How To Start a Blog and Successfully Earn From It – Beginner’s Guide

Most of you know that I have been working full-time from our home as a blogger. What started out as a hobby became my bread and butter. From working in a bank to writing about the things I am passionate about, there’s really not much to think about. So if you’ve stumbled across this post because you’re wondering if blogging is for you, or because you’re interested in giving it a try … then let me take this opportunity to break down the basics.

Blogging is fun but requires a lot of hard work and dedication especially if you want to make a living from it. You can’t just write and expect it to grow on its own. There’s more to it. Personally, I created my blog out of my passion to tell a story. It took a lot of time to research, study, as well as trial and error to figure out what works. I realized that it can be a great source of income if taken seriously. If you are still here reading, and haven’t loose interest then let’s get you started!

Why do you want to create a blog?
 
The first thing you should do is assess yourself and ask why do you want to create a blog. Because by asking yourself, you will know what exactly your goal is, and why you are here. Here are some of the most common reasons why people are creating their own blogs.
 
1. Blogging is one of the most popular ways to communicate and spread information. It is considered as the new media, social media experts say. If you want to be an influencer or some sort, blogging is one of the best ways to do it.
2. You want to make it a hobby. An online diary where you can express your thoughts. An open book where you can freely speak yourself. It is like a portal where you can just throw everything in it and see who has the same opinions like yours.
3. You want to make money from it. You want to earn from it. You want to make it your bread and butter.
4. You wanted to become a writer so now you can make it happen by setting up your own blog.
 
If you already have your purpose, and you know what exactly you want from blogging, then let’s head into the basics of blogging.

How to start your blog in five easy steps

 
Setting up a blog can be time-consuming, but here are the basics and the main steps that you need for you to be able to start your own blog.
 
1. Choose a platform.
2. Choose a web host.
3. Setup your domain.
4. Design your blog.
5. Write and publish your first post.
 
Step 1 – Choose a platform.
The first thing you should do when creating a blog is to choose your preferred blogging platform. There’s a lot of platforms available on the internet; each has pros and cons. I advise you to choose wisely as switching of platforms can be troublesome.
Some of the commonly used platforms are WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, Gawker, and Tumblr. If you want a beginner friendly platform, I highly recommend you to use WordPress. It is one of the biggest and trusted blogging platforms all over the world, with more than 82 million active users. It is easy to understand, has countless add-ons and plugins, plenty of free to use layout and themes, a supportive community, and responsive customer service.
 
Step 2 – Choose a web host.
This step is a little tricky, as you have to decide if you are going to pay for your blog or settle for a free one. Tumblr, Blogger, and WordPress offer free blogs, but you know when it’s free, it has limits, right?
 
Here are some of the downside of getting a free blog:
 
– You are not allowed to get your own domain name. You can choose the name of your blog, like for example, Life with Pets, but you can’t freely set lifewithpets.com as your blog’s web address or commonly known as URL. Instead, you have to follow the platforms format, and you will be using it as your URL. This is how your domain will look like if you use the above free blog services:
lifewithpets.tumblr.com
lifewithpets.blogspot.com
lifewithpets.wordpress.com
 
– Free blogs have limited actions. With free blogs, you are not allowed to monetize it fully, add-ons, themes, and plugins are limited, and you have limits in uploading images and videos in your blog.
 
– You are not the real owner of your blog, well technically speaking. It is because it is hosted on someone else’s web property, and that’s your blogging platform, in case you are missing the point. And by saying they are hosting your blog, they can easily delete your blog if you violated the terms given to you.
 
On the other hand, if you want a self-hosted blog, then you have to pay for it monthly or yearly, depending on the plan you are going to avail. But the good side is you are the real owner of your blog, and you can do whatever you want with it, and that includes naming it whatever you want. For example, you can name it lifewithpets.com or choose from other popular web suffixes such as .co, .net, .uk, .org, or any different web suffix. You will also have unlimited bandwidth for your images, contents, and videos.
 
Step 3 – Setup your domain.
If you want your blog to stand out, you have to think of a name that is unique and easy to remember. Once decided, you have to choose a hosting company that will host your blog. In case you are confused, here’s the difference between domain and hosting.
 

Domain: The domain is the URL of your website.
Hosting: Hosting is the company that puts your blog up on the web.

 
Step 4 – Design your blog.
This step is the fun part – designing your blog. You can easily design your blog by using themes in the market. There are plenty of free themes, but of course, with limited settings, unlike those paid themes with full access and support from the developer. Always remember that your blog’s design will leave an impression on your visitors so make sure it is easy to navigate and pleasing to the eyes. It is also nice if you will consider your niche in choosing the right theme for your blog.
 
Step 5 – Write and publish.
If you are all done with the mentioned steps above, then I am sure your blog is now up and running live. This is the time where you can write your first post and then publish it online.
 

How To Start a Blog and Successfully Earn From It – Beginner’s Guide

Bonus: How to monetize your blog.
 
If you aim to monetize your blog, then you should focus on creating quality contents, promoting your blog, and spending for your hosting and domain. There are several ways on how you can earn from blogging. Here are some:
 
– Sell your own product or services.
You can blog about the product you are selling or the service you are offering. This way, you can have your own free and unlimited advertisement on the internet. Boost your sales by maximizing your reach in the social media.
 
– Write reviews.
You can get paid by doing reviews of products on your blog. Some brands like to collaborate with bloggers, by paying them to do a review, or do an xdeals where you can get a free item in exchange for a blog post. You can sell the item after the review to fund your blog expenses.
 
– Google Adsense.
Once your blog is already stable and has regular visitors, then you can apply for a Google Adsense. Google Adsense will find the advertisers for you, and the only thing you should do is place its given code on your blog so you can start running ads.
 
And that’s it. Creating your own blog is easy, but maintaining it can be hard and needs a lot of time and effort. I hope you find my post helpful as it is my pleasure to help you set up your blog and welcome you to the community. Happy blogging!