Blogging has been around for decades. Over the last couple of years it has reached its peak and continues to trend consistently. When I first started my official blog back in 2009 I did not know HALF of the stuff that I have learned in the last two years ( thanks to Social Media). I started my blog for accountability and a way to share what I have learned on my journey to Financial Freedom. I remember when a popular company reached out to pay me and I thought it was a scam. I did not think of my blog as a business or a way to earn income. I really did not expect anyone to pay me money just to place an ad on my blog. Needless to say, I missed out on that check. Over the last couple of years, I have turned by bog into a business with the help of various people in the blogging community.
Today, I want to share with you how to start a blog and get paid to do so. People start blogs for different reasons. Some, like myself, start because they want accountability and to provide information. Others may start to journal their life, teach, or share their love for a specific thing ( fashion, music, hair, fitness, etc.). Smart Business owners also have blogs that are often a part of their website. Having a blog as apart of your business allows you to position yourself as an expert. It allows you to connect with your audience in a different way and to share your work.
There is a blog for every topic that you can think of. If you don’t believe me, google five random topics and look at the results. When I search for businesses, I like to see blogs because they often give a little more insight into the person or company.
Blogging is fun and rewarding.
You can get paid to blog about things that you love and already use. This is called Sponsorships where Brands will pay you to blog about their products or test their products. I have done this and loved it. Who doesn’t want to get paid to talk about and review things that they already use?
If you are a freelance blogger, you can reference your blog when completing a guest post. This will allow others to see your work and maybe reach out to hire you for a project.
Blogging is fun and rewarding. There are different forms of blogging content that you can create. I myself, like to write about personal finance and I like to create video around various topics. Some like to create fashion posts or podcasts. All of this can be done on a blogging platform.
Having a blog as apart of your business allows you to show yourself as an expert.
The sooner you create a blog, gain some consistency and an audience, the sooner you will have the chance to make money.
Here are the steps to creating a blog.
- What will you write about?
First, you will want to have a blog topic. Pick something that you love to talk about or research. Ask yourself if this is a topic that you don’t mind talking about constantly. If you are creating a blog as a business then you want your blog to be useful to those that will view it.
- Where will you host your blog?
Next, you want to choose a web hosting company. This can be done through companies like Blogger.Com. That is where I started my blogging journey. I currently host with Bluehost and my blog is through WordPress.org. Thus far I have had no issues with either company. I will show you how I was able to easily set up my site with Bluehost step by step. They are offering website hosting for $3.95 a month for 36 months with an included domain for 1 year.
Here is the difference between a wordrpess.org and a wordpress.com ( or a site like blogger.com). With WordPress.org you host your own site through a host company such as Bluehost. Hosting allows you have a lot of control over your website/blog. You also get a domain and email as apart of the service. So instead of having to pay separately for Blank@Blankblog.com, it is included as apart of the hosting package. You don’t have the same freedom with WordPress.com. With WordPress.com and blogger.com you are using a free service and you have less control over your site. I like WordPress.org because it allows me more freedom so that I can use my site the way I want to.
Here are the steps to setting up your site with Bluehost:
- Go to Bluehost.com
2. Enter your domain name here. Bluehost will let you know if the domain is available. If you already have a domain name, you can transfer your domain here.
3. Choose the package that you want. Currently, the discount is $3.95 per month with a year subscription. This is a good deal, the cost is usually 7.99 per month. I included two options here. I did not include the extras listed. It is up to you if you want to add any extra services. This will affect the price.
4. Now it is time to install WordPress. Go to your CPanel located at the top of the page. Then go to 1 click installs. This should take you to MOJO Marketplace. Once there click on WordPress.
5. Select and accept the terms and conditions. Start the installation.
6. Add your domain that you wish to use for your site.
7. Here is where you will add your admin information and create your emails. Examples would be First name@blog.com or hello@blog.com. Choose what best fits you.
8. After you finish instilling WordPress, you will ready to go!
9. Get familiar with the WordPress Dashboard. This will be your best friend!
3. Now you are ready to create content
Write your first blog post about your topic of choice. Introduce yourself and discuss you will be using your new website for.
Create images to go along with your blog posts. You can create cool Free images on Canva.com. I have included a FREE checklist to guide you in writing your first blog post.
*affiliate links are used in this post.