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If you are like I was, you may have been dreaming of starting your own blog but don’t know how.
Not only is it a creative outlet, but even better, it is a great way to make extra income! And, at the end of the day you have something you created yourself.
Your own design, your own thoughts, and hopefully your own income stream.
But you may be wondering how to set up a blog or if it is expensive to start a blog in 2024. The best thing about blogging is it is easy and cheap to do! You can start your new blog today in as little as 15 minutes and for as little as $50.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out this easy beginner’s step-by-step guide to starting a blog.
Table of Contents
How to start a blog today in 7 easy steps
It should only take around 15 minutes (or less) to start your WordPress blog with these easy steps.
- Choose a platform for your blog
- Pick a blog name and register the url
- Purchase web hosting
- Install WordPress
- Design your blog’s look
- Create important blog pages
- Start writing
Make sure you also learn about amateur blogger mistakes you should avoid once you’ve started a blog.
And, before you start your new blog, make sure you check out this list of the most profitable blog niches.
Why should you start blogging?
There are a lot of reasons to start your blog today. First of all it is an excellent hobby and creative outlet!
Maybe you are an expert in something like personal finance, or fitness and you have knowledge you can share. Blogging about what you know can be very meaningful and helpful for other people.
But most importantly you can actually make a lot of money blogging. There are many bloggers out there who went from part-time to professionals and quit their day job.
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful blogging, and there are some key steps and tactics you should follow. But if you are looking for a money making side hustle, this could be it!
Related reading:
1. Decide on a platform for your blog
Where should I set up my blog? The first step to starting your own blog is deciding on where you want it to be.
You need a platform, or host for your blog. This basically means where your blog will live and what system you use for set-up.
There are a lot of free blogging platforms out there like Blogger and Blogspot or wordpress.com but I don’t suggest using one of these. This is actually a very common mistake made by beginning bloggers!
First of all, you won’t technically own your blog. They will. And, you can’t have a nice, clean url or custom domain for your blog. It will be your blog name plus the name of their company, like www.myblog.blogger.com for example.
The best platform for your blog is wordpress.org. And the easiest way to set this up is to buy your own url and web hosting through a company like Blue Host.
They use the WordPress.org platform automatically (not to be confused with WordPress.com which is not suggested for blog set-up).
It is the most affordable way to do this, at only $3.95 a month, plus if you use my link, you can get your name registration (step. 2 of how to start a blog) for free.
Easy Click Start
Get a free domain name!
Click below to start your blog the easy way by signing up with Blue Host and get your blog domain for free. Blue Host will take you step-by-step through the set-up.
And, when you sign up with Blue Host, they will set you up with the correct WordPress automatically, making this the easiest way to start a blog.
Choosing this blog platform will give you more control over your WordPress blog and more design options for the look of it. Plus, you can add helpful plug-ins for anything you may want to add to your blog, like ads to help you earn money blogging or pop-up email opt-ins.
So if you want to start your blog the right way, choose your own url and web-hosting provider instead of one of the other free platforms.
If you have a little more money to spend, these are some other Wordress.org based web hosting platforms where you can start a blog. They offer fast speeds and excellent customer service:
Click here to get started now!
2. Pick a blog name and register your domain
Pick your blog name and purchase it before no-one else can! And, get the url (web address) purchased for it.
This step might take a little time and thought before you buy. But choosing a name is one of the most important steps in how to start a self-hosted WordPress blog.
There aren’t really any rules when it comes to your blog name and url, although something easy to spell and remember is always a good idea.
If you are really stuck, try using a name generator like this one for help in choosing your blog name. Satori Studio also has a blog name generator which narrows the results to those that have available .com urls.
Once you have your name chosen, the next step is to register your blog domain. I recommend using Blue Host or this so you can easily achieve steps 1 and 2 all at once.
If you purchase your url (blog name and address), from one company and the hosting from another, you will have to get the blog domain transferred which is a pain.
In the pic below, you can see the question they will ask you as part of the BlueHost account set up process. You can input the domain name in the box on the left and they will buy it for you.
Already know what name you want? Use the blog domain checker below to see if it is available!
Plus, Blue Host will offer you your domain for FREE for a whole year if you sign up for a year of web hosting. This leads us to step 3!
If you want to get a logo created for your blog, you can find an inexpensive graphic designer on Fiverr.
3. Purchase web hosting for your blog
In order for your WordPress blog to exist, you need someone to host it on the web!
Don’t worry, I don’t really know what web hosting means either, just that it is part of the mysterious way the internet works and one of the required steps in how to start a blog.
As mentioned in Step 1, it is easiest to register your blog domain and sign up for hosting all in one with a company like Blue Host. And they have super affordable plans starting at $3.95 a month.
Blogging is a great side hustle because you can start one with little-to-no initial investment. You don’t have to go to a bank and get a business loan, or be stressed at the money you are investing.
So basically, there is no reason not to try! Take the first step to your own blogging business with a url and web hosting. Head over to the Blue Host website and click “Get started.”
In the next step of the set-up process, you will need to choose with plan you want and set up your BlueHost account. The choice plus plan is recommended as you will get the domain privacy feature included.
Here are Blue Host web hosting monthly plans you can choose from:
After you have chosen the plan you want, the website will ask you if you own your domain or need them to get it for you and you will input that information. You can also click to get your domain later if you haven’t quite decided on a blog name yet.
Then you will have to create your account by filling in all your contact and profile information. You will click again which monthly plan you want, then put in your billing information and check out. Easy peasy!
If you have a little more budget and want to choose a blog host that provides even more service and website speed I suggest WP Engine.
They cost more per month but include a lot more perks and benefits for your blog. They provide something called “managed WordPress hosting.”
You will get better speed, load times and performance from your site. Plus, much better customer support and help. Click this link and use the coupon code WPE3FREE for 3 months free!
Another excellent web host we recommend is Kinsta. They offer high speeds and tailored customer service and help.
If you are interested in learning about other blog hosting platforms, here are some more options of blogging platforms.
Managed WordPress Hosting
WP Engine: Fast speed & free premium themes. WPE3FREE for 3 months free!
4. Install WordPress
In order to start building your blog and adding posts you need to install WordPress. In boring terms, it is the content management system that supports your blog.
Basically, it is the building blocks for your blog and let’s you do all kinds of fun things like designing how your blog looks, creating ads to generate income and actually posting a blog article!
The nice thing about the Blue Host, WP Engine, Kinsta and WPX web hosting platforms is that once you purchase the web hosting, it will automatically include WordPress installation as part of the process.
Once you have entered your domain name, chosen a blog hosting plan and created a password, you will be asked to click a button to automatically install WordPress.
It’s that simple!
5. Customize your blog’s look
This is the fun part. The part where you get to design the look of your blog. And, it is so easy!
You don’t have to know HTML code or how to program anything (except your coffee maker of course).
Now that you have bought the blog name and url, set up hosting and installed WordPress, you will have access to your WP admin dashboard. Below is an image of that admin dashboard showing the “Appearance” section, where your themes will show:
You just have to pick a something called a theme to install on your wordpress site. This WordPress theme will determine what your blog looks like.
There are thousands of them out there, including many free WordPress themes. You can choose a blog theme that is free or if you don’t mind spending a little, can purchase one.
The nice thing about the purchased ones is they usually come with a year of support so you can ask questions and get help when you run into issues. I have used that perk MANY times!! For this reason, I recommend you choose a paid WordPress theme when you start your own blog.
Once you have picked a theme, you upload it to your admin panel (or it does this automatically when you search for them) and then click the “activate” button to make it live.
You may want to change aspects of it which you can do in the “Customize” section of appearance. The Widgets section will let you change what is on your home page.
All themes work slightly differently, but whatever theme you choose it will come with support documentation you can use to understand it.
Bonus tip: If you need a logo for your website, try Fiverr for affordable graphic designers.
Elegant themes has some beautiful blog theme design options and their newest theme Divi features a drag and drop builder, making it even easier to design as you go. Plus, for one price, you can get access to all their themes and plugins!
Another great option for themes is StudioPress. Their themes are built on the Genesis Framework which is better for the performance and speed of your website.
Statistics indicate that websites loading within 1 second experience a higher conversion rate, with an increase of up to 40%.
Plus, if you sign up for managed WordPress hosting of your blog with WP Engine (faster than shared and features improved support), you will get access to all the StudioPress themes for free.
And don’t forget what we mentioned about using this link and the coupon code WPE3FREE to get hosting for your blog for 3 months free!
6. Create must-have blog pages
When you first start a blog, there are some key blog pages you need to create. It is very easy to create a blog page in your dashboard.
You just go to “Pages” in your WordPress dashboard, “Add new” and fill in the copy and images you want for each page.
Here are some key blog pages you need to set up:
Contact Us Page
You definitely need a Contact Us blog page when you design your blog site.
Your blog readers and website visitors need a way to contact you. Plus, eventually when you start getting more traffic, potential sponsors and advertisers may reach out this way as well.
You can easily create a contact form on your page by installing a plugin.
WP Forms and Ninja Forms are two plugins that work well. While they offer premium versions that you have to pay for, you only need the free version when you are a blogging beginner.
About Us Page
To create your own blog, you must have an “About” page to describe it!
This is the place where you explain who you are and what our blog is about. It is a chance to connect with your audience and express your mission statement. Google also wants to know what you are about so you need the page.
Privacy Policy
I know, privacy policy doesn’t sound super exciting. But you are legally required to have this on your blog, so don’t skip it!
You can easily park this page in your blog footer though, so it isn’t taking up valuable visual real estate in the header of your blog.
The privacy policy is simply a legal document or statement that tells how a company, website or blog like yours collects, handles and processes data of its visitors and customers.
Thankfully, you don’t have to hire an expensive lawyer to create one. You can use a privacy policy generator like this one.
7. Start writing
You can officially write your first blog post now! It is that easy. You can try some of these blog post ideas for beginners to get a good start.
To write your first blog post, just click on “Posts” and “Add new” from in your WordPress blog dashboard as in the picture below.
You can click on “Add New” on the left navigation menu, or click the button on the right. You can also see your whole list of blog posts from here. It will show you blog posts that are in draft, published, or in your trash section.
Make sure you have downloaded the Yoast plugin which helps with SEO on your blog posts. The free version of the Yoast SEO plugin is fine to start with!
And, before you write a blog post, make sure you understand keyword research. You should start using a keyword research tool like Keysearch from the very beginning as a new blogger.
A great website for information to help with all things blogging and wordpress is WPBeginner.
Once you’ve written your first post, drop it in the comments section below so we can read it!
Want to get a jumpstart on faster promotion of your blog? Register for a Tailwind account with this link and get one month free!
How to start a blog for free
There are several sites that will allow you to set up your blog for free. Wix, WordPress.com, Medium and Blogger.com.
However, as we mentioned earlier, it is not recommended that you start a blog for free! If you want to know how to create a blog, the first step is to not do it for free.
There are many drawbacks such as not owning your url, not being able to choose a clean url and not having the same blog customization abilities.
But, the good news is, you can start a blog the right way for almost free! Setting up your blog on Blue Host can be done for just $3.95 a month.
So, while that isn’t free, it is a super affordable way to start a blog and earn money from it.
Important other first steps when starting a blog
Once you have signed up for web hosting and created your blog, there are several first steps you need to take.
We have these listed after writing your first blog post, but really you should do these at the same time or as one of your first important steps.
Craft a good blog description
One important first step in starting a blog is writing your blog description. You should do this really before you write any blog posts.
The blog description, also called a meta description, is what shows on Google search results under your blog name and url and describes what it is about. Here is an example:
Check out this guide on writing a blog description for more information.
Within your WordPress blog dashboard, you can easily plug in your blog description to the Yoast plugin.
Set up Google Analytics
As a blogger, you must have a Google Analytics account set up. It will allow you to see how much traffic your blog is getting every day and where that traffic is coming from.
It is very easy to set up your account. You will need to go to the main Google Analytics page to create your account.
Once you have gone through all the steps and answered the questions needed to set up the account, Google will want you to add a google tag to your new WordPress blog that allows tracking.
The easiest way to do this is to use the plugin we mentioned above called “Insert Headers and Footers.”
Here is an in-depth guide on setting up Google Analytics if you need it!
Set up Google Search Console
Another tracking account you need is GSC, or Google Search Console. This is what let’s you see how your blog is doing in organic search.
You get to see what blog posts are ranking in Google and for what keywords. It is super important! Ranking high with search engines is how you get traffic. And improving your search engine optimization will help.
Go to the GSC page to create an account. You will need to sign into your main Google account (or create one if you don’t already have one.) You will create a domain property and input your blog url.
Just like with GA, you will need to add a tag to your site and verify ownership. Here is an article with more information on how to use GSC.
Of course there. are other search engines as well, Bing and Yahoo. You can use their webmaster tools to keep track of search engine results as well. The more search engine traffic you can get, the better.
Add an opt in form
Another important first step in blogging is to make sure you have a way to capture email addresses of any visitors.
This will allow you to communicate with them in the future, send the new posts or offers to encourage repeat traffic.
You can add an easy sign up form like one from NinjaForms or Monter Opt-in to your site that allows people to opt-in to your newsletter. Offering a freebie in exchange for their email address, like a free budget planner, or pdf is an excellent way to get their response.
You can sign up with an email marketing provider like Constant Contact or ConvertKit and regularly send emails to your readers. They can also give you a plugin for adding the opt-in form to your site.
Here are some tips on how to Grow Your Email List with These 8 Tactics.
How to install plugins on your blog
A plugin is a super cool tool that is packaged software for your blog that you can upload and essentially “plugin” to your blog.
They are very easy to upload and use and can add many features to your blog. You can install plugins for security, to add email opt-in forms, affiliate links and more.
If there is something you want to make your blog do, google it and there is probably a plugin!
One of the first plugins you should install is Yoast which helps guide you in improving the SEO of any blog post you write.
To install a plugin, there are two methods that work:
- You can go the website of the plugin and download the file from them and then upload the file into your WordPress dashboard. You go to Plugins, click “Add new” and “Upload plugin.”
Then you just click on “Activate” to activate the WordPress plugin. You may then need to go into the settings of the plugin and adjust certain features or set it up.
2. The second way you can install a plugin is to search for it inside your WordPress dashboard in the plugins section.
As you see below, it will show you several plugins that are available. Just put the name of the one you want into the “Search plugins” field and it will pull it up. Then you just click to install it, and then click to activate it! Super easy.
Essential WordPress plugins you need as a beginning blogger:
- WP Rocket (for speed and performance)
- An optin form plugin like Ninja Forms to get visitors email addresses (I suggest getting one from an actual email provider like Constant Contact so everything is together, but you can also just connect any optin form plugin to your email provider)
- Updraft Plus for backing up your site
- Akismet Anti-spam (this will keep you from getting flooded with spam comments on your blog posts)
- Yoast for SEO
- Insert Headers and Footers (you will use this to add script you need for site verification, for instance to set up Google Analytics)
Blogging tools for beginners
Once you have created your blog, there are some key tools you need for success and just to make working on your blog easier.
There are actually a lot of important tools out there, but these are some of the most important first tools to take advantage of.
This is actually a course you can take. While the cost of this is a little pricier, I can honestly say it is well worth it. If you only make one big financial investment in your blog, this should be it.
And, you should purchase it now, before you start blogging. It will teach you the tactics you need to start your blog the right way in order to make money blogging. Online courses like this one can mean the difference in your success.
Keyword research tools are super important. You will need these to make sure you are writing around keywords you can rank for.
There are a lot of tools out there, Ahrefs is one of the most well-known, but they are a little pricey for beginners.
You can use Keysearch for only $11 a month and it provides what you need as a blogging beginner!
Canva is an easy tool you can use to help yourself create graphic images. It is super simple and user-friendly.
You don’t have to be a graphic designer to use it to make high quality, professional graphics like social media images, Pinterest pins, infographics and lots more!
ConvertKit or Constant Contact:
From the moment you start a blog, you need a way to capture email addresses of your visitors. Having a list of names helps you grow and maintain blog traffic.
And, an email list increases the money you can make with your blog! So from the start, sign up with a program like ConvertKit that will make it easy to get email addresses from your blog visitors and send out regular emails.
Another easy-to-use email software is Constant Contact. You can start a free trial with them using this link.
Top Tips for beginning bloggers
I have made many mistakes along the way with my blog! And there are a lot of of opportunities I missed out on.
You can increase your chance of success and income with a blog by following these tips and tricks.
Here are some tips for success when starting a blog:
Educate yourself BEFORE you start:
Invest some time and a little money into your blogging education. If you want to find success, learn how to do that. Study what other successful bloggers have done to get to where they are. And copy them!
There is nothing wrong with emulating others. Research what successful bloggers are saying they did to blow up their blog and then just do the same things.
Invest in this course: Stupid Simple SEO. It will help you set things up for real income and real growth!
Let keyword research guide you:
Don’t write a single blog post without keyword research to back it up. To get traffic and make money, you need to rank high in Google and other search engines for your articles.
The only way to do this when you are starting out, is to identify easier keywords to go after. Keywords and phrases have a difficulty score, you want to go after lower difficulty scores in the beginning.
And, ideally high volume. As the domain authority of your blog increases, then you can target more difficult keywords. Keysearch is the most affordable keyword tool out there right now.
As you an see in the image below, the difficulty score of each keyword phrase is listed on the far right.
In this particular example, as a new blogger you wouldn’t be able to rank for “dog training.” However, “german shephard training” has a lower score and you might have a chance for!
Choose a profitable niche:
Be careful when you choose your blogging niche. Research and find out what niches make money and ideally, have lower competition.
Focus your niche on something narrow to help make success an easier path. If you choose a niche that has high competition like food, it might just take more work and a longer path to get where you want to go.
But it is still possible!
Work on getting backlinks:
As you learn about blogging, you will find out that getting other sites to link to yours is extremely valuable.
It will help you rank higher in search results and get more traffic. From the beginning, working to get backlinks is important. You can use HARO as an excellent source for this.
Publish consistent, quality content:
Another tip to guide you is to make sure the content you are publishing is high quality. It should be in-depth and helpful for your readers.
And, of course no grammatical errors or mistakes! You should also publish on a consistent schedule.
Google likes consistency, so if establish a day (or 2 or 3) each week when you will always publish a new post.
How to make money Blogging
Becoming a blogger is just part of the journey. You want to know how to become a blogger and create income with it!
Blogs take a lot of work and even some investment. So, you absolutely want to generate money off your blog.
And, the good news is you can!
Leveraging some of the tools and courses I already mentioned will help you start down a successful blogging path. Learn everything you can in order to make the most of your own blog.
In order to make money blogging, you need to be getting traffic to your blog. Therefore, SEO and social media can be really important for blog growth. And, you need to approach your blog like a business, a money-making business.
Don’t start a blog just to talk about your personal life. It won’t make money. You need to do keyword research and write posts that will rank in Google!
And, you must have your blog monetized in order to make money from it.
Here are some ways to monetize your blog:
Try any or all of these tactics to make money with your blog after you’ve started it.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a key way to make money from your blog.
All it means is you are an affiliate for a product or service. You promote a product and if someone clicks through your affiliate link to buy that product, you get a commission.
There are tons of companies out there with affiliate programs, you can even be an amazon affiliate.
You should include affiliate links in as many blog posts as you can so that you can give yourself more chances to make money blogging.
To learn more about how to make money with affiliate marketing, you should take the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course.
Digital Products
You can also sell your own products to make money with your blog. Digital products can be anything from Pinterest graphic templates to daily planners or bullet journals.
Advertising
You can also make money off of your blog by letting 3rd party companies places ads on it. Every time the ads get seen or clicked on, you will make money.
However, you really should wait on placing ads until you are getting some decent traffic to your blog. Ads can slow down your site, and as a beginning blogger you need your blog to be fast to help your SEO and traffic.
Mediavine is one of the most popular ad networks for bloggers who make money.
However, they have a minimum traffic requirement of 50,000 sessions per month so it may take you some time to get there.
Courses
You can also create and sell online courses on your blog in order to make money. You can make your own course on everything from yoga, to photography or even blogging for beginners.
Whatever your area of expertise is, create a course and sell it.
Teachable is an excellent site where you can set up your courses.
Sponsorships
Another way you can make money blogging is with something called a sponsorship.
A sponsored blog post just means that you get paid by a company to write a post about their product.
It could be a product review or a story about how you used a product. There are a few things you can do to get them.
What Kind of Blogs Make Money?
Well blogs that get traffic make money for starters! So make sure you are doing all the things you can to help increase traffic.
But, there are some blog niches that can be very profitable:
- Food
- Personal Finance
- Travel
- Fashion
- Health & Fitness
- Education
- Parenting
How to Write Your First Blog Post
We’ve already mentioned the logistics of publishing your first post. You just go to “Posts” and then click “Add new.” Pretty simple!
But how do you know what to write in your first blog post? Or what your blog post title should be?
There are some things you can think about to help yourself come up with something. And lots of blog post ideas you can use!
Here are some writing prompts and blog post ideas:
- Create a listicle (10 tips to…)
- Make a how-to guide like How to Sell Crafts Online
- Write about something that is a personal story
- Interview someone who is an expert about something
- Do a roundup where you take for instance 7 Blogging Tips from Experts and turn that into an article
- Tell your readers how to solve a problem
- Write a product review (this is a good one to do for any products you are an affiliate for as you can make money from the links)
Whatever you write about should fit with your blog niche, but you can use any of the prompts above to come up with something.
Bonus tip! Make sure your blog post title includes the keyword in it that you are trying to rank for.
You will also want that keyword in your blog post url (slug.) You will see that towards the bottom of the post in your WordPress dashboard. Writing your blog posts for keywords will help your rank high in the search engines.
Here are some more guides to writing blog posts:
Tips for Crafting Killer Blog Content
Your content needs to be high quality! Here are some tips for creating excellent blog content.
Add images and videos
You need images to keep people engaged and have your overall post look good. You can download free stock images at sites like Pexels, Unsplash and Pixabay.
Videos are also a great addition. You can easily embed YouTube videos into your content. But, creating original videos is even better and will help boost you in search results.
Be helpful and in-depth
Make sure your content is helpful for you readers. You want to fully cover a subject, and answer any questions they might have.
You want to provide them with all the information they want or need within your post. So they won’t go looking elsewhere at other blogs!
Use keywords in your post
As we’ve already mentioned several times, keywords will help your blog perform better in Google. So make sure you are using them within your post.
The Yoast SEO plugin and tools like Surfer SEO can help you do this correctly.
Write a click-worth title
Your blog post title needs to grab attention! And make people want to click. So make sure to create catchy, attention grabbing titles.
This can also help your posts get shared more on social media.
How to CHoose a Topic for Your Blog
Before you start your blog, you have to choose a blog niche or topic. You need to have some focus to your blog content.
A blog niche is the topic or topics you want to focus on and that all your blog content should be about. There are some more general catch-all blogs, usually in the topic of “lifestyle.” A lifestyle blog can include multiple topics like home decor and beauty.
However, it can be more challenging to rank in google with a lifestyle blog as this is very competitive and a narrow focus can be easier.
So when it comes to choosing your blog topic, here are some important questions to ask when you brainstorm blog topics:
- Is it something you enjoy and won’t get burnt out writing about?
- How competitive is the niche?
- Is there potential to earn money from it? What type of affiliate programs are there for this niche?
Making money blogging is probably why you are doing it. So it is important to pick a niche that is going to present the opportunity for profit!
Figure out if a niche is too competitive and too hard to rank in. Narrowing your focus to a more singular subject can help make ranking with search engines even easier.
Examples of money-making blogs
So what are some successful blogs that make money right now? It is always good to look at what people are doing who are making money.
In many cases, they will actually offer tips and stories on how they found success that you can use yourself.
Here are some blogs that make money:
- Chasing Foxes (lifestyle)
- Half Baked Harvest (food)
- Smart Passive Income (side hustles and passive income)
- Making Sense of Cents (personal finance)
Frequently Asked QUestions
The technical definition of a blog in the dictionary is “a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.”
A blog is just a website with tons of articles, blog posts and information on it. There are many types of blogs. Finance, beauty, lifestyle, home decor, fitness. The list of blog niches goes on and on!
A blog niche is your area of focus including the topics you will blog about and your target audience.
An example of a blog niche would be health and fitness for people over 50. Before starting a blog, you need to decide on your niche.
Ideally it should be something you are interested in, and would enjoy writing about but also something you can make money from.
Blogging isn’t for everyone. Maybe you aren’t even sure if you should start your own blogging journey or not.
If you want to make money as a blogger, please know that it will take a lot of work! There is writing, promotion, website building and more.
But, if you enjoy being an entrepreneur and want to start making money from an online business then it may be right for you. If you like a challenge and enjoy writing blogging is something you should start.
You need to have a passion for it and enjoy doing it since it will require a lot of time and work to be successful.
Blogging is a lot of work, but there are many benefits to it. And, you may just be a person who would love this type of business.
Here are some reasons to start blogging:
Work from home on your own schedule
Possibility of making a lot of money
Creative outlet
The chance to be an entrepreneur
It is true that there are a gazillion blogs out there. Actually there are over 600 million blogs in the internet space.
So you might be wondering if there is even a point in starting your own blog now. If you plan on putting a lot of work and some investment into it then there is a point.
You can absolutely still make money from a blog, you just need to approach it like a business and be strategic.
Start your blog the right way, by figuring out a low competition niche that will make money. Take the Stupid Simple SEO course before you start blogging so you can make sure you will be able to rank in Google.
If you start your blog for the purpose of making money and approach it like a business and you have a lot of time to devote to it, then there it definitely is not too late to start one.
While there are a ton of blogs out there already, most of them are not created the right way or for the right reasons and they die out quickly.
If you’ve been reading about how to be a blogger I’m sure you’ve heard of WordPress. WordPress is a content management system, and one of the most widely-used in the world.
A CMS like WordPress is just where you will build and design your blog and write all your blog content and posts. You will create your website pages, forms and more on WordPress.
Most blogs and sites are set up on the WordPress platform. But again, we are talking about WordPress.org, the true and original WordPress CMS that you can use to self host a blog.
WordPress.com is a platform as well, but one you should not use for starting a blog if you are serious about blogging and making money. You will need a self-hosted WordPress blog.
YES! You should start a self-hosted blog on the WordPress.org content management system platform. The easy way to do this is to purchase web hosting and set up your WordPress blog with a company like Blue Host or WP Engine.
Do not however start your blog on a wordpress.com platform that is free like Blogger or Blogspot.
You may have heard the term “blogging platform.” It is commonly used in the blogging world and it is basically a place that lets you publish your blog and your content online.
You need a WordPress blogging platform to create and run your blog on. We’ve mentioned WordPress which is one of the most well-known and used blogging platforms today.
Blogging platforms today are also a website builder if that helps it to make more sense! And you can start blogging by signing up with a web hosting company that includes WordPress as your blogging platform.
There are several ways that bloggers make money:
Affiliate marketing: earning a commission when someone clicks through your affiliate link and then makes a purchase.
Sponsored posts: When a company or business pays you to publish a post about them.
Advertising: When you have ads placed on your blog. Media Vine, Ezoic, Monumetric and AdThrive are some advertising companies you can sign up with.
Product sales: You can sell your own products from your blog or social media. Digital downloads are a great money-maker for many bloggers.
While you can start your blog for free, as we have already mentioned it is not recommended since you won’t have a clean, custom url or the ability to customize your site. But, the good news is it doesn’t cost much at all to start a blog.
The main startup cost is the blog hosting plan, which you can opt for the $3.95 a month plan from BlueHost which is super affordable. You will need to purchase your domain for around $15, unless you sign up with Blue Host who will include the domain registration for free.
If you decide to use a premium theme for your blog (which we suggest doing for the support), then you will need another $60-$80 roughly. So you can start a blog for as little as $50!
The best place to start your blog is with a web hosting platform like Blue Host or WP Engine that will install WordPress as part of the setup of your blog. By signing up with these companies, starting a blog is super easy and affordable!
Your blog will be self-hosted and owned by you, rather than integrated on a site like blogger.com which is where you should not start your website!
If you don’t already have an idea on what you want your blog to be about, figuring it out can be confusing!
There are so many options and possible blog topics out there. You need to find the intersection of something you love or are very knowledgeable about and something you can make money from.
Choosing a narrow niche can help make success easier. So let’s say maybe you love all things personal finance. You could choose to start a blog that is about personal finance for colleg students, or for people over 50.
Or you could choose to just blog about one aspect of finance like getting rid of debt. Just ask yourself what you want to write about, or can write about and then see if there is potential for creating a profitable blog around that.
Naming your blog can be challenging! There are actually blog name generators out there that you can use to help yourself.
But here are a few tips for naming your blog:
Keep it short and sweet
Make it something easy to remember
Use a name that makes sense for your topic
Choose a name that is easy to spell
Since the name of your blog will likely be the url, you need to keep that in mind!
The average amount that bloggers earn is around $45,000 a year. But of course you can make a lot more than that.
And, how much you earn blogging will depend on a lot of factors. Even the niche you are in can affect how much you make. The average travel blogger earns $63,000 while fashion bloggers earn an average of $37,0000.
To start a successful blog approach it as a money-making business and not a personal venture. Don’t choose to blog about your life, or even just something you like. A personal blog may not be a successful blog.
Choose a profitable blog niche that isn’t the most competitive. Learn about SEO by taking courses first.
Invest in your education, study what other successful bloggers have done and do the same thing! By following other’s tactics, you can start out the right way and find your own success.
Actually, many blogs fail! But there are some common reasons. for this which you can avoid. Many people start blogging just to talk about their personal life or story.
Creating a personal blog is a big reason many new bloggers fail. Many, many people have started blogs that were about their personal life. If you aren’t writing around keywords, you won’t get any traffic.
And, let’s face it, your personal life may not be as interesting to the rest of the world as it is to you! If you are going to blog online, make it something people online want to see!
The problem with this is if you are writing blog posts that are not built around keyword research you are never going to rank in Google and you are never going to get any traffic to your blog.
No traffic = a failed blog.
Keyword research is the single most important thing you can do to prevent your blog from failing. You must write blog posts around high volume, low competition keywords that you actually have a chance of ranking for.
This is why investing in a course like Stupid Simple SEO is crucial for succeeding as a blogger.
Choose blog topics that you have a chance for ranking for.
Which leads us to another reason that so many blogs fail. Not investing money or time into it. You need to invest a little money and time into educating yourself on how to succeed as a blogger.
You need to learn how other successful bloggers made it and then do what they did!
It is very simple, but it will take some time and money invested into your education. And you need to do that first! Before you start a blog!
It is also helpful to invest a little money into your blog to help it succeed. If you can spend some money to promote it or hire a Pinterest virtual assistant for instance to help manage social media, it can be helpful in growing more quickly.
WordPress is the best platform to use for starting a blog but you need to use WordPress.org, the self-hosted version not the free version on wordpress.com.
To start a blog on WordPress you just need to sign up with web hosting companies like Blue Host or WP Engine that will install WordPress for you automatically.
You really just need to sign up with a company like Blue Host or WP Engine and create your blog with their platform!
Then you need to start publishing blog posts and articles. It is really that simple!
Not usually. As a beginner blogger there is a lot to learn. And, it takes a lot of time for SEO tactics and blog promotion to start working.
You need traffic to your blog to earn money, and building it up to get traffic takes a lot of time and work. So, in general beginner bloggers do not make a lot of money.
If you are able to quickly get a social media following however, you may be able to earn more quickly through that with your affiliate links. Anything is possible!
It is a common question that beginning bloggers ask. How frequently should I create a new blog post? It really depends on you, your schedule, workload etc.
While content velocity (publishing a lot of content) can help a blog rank more quickly, if that content is not quality content or not written around keywords you can rank for, it won’t help.
If concentrating on high quality, keyword-relevant posts means you can only post once per week then that may be right for you.
It is good to be consistent however with when you publish a new blog post. If you can, publish on the same day or days. And at least try to post once per week. A content schedule can help you.
Blogging can be an extremely profitable business due to the low overhead. Many blogs see an 80% profit margin, which is super high!
However, getting to the point where you are earning an income from it can take a lot of time and work. And you will need to approach it strategically, like a business.
Final Thoughts on Blogging
While it takes some work and time to create a successful blog, it can be done and it is very lucrative. If you are looking for a creative side hustle, this might be the perfect fit for you.
Best of all, it is super easy to start your own blogging side hustle in 2024! Just follow the 7 easy steps of how to start your own blog and you are on your way!
Time needed: 10 minutes
How to Start A Blog in 7 Easy Steps
- Decide on a blog platform
Choose where you want your blog to be hosted.
- Register your blog domain
Choose a name for your blog and register it.
- Install WordPress
Click to install WordPress for your blog.
- Purchase web hosting
Choose a web host for your blog like Blue Host. You can actually do steps 1-6 quickly on their site.
- Customize your blog’s look
Choose a theme and design for your blog.
- Set up blog pages
Create important blog pages like About us.
- Start writing
Write and publish your first blog post!
More Helpful Blogging Tips:
7 Best Free Social Media Schedulers
My Favorite Blogging Tools
Tailwind for Pinterest to help boost your blog traffic
ConvertKit for email automation and landing page conversions
Keysearch for keyword research
Elegant Themes for design themes
Canva for graphic design
Stupid Simple SEO course for SEO tactics to help you rank high with search engines
Long Tail Pro keyword research tool
Fiverr for freelance designers
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Thanks! You can click through the links in the article above to Blue Host to set up your site hosting!
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Thank you Luisa! I think it is a great journey to go on, hope you continue with it!
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This is a really useful guide for beginner bloggers Cara. I fully endorse WordPress and always find it difficult to understand why anyone would choose any other platform.
Hi, I just came across this blog post and was wondering if you could tell me how much does it cost total from start to finish to make a blog? Can I download the things needed onto my smartphone and do most of my blogging from there? I’m really interested in starting my blog to earn some extra income. Thank you so much!
Hi Sara!
It really depends on how much you want to invest. You can keep your costs really low by doing most of the work yourself, and using free plugins instead of purchasing. You can actually keep the cost as low as the web hosting fees on Bluehost with the links above which is less than $100 for the year. I think it is easier to work from a computer rather than a smartphone though! At least in the beginning.
Thanks!
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It is currently on SiteGround!https://www.siteground.com/index.htm?afcode=f8e5c3ba6369b3165e3b02243daa2c4d
I finally jumped and started my blog. I only have an intro post but I’m excited where it’s going.
http://Www.chaosanyone.com
Any feedback is appreciated
Starting is the number one important thing to do! It looks great, I can’t believe you have 6 kids!! I’m sure that keeps you busy.