How to Start a Blog & Make Money?

If you want to know how to start a blog and make money, some of the things you have to do are choosing the right blog niche, picking a domain name, selecting a hosting name, and installing WordPress.

In this comprehensive guide, we will be looking at the step-by-step process of how you can start blogging for free.

Blogging started as a digital journal for many individuals. It is where they discuss their personal lives, day-to-day activities and engage with their audience. No one ever thought you could start a blog and make money.

Thanks to our digitally connected world, you can now make a substantial income from blogging on different topics. Whether you are looking to begin blog writing or start a blog with no money, we will cover everything in this article.

By the end of this post, you would have learned how to start a blog for free and start your blogging business right away.

Without wasting time, let us start straight away!

(Image by rawpixel.com from Freepik)

Why do You Need a Blog?

This is an essential question that many individuals ask. In case you have never seen the need to start blogging, there are tons of reasons you should begin blog writing. Check below for five reasons you should start blogging:

1.Freedom

Unlike other jobs, blogging gives you adequate freedom while you do what you love and make money from blogging.

It is an activity that makes you work anywhere as long as you have your blogging equipment - a laptop, a good internet connection, and probably a phone.

You can wake up, resume at your computer, write what you like, take a walk, eat, sleep, and come back right to your blogging business. Easy peasy!

If you feel tired at any point in your blog writing, you can take a pause, stretch out and continue from where you left off.

2.Build Connection

Even though connecting digitally may not be the best way to build a relationship, blogging has proven otherwise.

When you pen down your deep feelings and ideas about a subject matter, the chances are that there are lots of people with the same school of thought. As such, your blog writing is a way for them to connect to you.

3.Get More Customers/Clients

Customers are an essential factor for business owners. When you blog about the latest news in town, products, or ideas, it is a way of driving new clients to your site.

Internet users are hungry for valuable information on so many topics. Those who get this logic are already making money from blogging.

If you can supply comprehensive and helpful answers to users’ questions, they will naturally connect with you, making it easy for you to pitch whatever product you have to them.

See it this way; you scratch their back, they scratch yours back.

4.Productivity

Many experienced bloggers will testify to this fact. Blogging has a natural way of energizing you. As a blogger, everything you see around you is blog-worthy.

The blogging power and unending ideas boost your morale and make you put in the necessary effort.

5.Establish Authority

When you talk about a topic frequently, it won’t take time to establish yourself as a knowledgeable person in the industry. That is what consistency does to you.

Besides, when your audience sees how valuable your blog content is, they connect with your easily.

It boosts your blogging image, and you become a go-to person when they need anything in the field you choose.

Now that you are clear on why you need to start blogging, wouldn’t it better to know the benefits of blogging? What is in it for you if you create a blogging business?

What are the Benefits of Blogging?

1. Blogging is a means to build a strong foundation for your business.
2. Starting a blog helps you create connections with your customers and new customers.
3. Blogging drives traffic to your website.
4. It is a means to improve your brand awareness.
5. Blogging enhances your writing skill as you practice every day.
6. As a consistent and professional blogger, your audience will trust you better.
7. Blogging is a means to help other people by providing valuable content they need.
8. Blogging can help you generate more leads and sales.
9. Blog writing is a great way to influence a group of people.
10. Blogging is a way to build your passion and ideas.

Let us check how you can create your blog in Eight Simple Steps.

Eight Simple Steps to Create Your Blog

1.Choose the Right Blog Niche

A niche is the subject matter on which you want to focus. It is the field where you plan to build your blog content around.

(Image by Kardono Kardono from Pixabay)

Some of the bugging question people ask when they are about to start a blog are ‘Which topic should I write? How do you create a blog idea? From where will I start? What is the best blogging niche?

These questions are typical, but you need to understand certain things. First, blogging has to do with writing on a particular idea or concept.

You can’t just write about any topic that comes to your mind; you have to pick a specific subject matter.

So, how do you know a particular topic is the right one. Simple! Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I like to do?
• What is/are my passions?
• What can I talk about passionately without getting paid?
• What do people usually ask me to do?
• What do I love to do even though I don’t know how?

Get a piece of paper and write a list of everything that sparks your interest without skipping a part. After this process, take another step by narrowing the list down to 5 topics, two topics, then one.

The chances are that the last topic standing is what you will enjoy doing the most. Now, go further to ask yourself another set of questions:

• Will I get tired of blogging about this topic in a year or two?
• If I don’t make enough money on the field, will I continue?
• Can I get enough content on the subject matter?
• Am I ready to research more on the topic?
• Do I have an audience for my blog title?

These questions are crucial ones on your way to making a name and income for yourself. While your passion will get you through the blogging door, the relevance of your topic will determine your success.

You need to try your best to find the audience for your topic. Believe this - there is always a market for every idea, concept, and product out there. Once you have decided on a topic, move on to the next stage.

 

2.Select the Right Blogging Platform

As a new blog writer, you will need the right blogging platform to set your foot on the internet. These platforms must have a big audience and provide valuable ideas to help you build a profitable blog.

Thankfully, there are many free platforms out there to start a blog and make money. One such platform is Medium.

Medium is a blogging platform that helps new bloggers to build an audience. Many of the established bloggers you see on the internet these days started from Medium.

You can build your audience on Medium, attract customers, and generate sales if you have a product or service to sell. In essence, Medium helps you start a blog with no money.

 

(Image from Medium)

WordPress is a popular web platform controlling about 27% of all websites. Notable companies like Mercedes-Benz, BBC America, Sony Music, and Beyonce using it

WordPress offers unlimited plugins, customizations, designs, and so on for free. However, to fully utilize WordPress’s excellent benefits, you need to buy a hosting plan and a domain name.

Nevertheless, do not let these mini expenses deter you from forging ahead in your blogging. These are just minor expenses compared to the benefits WordPress provides.

Other free blogging platforms are LinkedIn, WordPress.com, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

3.Choose a Catchy Domain Name

A domain name describes your website or, better put, it is your website’s name. You may not have observed until now, but what attracts you to most websites is the name they carry.

For example, Googletrends.com, Medium.com, and Nike.com are domain names.

First, you need to choose a domain platform to create your domain name. A few of the best domain name websites are GoDaddy, Lead Domain Search, and Name Mesh.

It is not just enough to choose a domain name; you have to select a catchy phrase for the audience. For instance, a domain name like bloggerdomain.com tells us one thing - the blog is for bloggers.

(Image by Stories from Freepik)

Similarly, keywordplanner.net is another domain name that speaks to the audience; the name suggests that the web page is on keyword planner. Before you select a domain name for your blog, check the following:

• Make the name short; you want people to remember your website name easily.
• Avoid names with hyphens and digits, such as domain124.com, as they can be hard to remember.
• Ensure your blog domain name ends with .com, except a government organization blog (.gov) or journals (.org).
• Pick a name that is related to your niche.
• It must be easy to pronounce.

 

4.Buy a Web Hosting Plan

A web host houses all the websites on the internet. It sounds like you are paying rent to live in a house. This time around, your web page is the one that needs a home from a web host.

You only pay a certain amount of fee to keep your website running and functioning, keep essential details and data, provide customer support and secure your website.

Some web hosting platforms include HostGator, SiteGround, Bluehost, and Hostinger. Their plans and cost vary, so you might want to do more research on the different features they offer.

 

5.Install WordPress

WordPress is an open-to-all content management system on the internet. It is open to everyone and easy to plug into any web hosting platform.

It manages all kinds of content and allows users to use different themes and plug-ins to customize their website in any way they want.

 

(Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay)

Many web host platforms make the installation of WordPress a walk in the park. To install WordPress, head over to WordPress and click on start a website.

Create your log-in details featuring Admin email, username, and password. Click on confirm to continue and log in to your WordPress dashboard.

6.Customize Your Blog by Installing a Theme

Theme shows the look of your website, and there is a gazillion of themes from which you can choose. Astra offers a range of free themes as well as paid ones (.Astra Pro).

 

(Image from Elementor)

If you want advanced themes that let you customize your website to your choice, it is best to pick Elementor Pro. Select the WordPress Theme that fits your blogging goals and budget. Download and install it in your WordPress login details.

7.Start Writing Now!

(Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay)

Yes! You have to start writing immediately. Content writing is the soul of every website out there. Without tangible ideas or topics, your website will remain static till the world ends.

You have to think about what to create and how you want to create it, so internet users can find it helpful. To start writing, you need to:

• Create a list of content ideas.
• Research trending keywords by using Google Trends or Google Keyword Planner.
• Create catchy and hooking headlines (It should get the reader to open the blog.
• Write faster.
• Enhance your writing skills.
• Write, write, and write.

1. Content Ideas

If you want a blog post that hooks the reader and makes them stay longer on your website, creates a list of relevant content ideas. These ideas describe relevant topics that users are looking for which are compelling and engaging.

Blogging these days have taken a new shape, thanks to every day update and changes to search engines. For instance, a few years ago, any content with specific keywords will get featured on Google.

These days, however, your content must be valuable, detailed, and comprehensive for a web crawler to identify it as a good source of information.

SEMRUSH and UberSuggest let you see a list of relevant content ideas to write a blog post. They even let you spy on your competitors to know the topics they are creating and the process they use.

b.Keyword

In your blog post, ensure you use relevant and high-quality keywords. These are phrases and terms used by internet users when searching for something on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

These keywords are a way of entering your audience’s mind. You know what they look and search for, and you provide them. The keyword is one of the ways search engines recognize websites and rank them higher than others.

Search engines value the experience of users and would do anything to give them the answers they want. It will be best to create content with relevant and quality keywords you play into search engines’ hands.

As mentioned earlier, Google Trends, UberSuggest, Google Keyword Planner focus on cataloging users’ keywords and terms.

c.Catchy Headlines

Before you create your headlines, you need to understand that internet users are very busy individuals. Besides, with 7.5 million posts daily, it can be challenging for users not to get distracted.

Hence, you must create headlines that spark the readers’ curiosity and make them want to read more.

To create hooking headlines, you have to keep the following in mind:

• You must understand your audience’s needs and interests.
• Your headlines must contain relevant keywords that users use.
• It must solve a problem for your audience.
• Use the 4 Wh- words - why, what, where, and when.
• Go straight to the point.

d.Write Faster

Deadlines are a big part of a blogger’s job. To stay consistent, you have to post your blog content regularly.

To post regularly, you need to write faster to meet up and not make your audience wait for you.

Remember, there is much content on the internet, and if your audience notices that you are not consistent, they will move on to the next available blog. We don’t want that. They are your audience; find a convenient way to keep them and make them want more of your content.

e.Enhance Your Writing Skill

No matter how good you are, there is always room for improvement. One of the pitfalls that can make your audience lose interest in you is blunders and errors in your writing.

First, it confuses them and makes you look irresponsible. Secondly, it shows you are not an authority in your field.

Whichever language you choose to write, ensure you constantly look for ways to be better at it. Good delivery of language makes readers understand your message.

Even if you have got the best and valuable ideas, a flawed use of language will undermine your effort. Grammarly and Copyspace are some of the best writing tools online.

They identify your errors and suggest different ways to improve them. They also offer a plagiarism function, so you can figure out if you have copied others’ words.

f.Write, write, and write.

The best way to be better at what you do is to practice every day. Practice writing every day, even on days you are not posting on your blogs.

Be diversified, and write on other fields aside from your niche. It is best to at least write for 20 minutes per day. It keeps you in check and refines your skill.

8. Drive Traffic to Your Blog, and Promote It

Now that you have set up your blog and started writing, it is time to create your audience base.

It is normal to have a low or no audience at the inception of your blog. You are new to the system, and so it will be challenging for people to recognize you and your work. Even when you create the most valuable content, there may not be a ready audience for you.

You can’t expect a sudden influx of audience to your website; you have to do the work. You have to make your audience feel your presence. Let your audience know you can offer great ideas through your blog posts.

As much as you write, you also have to advertise your blog so that people can notice you. How do you promote your blog? You can promote your blog by doing the following:

1. Leverage on Social Media: An internet user spends an average of 143 minutes per day on social media. This statistics means a large percentage of your audience is on social media. Select any of Twitter, Facebook, Quora, or Instagram to promote your business.

(Image by Pixelkult from Pixabay)

2. Comment on other blog posts: Another way people can notice you is to comment on popular blogs and social media posts. However, keep in mind that your opinions have to be genuine and logical.
3. Connect with influencers: Influencers are social media users who have built credibility for themselves in a particular subject matter. They usually have a vast audience who trust them.

You can reach out to these people on either Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media platforms to introduce you to their audience. The introduction may come in the form of links, a blog post share, or direct references.

To get the right influencer, research the big names in your niche, follow them, and reach out to them.

4. Paid advertisement: Paid ads may not be a good idea if you are just starting. However, it is worth the shot once you have reached about 1000 or 1500 followers.

Key Take Away

In this article, we have examined how you can start a blog without paying. We also looked at why you should consider getting your blog and some of the benefits attached to it.

By now, you should be thinking of how to start a blog website. While many people will read this blog post and move past, you should think otherwise. The advantages of blogging go beyond writing and are more of making a significant impact.

In the beginning, it may look like no one notices or appreciates your work. That’s fine. It happens to the best of us. However, look at the bright side and look at what you will achieve in years to stay consistent and continue honing your skill.

Some individuals say the blogging market is saturated, yet people create millions of blogs every day. Could there be something these blog owners see that you don’t? Well, you can only find out if you start blogging.

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