Know! Your! Audience!

Long gone are the days when online content was written for the benefit of Google alone. Packed with keywords and soullessly written simply to trick the bots into pushing the website up in search rankings, it didn’t make for enjoyable reading for real people. Thankfully, the online content of today is a whole different ball game. Original, engaging, juicy content that answers questions, enlightens or inspires online readers is the name of the game.

The key however, is delivering the right content to the right people. On these pages, you’ll find all kinds of advice on creating high quality travel content, from considering article length and structure, to using imagery to inspire your copy, to ensuring content works for mobile. Yet none of it matters if you don’t know who the content is for.

Knowing your audience is one of the foundation blocks of travel writing. It affects not just the subject matter, but the tone of voice, the language used, and even the style of the content. So read on to discover why you should be providing your content writing team with as much information about your target audience as you possibly can.

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Our Travels: Lanzarote

Amazing travel writing isn’t about researching far-flung corners of the globe from the comfort of your own home – it’s about getting out there and experiencing all that a destination has to offer. In rain or shine, the intrepid writers and editors at World Words are always on the lookout for new adventures on their doorstep and beyond. Whether it’s relaxing with a book on the shores of the tropical Gili Islands, seeing the ultra-bright lights of bustling Bangkok, or taking a once-in-a-lifetime safari to Samburu Reserve, we definitely know how to make the most of our days off.

Taking advantage of easing travel restrictions in Europe, our writer Anita recently jetted off to Lanzarote. It’s one of the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off Africa’s northwestern coast. She was in search of sunshine, pristine stretches of sand and unique volcanic landscapes – and that’s just what she got. Scroll down to read all about it…

The unique basalt landscape of Timanfaya National Park, as seen on TV shows like Doctor Who.

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The Best of Our Autumn Travel Content

We hate to begin with bad news, but there’s no avoiding it: summer is officially over. However, rather than dwelling on all the negatives (bye bye sunshine, sandals and copious amounts of ice cream), let’s all focus on the positives. Autumn is here, and that means loads of exciting things are on the horizon, from nature adventures to city breaks.

To celebrate, we’ve decided to share some of our favourite fall-themed travel content written by the World Words team, from inspiring magazine articles and engaging travel blogs to detailed destination guides. Why not prolong your summer with a sunny beach escape in Goa or with a wine-filled Napa Valley weekend? Alternatively, gear up for winter via the geysers and glaciers of both Canada and Iceland. You could also enjoy a seasonal city break in cafe-filled Vienna, or spend your autumn seeing all the sights of lesser-visited Lithuania. The options are endless.

Scroll down to read extracts from all of these autumnal travel pieces – and then click the links to read them in full.

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Writing Blogs Without the Salesy Tone

Writing online content is something that takes not only time, but careful consideration. You need to decide on the tone of voice, the message, the style, the images and ultimately the point of the content. Getting the right formula is not always simple, and it’s easy to end up with your blogs sounding similar to your ‘about us’ page – that is to say, decidedly salesy. And that’s just not what customers (and, crucially, your potential customers) want to read.

In this article we look at how to create engaging blog content that drives traffic and promotes your brand without bombarding readers with unwelcome sales speak. As we will see, subtle tweaks in your language are important, but ultimately it’s the content you produce that will play the biggest role. Scroll on down to read our expert tips…

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