Skeptical about people making money online but wonder if you’re missing out? Learn how to start a blog and make money. The hype is real.
Blah, blah, blah… (insert eye roll here) … How to Start a Blog and Make Money probably seems like the lamest post title in the world.
And, to be honest, it kind of is – BUT, and this is a big BUT, blogging can actually make you money.
I’m not sure what made me actually stop scrolling through titles like this and take action and start a blog. Maybe it was because I was a graphic designer in my previous life and I knew that I could do it. Maybe it was late night phone scrolling that made me think twice. Maybe it was just old-fashioned FOMO.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad I did.
The money does actually start to come in.
For some people the money can start to come in a month or two, but for most, we’re talking a year or more.
If that made you cringe, I’m right there with you, but fear not, we are going to make this happen.
Starting a blog that makes money is not overtly difficult, but it can take time. If you can consistently write one post a week, you can make some decent money and potentially change the direction of your financial future. Sounds stress-reducing, right?
So, if you are ready to drink the Kool-Aid and believe the hype, read on.
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I could earn a commission if you purchase through my links, however, there is no cost to you. Rest assured, I only promote products that I use or think are great. Thanks for reading!
How to Start a Blog and Make Money
Pick a Blog Topic
First things first, you need to decide what your blog is going to be about.
Many people will tell you to choose something you love to write about, or to chronical your journey though something. This is all fine and well and can work, but if you want to have a more clear-cut way to making money, your blog should be in a profitable niche and it should solve problems for people.
Most people search the web to find answers to their questions or to learn how to do something. Your job as a blogger is to be a resource for them. Think about what you search for online.
Some examples of good niches/topics are:
- Home Décor/DIY/Crafts
- Food/Recipes
- Health/Wellness/Lifestyle
- Mommy Blogs/Parenting
- Finance/Saving Money/Budgeting/Investing
- Fashion/Style
This is not an end all and be all list, but it does give you a good start to begin pondering.
Step 1. Register a Domain Name and Buy Hosting
If you want to learn how to start a blog and make money, the first physical step is to register a domain name for your blog and to buy hosting. The domain name is the url, so www.myblogname.com, and hosting is signing up with a company to actually put your blog online.
Give some thought to your domain name. You are going to live with it for a while, hopefully a long while.
You will want to make sure it is short enough and catchy enough that people can easily type it into a browser.
I like the overall name for this blog, but it gets a little tricky because Mrs. technically has a period in it, but it is not included in my domain name. Should have probably thought a little longer myself, but ultimately your domain only contributes a small part to the success of your blog.
Once you have a domain name in mind, you will need to purchase it and have it registered.
You can easily register your domain and buy hosting in one shot over at Bluehost.
When I blew up a blog that I was working on inadvertently, I called customer service and they had someone on the phone in minutes. The poor guy then spent almost an hour on the phone with me fixing my blog and getting it all up and rolling again. Even showing me design features and how they worked.
Come to find out by the end of the conversation that this guy was just helping me to be nice since he really didn’t need to be helping me with aesthetics. He could tell that I was stressed and he helped. Nice.
Don’t Use a Free Blogging Platform
A side note: Some of you may be wondering why you would need to pay for a domain name and hosting since there are a ton of places like Blogger that offer you that for free. Here’s the thing, you will have the company’s name in your blog url and that is not a good thing.
If you truly want to learn how to start a blog and make money, you need to key in on the make money part.
On your own website that is hosted with Bluehost and WordPress, you are in control. You can run ads, work with affiliate companies, etc…a lot easier, and as a professional. Most companies will not want to work with you if you are on a free platform.
Paying for a domain name and hosting is cheap and it will be paid back ten-fold over the course of your blog’s life. The End.
So, to register a domain and buy hosting:
- Head on over to Bluehost and hover over Hosting & Websites at the top, click the Shared Hosting link in the drop down.
- Then click the large Get Started button.
- You will then want to choose the Basic hosting plan. It is the cheapest.
- On the next screen, you will want to type your chosen name into the Create a New Domain box. If your domain name is available, you will be taken to the account info page.
- Next, enter in your Account info. You will see the Package information that you chose. As of this writing, your hosting should be $2.95/month and your domain name registration should be Free. Yay.
- Under Package Extras, the only one that you will want to have checked is the Domain Privacy + Protection for $0.99/month. You want this. It keeps your personal information safe. You do not need anything else, so I would uncheck all the other boxes under the extras section.
- Your total should be under $50. Not bad to start a business!
*If you already bought a domain name from another place like GoDaddy, you will need to connect your domain to your Bluehost hosting account. On GoDaddy, this is called setting nameservers for your domain name. GoDaddy has a step-by-step guide to walk you through it here.
Other domain companies I’m sure have similar tutorials as well.
Step 2. Install WordPress on Your Blog
For those uninitiated, WordPress is by far the best platform to have your blog run on. It is kind of like the framework for your website. It does all the behind the scenes work for you. No coding required.
Installing WordPress is also the most fun part because it is when you get to see your blog come to life. And, this part is FREE.
- While still on Bluehost, create a password and follow the prompts to install WordPress. Bluehost will walk you through it. It’s not hard, I promise.
- Next, you will be asked to pick a theme. This is the pretty part – what your blog will look like. Colors, fonts, layout, etc… Don’t stress too much about this step since you can usually modify the appearance of the theme and/or you can change the entire theme whenever you want. There are a lot of free ones to choose from.
- After you pick a theme, click the Start Building link.
- You can then choose Business, Personal or I Don’t Need Help. This choice is up to you depending on your blog topic and your comfort level with websites.
A few general WordPress tips/how-tos once you are logged in:
- To change the theme and/or to make changes to the look of your blog: Appearance – Customize (or Site Editor (beta))
- To create a post: Posts on the left hand side
- To add an image or video: Media
- To change the sidebar, footer, etc…: Appearance – Widgets
- To change site title, comments, or any general things: Settings
That’s it! You officially have a blog!
Step 3. Monetize Your Blog
Now, you might be thinking this is all great and well, but you wanted to know how to start a blog and make money, money, MONEY.
Once you have several blog posts under your belt and your blog has had some time to mature, think ten (or more) posts and a few months to mature, you can think about monetizing your blog.
Monetizing a blog is kind of like a high school click. They have to accept you.
Not to worry, having your blog accepted is not as gag-inducing as that since these companies make money when you do.
The main ways that you can make money with a blog are:
- Having advertisements on your blog – clickable ads with specific companies you get contracts with or generated ads from places like Google Adsense.
- Having affiliate links on your blog – you place a link to a product on your blog and the company that you have are an affiliate for pays you a commission if someone buys the product. It doesn’t cost the buyer or you anything. For new blogs, the Amazon Affiliate program is the easiest to get accepted to.
- Selling your own products or courses on your blog – Most of the time these are digital products – printables, downloads, courses, etc…, but you could also go big and create a physical product yourself and sell it on your blog.
Resources to Check Out:
Bluehost for all things blog set up – domain names and website hosting.
If you want to expand beyond Amazon for affiliate marketing, and I suggest you eventually do, I really like Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course.
If you have a blog, you will want to collect emails to have a list to market to. I use ConvertKit.
You will also want to start marketing your blog on social media. I use Tailwind to manage everything.
If you need help with setup, design or execution, you can find help cheaply on sites like Fiverr.
If you have enough content from a blog, you can turn it into an eBook, course, YouTube channel or freelance writing career to expand your income. Read my posts Master The Magical World of Passive Income: eBook Writing for Beginners , How to Start Freelance Writing with No Experience and Not Cry Yourself to Sleep or How to Create Online Course Income: 5 Side Hustles That’ll Make You Say, “Why Didn’t I Think of That?” or How to Make Money On YouTube Without Showing Your Face or Losing Your Dignity for more info.
If you are having second thoughts about starting a blog and maybe want a quicker way to make money, check out my posts:
Get off the 9 to 5 Hamster Wheel: Passive Online Side Hustles from Home
Life-Changing Online Jobs That Pay Well
Whew, that maybe seemed like a lot, but none of this is rocket science. It is all extremely doable.
You can really create an online blog website business for cheap, and you can make money from it.
Believe in the hype and all the “how to start a blog and make money” posts out there.
Some of the articles are definitely scammy junk, but if you just follow the basic set up rules and consistently post, you can learn to become a force to be reckoned with.
My advice is to not think, just do. Start. More of an out of body experience. It doesn’t have to be great. You can refine it as you go.
You don’t have anything to lose except $50 and some time.
