Want to learn how to start a blog in 2023 and make money?
You may have come across videos and content saying how easy it is to make money blogging.
Let me dispel that straight away, it’s possible, but not “easy”.
I want to be transparent with you, as your time is valuable and blogging requires a lot of it.
To save you time and accelerate your learning I have created this comprehensive guide.
Now you will have information and strategies from an actual blogger who is building traffic monthly.
So let’s get to it, step one…
Find A Profitable Niche
Our first step to creating our money-making blog is an important one, mess this up and you won’t make a penny.
You’re going to need to pick a profitable niche, below are the top 10 niches to make money from:
- Personal Finance
- Travel
- Parenting
- Making money online
- Health and Fitness
- Recipes and food
- Home Decor
- Person development
- Dating and relationships
- Marketing
Once you’ve decided on a niche, try to niche down within that niche.
Example: within the Personal Finance niche you have sub niches like Investing, Saving and Budgeting.
If you can zero in on a sub-niche. Create blog posts around this area first. Then move on to another area within your main niche.
Google will take notice of your blog as it will recognise your authority within that area.
(More info about Google traffic later)
Pick Your Blog Name
It’s now time to pick a name for your blog.
Your blog’s name is what readers will see first, so try and make it memorable and have a word from your niche in it.
For example, I’ve chosen Thecomfortmoney.com because this blog is about personal finance and making money.
Picking a word from your niche will not only help readers know what your blog is about from the start, but it will be very useful from an SEO standpoint too (more on this later)
Common Questions Around Picking A Blog Name:
What if I can’t think of a name?
Have a look at similar blogs within your chosen niche and take some inspiration from them.
Another way to drum up some ideas is to brainstorm with words from your niche and mix them. This helped me when I was starting.
Can I change the name of my blog later?
Yes, it is possible to change your blog name later. You’ll need to buy a new domain and get your hosting company to point your website to the new domain.
Get Your Blog Online (Web Hosting)
Ok, you have a name, now it’s time to get your blog online!
This is where a hosting company comes in.
Hosting is where all your blog posts and website will be stored, a bit like when you have online storage with your phone, your phone company keeps photos and videos stored on the cloud for a small fee.
The hosting provider I use is Bluehost, they’ve been around forever and are great for beginners. They’re also super helpful when you’re starting out as they have an online chat to answer any questions.
This can be the most daunting part when your start a blog. The tech side is where a lot of people get stuck and give up.
Bluehost have great support and someone is always there to help in the online chat. So don’t hesitate to ask for help if you get stuck.
Design your blog
WordPress.org is the most popular place to build your website. Now, I’m going to be completely transparent with you, WordPress has a steep learning curve, but stick at it.
To put your mind at rest it’s just like riding a bike, you’ll fall a couple of times, but after a few attempts you’ll master it.
You’re going to need to pick a free WordPress theme. Astra and Kadence are popular ones which are fully customisable.
If you’re ever going to be a successful blogger that makes money, then you’ll need to get traffic from Google.
The first page of the Google search results is the holy grail for bloggers. This is every blogger’s aim when they’re writing a new blog post.
This is where SEO comes in (Search Engine Optimisation). To get Google to love your content you’ll need to include keywords from the topic you’re writing about.
For example, this post is about “How to start a blog”. This is the keyword I’m targeting for this blog post.
So you need to include the keyword in the title and the headings throughout the article, not too much though otherwise, we will be “keyword stuffing”, which Google doesn’t like.
Another SEO strategy is to look at the “people also ask section” in the search results.
You should include these questions in your blog post. Use them as headings and answer them below.
Google loves this because people are searching for these related questions and if you answer these in your blog post then you’re doing it a favour.
Write Your First Blog Post
There is a bit of a secret formula to writing a great blog post that doesn’t lose the reader’s attention.
Here are the key points:
Captivating titles
Make the reader intrigued and excited about clicking on your blog post.
You can do this by using adjectives to give your blog title more emphasis and use hooks to make the reader want to know the outcome of your blog post.
For example “Best homemade cheesy lasagne to leave your taste buds with delight” instead of “Homemade lasagne recipe”.
Or
“This one hack exploded my blog traffic from 3,000 page views to 50,000 in just 3 months”
Avoid blocks of text
This is a sure-fire way for your reader to jump ship and move on.
Your text has to be skimmable, your readers have short attention spans and we need to make our posts easy to read. Use 3-4 lines maximum (mobile device)
Use bullet points
Bullet points are great at breaking up text and getting the main points across to the reader.
Highlight keywords and phrases
This will make the more important text more visible and keep the reader engaged.
Use beautiful images
Having beautiful images will enhance the reading experience and make your content more appealing.
Using images to get across an emotion or feeling can help you communicate with the reader without using words. It’s another way to break your post up as well.
So this is a blogger’s secret weapon for getting traffic to their site.
I used to think Pinterest was for getting inspiration on how to decorate a room.
Turns out people use it as a visual search engine to solve their problems.
People are creating images (pins) that are eye-catching and are simply too irresistible not to click on. Once you click on a Pin on Pinterest it leads straight to your blog post.
Once you get good at creating Pins, lots of traffic will be coming your way!
My top tips for creating “click-worthy” pins that lead straight to your blog post:
- Get inspiration from other Pinterest accounts – Have a scroll through Pinterest and write down what made you stop at certain pins. Combine what you have written down in your pins.
- Use readable fonts – We want to make it as easy as possible for people to read our pins. Avoid fonts that are too thin or wavy.
- Make sure to use eye-catching colours – OK so this is key, use colours that pop. This is what catches people’s attention the most on Pinterest. Don’t go too wild though, 3-4 different colors max.
- Use call-to-actions – Tell people what to do with your pin with call-to-actions such as “Pin Here”
- Have an intriguing title – This is another way to make people stop at your Pins. Here’s an example: “11 Passive Income Ideas to quit your job” instead of “11 Ideas to make extra money”. You’ve been specific, used a number and have given an outcome all in the title.
FAQ’s
How Do Bloggers Get Paid?
Bloggers can get paid in multiple different ways. The 4 main ways bloggers get paid are:
Affiliate revenue: This is when somebody uses a link that the blogger has on their website and buys something.
The blogger then receives a percentage of the money from the sale.
Advertisements: Some bloggers have advertisements on their blogs. These are display ads that are layered in between your content.
Established blogs with high traffic can get into premium ad networks like Raptor or Mediavine.
Beginner bloggers have a better opportunity of getting paid through smaller ad networks like Ezoic and Monumetric.
Digital Products: Creating a digital product is one of the most profitable ways bloggers get paid.
Due to the digital nature of the product, it only has to be made once and can be sold an infinite amount of times.
These products include Courses, Ebooks, and Printables just to name a few.
Sponsored Content: When a company pays you to write about a product or service the company provides.
This is a win-win for both of you as you get paid and the company gets access to your audience.
Can You Make $1000 With A Blog?
Yes, you can make $1000 with a blog you can make $100,000 with a blog, let’s not get ahead of ourselves though.
Here are ways you can make that money:
- Sell a $20 digital product to 50 people
- Get enough traffic to get into a premium ad network
- Write 10 sponsored posts at $100 a post
Pro Tip: To make money selling digital products you need to build an email list.
To build an email list you need to create valuable free resources such as guides, templates or printables.
Providing valuable content that solves a problem (for free) will gain the trust of your readers.
Then you can sell products with even more value to your email list.
How Do Beginner Bloggers Make Money?
One of the easiest ways beginner bloggers make money is through ad revenue.
There are ad networks such as Monumetric and Ezoic that don’t have a minimum traffic requirement for you to join.
You can join and make money from the ads displayed on your blog.
Is It Profitable To Start A Blog?
Yes, starting a blog can be profitable. It does require a lot of work upfront though.
You’ll need to create lots of valuable content and then continually update that content as time goes by.
Once you get enough traffic you can monetise your blog and it will become profitable.
Now You’re Ready To Start Your Money Making Blog!
Now, that’s all the knowledge I have on blogging. I hope you’ve found it useful and it’s given you the steps to start your blog.
My blog is steadily growing in traffic as I continue to publish valuable content.
This is just the start of your blogging journey.
It will be lonely.
It will be difficult.
Yet I feel building a blog that makes money is possible and worthwhile.
I wish you all the success with your blog.
Don’t hesitate to leave me a comment below if you’re stuck or need any questions answered.
