Google is not in favour of it either. I much rather earn my backlinks by creating unique content. When another site links back to us, I want it to be because they genuinely believe we have excellent content to share.

Because we do!

White Pocket Entrance Sign
The White Pocket may not generate a high amount of traffic, but it is an excellent alternative to The Wave. That's why I simply had to share it with you.

All our content is personally researched and experienced by yours truly. 

Milford Sound on a sunny day
It is not relevant for SEO to experience Milford Sound on a sunny day, but this is what everybody wants! So I tell you how you can make that happen.

Everything is experienced on site, from the mountains to the trenches.

Taiwanese hiker in Xitou and we
Hiking and having fun with a local 71-year-old retired Taiwanese in Xitou.

We don't sell dreams, tours or hotels from an office desk, just to generate revenue from ads. We've actually been there. And we write about it first-hand. So you can make the most of your trip.

We on the Moanalua Valley Trail
We in Oahu, Hawaii, hiking the most strenuous trail of all.

We use videos and photographs we took ourselves. We don't re-publish from Shutterstock, Unsplash, flickr etc.

If you wish to verify that a travel website delivers true and honest content, please look for these signs:

Cathedral Beach in winter during low tide.
Check the quality of the photos! Me on Cathedral Beach in Spain
  1. Check the quality and quantity of the pictures in the article.
  2. Do these pictures show people like the author or travel mates, signs, maps, hiking trails, parking lots? Usually not. In many cases, you only see pictures of the highlight you searched for. 
  3. Are pictures taken by the author/publisher, or are they just stock photos (e.g. Shutterstock, Flickr, Unsplash)? When such pictures are used, the author has to be mentioned. Probably they did not travel to these places.
  4. Do the pictures really fit the paragraph in the article, or do they look random?
  5. Check the About me/us page. Does it sound reasonable? Do they look like a real traveller? Do they recommend their gear? Do they share personal pictures and stories? How is the quality of these pictures?
  6. Does the author always want you to bookmark the link for future hotel bookings? 
  7. Does the site have too many annoying advertisements?
  8. Are nearby places described as well? If not, they probably never visited this place in person. 
  9. Do these travel websites include any recommendations for restaurants and shops? In my Madeira Guide for example, I provide much more information than is necessary for SEO. Because I write for the reader, first.
  10. Do they have their own youtube channel with videos about the destination and themselves? Check out my Youtube Channel, I have still lots of footage to publish -- coming soon!
  11. If you read a text thoroughly, you may find contradictions. Sometimes the description of a hiking trail is misleading or completely wrong. You may not figure this out until your trip. I am aware of several examples, but unfortunately, I can’t disclose them here. 

Community Pages like TripAdvisor or Alltrails are not the ones I am writing about!

I hope this will help you in the future to evaluate the Google search results to find honest travel recommendations for your next journey and not fake websites.

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