Blogging remains a powerful social marketing platform that costs very little to start and if people from all works of life have made money making blogs, so can you.
Find a sponsor for your website. Get paid for your great content. shareasale.com.
Although this is not my first blog, I had created other blogs that failed- I love blogging so much that –after four (4) failed attempts, I still created this blog in February 2018 with no digital marketing experience and quality writing ability. It took me forever–because I had to google my way through it. This blog happens to be my most successful.
**Note: This article contains affiliate links to products I recommend, if you make purchases from those merchants via my links, I may receive a small commission for referring you at no extra cost to you. And it’s a way of supporting hussletips, staying in business, and continue writing for you. **
These step-by-step instructions contain what I have learned and will help you so that you don’t make the same mistake I made when I started.
Let’s get practical on how you can start a money-making blog of your own.
#1. Can I Start a Blog for Free:-
Sure you can! If you want to make money from blogging then you should discard starting a blog for free from your mind and agenda. If you are blogging to make a fortune, then just like every business you know, you just need capital;
- to buy domain.
- to get a host for your domain or you can opt for free hosting like am doing.
- to market your contents to the right audience.
- To buy data– to publish contents and for research, etc.
#2. Don’t make the mistake of randomly picking a niche.
Decide firstly, what you want to write about and determine if it’s something you are skilled at and you find exciting. You can then narrow it down to a well-defined niche. If your niche is very concentrated on a target audience you’ll be more focused on the type of content you create as well as being able to monetize it easily.
#3. Choose a Hosting Platform.
Blogger is a free blogging platform, which is a publishing application from Google. Having said that, this choice doesn’t give you your blog domain name and hosting, which is important if you want to be seen as a genuine and professional blogger –If you are choosing Blogger- you can buy a domain from any domain service site and host it on blogger to give you a level of professionalism.
But if you want to be more professional and genuinely attractive you can use WordPress. Although you have to buy both domain name and hosting, the WordPress blogging software is free and there are plenty of designs and features that you can use to fit your style and niche. For your good I will recommend a self-hosted site instead of a blogger like mine, it has so many restrictions when compared to WordPress. In this article, I will focus on WordPress.
#4. Don’t Be Passive, Be Active:
If you can’t decide on a topic– just go ahead and start, it will be shaky at first but as you start writing you will be able to get a clear part. You will discover more ideas as you act on the little pinch of ideas that came to mind.
To Create a WordPress Site kindly follow this steps;
Step 1.
Click here to –> go to Bluehost <– and start your own blog
Step 2.
Click on Get Started Now
Step 3.
Select a Plan, if you are confuse on which plan to choose, here is a guide;
- Bluehost Basic Plan: Suitable for newbies-Who wants to launch their blog in no time at the extremely affordable price.
- Bluehost Plus Plan: Suitable for well stable bloggers, and who want to spread their wings to more than 1 blog.
- Bluehost Prime Plan: Suits to advanced bloggers, who run or want to run a couple of blogs (i.e. more than 5).
Step 4.
Register the domain name you have predetermined for your blog by typing it in the left box or if you previously have a registered domain name you can type it in the right box– don’t worry, it won’t mess anything up.
Make sure that your domain name is catchy and short — this is very important if you want to be remembered by your readers. Also very important– the domain name must match the blog title.
Step 5.
1- Enter your account information correctly and honestly. Using a valid email address-is very important.
2- Select the account plan duration that best suit your needs.
3- An SSL certificate protects your customers’ sensitive information – such as passwords, usernames, and credit card numbers – from being obtained by malicious third parties. Customers can see if your site is protected when they see the green lock icon on their browsers. SSL certificates are also one of the factors search engines, such as Google, use to determine where a website appears in search results.
Step 5.
1- Make sure the “Domain Privacy Protection” is ticked- this function helps to keep your personal information private and safe from the public. The only time you can skip it -is only when you are using a business email.
2- All these Packages can be unmarked except for Domain Privacy Protection. You can later add the unmarked packages after creating the blog- that’s if needed.
3- Enter your payment information. It is safe and secure!
4- tick the Box by clicking on it.
5- Click on Submit.
Step 6.
Skip the the Upgrade and special offer by clicking on “No Thanks link”.
Then, Create your password- this password must be secure and you should be able to remember it. Because that’s what you will use to log into your dashboard.
Then, Click on the blue log in icon on the next page to log on.
****
Note: Once you log on, you will be offered free themes to use. Skip the free theme- some of the free themes are outdated and vulnerable to hackers. I recommend you use the pre-installed theme, for now, you can later change to a better and more secure theme once you are familiar with WordPress.
Use the Photo Guide below to Start Building Your Site;
Dashboard Features
Installing WordPress
Installing Theme
Creating Pages
Creating a Blog Post
***Note***
Your site will be on a temporary domain at first. Don’t be alarmed.
For new domains, this is because it takes 2-24 hours for your chosen domain to become fully registered. Go ahead and start working on your site. When the real domain is ready, Bluehost will switch it for your automatically.
If you used an existing domain –you can contact Bluehost support (New Hosting Customers) or look in the help section when you are ready to connect your existing domain to this new site.
On the Job Tips:-
1. Know Your Audience
You need to be clear on precisely who your audience are. Who are they, what type of job do they have, how much money do they earn, what do they like to do in their free time? You should be able to really understand what gets their interest.
2. Persistence Wins
You need to update your blog regularly with fresh content to get the most traffic. Writing is a talent that gets a lot easier and much better the more you do it. If you do it every day, you’ll develop a process that automatically gets your creative juices flowing and signals to the brain that it’s time to write.
3. Generate Income From Your Blog
Once you get a reasonable amount of quality content on your blog it’s time to think about how you can generate income. Start to introduce a few products to sell and don’t engulf your readers with too many adverts. A good blend of affiliate products and your own products generally works well.
4. Don’t Give Up
Generating income by way of a blog is a long-term strategy. You need to be willing to be in it for the long-term. You won’t start a blog and make money right away. But you can earn money blogging, or earn more money at your business through blogging. Keep in mind that when it comes to writing blog posts, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Just don’t give up.
Need Assistance?
For additional questions and assistance leave a comment below;
References: Faizan Ali| Which Blue Host Plan Should I Get: A Review of Basic, Plus or Prime, Amy Lynn Andrews| How to Start a Blog? and Jon Allo|How to Start My own Blog? Photo Credit: Google Search Engine and Screen Shorts from Blue Host.
