Are you looking for an easy guide on how to start a blog & make money?
The step-by-step guide on this page will show you how to create a blog in one hour with just the most basic computer skills.
After completing this guide, you will have a beautiful blog that is ready to share with the world.
This guide is made especially for beginners. I will walk you through each and every step to make it all perfectly clear.
Follow these 6 steps to learn how to start a blog and make money today:
If you’re ready to take the leap and learn how to start a blog that can grow into a source of real online income, then let’s dive in.
1. Pick Your Blog Name and Niche
First, it's time to pick a name and niche for your new blog.
Your blog’s name is what readers will see first (like pickupwp.com), so it should ideally represent either the general topics you’ll be writing about—or it could be your own name, that of your business, a clever combination of words, or otherwise.
Your blog’s niche is the general topic area that you’ll be focusing your content around. Examples include blog topics like travel, food, fashion, lifestyle, technology, and otherwise.
2. Get Your Blog Online (Web Hosting)
Now that you’ve got a name picked out, it’s time to get your blog online. This might sound hard or technical, but the steps below will walk you right through and make the process easy.
To get your blog up and running, you need two things: blog hosting (also known as web hosting) and a blogging platform. The good news is that these typically come packaged together.
A blog host is a company that stores all of the files for your blog and delivers them to the user when they type in your blog name. You must have a blog host in order to have a blog.
You also need to have the platform to build your blog. In this guide, I will be showing you how to build a blog using WordPress blogging software because it is the most popular, customizable, and easiest to use.
The web host I recommend is BlueHost. I personally use BlueHost, and I recommend them to all new bloggers.
3. Design Your Blog With a Free WordPress Theme
Themes control the visual appearance of your WordPress blog.
WordPress themes are professionally built templates that you may use to customize the look of your website.
Each WordPress site includes a basic theme by default. However, there are thousands of free and premium WordPress themes available that you may install on your site.
You can see your active theme and other installed themes on your website by going to Appearance » Themes from your WordPress dashboard.
Check out: Free WordPress Themes for Blog.
4. Create Your First Blog Post
Now that your blog is up and running, it’s time to actually do some blogging! Let’s create your first piece of content.
Go to Posts » Add New in your WordPress dashboard to start writing a new blog post.
When a new post page appears, enter a title and text for your blog article.
You will notice several other sections on the posts screen, such as Categories and Tags. These may be used to organize your blog posts into sections.
When you’re finished and happy with your blog post, click the Publish button, and you’re done.
5: Promote Your Blog
Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just the start. In order to get visitors to your blog, you will need to spend some time promoting it, especially when you first start.
The strategies below will help get your blog in front of more readers. You don’t need to use every strategy – try out a few and see what works well for you.
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Share on social media: Social media is an excellent place to post your content and draw attention to your blog. Whether you promote your blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, it’s a great way to reach new readers. Check out the best social media plugins for WordPress.
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Create a blog newsletter: Send out a weekly email newsletter to engage your readers and get them to come back to your blog for more. This will help you sustain a loyal fan base.
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Write for other sites: Strengthen your reputation as a writer and expert in your niche by publishing content outside your own website. Consider opening a Medium account and making a name for yourself there, or post articles on LinkedIn. You should also keep an eye out for guest blogging opportunities, which are offered by publications such as Forbes and Entrepreneur.
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Reach out to an existing community: Facebook groups, forums, and LinkedIn groups are gathering places for people interested in a particular topic. If you find an online community that’s relevant to your blog niche, share your website with them and network among their group members.
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Participate in question and discussion sites: Sites such as Quora and Reddit give you the opportunity to highlight your blog in discussion threads. Use one of your blog posts to answer a question or follow up on a comment, but be sure to come across as helpful and informative rather than promotional.
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Invest in paid ads: In addition to sharing posts on social media, you can boost your posts with a paid promotion so that they reach more people. Likewise, you can pay for Google ads and reach new users through the search engine.
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Try new content formats: Expand your reach even further by trying new content formats. These essentially repurpose the same information provided in your posts. For instance, you can turn your blog posts into videos and start a YouTube channel. You might even create a podcast or offer a webinar. The sky's the limit.
6. Make Money From Your Blog
Once you have put in the effort of creating great blog content and promoting your blog, making money from your blog is actually the easy part.
There are many ways to make money blogging. Here are some of the following:
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Affiliate marketing: This is one of the most common ways to make money blogging, and it’s easy to get started. Intermediate affiliates can earn between $300-$3000 per day, and that number only goes up with experience. There are plenty of affiliate marketing programs out there, but Amazon Associates is a popular choice for beginners.
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Advertising within your blog: Another option is to display ads within your blog, which means you’re essentially selling your blog real estate as ad space. This is a fairly reliable way to make money, as you’ll be earning revenue with each click. If you’re thinking of taking this route, Google AdSense is by far one of the most lucrative and popular programs.
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Offering paid subscriptions: You know how the New York Times makes you pay to read their content? You can do the same thing with your blog. While some of your articles should be free, you can also create exclusive content that readers can buy access to through a subscription plan.
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Write sponsored content: Reach out to companies – or, as your blog grows, make it easy for brands to contact you – regarding sponsorship opportunities. You’ll be writing articles that promote those companies’ products, and the business, in turn, will compensate you for the posts.
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Sell e-books and merchandise: You can also sell digital or physical goods directly from your site. This might include branded merchandise, products related to your field, or e-books and other online resources.
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Provide consulting services: This approach involves making use of your professional experience and harnessing the knowledge you’ve gained as a professional blogger. Based on your insights and expertise, think about the kinds of consulting services you might be able to offer to your clients. If you’re writing a nutrition blog, one such idea could be making customized diet plans or working as a nutrition coach for clients.
Final Takeaways for New Bloggers
Ultimately, growing a successful blog, all boils down to being excited and engaged with your new blog. If you want people to read what you’re writing, you need to give them a reason to.
Write exciting content, connect with people in your niche and enthusiastically share what you’re working on.
The traffic, monetization, and everything else will follow.
I wrote this guide because starting a blog has been one of the most empowering, life-changing decisions I’ve made in my life.
And I hope that by now, you feel confident enough to go out there and start a blog of your own.
