A lot of information on how to start a blog that can make you money on the internet is outdated.
Taking advice about blogging from someone who started a blog in the early blogging years is asking for directions from someone who still relies on the old-fashioned paper map that has not been updated in years.
Before you start a blog, ask yourself a question why you want to start a blog and what goal you want to achieve, as it is going to help your stay on track and motivated during the process of creating a profitable blog.
You can find more FAQs at the end of this blog.
I will make sure that you don’t have to face the challenges I faced when I first started my blog.
Before further ado, Here is the TABLE OF CONTENTS. Follow these steps to get an up-and-running blog. Make sure to take your time and don’t get overwhelmed, you got this.
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Pick a topic or niche for your blog.
When choosing a topic or niche for your blog, one important factor to consider is your audience. Who are you writing for? What are their interests? Once you know your target audience, it will be much easier to choose a topic or niche they will be interested in.
Another thing to consider is your own interests. If you are passionate or interested in a particular topic, you will be more likely to stick with it and produce quality content. Choose a topic or niche for your blog that you are genuinely interested in or passionate about so that you can actually enjoy the process of writing about it.
Finally, consider your goals for your blog. What you are hoping to achieve with it? Once you know what your goals are, you can choose a topic or niche that will help you achieve them. For example, if you planning to use your blog to promote your business, then you will need to choose a niche that is relevant to your business.
There are a few key ways to do market research for profitable blog topics. The first is to analyze your competition. See what popular blogs in your niche are writing about and consider how you could improve upon their topics.
Also, you can use free and paid tools like Google trends, Sem Rush, and Ahrefs to do market research about a specific topic.
I will recommend using the tool Semrush for market research; more on how to do the market later.
Keeping the factors mentioned above in mind, you should have no trouble choosing a topic or niche. Choosing a niche or topic is a challenging part of blogging, so make sure to spend a good amount of time in research, but don’t get into analysis paralysis. Make a decision and move on to the next step.
Choose a blogging platform.
There are a lot of platforms for blogging to choose from, but not all of them are created equally, but If you want to make money blogging, you need to choose a platform that is conducive to that goal. Here are some of the things to look for in a blogging platform:
Ease of use: You should be able to set up your blog and start posting as soon as possible without having to worry about coding or design.
Monetization options: The platform should allow you to easily insert advertising or other forms of monetization into your posts.
Community support: If you run into problems, it should be easy to find help from other users of the platform.
Flexibility: The platform should allow you to easily customize the look and feel of your blog, as well as add new features as you need them.
I will recommend using WordPress as, according to (W3Techs, 2022), WordPress is used by 43.2% of all websites on the internet. However, you can use WebFlow, Wix, Squarespace, or any other website builder to create a website but to rank higher in Google and make money online, WordPress is definitely the winner.
Choose a web hosting provider with a free domain name
Determine your needs: The first step in choosing a web hosting provider is to identify what kind of hosting services you need. Do you need a shared server, a dedicated server, or a virtual private server? Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to determine which one will best suit your needs.
Compare features and prices: Once you’ve determined your needs, you can start comparing the features and prices of different web hosting providers. Be sure to compare, however, as some providers may offer more features than others.
Read customer reviews: Another important factor to consider is what other customers have to say about a particular web hosting provider. Reading some customer reviews can give you a good idea of the quality of service and support you can expect from a provider.
Consider uptime and reliability: When choosing a web hosting provider, it’s important to consider uptime and reliability. Uptime is the amount of time that the server is up and running, while reliability refers to the stability of the connection. You will want to choose a provider that offers both high uptime and reliability.
Best Web Hosting Providers
I will recommend using Hostinger for a start. The best thing about web hosting providers is that you can change your web hosting provider anytime without damaging your website.
Hostinger offers a free domain for the first year.
Step 1: Click here to Visit the Hostinger homepage. Click on the ”Get Started” button.
Step 2: Select the hosting plan. Make sure to spend time as plans change often.
Step 3: Register and enter your payment information.
Hostinger will send a payment confirmation email. You will also need to verify your email address and activate your domain.
Watch the video below if you struggle to set up a hosting provider.
After setting up the basic setup, follow the steps on the hostinger website and build your WordPress website.
Install essential plugins
WordPress plugins are used for a variety of purposes. Some plugins are used to add features to your website, while others are used to improve the performance of your site or protect it from security threats.
In the WordPress plugin directory, you can find a lot of excellent free plugins. However, you should avoid putting too many plugins on your website because they will make your website slower and possibly put your security at risk. Website speed is one of the Google ranking factors, more on Google ranking factors later.
I’ll highlight a few of the most important plugins you can use in this section. I’ll list the best free plugin and the best premium (paid) plugins. You can always find alternative ones, but these plugins are the ones that I have personally used for my blogs.
This plugin is used to create a contact form on your website.
Convertkit is used for email marketing. You can use Mailchimp or Klaviyo instead of the convert kit, but the convert kit is easy to set up, so I will recommend using the convert kit in the beginning.
Rank Math is used for basic SEO (Search Engine Optimization). You can also use Yoast SEO or All in one SEO, but again Rank Math is easier to set up compared to other plugins.
ShortPixel Image Optimizer plugin is used to compress images, so that your website loads faster and ranks higher on google.
At this stage, you should have an up-and-running WordPress blog to write content on your chosen niche.
If you are having trouble setting up plugins, get in touch with my team.
Optimize your blog for search engines
As a Blogger, you want to make sure your blog is optimized for search engines. After all, you want people to be able to find your content easily and quickly. Here are some tips on how to optimize your blog for search engines:
Use keywords throughout your content. Make sure to use relevant keywords in your titles and in the body of your posts, as this will help search engines to index your content and make it easier for people to find it.
Use quality images and videos. Adding quality images and videos to your blog posts can help break up the text and make your content more visually appealing. Plus, search engines love fresh, unique content, so adding multimedia can help you rank higher.
Promote your content. Once you publish a new blog, make sure to share it on social media and other online platforms. This will help get the word out about your latest content and bring more traffic to your site.
Following these tips can help you optimize a blog for search engines and ensure that your content is easily found. By taking the time to optimize your blog, you can help increase your chances of driving traffic.
Use SEO techniques to drive organic traffic.
SEO is a short form for “Search engine optimization.” It is a long-term marketing strategy employed in order to improve a website’s visibility and organic search results in google and other global search engines.
There are two types of SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO.
On-page SEO refers to all the measures that can be taken directly within the website in order to improve its position in the search rankings. Off-page SEO, on the other hand, refers to all the activities that take place outside of the website and can be used to improve a website’s visibility and organic search results.
Some common SEO techniques include optimizing title tags, meta tags, and header tags, as well as increasing the number of backlinks, social signals, and indexed pages. SEO can also be done by optimizing the website content, structure, and URL.
SEO is a long-term process that requires constant attention and effort in order to achieve and maintain good results. However, it is one of the most effective ways to improve the visibility and organic search results of a website.
You can run Google ads to promote your blog but if your goal is to have steady growing traffic on your blog, then make sure your blog is optimized for search engines.
Once you have an up-and-running blogging website, then you can use tools like Semrush, and Ahrefs for keyword research, Competitor analysis, On-Page SEO, Link Building, etc.
Get in touch with my team if you want to optimize your website for SEO from the beginning of your blogging journey.
Monetize your blog
There are so many different ways to monetize a blog, and I will mention a few here. One way is to sell advertising space on your blog. This can be done through a program like Google Adsense, which will place relevant ads on your blog and pay you based on the traffic you generate.
Another way to monetize a blog is to sell physical/ digital products or services through your blog. This can be done by setting up a shop on your blog or by promoting products and services as an affiliate.
You can also make money through affiliate marketing, affiliate marketing is a type of online marketing in which a business rewards affiliates for each customer brought to the company by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts. Typically, customers are directed to the business’s website by an affiliate through a link on the affiliate’s website. Once they click through to the merchant’s site and make a purchase, the affiliate is then paid a commission by the merchant. This process can be referred to as “performance-based marketing,” as the affiliate is only paid when performance (i.e., a click or a sale) occurs.
Whichever method you choose, be sure to keep your audience in mind and offer content that is valuable to them. With a little effort, you can easily monetize your blog and start generating income from it.
Final Thoughts
Blogging as a hobby is fun, but if you want to take blogging to the next level and make money from a blog, then you have to consider it as a business. You have to invest time and money to become successful.
Make sure to signup for my newsletter, as I will share more blogging tips and SEO strategies.
If you are not a technical person or don’t want to spend hours learning how to create a WordPress blog and optimize it for SEO, get in touch with my team.
Blogging FAQs
What is a Blog?
A blog is a website where people write articles, or posts, on a variety of topics. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual or a company.
Why should you start a blog?
- It’s a great way to share your passion and build an audience around a topic you love
- You can make money from your blog through advertising, affiliate marketing, or selling products.
- Blogging can help you build an online presence and brand
- It’s a great way to connect with people and build relationships
- Blogging can help you develop and hone your writing skills
- You can use your blog to drive traffic to other websites or businesses
- Blogging can be a great form of escapism
- It’s a great way to keep track of your thoughts and ideas
- You can use your blog to help others
How much does it cost to start a blog?
Blog hosting is one of the major expenses of starting a blog, it can cost anywhere from free to several hundred dollars per month. Most people who are serious about blogging will spend at least a few dollars per month on hosting, and some will spend over $100.
Of course, there are other costs associated with starting a blog, such as buying a domain name, hiring a designer, and so on. But the cost of hosting is usually the most important factor in determining how much it will cost to start a blog.
If you’re looking for the cheapest option, you can start a blog on a free platform like WordPress.com or Blogger.com. However, these platforms have limitations, and they are not suitable for everyone. If you’re serious about blogging, it’s usually worth paying for hosting so that you have more control over your blog and can offer your readers a better experience.
Prices for blog hosting can vary widely, so it’s important to do your research and compare features and prices before choosing a host.
In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $30 per month for blog hosting. However, if you opt for a managed WordPress host like WP Engine or Kinsta, you could be paying more than $30 per month.
Ultimately, the cost of starting a blog depends on your budget and your goals for the blog. If you’re just starting out, you can get by with a very low budget. But if you’re serious about blogging and want to create a professional-looking site, it will probably cost at least a few hundred dollars.
How Do I Get Readers to My Blog?
There is no surefire answer to this question. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of attracting readers.
Here are a few tips:
1. Write interesting and useful content that appeals to your target audience.
2. Use social media to promote your blog and share your content with potential readers.
3. Use (SEO) techniques to ensure that your blog appears in search results when people are looking for information on topics that you cover.
4. Use external sources to promote your blogs, such as guest blogging or submitting articles to directories and other websites.
5. Make it easy for readers to subscribe to your blog so that they can receive new posts via email or RSS.
Following these tips can help you attract more readers to your blog. However, there is no guarantee that you will become successful overnight. It takes time, effort, and patience to build up a following. So don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. Just keep working at it, and eventually, you should start to see a steady stream of readers.
How Do Bloggers Get Paid?
Bloggers can make money in a variety of ways. The most common way is through advertising. Bloggers can sell advertising space on their blogs, and they are typically paid based on either the number of page views or the number of clicks on an ad.
Another way that bloggers make money is through affiliate marketing. This involves promoting products or services on their blog and earning a commission on any sales that are generated.
Finally, some bloggers make money by selling products or services directly to their readers. This could involve selling e-books, online courses, or other digital products.
These are just a few of the ways that bloggers can make money.
Why blogging is a profitable business?
There are many reasons why blogging can be a profitable business. For one, it is relatively easy to get started. Additionally, as a blogger, you have the potential to reach a large audience with your content, which can lead to increased profits.
One of the most appealing aspects of blogging as a business is that it can be done from anywhere in the world. All you need is an internet connection and a laptop. This makes it a great option for entrepreneurs who want to work from home or those who travel often.
Another reason why blogging can be profitable is that there are many ways to monetize your blog. You can sell advertising space, services, or products through your blog. Additionally, you can use your blog to generate leads for other businesses.
Finally, blogging can be a great way to build an audience and reach potential customers. By creating quality content, you can attract readers who are interested in what you have to say. This can lead to increased profits through increased traffic and conversions.
I will update this blog on a weekly basis and add more information as required, make sure to signup for the newsletter so that you don’t miss any updates.
Written By Muhammad Khalid
Muhammad Khalid is a Web Designer, Seo Expert, and Blogger based in New Zealand.
