Despite what you may have heard, a blog is an effective way to earn money online.
It wasn’t that long ago, that a mentor of mine was showing me how he was making well over $250k writing short posts on a couple of websites.
It’s also great for beginners.
Here’s why a blog is great for your business or to start as a business:
1. Small Upfront Investment: You can start a blog for free or almost free depending on how you want to do it.
2. Start as a Side Hustle: You can start blogging part-time and turn it full-time if you want.
3. 100% Remote: All you need to work on your blog is a computer and internet.
4. Global Reach: Everyone in the world can see your blog and it works around the clock.
5. Cannot Be Shut Down or Censored: Your blog is your space. You aren’t subject to rules like social media.
Here are the steps to quickly getting a blog set up so you can start making money while you sleep.
Step 1 – Pick Your Niche
Selecting the right niche is where a lot of people get stuck.
You likely have some idea in mind.
If you don’t, just pick one.
It’s ok, just pick one.
Highly profitable niches are in health, wealth, and relationships.
If you are an expert in something, talk about that.
If it’s very technical, just make sure there is an audience big enough for you to attract.
Stay on topic.
A fitness blog should not be getting into politics, unless it’s a president’s workout routine or diet.
To determine your niche, you may find the book “Choose” by Ryan Levesque helpful.
If you click that link, the kindle version is like $9.99.
The most successful blog niches often involve transformation.
You can share your story and help others learn how to transform from their current state to the desired outcome.
Great niches have competition.
If there’s little to no competition in your chosen niche, it’s a red flag.
Step 2 – Pick Your Domain Name
Your domain name is your professional name on the internet.
It’s your unique online identity, and no one else in the world will have the same one as you.
So, it’s essential to choose a domain name that reflects your identity and ideas.
It could be your own name, your company name, or even a unique, made-up name.
Be creative, but don’t let this hold you up from moving forward.
Avoid niche-specific names, keep it short and memorable, steer clear of hyphens and underscores, and prioritize the .com extension whenever possible.
Also, make sure the domain name is easy to spell and remember, and be cautious of any unintended alternative meanings.
If you’re unsure about a domain name, consider using your personal name, which is the simplest approach.
When it comes to domain registrars, there are many options, but it’s advisable to obtain your domain from the same place where you’re hosting your blog.
Some web hosting providers, like Bluehost, offer a free domain name for the first year, making it a convenient choice.
Think about what people might be searching for online related to your niche.
Do not spend thousands on a domain as a beginner.
It should only cost you few dollars.
Step 3 – Get Web Hosting
Yes, you read that right—web hosting is an investment you should make.
You can use sites like medium.com but if you want to be taken seriously, you should have your own site and space.
It looks more professional and gives you more options later if you decide to build an email list (which you should).
Furthermore, free website builders come with limitations on what you can sell and not being able to run ads.
They can also hinder your ranking on Google and other search engines.
For the price of a monthly Starbucks coffee, you can set up your own blog and do it in under 30 minutes.
For hosting, I recommend Bluehost.
Bluehost has been in the web hosting industry since 2003 and hosts over 2 million websites.
It’s even recommended by WordPress.org.
Sign up for Bluehost here: Click Here To Get Bluehost
You only need the basic plan to get started.
Next, you can choose your domain name during the setup process.
If you’re having trouble coming up with a domain name, you can do that later.
It’s more important to take action and start your blog than to agonize over the perfect domain name.
The 12-month plan is the best deal and also helps you commit to doing this thing for a year instead of “trying it out” for a month.
You can still cancel your hosting within the first 30 days if you’re not satisfied.
Once that’s done, use Bluehost’s WordPress blog setup.
Just follow their instructions.
If you run into trouble, they have really great support.
Step 4 – Setup Your Blog
Spend some time finding a WordPress theme and get some pictures and things put in there.
There are free theme options and some paid ones if you find one you want to buy instead.
You can always change your theme later, so don’t stress out too much over this part.
Just pick one and adjust later.
Step 5 – Create Your First Blog Post
Now that you’ve completed the previous steps, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start writing your first blog post.
Blog posts are great for search engines because they have several words and sentences to crawl through so they can get it in front of people searching for your topic.
You have to write content consistently.
Decide what you can commit and stick to permanently.
If it’s once a week, then make sure you write a post every single week.
At the end of a year there should be 52 posts on your blog.
Focus on your audience’s needs rather than your own.
Prioritize quality.
Post your blog links on all your social media and Pinterest.
Blogging is a long game.
As your audience grows, you can start promoting products on your blog.
These can be your products or affiliate products of others.
You can also let google run ads on your website and pay you for the space.
Write great posts and your blog will amass a giant following and you can decide to use it forever to earn any amount of money you want, or sell it and go do something else.
Keep doing research and get better every post.
That’s all there is to it.
Here’s to your success.
If you liked this article, be sure to check these out:
Turn Your Social Media Into Profit: A Step-By-Step Guide
Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it