How To Start A Highly Profitable Blog In 7 Minutes! [Step By Step Guide For Beginners]
Have you ever heard of people who’re making 5 or 6 figures per month with blogging?
And you wonder; how they manage to achieve that level of success?
If so, then this post is for you!
I’m going to break down everything that you need to know in order to start your own profitable blog.
This article will give you some actionable steps that you can follow in order to start your own blog from scratch – and build it to a full time business (or beyond).
So read till the end if you want to set up your own blog TODAY!
What You'll Learn:
Without further ado, let me jump straight into the nitty-gritty.
Step 1: Pick A Niche
Before starting a blog, it's important to clearly define your niche.
You should define ‘who’ your target audience is, & ‘what’ type of content are they looking for.
Without a clear goal in mind, you might easily fall off-track – because you wont have a clear blueprint of what you need to focus on.
So before starting a blog, l highly urge you to think about who your audience is & what they’re looking for.
Another pro tip is that, you should avoid the shiny object syndrome i.e. jumping from one niche to another.
For example;
Let's say that you're in the weight loss niche & you see some bloggers in other niches making a ton of money, you might be tempted to switch towards those high paying niches.
But guess what?
You might fail to get the same level of success – because you might not be good enough to compete in that niche – and also, you might not be patient enough to follow through the long exhausting process.
Thus, you should pick one niche & stick to it for long enough in order to see some pleasing results in the long run.
Step 2: Come Up With A Blog Name
Once you’ve chosen a niche, the next step is to come up with a name for your blog.
Try to come up a name which your audience will easily remember – so that you can stand out from the crowd.
Another important thing to note is that, you should look for a name that explains your niche a little bit.
Here's some practical examples:
Dailyhealthtips,
Healthhub,
Healthpool,
OptimalHealth,
(Etc.)
By using such names, your audience will easily know what your blog is all about – hence, they'll know what to expect from your blog.
Also keep in mind that, names like these are good for SEO – since these websites can easily pop-up when someone searches for something related to health.
Thus, you should try to come up with a name that is friendly to the search engines as well.
However, you can also use your real name as your blog name i.e. personal brand type of website.
For example, if my name is Ashel Jayson, I can use a domain like; asheljayson.com – and there's a lot of successful bloggers who’ve used this technique.
The key is to come up with a unique name that's easy to remember for your audience.
Step 3: Buy A Domain
Once you come up with a name for your blog, the next step is to purchase & register that name on the internet real estate.
For your blog to be recognised by Google and other search engines, you must register it with a reputable web hosting company.
Registering your domain gives your blog more credibility on the internet – and it can also appear for certain search queries.
With that being said, the best web hosting provider right now is GreenGeeks – since this company has more credibility & authority in the industry.
It hosts a significant number of websites on the web – since most people trusts this company i.e. due to its great services & features.
Also, GreenGeeks is one of the few eco-friendly hosting providers in the industry, which is key in dealing with climate change.
Another cool thing about GreenGeeks is that, you can install WordPress for free with just a single click – thus, you don't have to worry about any additional costs for installing this app.
Its shared hosting plans starts from as little as $2.95 per month – which is great for beginners who’re on a shoestring budget.
Thus, for such a low amount, you can register your domain ASAP – thereby allowing you to claim your own stake of real estate on the internet.
But keep in mind that, some of the domain names are already taken – since more & more blogs are being created on a daily basis.
Assuming your target name is taken, try to come up with a similar one by simply twerking or playing around various words.
You can also add words like ‘official' at the beginning of the name & you might be lucky to find it available. (As long as it's not trademarked)
For example, if my target name is ‘healthhub' but the name was already taken, l can simply add ‘official' at the beginning of this name to come up with ‘officialhealthhub'.
This strategy has worked for many people out there & you can utilise it too!
Another pro tip is that, you should try to come up with a .com type of domain – since these type of domains are favoured by search engines.
Also, most of your audience will easily remember your domain if it has a .com extension – rather than a .org, .co, .co.uk, etc.
Now the ball is in your hands i.e. use some of this information to get your own domain.
Step 4: Install WordPress
Once you’ve secured your domain, the next step is to install WordPress.
WordPress is a content management system – which allows you to create & publish your own articles to the web i.e. without too much hassle.
WordPress can be easily installed from your GreenGeeks interface i.e. with just a few mouse-clicks – since GreenGeeks comes with a plugin for this app.
The installation process is simple and straight forward & anyone can do it!
Step 5: Start Designing Your Website
Once you’ve installed WordPress, the next step is to start designing your website.
You should use a simple theme & design at the beginning – because appearance doesn't matter that much when your blog is still new.
I always advise people to focus on producing content in the initial stages – rather than wasting time changing fonts, colours, design, etc.
NB: lm not saying that you should create an ugly website simply because l said appearance doesn’t matter in the initial stages – NO!
But all lm saying is that, you should create a simple design that is just decent.
You can always find time to improve your design in the future i.e. when your blog has established some authority on the search engines.
When it comes to web design, l always hear a lot of complaints like:
‘WordPress is very complex in nature!’
‘lm not tech savvy hence l can’t use WordPress!’
But guess what?
You can use a plugin called Elementor – which is a drag & drop editor that allows you to easily design your WordPress blog.
The most unique thing about Elementor is that, it’s able to turn your WordPress site into ‘what you see is what you get’ interface – hence, you won't have to worry about any coding staff.
You can also look for YouTube tutorials which clearly teaches you how to design your WordPress blog – so that you can understand better.
Step 6: Integrate An Email Marketing Software
Most people always ignore this thing, but list building is so crucial when it comes to blogging.
You should collect the email addresses of your visitors from DAY 1 – so that you can build a list of targeted people who’re interested in your niche.
There's high chances that, a visitor might never return to your site again in the future – because there's a lot of other great websites on the web.
But if you capture their emails, you can always keep in touch with them hence, allowing you to promote your blog posts, affiliate offers, or even your own products in the future.
That's one of the main reasons why big bloggers make a lot of money consistently – they have a data base of targeted customers.
(The money is in the list)
Thus, l highly urge you to collect email addresses from DAY 1!
In order to successfully capture your audience's emails, you can use a software like GetResponse – and you can easily embed this software on your blog.
Step 7: Content Creation
Once you’ve built the basic infrastructure of your blog, the next step is to start creating content.
Most people are lazy when it comes to writing content – since this process is very stressful & time consuming.
But guess what?
The only thing that pulls traffic to your website is content i.e. through SEO.
You can have the best looking website on the planet – but without content, no one will visit your blog – since most people are mainly concerned about what you have to offer i.e. valuable content.
You should try to create a content calendar – whereby you decide on the topics that you want to work on – as well as the dates that you're planning to publish those posts.
Try to come up with a timetable or routine that you can follow & you MUST stick to it without any excuses!
You should also keep in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint – meaning, you shouldn't give up too early.
Instead, you should stick to this grind for long enough until you see the fruits of your labour.
Step 8: Create A Community
Another great way to generate some traffic to your blog is through creating a community on other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
It's a great strategy to generate traffic to a brand new blog which is still under the sandbox.
In my opinion, Pinterest provides the best traffic more than any other social media platform.
Pinterest traffic converts better since most people who uses this platform are proven buyers.
But you can also try to utilise other platforms to see how they work – since results might differ from person to person.
The key is to build a following on any of these platforms & you should provide value to your audience.
This helps to build some trust with your audience – thus, allowing you to promote your blog posts or offers to them.
You can also engage in forums related to your niche – so as to generate targeted traffic as well.
Step 9: Monetize
Once your blog starts to generate some traffic, the next thing is to monetize your blog.
There’s many ways to monetize a blog, but my favourite one is affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting other people's products & services for a commission.
This is great because you don't have to deal with production, shipping, customer service, and other related burdens.
You simply refer customers to existing products and you get paid for that.
(You just bring customers to the door & the product owner takes care of everything)
In order to get started with this business, all you need to do is to look for products & services related to your niche – and you request to join their affiliate programs/networks (for free).
Once you get approved, you’ll get a custom tracking link known as ‘affiliate link' – and you can place it in your content (where it’s necessary).
When your visitors buys through those links, you’ll get paid some commissions.
You can also monetize your blog through display ads.
In order to get started, you need to apply for an ad network like AdSense, Ezoic, Mediavine, etc.
Once you get approved, you'll get a simple code that you can place on your site – and that code will help to auto generate ads for your site.
But keep in mind that, different ad networks have different requirements i.e. high paying ones have strict requirements & vice versa.
For this reason, you might be forced to start with the low paying ones (like AdSense) – and you'll upgrade once your blog starts to receive more traffic.
You can also leverage paid sponsorships – whereby you find brands that are willing to pay you in return for a promotional article.
Some bloggers makes significant income from these paid sponsorships – and there's a lot of brands out there who’re open for talks.
All you need to do is to reach out to them via email – and you explain why the collaboration is beneficial to the company.
Another great way to monetize your blog is through selling your own products and/or services.
Unlike other methods mentioned above, you have the potential to keep 100% of the profits – since you won't need to share the revenue with anyone.
However, this method might not be the best option for beginners – because you need to first build some trust & authority with your audience i.e. before you try to sell them something.
Customers only buy from people who they know, like, and trust – hence, you need to build a strong relationship with your audience before you try to sell them something.
Tips For Succeeding With Blogging
I always get a ton of emails everyday from various people – asking questions about how to succeed with blogging.
So l decided to share some of my best tips – just in case, some of them might help you.
These includes:
1. Consistency
This might seem obvious, but l have to emphasise this issue over and over again until it sticks-in in people’s minds – lol😁.
Most beginners comes into this grind with a lot of energy to create a ton of great content. However, the energy fades away with time i.e. when they fail to get some expected results ASAP.
But you should always keep in mind that, this is a long term game – which rewards in the long run.
Keep in mind that, SEO takes time & patience – thus, long term consistency matters.
Thus, once you start blogging, you should stay consistent for at least 6 to 12 months i.e. in order to see some progress from your blog.
2. Focus On The Process – Not The Results
Most people come into the blogging space with the wrong mind-set like:
‘I want to make $10k per month from my blog within the next few months!’
But you should always understand that, bloggers who’re at that level took months – or even years of hard work i.e. before reaching that milestone.
Yes, it’s very possible to earn 5 or 6 figures per month from your blog – but it takes time & efforts in order to reach that level.
Thus, instead of focusing on ‘what you can get’ from your blog, you should focus on ‘what you can give' to your audience – and in return, results will come along the way.
I know this is hard to accept especially if you need a quick buck in the short run, but you should always try to look at the bigger picture i.e. long term benefits.
3. Look Professional
Even if you're just bootstrapping, try to look as much professional as possible – so that your readers can trust your content.
I always come across various blogs with great content – however, they have a higher bounce rate due to unprofessionalism.
Professionalism will set you apart from your competitors – since readers likes to read content from trustworthy sources.
When l say professionalism, l don't mean having an expensive theme & all that staff – NO!.
But l mean little things like presentation of your blog posts, grammar, structure, etc.
All these little things can have an impact on the performance of your blog i.e. positively or negatively – thus, you should try to take them more serious.
Another thing on professionalism is the way you communicate with your audience – especially in the comments section.
You should always mind the way you respond to comments i.e. try by all means to be friendly.
I know that there's other comments which can make you angry – but don't use your emotions to respond to them. Rather, remain calm & respond in a more professional way.
This is so important because, if you use any negative language in the comments section, some of your readers might see those responses in the future & this might hurt your business (even if you were trying to defend yourself).
Thus, try by all means to be as much professional as possible.
4. Continue Learning About SEO
If you want to get more traffic from Google, you should always master the art of SEO.
This is so because, SEO is a broad topic which is difficult to learn overnight.
Most people stops learning SEO when their website starts ranking on the first page.
But guess what?
It’s very easy to fall on the SERPs!
(New competitors are coming-in everyday)
Thus, l highly urge you to always learn SEO – so that you can continuously improve your blog.
5. Treat It Like A Business, Not A Hobby
Now let me get this straight;
Blogging is not something that you should do for fun (unless if you're not expecting to make a living from it).
But if you want to become a full time blogger, l highly recommend you to treat it like a business – not a hobby!
You should stick to your publishing schedule regardless of your current mood i.e. show-up without any excuses.
You should treat it as if there's a boss or manager who's putting pressure on you to get sh*t done.
Otherwise, you might fail to succeed in this business – since it’s very easy to fall off-track i.e. due to lots of disturbing factors
6. Be Honest To Your Audience
The biggest mistake which most bloggers make is that, they try to make a quick buck by promoting sh*tty products on their blogs – at the expense of their long term relationship with their audience.
But the biggest question is;
Does those offers provide maximum value for money to your audience?
You should always ask yourself this question i.e. before promoting any offer(s) to your audience.
Yes, you might make a ton sh*t of money in the short run – but in the long term, your audience might lose trust in you & they might look for other genuine blogs to follow.
7. Build A Social Presence
Instead of waiting for SEO traffic (which takes longer to get), ‘Isn't it a good idea to create a social media presence – in order to promote your blog?’
As we all know, SEO is very slow & it might take some few months before seeing any results – especially if your blog is still brand new.
But if you build a social media following, you can start generating some traffic ASAP – thereby giving you a great head-start in your blogging journey.
Regardless of your niche, you can always find a great social platform which has an audience that’s interested in your content.
You can always test out different social media platforms i.e. to see which ones brings the best results.
But in my opinion, l think Pinterest has the best traffic for most blog niches.
8. Engage In Communities
Another great technique to become successful with blogging is through engaging in online communities or forums.
This helps to get in front of people who're already interested in your niche – and these people might be interested in your content as well.
The key is to provide value in those communities – thus, allowing you to build some strong relations with various people.
That way, you can build a massive following of people who're interested in your niche – and you can always promote your blog posts to them i.e. in the near future.
You Can Also Read: Blogging Tips For Beginners
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Bloggers Really Make Money?
Yes of course!
Blogging is one of the most lucrative ways to make money online – and there's a lot of bloggers out there who’re making a pretty substantial income.
Some bloggers makes 6 figures every month from this business – because a blog is monetizable through various means like display ads, affiliate partnerships, selling digital products, etc.
Another cool thing is that, a blog can earn passive income on autopilot – because you can earn some good income from articles which you published months ago – or even years ago i.e. if you maintain your rankings.
So yeah! A blog can generate some good amounts of money in the long term.
However, you should always keep in mind that, it takes time to build a highly profitable blog – because SEO takes time.
This is so because, a new website takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months before it starts ranking.
Bloggers who’re making big amounts today weren’t at that level when they got started.
They also went through the process of creating content for some time without seeing any results – but through persistence, they were able to achieve great success.
Thus, you should believe in the process & keep grinding consistently i.e. if you want to see some good results in the long term.
Can I Start A Blog For Free?
Though it's possible to start a blog for free, l think the best way is to have your own self hosted website.
A self hosted website gives you more control over your website – unlike the case of relying on someone’s else platform.
It also gives your website more credibility to your readers – since most people likes to read content from trustworthy sources.
And the cool thing about a self hosted website is that, you can have your own custom domain for as little as $2.95/month (with GreenGeeks) – which is quite affordable to many.
However, if you're just bootstrapping – but you're so eager to put your content out there, then you can use platforms like Medium, Blogspot, Google Sites, amongst other free platforms.
This method might be good for the short term – but in the long run, you should always have your own self hosted website.
Is It A Good Idea To Start A Blog?
I always hear this question a lot – but to be honest, the answer to this question really depends on your tastes & preferences.
If you're someone who enjoys writing & sharing your opinions with the world, then blogging might be good for you.
Blogging allows you to reach other people beyond your geographical boundaries – because the internet is a huge platform – where people from different parts of the world hangs out.
Thus, starting a blog can be great – since it allows you to share your content with the rest of the world.
And you can monetize your content via various methods like affiliate marketing, display ads, print on demand, etc.
However, it’s important to note that, not everyone likes to write content i.e. some people really hates writing.
If you're that kind of person, then blogging might not be for you.
But you can also outsource content on platforms like Fiverr – thus, allowing you to delegate the writing process to someone else.
Can You Start A Blog Anonymously?
Yes of course!
The main reason why most people are afraid of starting blogs is that, they’re afraid of putting their identities on the spot light (for privacy reasons).
But do you know that, most blogs on the web are run by unknown individuals?
This is done through creating a brand that’s totally independent from your personal identity.
Another cool thing about running a blog is that, you can write articles behind the scenes i.e. no one can see you when you're typing on your keyboard.
And you can also correct some errors even after you've published an article – unlike the case of YouTube – where it’s difficult to edit a video after it has been published.
So my advice is;
Create a brand & feed a ton of valuable content on that blog.
That's it!
Can l Start A Blog On Instagram?
In my opinion, I think that Instagram is mainly a socialising platform – rather than a blogging platform.
Though it's possible to get traction on Instagram, l think Google remains the best source of traffic for bloggers.
This is so because, Google gets millions of searches every minute i.e. from targeted people who’re looking for specific information – and some of them might land on your site.
However, if you're using something like Instagram, you might get a lot of likes & comments from people who're not interested in buying staff – since it takes less than a second to like a post on Instagram.
Thus, my advice is;
Start a real website if you want to build a long term sustainable business.
What Make A Blog Successful?
If you're someone like me, you would agree that VALUABLE CONTENT makes a blog successful.
When starting a blog, you should think about ‘what you can give to your audience' – instead of focusing on ‘what you can earn from it'.
Most beginners comes into this business with the wrong mentality i.e.
‘l want to make $10k per month ASAP!’
There's nothing wrong about setting such a goal – but in order to get that amount of money, you should first give value to your audience before they trust you with their monies.
(It’s the give & take principle i.e. reciprocity).
Thus, for a blog to be successful, you should feed it with a ton of great content.
(Content is KING)
When To Launch A Blog?
‘Any time is tea time’.
My advice is;
Start as soon as possible in order to build some authority on the web.
But keep in mind that, the best time to start a blog was 10 years ago when there was very little competition.
However, the next best time to start a blog is NOW – since there’ll be even more competition in the future – because more & more blogs are being created on a daily basis.
Thus, take action & launch your blog TODAY i.e. if you haven't already.
Who Can Start A Blog?
Anyone can start a blog these days!
There's no restrictions on who can start a blog – anyone on this planet can launch his/her blog at any time, any where i.e. the rich, the poor, the young, the old, etc.
I mean, if you’re able to write content that’s valuable to the world, then why not consider starting a blog & share your knowledge with others?
Can I Start A Blog On Shopify?
Alternative question: Can l play soccer in a rugby field?
Though it’s possible, it’s not the best idea to play soccer in a rugby field – when there's a lot of soccer grounds which are specifically designed for that sport.
That's the same issue with blogging on Shopify.
Though it’s possible, you should keep in mind that Shopify was designed for creating online stores – and it’s good for that.
However, if you want to create a successful blog, you need to use WordPress – since this platform was specifically designed as a content management system – which facilitates the publication of written content.
Is Blogging Really Worth It?
This question is a bit hard to answer – since we all have different perspectives.
The definition of ‘worth’ might vary from one person to another – since we all have different tastes & preferences.
But in my opinion, l think that a blog can turn into a real business which generates true passive income in the long term.
Also, a blog is a business asset which can be sold on platforms like Empire Flippers for a pretty substantial amount.
I’ve seen multiple blogs being sold for millions on this platform – and you can imagine how you can get rich from building & selling websites.
Can You Start A Blog On Wix?
Wix is also a great platform where you can start your own blog without too much hassle.
Unlike WordPress, Wix is very beginner friendly – because it requires little to no coding skills.
However, Wix is very expensive than WordPress – since it's plans starts at $14/month – whereas WordPress costs only $2.95/month i.e. when you get it via GreenGeeks.
Another drawback of Wix is that, their templates are difficult to customise – hence, you can't really twerk them according to your own preferences.
Also note that, Wix is very weak when it comes to SEO – since most Wix websites receives poor ranking positions compared to WordPress sites.
Thus, you should always use WordPress if you want to build a successful blog.
Can l Start A Blog Using A Phone?
Though it’s possible to blog from your phone, it might be difficult to actually use WordPress & other related softwares from your phone.
This is so because, most blogging tools are mainly customised for desktop devices – rather than for mobile devices.
For these reasons, you might end up producing poor sites & content i.e. if you try to blog from your phone.
Thus, l always recommend people to use a laptop for blogging.
What's The Difference Between A Blog And A Website?
Most people gets confused when it comes to differentiating a blog from a website.
Although these 2 words might be used interchangeably, they are slightly different in nature.
A website is more static – meaning, it’s a simple page which contains some information about a business – and it normally comprise of very few pages (if not one).
On the other hand, a blog is a series of written articles based around a particular niche/topic – and new content is constantly added to it on a regular basis.
However, with a website, you only upload the information once & it’s very rare to update or add new content on a frequent basis.
Where To Start A Blog?
If you're inspired to start your own blog, l highly recommend you to use WordPress.
WordPress is a content management system that was specifically designed to facilitate the storage & publication of written content.
WordPress makes it easier to manage your blog posts – since it's interface is more organised.
If you want to learn how to setup your own WordPress blog today, l have a list of articles that you can read i.e.
Wrapping Up
After reading this long article, I’m pretty sure that you now an idea on how to start your own blog ASAP.
There’s no doubt that blogging is one of the most lucrative ways to make money online – whilst working from home i.e. without having to worry about commuting to work.
You can utilise this lockdown period to build your own blog – and hopefully, grow it to a big business.
But you should always keep in mind that, this is a marathon – not a sprint!
Most successful bloggers who you see today worked extremely hard in the past i.e. before reaching those levels.
Thus, you should resist the temptation of falling off-track when you don't see pleasing results in the short term.
(Consistency pays in this industry)
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