So if you’ve tried to start your own business before you know that you can sink money quickly into and literally make NOTHING. I’ve been there and I’ve done that.
Blogging is the first thing that I have tried that actually has worked for me and I’ve been able to make a full time income. See my post here AFTER you read this one if you want to see how.
So how exactly do you start a blog without sinking a ridiculous amount of money into it? I’m going to tell you exactly how I did that below!
RELATED POST: How I made over $2400 in one month in my first year blogging
Decide your Niche
So what is a Niche exactly? A niche is the area in which you decide you are going to blog. I would identify my niche as Frugal living, but I have parenting, craft, and personal finance sub-niches within it.
There are a ton to pick from but I’m going to be REALLY honest not all of them will make money as quick as others.
Check out this post from obstacle.co that goes over profitable niches.
What niches are out there?
- Personal Finance
- Frugal living
- Parenting
- DIY
- How to make money
- Health and Fitness
- Food
- Beauty or Fashion
- Lifestyle
- Homesteading
- Survival
- Organization
- Travel
- Home Decor
- Personal Development
- And the list can go on and on..
So picking a niche is a fine line. Hopefully there is one that you are passionate about and that can actually make money quickly. If not you have to make a decision.
Write about the thing you are crazy passionate about, or something you might like less that just does better.
It’s completely up to you.
Picking a domain name.
This is probably a bigger decision you will make super early on in starting your blog. What is your domain name? A domain name is the URL for your site. So mine is thiscraftyhome.com.
I honestly wish I had picked something different at this point BUT I’m making it work. Be careful about this, and think about it before you pull the trigger on one.
A really easy place to check if a domain name is available and buy it is right here.
Getting Hosting
So when you start a blog you need someone to actually host your site. What is hosting? Think of it like this, there is the internet that is made up of a bunch of folders. The folders need a place to live.
Your hosting is the place that your site lives and it makes it available for others to see.
I have had TERRIBLE cheap hosting before that absolutely made me lose money. Right now for beginners, I recommend Siteground for cheaper hosting.
They are reliable, don’t cost a ton of money, and they have great customer service.
Set up wordpress
After you get your hosting you need to set up wordpress on it. Most hosting companies make this quick and painless.
Check whatever company you are with and see how they install wordpress on your site.
What is WordPress? It is a blogging platform that makes putting a website together yourself WAY easier.
I’ve made websites on WordPress for ten years now and it is still the best platform out there. Plus it’s free to use.
Finding a Theme
So if wordpress is the platform your blog is on the theme is kind of like the house that is sitting on it. It’s what people can actually see!
Here is the dirty little secret about themes and the look of your site. It just doesn’t matter that much.
I know that may be against what EVERYONE has told you so far. There are a few basics you absolutely need in a theme. If you can check those off you will be golden.
What do you need in a good theme/site?
- Responsive- which means it will go from being a desktop site to a mobile site. The most important thing here is that it looks clean and functions well on mobile. The vast majority of online traffic is from mobile.
- Uses a san serif font- this means a font without the extra stuff added to the ends of the letters like you are reading here. It is WAY harder to read fancier fonts on screens. As long as it lets you change your font to something simple you are good.
- Is fast- you need it to be rather lean and not bulky code so that it loads faster for you. You will lose people from your site the longer it takes to load.
So what theme should you choose? I encourage you to just start with a free one at first then grow into a paid one once you are gaining some traction!
Create a logo
Creating a logo is something that would usually cost a good bit if you go to a graphic designer.
Which is totally deserved- they are going to give you a premium product tailored to your business!
But when you are just starting out a killer logo is not something you need to worry about!
Where to get a cheap logo that actually looks good:
- Design yourself on Canva!
- Buy a template on Etsy
- Just rock the text for a logo that is standard on your theme
Create Content
So you have your site up and running. Now you just need to fill it with your kick butt ideas!
CONTENT is what is going to make or break your blog. Creating valuable content that people actually want to read is what will set you apart from the sea of other blogs.
It’s ok to write about something other’s have written about. You just have to strive to make it more awesome and more valuable than anyone else has ever done. You totally can do this!
Put your own spin on things. Give personal examples. Show them how to solve a problem that they are having.
Good courses that will help you make money faster
So I realize you may have ten thousand more questions after reading this post. I know I would if I was just starting out.
There are resources that will make learning all this ‘blog stuff’ faster. I totally believe that you can be successful without buying courses. BUT, you are going to accelerate your growth by a TON if you find the right ones.
I have been burned by bad courses before. I have spent my hard earned money only to go to, well crap that didn’t help at all! So know that if I recommend a course, I have taken it and I know it’s very valuable.
The course I recommend to ANYONE who is starting a blog is Dare To Conquer. It is honestly the reason I was able to make a full-time income so quickly.
It has many many different courses within it and a guide for starting your business. I have seen many others take this same course and just thrive. It’s incredible to see!
You can check out Dare to Conquer here!
You can find my story of how Dare to Conquer helped me start making a full time income here.
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