Start A Blog the Right Way
Hi, I’m Jen, and welcome to the world of blogging!
I am a mom, just like you, so I know how busy and hectic life can be with kids, pets, family responsibilities, and a household to manage.
I’ve always worked outside the home as a Registered Nurse, RN Case Manager, and before that as an Office Manager.
So, I’ve been blogging full-time about two years, but I have loved setting up everything myself and learning to monetize my blog.
As you will soon learn, blogging is one of the best ways that you can make money from home!
I’m going to show you how to set-up your new blog below, so keep reading!
If you run into any questions, just sign up for my newsletter and shoot me an email!
Let’s get Started!
HOW TO START A BLOG
11 Quick Steps: How to Start a Profitable Blog
- Choose your passion – What can’t you stop talking about?
- What should I blog about? – Find where your passions, strengths, and a profitable need intersect.
- Decide on your domain name – What will you call your blog?
- Choose a hosting plan – Use a fast and reliable hosting company like Flywheel.
- Install WordPress – This is the platform most successful bloggers use.
- Login to your blog – Get familiar with the backend of your blog on WordPress.
- Install a theme – you can use a free or paid theme in the beginning.
- Write your first blog posts – Create 3-4 pillar posts to establish your blog and niche.
- Invest in yourself and grow quicker – when you get stuck, invest in ebooks and courses to help you.
- Increase your blog traffic and promote your amazing content.
- Decide how you want to make money with your blog and make passive income blogging.
My Ultimate Resources and Tools Library
Want a list of all the amazing tools and resources I use to make my life easier as a blogger?
I have them all listed in my free Resources and Tools library for bloggers.
Most of these resources are free or extremely affordable.
And, these tools will give you a head-start in getting your blog up and running quickly!
How to Start a Blog and Make Money Online
Start Your Blog – Step by Step
Step 1: Find Your Passion
What do you love to talk about?
And, what do you want to learn more about?
Also, what do you stay up late doing after the kids go to bed?
Let that drive your decision on what you want to blog about.
You don’t have to be an expert yet.
As you blog, you’ll become better and better!
Maybe it’s a talent you have or a subject you studied in college and loved!
Find a topic that you can talk about for a long time to come!
Step 2: Niche Down
The best way to know that your passion will turn into a blog that makes money is to find the sweet spot of your passion, a profitable need, and your strengths.
The most important of the two is your passion and a profitable need.
You may already be an expert on the topic, but your strength will increase the more you blog.
For example, you are passionate about cooking healthy meals for your family, but you’re not perfect at it yet.
It’s definitely a profitable niche because other moms are looking for advice on this topic too.
But you’re not the best cook, yet.
The more you blog, the more recipes you’ll try, and the more practice you’ll get – and the better you’ll become!
I also encourage you to niche down.
The more niche-specific your blog, the better you are able to help your audience!
I think this has been the hardest aspect for me with blogging.
I really wanted to write about everything, but it’s important to narrow it down to a few very specific areas that you can write a lot of content about.
POPULAR BLOG NICHE IDEAS FOR MAKING MONEY ONLINE:
- Business and Marketing
- DIY and Crafts
- Food
- Fashion
- Personal Finance and Investing
- Health and Fitness
- Lifestyle or Multi-Niche
- Travel
Step 3: Decide on Your Domain Name
Once you know what your blog niche will be, you can decide on a fun, cool domain name!
Important Note: Choose something that is easy to spell and easy to remember.
You can either make it cute and funny or very direct and to the point.
Don’t stress too much about getting the perfect name for your blog.
What you blog about is much more important than the name you choose.
And even if you pick the perfect name, there may be a day that you don’t like it that much anymore.
I know many beginning bloggers who get stuck on this step for weeks.
Please don’t! You’ll get much more traction with action.
Choose an easy to spell and generic blog name and start blogging!
You can always purchase a new blog name in a few months if you really want to.
Check availability of your new domain name below!
Step 4: Choose a Plan to Host Your Blog
Using Bluehost for your New Blog
I started my first blog with Bluehost, which I recommend for new bloggers.
Their customer service has been absolutely amazing as they went out of their way to help me when I had any questions and setting everything up was so easy!
Also, Bluehost has extremely affordable options when you are getting started.
Here are some reasons to start your blog with Bluehost & WordPress:
- They are the number 1 hosting company recommended by WordPress
- Your domain name is free (your .com URL) for the first year
- Optimized for SEO = you have a better chance of getting found on Google
- Free WordPress integration and installation (it only takes one click!)
- WordPress has over 40,000 free plugins that you can use to customize your blog
- They are the most affordable and dependable hosting company out there
Are you ready to start your first blog and build a website that wows?
Follow these quick steps:
Go to www.Bluehost.com and click on Get Started Now.
This is where you need to put your chosen blog title aka the URL you will type to get to your website.
Keep it sweet and short (no numbers or hyphens and stick with .com if possible).
And, make sure it’s also available on the social media platforms you want to create an account on and that there aren’t similar titled blogs out there.
If you already purchased a domain name elsewhere insert the full URL in the second box.
Just follow all their steps on the Bluehost site.
If you encounter any issues or if you’re moving from a free website and making the transition to self-hosted, they offer 24/7 live support.
Just go to the Chat icon and someone will be there to walk you through any questions you might have.
Keep in mind that many popular direct sales businesses can easily cost thousands of dollars to just sign up.
With a Blog, you can create your own business for a super affordable price!
These are exciting times we live in! You can make money while you sleep!
Step 5: Install WordPress
You could have the team at Bluehost set this up for you,
or you can easily do it for yourself through their 24-hour Live Chat.
This step is very easy. Once you install WordPress, you are ready to start your Blog!
Step 6: Login to Your New Blog
Now use the username and password you chose and login to your site below.
Just navigate to http://www.YOURNEWDOMAIN.com/wp-admin
Step 7: Install a Theme
Now for the REALLY FUN part!
You can start off with a free theme provided on the WordPress.org dashboard, but they are very limited in what they can do.
I personally love and use the Isabelle Theme from Bluchic’s Feminine and Professional Themes!
Bluchic has a huge selection of Affordable, Sophisticated, and User-Friendly Themes to choose from.
Bluchic Themes
Not only do they have an extensive collection of beautiful themes, but they also have gorgeous
and coordinating Landing Page Templates to help you grow your list and
start making sales on autopilot!
And, there are Canva Social Media Templates to keep your site’s professional-looking image running seamlessly.
All of their products blend together perfectly!
Everything looks so pretty and modern. I cannot recommend them enough!
Their products are truly extraordinary!
Step 8: Write Your First Blog Posts
The best types of blog posts you can write if you’re just starting your blog are Pillar Posts.
These are in-depth, long articles (2000 words or more) that give a great solution to a problem your audience faces.
You can always come back and edit these posts and add more internal links to them.
But before you launch your blog, make sure you have the following setup:
- 3-5 Pillar Posts
- A clear blog menu
- Great profile picture
- An About Me page
- A Privacy Policy and Disclosure Page
- A way to contact you (you can add this to your About Me page)
- Links to your social media pages
Me working in my home office
Step 9: Invest in Yourself
As you grow your blog and learn how to make money online, the best shortcut you can take is to invest in amazing ebooks and blogging courses.
For example, every year Ultimate Bundles puts out a HUGE blogging bundle called, The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit.
This is the most epic collection of courses, workbooks, templates, videos, ebooks, printables, etc., especially for bloggers!
I was brand new when I bought my first toolkit, for $97.00. And, let me tell you, that purchase was the best investment in myself!
I have learned hundreds of tips, tricks, ideas, hacks, all related to blogging, and they have helped me immensely!
You also get to connect with the experts that are included in the Toolkit, so you make awesome friendships along the way as well.
So, always invest in up-to-date information in your niche. It’s a win-win!
And, it will save you months of time and research to learn from the experts.
You’ll grow faster, get more traffic, and start making money sooner with your blog.
Just make sure to take the time to implement the material you learn!
Step 10: Get Traffic
As you build more and more content on your blog, you’ll need to work on gaining visitors.
If you produce amazing content that helps other people find solutions to problems, you’ll do great!
There are so many people, just like you, wanting to learn and grow!
I use Pinterest, Tailwind, and my email list to get most of my traffic to my blog.
Step 11: Make Money Online
And, for all of the time and energy you’ve put into your blog, one of your big goals is to make money online with your blog!
There are numerous methods and strategies you can use to make money with your blog.
Here are the top five ways:
- Advertisements
- Affiliates
- Sponsored Posts
- Products
- Services
Most successful bloggers invest in multiple methods to build a strong business.
You know the saying, it’s not good to put all your eggs in one basket? Diversify, and have several income streams.
This is especially helpful if you get sick, your kids get sick, or you go on vacation for a while, etc.
Having several different streams of income will help to keep you afloat in those lean times.
I am currently using Ads (Mediavine), Affiliate Marketing (Amazon.com), and Sponsored Posts (IZEA, SWAY, and CLEVER) to make money from my blog.
Since I’m all about saving money too, you might like 10 Easy Ways to Save Money
And, since you have now started a blog, check out 47+ ways to Promote your New Blog Posts.
Another great way to promote your blog posts is using the Tailwind App for Pinterest: Explode your Blog Traffic Fast!
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