How To Start a Blog And Make Money in 2024

Beginning a weblog is an thrilling journey. You get to share your data, develop a following, and earn a important earnings whereas at it.

However to create a weblog that pulls readers, you must do it proper.

We’re right here to assist. Over the previous decade, we’ve constructed (and bought) many profitable blogs and have guided over 15,000 folks in creating their very own. Try a small pattern of what our blogs have earned:

To show you how to obtain related outcomes, we’ve put collectively this 11-step information to launching a worthwhile weblog.

Why Start A Blog

There are many good causes to begin a weblog, however probably the most thrilling one is that you would be able to become profitable running a blog.

How a lot are you able to earn? Affiliate internet marketing is without doubt one of the finest methods to monetize a weblog. Our internet affiliate marketing stats present that the common affiliate marketer makes over $8,000 month-to-month.

We’ve additionally bought a few blogs for six figures. Many individuals don’t notice you’re creating a worthwhile asset you may promote once you construct a weblog.

You’ll additionally construct a group by establishing belief and loyalty together with your readers. You’ll be the chief of your individual tribe – a thought chief in your area of interest or subject. How cool is that?

Plus, it’s simply plain enjoyable! In the event you love writing, it’s a nice technique to channel your ardour, uncover new issues, and join with like-minded folks.

Examples Of Profitable Blogs

Earlier than beginning your weblog, it’s a good thought to see what profitable blogs that become profitable are doing so you may emulate their ways.

Listed below are a few examples of standard blogs in varied niches to encourage you:

Contemporary Off the Grid

Contemporary Off the Grid is a weblog for out of doors fans. Most of its posts are about tenting recipes, nevertheless it additionally covers mountaineering, tenting, and backpacking.

Visit the site

The Hawaii Trip Information

The Hawaii Trip Information is an genuine journey weblog that helps folks plan each side of their go to to Hawaii.

Visit the site

Cup of Jo

Cup of Jo is a life-style weblog began by Joanna Goddard in 2018. She writes about type, tradition, meals, journey, relationships, and parenting.

Visit the site

How To Start A Blog In 11 Steps

Prepared to begin a weblog of your individual? Right here’s our step-by-step information to beginning a weblog in any area of interest:

1 Slender Down Your Area of interest

It'd sound enjoyable to jot down about any subject that involves thoughts. However it's essential to choose a area of interest to construct a actual viewers and earn cash.

Start by desirous about what you’re obsessed with. Whereas it’s vital to guage your area of interest for site visitors and incomes potential – which we’ll do in a bit – ardour and data are key for beginning a weblog in 2024.

In the event you want some inspiration, try our record of the perfect niches for internet affiliate marketing.

You can too learn one in every of our guides on how one can begin a weblog in particular niches:

After getting a few concepts, it’s time to begin qualifying them. That is a essential step – with out it, you would spend years constructing a weblog with little probability of success.

First, think about how broad every subject is. Broader subjects are usually tougher to succeed with as a result of they compete extra with established blogs.

In the event you assume your subject is perhaps too broad, break it into extra achievable sub-niches.

This may additionally increase your incomes potential. Sub-niches are usually simpler to rank for on Google and may entice a extra focused viewers that's extra prone to spend cash.

Let’s use the journey area of interest for instance. Writing about subjects most vacationers have an interest in — like opinions of standard locations or frequent journey suggestions — may have you competing in opposition to large web sites like Nomadic Matt or Lonely Planet.

Whenever you get extra particular, rating on engines like google like Google will get simpler.

• Finances journey: A weblog about discovering inexpensive lodging, flights, and actions.
• Solo journey: Cowl the newest traits and suggestions for touring alone safely.
• Off-the-beaten-path locations: Talk about distinctive, lesser-known locations to go to world wide.
• Backpack opinions: Analyze the newest journey packs for elements like sturdiness and practicality.
• Journey pictures: Share beautiful pictures and suggestions for capturing wonderful photographs whereas touring.

When you’ve recognized a promising sub-niche, verify for person curiosity and incomes potential. One of the best ways to do that is to search for different thriving blogs in that sub-niche.

Right here’s a easy step-by-step course of:

Listing profitable blogs in the area of interest. Yow will discover standard blogs utilizing a weblog aggregator like Detailed. Or plug a weblog into the Ahrefs Website Explorer to see its “Organic Competitors” report.

Analyze their site visitors. You are able to do this with a free trial of SE Rating. The Aggressive Analysis report will present you ways a lot site visitors it will get.

Examine curiosity with Google Developments. Enter the sub-niches you’re contemplating to see how they stack up in opposition to each other.

For extra assist selecting a area of interest, watch our area of interest choice video:

It’s OK to spend a few days weighing your choices. However don’t take too lengthy – it’s higher to choose one thing and get began than to overthink it for weeks.

2 Select a Running a blog Platform

Along with your weblog’s area of interest chosen, you’re prepared to decide on a running a blog platform.

A running a blog platform is a service that gives the instruments wanted to create, publish, and handle a weblog on-line.

There are many running a blog platforms on the market. Many rookies gravitate towards free running a blog platforms like Medium or Blogger as a result of they’re simple to make use of and arrange.

Nonetheless, these free platforms even have some drawbacks:

• The customization choices are restricted. Your weblog’s design and performance shall be much like all the opposite blogs on the platform, making it exhausting to face out.
• It’s difficult to monetize with a free running a blog platform.
• The platform decides what you may and may’t submit.

You’re higher off constructing a web site for max management over your weblog and its success. Listed below are a number of the advantages:

• You've whole management of how your weblog seems, feels, and works.
• No one can shut your weblog down. Your weblog content material is yours.
• A self-hosted website is less complicated to monetize than a free running a blog platform. You possibly can earn cash by displaying adverts, including affiliate hyperlinks to weblog content material, promoting merchandise, and so on.
• You possibly can drive free site visitors through social media and search engine marketing (search engine optimization). search engine optimization offers you some management over your weblog’s visibility on engines like google.
• By constructing an e-mail record, you may diversify your site visitors sources, which may help defend your site visitors from the volatility of search engine algorithms.

When constructing a web site, we advocate WordPress.org. (FYI: That is not the identical as WordPress.com.)

Not solely is it free, however constructing a self-hosted WordPress weblog additionally offers you entry to hundreds of themes and plugins. You should utilize these to customise how your website seems and capabilities.

3 Select Your Area Title

Subsequent, you’ll select a weblog area identify.

A website identify is a distinctive deal with together with your weblog identify and a area extension. For instance, our area identify is “authorityhacker”, and we use the .com extension.

Your area identify shall be the very first thing folks see in the search engine outcomes pages (SERPs) and can set your model identification. So, make it depend! It ought to be catchy and memorable and make a good first impression.

Listed below are a few suggestions for choosing a area identify:

• Make it brief and easy: Restrict it to six–14 characters, and keep away from hard-to-spell phrases.
• Select one thing memorable: Create a weblog identify that’s catchy and straightforward to pronounce. It will come in useful with word-of-mouth promoting.
• Keep away from hyphens and numbers: These may be complicated, particularly if somebody is attempting to share your weblog with another person.
• Choose a .com area: .com domains present a sense of familiarity and belief. In the event you’ve discovered a nice area that isn’t out there as a .com, you may think about a .com different.
• Think about branding: For consistency, guarantee your weblog’s identify is out there on every social media platform. Use Brandsnag to do that rapidly.
• Assume long-term: A broader identify can open the door to increasing later, even for those who’re going with a particular sub-niche.

The appropriate area could make or break your model. So, if one doesn’t come naturally, you should utilize an AI device like Brandsnap that will help you generate concepts.

This video explains the way it works:

When you resolve on a area identify, it's good to purchase it. We advocate Namecheap. It supplies every thing you want for an inexpensive $10/yr worth.

4 Purchase Internet Internet hosting

Now that you've got a area identify, you should purchase hosting.

An internet host supplies the required infrastructure to retailer, handle, and present your WordPress weblog on-line.

Many individuals advocate Bluehost as a result of it’s inexpensive. Nonetheless, SiteGround provides far more worth at a barely greater worth.

Right here’s a step-by-step information to securing hosting by way of SiteGround:

Step 1: Go to SiteGround’s WordPress Internet hosting web page.

Step 2: Choose the most affordable hosting plan (StartUp). It has all of the fundamentals that a new WordPress weblog wants.

Notice: As a new SiteGround buyer, you’ll save ~80% on hosting throughout your first yr. They’ll invoice you on the regular price when your plan renews.

Step 3: Select “Existing Domain” and enter your area.

Step 4: Enter your account and site data.

Step 5: Add cost information and select a subscription interval. The 12-month plan provides you with the perfect deal.

Step 6: Skip the additional companies supplied. You received’t want any of those for a new weblog.

Step 7: Level your area to your SiteGround server. This tutorial walks you thru how to do that.

It’s actually that easy. Your WordPress website is now stay and able to go!

5 Select a Theme for Your Blog

With hosting secured, it’s time to resolve the way you need your website to look. Meaning selecting a WordPress theme to customise your weblog’s framework and structure.

Your weblog’s theme ought to match its area of interest and your model, nevertheless it also needs to be user-friendly. So, search for one with easy navigation, fast load speeds, and a responsive and customizable design.

Many rookies begin with a free weblog theme, however I don’t advocate this. Whereas their primary options are high quality initially, you’ll encounter limitations as your website grows, and switching themes may be difficult.

That’s why we advocate free themes with an improve choice. Whenever you want extra options, you may simply improve to premium.

Our favourite freemium themes are Astra, Kadence, and GeneratePress.

All three are nice selections for rookies. All of them include free variations and huge template libraries and are simple to tailor to any weblog area of interest.

⭐️ MOST TEMPLATES

Astra

A light-weight and quick WordPress theme with easy and efficient customization choices.

Get Astra

EASY TO USE

Kadence

A user-friendly WordPress theme that includes a code-free drag-and-drop header + footer builder.

Get Kadence

FASTEST

GeneratePress

A clear, high-speed WordPress theme plus an intensive library of pre-built demo websites.

Get GP

When you’ve selected a theme, set up it on WordPress. Right here’s the method:

Step 1: Signal into your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Within the left sidebar, choose Look after which Themes.

Step 3: Click on Add New.

Step 4: Seek for the theme, after which click on Activate.

Congrats! You’ve efficiently put in your theme! Mess around with the settings and tweak them to your liking.

6 Set up Vital Plugins

Plugins are further add-ons that enhance your website’s performance and aesthetic.

You don’t want plugins, however they make elevating your WordPress web site’s efficiency simple.

Listed below are some important plugins for beginning a WordPress weblog:

• RankMath: A strong search engine optimization plugin that optimizes your web site for engines like google, providing options like key phrase optimization, schema markup, and content material evaluation.
• Lasso: An environment friendly internet affiliate marketing plugin that streamlines the administration and presentation of your affiliate hyperlinks and merchandise, making it simpler to monetize your content material.
• WPRocket: A high-performance caching plugin that improves your web site’s loading pace, enhancing person expertise and search engine rankings.
• LinkWhisper: An revolutionary AI-driven device that simplifies creating inside hyperlinks, saving you effort and time whereas enhancing your website’s construction and search engine optimization.

To discover extra useful instruments on your new weblog, try our record of the perfect on-line advertising and marketing instruments.

7 Resolve on Design + Branding

The subsequent step in your running a blog journey is establishing your branding and caring for some website design fundamentals.

You’ll give attention to two key design components — a colour palette and a brand. Each will decide how others see and keep in mind your weblog. Additionally they set up your “identity,” add aesthetic attraction, and guarantee consistency.

First, select 3–5 colours that go properly collectively and tie into your area of interest. For instance, a soccer weblog may use inexperienced and white, whereas a mother weblog would mesh higher with pastels. Attempt to keep away from clashing colours which can be robust on the eyes.

I like to recommend utilizing a colour palette generator like Coolors to create a colour scheme for you.

Subsequent comes your brand.

Your brand ought to suit your weblog’s theme, colour scheme, and area of interest. Not solely will or not it's how customers keep in mind your model, nevertheless it’ll additionally trace on the weblog subjects you cowl and who your viewers is.

One of many easiest methods to design a brand is with Canva. Search “[your niche] logo” to find hundreds of choices.

As soon as you discover a template you want, don’t neglect to edit it to incorporate your weblog identify and colour palette!

8 Create Important Pages

It’s time to get a few necessary pages in your website.

Homepage

That is the primary weblog web page customers see after they sort in your area. It ought to convey what your website is about, direct readers to the content material they want, and present your newest weblog posts.

About Web page

That is the place you’ll introduce your self to and join with readers. Use this web page to element why you began your weblog and your experience in the area of interest.

Contact Web page

That is the place guests can learn to join with you. At a minimal, it ought to embody a contact kind, e-mail deal with, and social media hyperlinks.

Privateness Coverage + Phrases & Situations Pages

These weblog pages clarify to readers how they'll use your website and the way you’ll use their information. You possibly can generate these pages free of charge on PrivacyPolicies.com.

Creating weblog pages in WordPress takes simply a few clicks. Out of your WordPress dashboard, choose Pages in the left sidebar after which Add New.

9 Start Creating Content material

It’s lastly time to start writing and publishing weblog content material.

It’s tempting to jot down about no matter you need in your area of interest. Nonetheless, similar to area of interest choice, there’s a course of you should utilize to qualify your weblog submit concepts for site visitors potential.

This technique is named creating keyword-focused content material.

A keyword-focused technique entails focusing on key phrases individuals are already trying to find on engines like google like Google.

In the event you cowl the subject properly, engines like google will “reward” you with greater rankings in the search engine outcomes pages. This drives extra natural site visitors to your website and helps your weblog articles rank early.

Nonetheless, you may’t simply choose any area of interest subject and count on tons of tourists.

The most well-liked key phrases are extremely aggressive and dominated by well-known websites. Since Google prefers established websites over new blogs, your weblog submit is not going to see a lot site visitors.

Fortunately, you will get round this by focusing on low-competition key phrases that also have respectable month-to-month quantity.

Brainstorm weblog subjects by doing key phrase analysis on Ahrefs’ Key phrase Explorer. Right here’s what we get after we plug in “solo female travel” and seek for associated key phrases:

Taking a look at these key phrases, we have already got a few new weblog submit concepts:

• 15 Finest Locations In The US For Solo Feminine Journey
• Is New Orleans Protected For Solo Feminine Journey?
• Solo Feminine Journey Over 50: The Full Information

Use this course of with totally different seed key phrases till you've got 10 weblog submit concepts. Then, you’re prepared to indicate off your writing abilities and publish your first weblog submit!

When writing, keep in mind the following pointers to make sure you create the very best content material:

• Create a catchy title. Write a headline that grabs consideration and clearly exhibits what your weblog submit is about, so folks wish to click on and browse extra.
• Keep on-topic. Follow your principal thought with out going off-topic, so readers and Google can simply perceive what your submit is targeted on.
• Discuss to your viewers. Use a pleasant, easy-to-read writing type that sounds such as you’re conversing together with your reader.
• Add visuals. Add photos, movies, or graphics to your submit to make it extra fascinating and assist clarify your factors.
• Make it skimmable. Make your submit simple to scan utilizing bullet factors, headings, and brief paragraphs, so readers can rapidly discover the components they need.
• Study search engine optimization fundamentals. Use vital key phrases in your title, headings, and submit, and hyperlink to different pages in your website to assist your submit seem in search outcomes.
• Foster person engagement. Ask a query or recommend an motion on the finish of your posts to get readers to go away feedback, and reply to their feedback to construct a pleasant group round your weblog.

An important rule of all: be useful. Google prefers to rank posts that present real worth to readers, so guarantee your weblog content material is informative and interesting.

10 Promote Your Blog

As you retain creating content material, site visitors will begin to move to your weblog. However you may pace issues up by actively selling your website.

Listed below are some good methods to drive extra guests:

• Get social. Create social media profiles on your weblog to achieve a wider viewers. Hyperlink to your social accounts out of your weblog and share your weblog posts on social media. This two-way site visitors funnel can increase your readership.
• Be a visitor blogger. Attain out to profitable bloggers in your area of interest and provide to jot down a visitor submit. They get free content material, and also you get publicity to their viewers by together with a hyperlink to your weblog. It’s a win-win!
• Be a part of the dialog. Hop on standard boards like Reddit and Quora and share your data. Create an account utilizing your identify, and supply useful, insightful solutions to questions in your area of interest. This showcases your experience and attracts readers to your weblog.
• Become involved regionally. Attend or host occasions and meetups associated to your weblog’s subject. This helps you construct a native following and encourages folks to go to your website to be taught extra.

Simply keep in mind, preserve your promotion ways genuine. Spamming hyperlinks will solely flip folks off.

Give attention to offering real worth, and also you’ll naturally entice a loyal viewers to your weblog.

11 Monetize Your Blog

Now that you simply’ve acquired a regular move of tourists to your weblog, it’s time for probably the most rewarding half — turning your exhausting work into money.

There are numerous methods to monetize a weblog, however I’ll give attention to the 4 hottest strategies.

Affiliate Advertising and marketing

Suggest services or products you’ve used and loved. When readers click on your affiliate hyperlink and buy, you earn a fee.

Why It’s Nice: You receives a commission on your suggestions, and your viewers will get curated product ideas from somebody they belief.

Get Began: Study the fundamentals with our newbie’s information to internet affiliate marketing. We even have a record of the perfect affiliate packages for brand new bloggers.

Show Adverts

Enable adverts to be proven in your weblog and receives a commission a small quantity every time they’re seen or clicked.

Why It’s Nice:  You earn passive earnings from each customer, even when they don’t click on the adverts. It’s the simplest type of monetization and a smart way for a new weblog

Get Began: New blogs ought to begin with beginner-friendly advert networks like Ezoic. When you get extra site visitors, you may be a part of higher-paying networks like Mediavine or Raptive.

Promote Your Personal Merchandise

There are two principal methods to promote merchandise in your weblog.

Create and promote bodily merchandise, like branded merchandise. Or develop digital merchandise like on-line programs, ebooks, memberships, subscriptions, or companies.

Why It’s Nice: Promoting merchandise maximizes your earnings, and your readers get an superior product.

Get Began: Think about what forms of merchandise your audience can be most in shopping for. One choice is to make a model of your top-performing affiliate product.

Promote Sponsored Posts

Companion with corporations to create sponsored content material that promotes their services or products to your viewers.

Why It’s Nice: Sponsored posts permit you to earn earnings by creating content material that aligns together with your weblog’s area of interest and supplies worth to your readers. It’s a win-win scenario the place you receives a commission, and your viewers discovers related services or products.

Get Began: Make a “Work With Us” web page that explains your partnership necessities. Pinch of Yum has a nice Sponsored Content page you may emulate. You can too attain out to corporations in your area of interest and provide to create sponsored content material that includes their services or products.

Summing Up

We’ve lined a lot of knowledge right here, and it’s sufficient to get you began.

However there’s a lot extra I wasn’t capable of cowl.

There’s a lot of nuance concerned in constructing a profitable weblog, and there wasn’t room in this submit to cowl a number of the only ways for rising your site visitors and creating wealth.

However don’t fear. We made a free coaching to make sure you can nonetheless get that information.

This coaching covers 7 hard-won secrets and techniques and techniques we’ve realized in our 10+ years of constructing blogs. Our exams present it will probably make your new weblog 83% extra profitable.

That is the following step for those who’re critical about constructing a thriving, profit-generating weblog.

Be a part of the free coaching now.