State of the Savage: February/March 2019

This week marks a big change. I have returned to the corporate world after more than eight years of self-employment. Just to allay any fears that this announcement might instantly generate, Traveling Savage isn’t going anywhere (except for more trips to Scotland). I will continue to write here each week and offer my expertise to those seeking help planning trips to Scotland.

There are many reasons for this life change — all of them good — and I’m excited to begin this new chapter in my life. Let me break it down for you.

When I started Traveling Savage, Sarah and I did our best to guesstimate how long it would take to determine success or failure. We settled on two years. At the time neither of us really knew how the site would generate income, but there were a lot of possibilities, enough to take the leap. Around 2009-2010, the blogosphere was exploding and many bloggers were monetizing through advertising, affiliate programs, and sponsored content. As time passed I watched many blogs become little more than internet billboards, stamped with ads and full of other peoples’ “content,” and Google steadily punished site’s for selling links.

From day one I refused to post sponsored content or sell my platform to the highest bidder. Instead, I worked through social media to build up an audience, though admittedly it was a bit of a blogger echo chamber in the early years. For Traveling Savage to be useful it needed a lot of deep, first-hand information about Scotland, so I traveled a lot (for me) and continually, doggedly, published my experiences. I’d get countless emails each week asking to post random crap about razorblades or neck pillows or food delivery services which instantly became digital trash.

My two years came and went, but now I was in the midst of writing a novel, too. We both believed in these ventures and honestly there wasn’t even a second thought about shutting it all down.

By 2014 I’d traveled in Scotland to the point where I felt comfortable advising others on their trips, so I developed a series of consultation services to help others get the most out of their trips to Scotland. Demand for these ramped up between 2014-2017 to the point where I was covering Traveling Savage’s expenses and making a small yearly profit. Not enough to pay the bills, mind you, but it was legitimate and it felt good.

Something changed in the latter half of 2017, and by “something” I mean Google algorithms. By this point Traveling Savage was running on a 7+ year-old website and looking and feeling pretty dated, so perhaps this contributed to the sudden cold shoulder I received from Google. I’ve always been at the mercy of Google — ~95% of my consulting business came from random Googlers finding my site and requesting a consultation. This stopped almost cold turkey in September 2017, and over the next few months I witnessed Traveling Savage dropping down Google search results — from page 1 to page 2 to page 3 to page 5… Most people don’t click beyond the first page of results.

Last year was a big year for Traveling Savage and for me personally. Seeking to end Google’s moratorium on my traffic, and, frankly, because it was long overdue, I relaunched Traveling Savage with a new, updated design and additional functionality. I also re-upped my SEO game (though I hate playing it), but here I am still waiting for Google to cut me some slack.

Personally, I came to some realizations that clarified the path ahead. One of those realizations is that Traveling Savage is a labor of love. I love Scotland, I love exploring the country, I love writing about it here, and I love helping others find that same love in their travels. I will continue to do these things. But I was asking too much of it and by extension, Sarah. When this hit home I realized I could broaden my professional approach without much sacrifice.

So I have returned to the corporate world. I’m really going to enjoy working with others once again, and taking the financial burden off Traveling Savage will do wonders for my mental health. On my vacations you can bet I will be returning to Scotland for more exploring and writing. It’s premature for me to plan trips for this year, but they aren’t out of the question toward the back half of 2019.

If any of you are wondering about my novel, it’s currently in the hands of my editor and I’ll keep working on it as edits come back to me!

Thanks for reading, wish me luck, and until next time,

Sláinte!