In this article, I will teach you how to start a blog and make money in 6 easy steps.
For 5+ years, I’ve been blogging and making money online – this is the best way to start blogging (and soon make money from your blog). With this step-by-step guide to start a blog, you will take between 10 to 20 minutes to get your blog set up.
But here’s why I wrote this article. When you do a simple Google search about starting a blog, you’ll find out that more and more people are becoming interested in blogging. You will find lots of questions like;
The list goes on and on.
Tons of how to start a blog advice on the internet today is outdated.
Much of the advice you see online come from people who started blogging over 20 years ago. The blogging landscape has changed in the 2020s!
So, in this article, I teach you step-by step how you can start blogging (and making money). Let’s get started.
How To Start A Blog (And Make Money Blogging) in The 2020s: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
This step-by-step guide to starting a blog and making money in the 2020s is written with the beginner in mind. If you follow the steps religiously, you will have your blog setup and running in no time.
Here Are The 6 Steps To Start Blogging:
But before we get into the steps proper, let me take a few minutes to answer some questions a lot of newbie bloggers frequently ask;
Now that we have that out of the way…
Follow These 6 Steps To Start A Blog And Make Money Blogging Today:
Ready to take the plunge? Here are the steps to start a blog today;
1. Choose Your Niche And Pick A Name For Your Blog
First things first. You need to select your blog niche and pick a (domain) name for your blog.
Your blog name is what readers will see when they come across your blog on search results. It’ll look like this:
A good blog name should generally be your name (like www.yourname.com) or about the topic you want to blog about (your niche) – example: www.lordofsoccer.com. It could also be your business name or a clever combination of words related to your niche.
Your blog niche is the broad topic area that your content will be focused on. For instance, your niche could be about football, pets, cooking, interior design, technology, art, etc. Having a niche-specific word incorporated into your blog name – like techbyharvey.com – will give a clear signal what your blog is about from the start.
You can also watch this quick video (less than 3 minutes), to know more about registering a domain name with Bluehost;
2. Get Web Hosting For Your Blog
The next step in starting your blog, is to actually get your blog online. That is what web hosting is for, and the technology you need to get your blog online is provided by web hosting companies.
When you get web hosting, and you choose a blogging platform – also called Content Management System (CMS) – then you are ready to start blogging.
When you get Bluehost web hosting, they automatically install the best blogging platform – WordPress – for you.
WordPress blogging platform has been around since 2003, and currently powers over half (about 60%) of all the websites on the internet. Bluehost is one of the best blog hosting companies on earth. The powerful combination of this two, is what you will build your blog on. So, let’s get started already.
==>> Click here to visit Bluehost and click the blue button that says “Get Started”
Choose Your Blog Hosting Plan
This will be your first step – selecting your hosting plan of choice.
I will personally recommend that you choose the Choice Plus plan. This plan comes with free Domain Privacy, which keeps your personal information (full name, phone number, email address, home address) protected online. You will also get one full year of free daily backups, in case your blog ever breaks because of installing plugins – you can easily restore it to a previously backed-up version.
The image below is what your screen will show at this point. Click the blue ‘Select’ button (shown by the red arrow) to choose the Choice Plus plan.
As I pointed out earlier, I’m recommending the Choice Plus plan because it offers Domain Privacy. But you can choose any of the plans that appeal to you. You can add Domain Privacy option later during check out.
Pick The Domain Name For Your Blog
The next page is where you’ll choose your blog’s domain name. It’ll look like the image below;
When you get to this page, simply put in the domain name you will like your blog to use – where it says “Create a new domain.” My blog’s domain name is dienyediri.com. But if you have already purchased a domain name from another provider, use the box that says “Use a domain you own.”
Remember when I said not to sweat it if you have not been able to come up with a domain name you like? There’s an option at the bottom of the page that says “I’ll create my domain later.” If you still don’t have a name you like to use at this stage, just click that option and move on to the next.
After either creating a new domain, using a domain name you own or opting to select it later, you’ll be taken to the final step in the sign up process – creating your account.
Create A Bluehost Account
This step is where you’ll input your personal details like your name, address, phone number, country, email. It is important that you use a valid email address – one you have access to and check regularly. This is where you’ll receive all the important communications regarding your account.
Select The Right Bluehost Plan
Here’s a quick video guide to selecting the best hosting plan for you;
In this section, you’ll get to choose the plan that’s right for you; based on your budget and how far in advance you want to pay for your hosting.
With Bluehost, you can pay for up to 5 years in advance. They do not offer monthly payment options. In fact, you get a better deal when you pay annually. With most companies where you pay monthly, you might end up overpaying at the end of the year. Another plus for paying yearly, is that you don’t get to bother about website hosting payment for another 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years.
Choose The Right Hosting Package ‘Extras’
While most of the extras that come with this hosting package are not things you can’t do without, the Domain Privacy extra is important. If you chose the Choice Plus plan from the beginning of this guide, you already have it ‘free of charge’ – as shown in the picture above. But if you chose the Basic plan, you’ll need to check the Domain Privacy box at this point.
You can skip the rest of the extras. Most of the functions of those extras are things you can get with some free and premium WordPress plugins. I will point out some free and paid plugins you need to add extra functionality to your blog as we move along in this guide.
If you have chosen your extras, the total sum you will pay will be displayed. That’s all you will be paying today. In fact, that’s all you will be paying for the next 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years depending on the length of time you choose.
Remember, Bluehost has a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you have enough time to play around with your blog or ask for a refund.
Input Your Billing Info
This is the last step in getting your blog on the internet. Input your card details here. Clicking on the ‘Submit’ button, shows agreement with Bluehost’s terms of service.
If you have clicked the ‘Submit’ button, congratulations 🙂!!!
You’ve officially completed the first major step in starting a blog.
With the initial signup process complete, it’s time to move into the next stage of getting your blog fully setup and optimized.
From here on, I will guide you to install WordPress on your blog through Bluehost. I’ll also give you lots of helpful tips to optimize your WordPress blog. In addition, I’ll point out some plugins (both free and paid) that you can install to help get your blog looking great.
==>> Click here to head over to Bluehost and register your domain if you haven’t already.
If you’re yet to purchase web hosting, and would love to check out other alternatives to Bluehost, here are other options worth considering;
2 Best Bluehost Alternatives For Starting A Blog Worth Considering
- Hostinger – What sets Hostinger apart as a good Bluehost alternative for starting a blog is their beginner-friendly pricing and unbeatable customer support. Also their managed WordPress plans means that the technical details of running your WordPress site is left to Hostinger, while you focus on creating content. With fantastic site speed and uptime, Hostinger is a great web host to consider when starting a new blog. And they’re cheap.
- Dreamhost – You will get an impressive 97-day money-back guarantee with Dreamhost. 1-click WordPress install, free SSL certificate, and good site security with their WordPress firewall. Dreamhost’s Shared Starter plan starts at $1.99/month and is great if you’re on a budget.
If you’re still undecided about web hosting, here’s a round-up of the best web hosting plans for blogging this year. But if you have sorted out web hosting already, great! 🙂
From here on, everything I teach you in this guide will be based on the assumption that you have already purchased your domain name and gotten a good web hosting plan. If you haven’t, now might be a good time to get that sorted before you proceed with this guide.
3. Choose Your Blog Theme And Design
Buying a domain name and purchasing hosting for your blog for the first time can be fun. But selecting a theme and designing your website to look the way you want it to — is even more fun.
If you’ve never worked on (or had a blog) before, you might get stuck at this point in the process. I promise I’ll make this part as simple as I can, so that we can both move along nicely.
So let’s choose a theme for your blog;
Choose the Best Free WordPress Theme for Your New Blog (Top 3 Choices)
Most people starting a blog, do so on a budget. There are very important aspects of blogging that you can’t get for free, but your theme is not one of them.
So many free WordPress themes abound. I usually advise you to start with a free WordPress theme. Once you have significant traffic and can justify the investment, then it’s smart to choose a premium theme with more features and options. For right now though, a complex blog theme will be a distraction from your most important priority of bringing readers to your new blog.
Here’s how to install a new theme on your WordPress blog:
Step 1: Log in to your WordPress account (admin page).
To access your WordPress login page go to yourdomainname.com/wp-admin. The image below is what your screen will look like.
Step 2: Once logged in, your WordPress dashboard looks something like this.
On this screen, click on the “Appearance” option from the sidebar menu.
Step 3: Select the “Themes” option from the “Appearance” section — like in the image below.
You will see a page like the one below;
Step 4: To search for available free WordPress theme options, click the “Add New” button at the top of the page.
As you can see below, there are many free themes.
WordPress comes with a ton of free blogging themes to choose from, so start with one of the options you like in Appearance > Themes > Add New Theme > Popular without spending much time on this for now. You can always come back and change it later.
I recommend choosing Kadence WP or Astra. Both are 100% free blog themes—they’re lightning fast and also have the ability to upgrade to their premium theme versions at affordable price points later on.
Another reason I recommend these two themes is that they’re simple, crisp and clean and will get you set up without needing to invest in a paid blog theme as you’re just starting your blog.
But if you have the money to invest in premium WordPress themes, you should definitely check out theme marketplaces like ThemeForest, Elegant Themes and StudioPress.
Here are a few points to consider if you’re going to purchase a premium theme from any of the marketplaces I mentioned;
How To Choose A Theme For Blogging
If you want to experiment with different WordPress themes to start a blog with, be sure to use this criteria to guide your decisions:
- SEO-Friendliness: SEO also called Search Engine Optimisation, is what helps search engines like Google and Bing to search for information on your website and index it. Your blog theme has to have light code to make it easy for search engines to read.
- Easy-To-Use: No matter how beautiful and fancy your blog theme, don’t compromise on usability.
- Responsiveness: If your blog theme is responsive, it means that your blog will look good on both laptops, tablets and smartphones. Because more people read blogs on their phones these days, Google favours mobile-friendly websites. You can use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test page to check if your blog theme is mobile-friendly.
- Plugin Support: Your blog is only as good as the plugins that power it. Make sure whichever theme you choose supports the most popular WordPress plugins.
- Support: When you have issues with your blog theme, who do you turn to? You should make sure your theme developers offer support. You should note that free themes DO NOT come with any support.
- User Reviews & Ratings: Any theme you choose to use should have good track record. You can find that by looking at their ratings and reviews on the marketplaces where they’re sold.
4. Create Your First Blog Content
Blog readers won’t read your blog because it’s beautiful or because you publish regularly. Although these two things will help.
They will read your blog because they care about what you (have to) say. Creating valuable and high-quality blog posts is what will bring you readers and eventually help you make money off your blog.
But before you go too far ahead with writing your blog business plan, creating your content road-map, and writing your first blog post — there’s one question you need to answer…. why ?
- Why do you care for the topic you’re blogging about?
- Why should other people listen to what you’re saying?
- Why is this a blogging topic you can add real value to?
To answer these questions, you have to think about your blog like you’re starting a new business. Ask yourself what your business (blog) has to offer that separates you from the competition. It is also important to re-emphasize here the importance of choosing a blogging niche.
If you don’t have any particular niche in mind right now, don’t fret. Answering these few questions can help to point you in the direction of your niche;
Questions To Ask To Determine Your Blog Niche
- What’s an interest or dream from your childhood that you still find exciting?
- What’s the thing you enjoy doing most during the day?
- What hobbies do you have or that you want to learn?
- What values do you hold deeply and want to share with others?
- What’s one achievement that you’re incredibly proud of?
With these, you should have one or two ideas floating around in your head already.
How to Know if There’s An Opportunity to Eventually Make Money With Your Blog
If you plan to make money blogging, you’ll have to do a bit of research to find out if your niche is monetizable. Monetizing your blog will be easier if there’s a market demand for your niche. Are people actively searching for what you’re writing about? And can you add value and help them in a way that makes you money?
To make a business out of your blog and make real money blogging, you need to solve a real problem for people.
So, if your blog is in the sports nutrition niche, you can come up with 5-10 keyword phrases or topics for your niche that you want to write about. So for a sports nutrition niche, you might choose keywords like “best supplements for weight loss,” “best diet to increase endurance,” and so on.
Don’t worry if you’re not able to come up with topic ideas for your blog right now. There are dozens of free keyword research tools and even AI-powered tools that you can use to generate keyword ideas for your niche much later.
5. Promote Your Blog
Once you hit the publish button on your first blog post, your content is out there. But how do you make sure that your intended audience gets their eyeballs on your blog? Promotion.
Promoting your blog post involves utilizing all the proven strategies that bring people to your website to read your blog.
Here are some proven strategies for promoting your blog;
#1. Create Quality Content
The first step to getting traffic to your website is to create quality, informative and engaging content for your blogs.
You need to understand that many people have great experience in the same niche as you. So make sure that you write a blog post that can solve the problems of these readers and give them a rich reading experience.
Plus, it should stand up to the expectations of your target audience. By
providing them their most desired content, you can efficiently improve the web presence of your blog.
#2. Promote on Social Media
Social media is the most popular place to look when you want to get some eyeballs on your blog. Networks like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Instagram are some of the obvious choices.
Not all of them will work depending on your niche. But whichever platform that best suits your audience interest is the right one for you. Don’t try to promote your blog post on every conceivable social platform. It is counter-productive.
Here’s a quick pointer of what works best for each social media network;
- Instagram: High-res photos, quotes, and Stories
- X (formerly Twitter): News, blog posts, and GIFs
- Facebook: Videos and curated content
- Pinterest: Infographics, step-by-step photo guides, visual content
- YouTube: Video content (2nd largest search engine in the world)
- LinkedIn: Professional content and career news
- Reddit: Comments about topics in your niche
#3. Using Forums And Message Boards
Going on every social media platform and putting up ideas into the void is a big mistake.
Instead, you will want to find targeted forums and message boards related to your niche. Being a part of these groups and being actively involved can give you a better return for your time investment.
Browse through relevant groups on Facebook to see if there are any vibrant communities that’d be a good starting point.
#4. Promote Using Your Email List
Building an email list is one of the best things you can plan for when you start your blog. Growing your own email list is the most powerful way to keep existing readers engaged with the work you’re doing – and one of the things you should set up immediately.
Building an email list is as simple as placing an email opt-in box in your articles or at strategic places on your website like the footer and sidebar or using an exit intent pop-up.
There are email marketing softwares like GetResponse and Systeme.io that allows you to create email opt-in forms and grow your audience for free when you’re just starting out blogging.
6. Monetise Your Blog
When you’re learning how to start a blog, one of the most important questions on your mind is about how to make money blogging.
I kept this part last for a reason. When starting a blog, you should have it in mind that monetizing a blog takes a bit of time, unless you have an already established following or audience.
If you want to start a blog, monetization should not be your #1 focus at the moment, but rather something to work towards. Another point to note is that the way you monetize your blog will be different depending upon the type of blog you have.
That said, here are the different ways you can start making money blogging;
#1. Display Advertising:
Display advertising is one of the most straightforward methods to make money blogging. Sign up for advertising networks like Google AdSense or Media.net, and they will place targeted ads on your website. You earn money either per click (Pay-Per-Click or PPC) or per 1,000 impressions (Cost-Per-Mille or CPM). While it may not generate significant revenue initially, as your blog traffic grows, your earnings can increase substantially.
#2. Affiliate Marketing:
Affiliate marketing is a powerful strategy for bloggers. It involves promoting products or services related to your niche through affiliate links, and when your readers make a purchase through those links, you earn a commission.
I am an affiliate of over 50 software products, and it’s one of the ways this website makes money.
Choose affiliate programs that align with your content and audience to increase your chances of success. ImpactRadius, Amazon Associates, ShareASale and ClickBank are popular options for finding affiliate programs.
#3. Sponsored Content:
Sponsored content involves partnering with brands or companies to write blog posts or reviews about their products or services. In exchange, you receive payment or free products.
Ensure that sponsored content aligns with your blog’s niche and that you disclose the partnership to maintain transparency with your audience. Building strong relationships with brands can lead to recurring sponsorships and increased income.
#4. Sell Digital Products:
If you have expertise in your niche, consider creating and selling digital products like e-books, online courses, templates, or printables. Digital products have low production costs and can provide a steady stream of income.
Platforms like Gumroad, Teachable, or WordPress plugins like Easy Digital Downloads can help you set up your digital storefront.
All that’s left for you to do, is promote this product to your audience.
#5. Subscription Models:
Implementing a subscription model can offer recurring income for your blog. You can offer premium content, exclusive access, or a private community for subscribers who pay a monthly or annual fee.
Platforms like Patreon, Substack, or Memberful can help you set up subscription-based monetization models.
#6. E-commerce and Merchandise:
If you already have a dedicated following, consider selling merchandise related to your blog or niche. This could include branded clothing, mugs, posters, or any other product that resonates with your audience.
Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Printful can help you set up your e-commerce store.
#7. Consulting and Services:
Leverage your expertise and authority in your niche to offer consulting services.
Depending on your blog’s focus, you can provide services such as coaching, freelance writing, graphic design, or website development. I am a WordPress designer, and I proudly showcase that on my website homepage.
Advertise your services on your blog, and you’ll attract clients interested in your skills.
Tips for Successful Blog Monetization:
- Know Your Audience: Understand your audience’s interests and preferences to tailor your monetization strategies effectively.
- Maintain Transparency: Always disclose sponsored content and affiliate links to build trust with your audience.
- Test and Optimize: Continuously monitor and tweak your monetization strategies to maximize revenue.
- Quality Over Quantity: Prioritize the quality of your content and user experience. A cluttered and ad-heavy website can deter readers.
- Diversify Income Streams: Relying on a single income source is risky. Diversify your revenue streams to reduce vulnerability.
- Stay Informed: Keep up with industry trends and adjust your strategies accordingly.
After implementing all these strategies and putting in all the work required; don’t expect overnight success. Focus instead, on delivering value to your readers and building a strong online presence. The money will follow.
How to Start a Blog (and Make Money) in 2023: Final Takeaways for New Bloggers
Starting a blog is an exciting journey. You never know who you’d meet or connect with through your blog.
Keep the excitement and enthusiasm up and give your audience a reason to keep coming back.
Write exciting content, connect with people in your niche and enthusiastically share what you’re working on.
Every other thing – traffic, monetization – will follow.
I first learned how to start blogging over 5 years ago. Starting a blog has helped me connect with people from all over the world. It has also helped to empower me financially. So, I can say that starting a blog is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
It is my hope that this article has filled you with the confidence you need to go out there and launch a blog of your own.
Last Update: December 6, 2023 by Dienye Diri
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