Are you planning to set up a blog? In case you are doing this for the first time, you may have plenty of questions. Well, we are glad that you are here.
In this article, we aim to introduce you to all the basic steps of starting a blog, along with ways to make money through it.
In order to get started, read on!
1. Pick a Topic
Before starting a blog, it is crucial to define is a niche or a topic that which your blog will revolve around. This will allow you to build products or services that are in line with your blog later on while providing you a clear laser-focus for your content.
2. Select a platform for your blog
When it comes to blogging platforms, there are plenty of options to choose from.
However, WordPress happens to be the most popular one for three prime reasons. These include:
- Great flexibility
- High range of functionalities
- A large community with shared ideas and tools
- If you’ve chosen to settle with WordPress, there are two options that you can choose from. These include a hosted blog or a self-hosted blog.
Hosted blogs are also simply referred to as WordPress.com blogs that are free. However, they can limit the potential of your income. Hence, it is beneficial to go for self-hosted blogs in case you are serious about developing some decent earnings later on.
3. Choose a Domain Name
An intelligently sought domain name can take you a long way. So try to think of a keyword-rich but highly relevant domain name that is in line with your niche. Essentially, a domain name should clearly be self-descriptive of your niche, topic, or industry.
Tips for better search engine optimization on your domain name:
- Choose .net or .com only
- Try to limit the domain characters, essentially to no more than 15
- Avoid the use of self-hosted subdomains for ranking posts
- Do not get a domain name that includes hyphens, as they look quite shady and are readily associated with spam
4. Find a suitable web hosting service
Assuming that you have settled for a self-hosted WordPress blog after considering all its earning potential, the next step is to choose a suitable web hosting service.
The options for web hosting services out there are aplenty. However,Bluehost stands out among all of these for a number of reasons:
- Highly suitable for beginners
- A very strong > 99.99% uptime
- Quick loading of pages
- Very cheap basic package (starting at $3.95 per month)
- High security
- Aplenty integrations, e-commerce features, and applications
- 30 days trial with money back guarantee
Since their basic package is cheap yet good enough for one to get started,Bluehost remains the top favorite of a big number of high-income bloggers.
5. Build an audience and start making money
Now that your blog is hosted and is basically ready to go out there, it is highly crucial to feature good quality content. This is the prime factor that will determine your long-term success.
So while you are ready to get started, let us take a look at the common ways of making money from a blog, so that you can develop a clear pathway.
The three common ways of making money from a blog include:
Advertisements
This is like a starting point for most beginner bloggers. Once you have a good amount of recurring traffic to your blog, you will find plenty of advertisers who are willing to pay you to advertise their products/services on your blog. Do note, that it may take a while to develop a loyal audience base.
Affiliate links
Affiliate promotions are the most common income type for bloggers. In simple words, affiliate income is generated by placing links to different services/products within an organic content. Ultimately, if someone uses your link to buy that product/service, you earn a commission.
Products and services
Once you believe that you have a loyal audience and recurring traffic, you can use your blog to sell various services such as consulting, writing, design, training, coaching, copyrighting, and virtually anything to your audience.
Alternatively, you may also sell physical products such as merchandise that include T-shirts, phone covers, mugs, and a lot more.