How to Start a Blog That Makes Money in 2022

Ready to learn how to start a blog in 6 easy steps?

When I first started my blog, all the free guides I could find about blogging for beginners got me as far as signing up for Bluehost. They were very inspirational, but they didn’t really teach me how to launch a blog and make money with it.

That’s why I created this step-by-step guide to show you how to create a blog in as little as one hour! You will be ready to launch your blog, set it up correctly, and apply for affiliate programs within the first week (if you are determined to do so).

What will it require? Your desire to start a profitable blog and basic computer skills!

I am not ashamed to tell you that when I first started, I spent days researching how to start a blog for free.

The good news is, you can absolutely start a blog for free with many hosting providers (your blog would look like this “blogname.wordpress.com” instead of “blogname.com”). The bad news is that you can’t monetize your blog using a free domain because you do not own it.

I analyzed the pros and cons for days before deciding that I needed to invest money in order to actually make money with my blog. I started with exactly $178 (for a domain and three years of web hosting), and I broke even within the first month (my first month’s income was over the cost I spent to start my blog). I found it to be the most value package, but you can definitely spend less to get started with 1-year hosting.

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using the link. If you have found my blogs helpful or simply enjoyed reading them, please consider using my affiliate links to make the purchase. It would help enable me to keep my content free.

Why should you start a blog?

It is most likely not going to be an overnight success, so it is important to know your “why” and remind yourself to push through when things get hard. It could be because you want to share your story with the world, make money from home so you can have more time for your family, or gain recognition for yourself and your business. Whatever it is, knowing WHY you want to achieve your big goal in the first place will push you through when things get tough.

And no, you don’t have to be a good writer to be successful. Many successful blog owners out there use the help of AI copywriting tools or outsourced writers to help them write their blog posts.

How to Start a Blog in 6 Steps

1. Brainstorming your blog’s name and niche. 
2. Get your blog online
3. Customize your blog
4. Create Content for Your Blog.
5. Promote your blog
6. Make money blogging

Step 1: Brainstorming the Name & Niche

Every blogger out there says that you have to have a niche.

Almost all of them say that you should start with something you are passionate about, narrow them down, and name your blog accordingly.

Basically, they advise you to start a “hiking” blog instead of a “travel blog” or a “vegan recipes” blog instead of a “cooking” blog, etc.

But the problem is, what if your passion changes? What if you write about something you are passionate about, but then it’s not making money? What if your niche industry dies down?

That’s why I want to share with you a few things to consider when you choose your blog’s name and niche.

Choose a blog’s name

Your blog’s name is also known as your domain name. I recommend you use your name or some variation of it to build your brand and have the freedom to pivot it to any niches you want. However, I understand if you are not comfortable using your name. In that case, your domain name should be descriptive so that potential visitors can tell what your blog is about.

Once you have some name ideas you should check if it is available with the .com domain extension.

1. Your blog’s name should be memorable and not too difficult to type.
2. Avoid numbers and hyphens or characters that can be confusing to spell
3. Keep your blog’s name a little bit broad in case you want to change or expand your niche

Choose a blog’s niche

If you want to start a true blogging business, you need to choose your niche not just based on your passions, but considering other factors:

• Who is your audience?
• What are the types of products and services you can recommend to your audience to solve their pain points?
• Do you have profesional leverage in the industry?

Step 2: Set Up Your Blog

The good news is that you can register your custom domain for free when you sign up for a web hosting service.

The one I used to start my blogs is BlueHost and I’d recommend it because of its low cost and decent customer service.

• You can start with as low as $2.95 per month.
• There is a 30 day money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.
• It comes with a free automatic installation of the WordPress blogging software
• 24/7 customer service via phone or web chat.

I originally chose the cheapest plan ($2.95/month) and changed my mind right before checking out because I realized that the add-ons to the basic plan – Codeguard Backup Tool ($2.99/month) and Domain Privacy + Protection (0.99/month) – would make it more expensive than the Choice Plus Plan.

If you are new to blogging and still unsure about your earning potentials, you can start with the cheapest plan for $2.95/month. However, if you are serious and determined about making money with blogging, I’d suggest you choose the Choice Plus Plan since it will provide more value and save you money in the long run.

1. Click here to go to Bluehost.com for a 60% discount and click Get Started Now.
2. Select your Plan – Choose the Choice Plus Plan.
3. Type the domain name you want to use
4. Fill out your account information and billing address
5. Under Package Information, choose an account plan based on how long you want to buy. The 36-month plan will give you more discount than the 12-month plan.
6. Uncheck the Package Extras. You don’t need them if you are choosing the Choice Plus plan. If you are using the basic plan, you will want to check the Domain Privacy + Protection.
7. Complete your purchase, choose your password, and login to your Bluehost account.
8. You will see the screen for the installation helper “Let’s create a website”.
9. Click “skip” when it comes to choosing your theme. (We will get to that)
10. From the Bluehost dashboard, click the WordPress button on the top right and you’ll be taken to WordPress.

Step 3: Customize your blog

Bluehost automatically one-click installs WordPress from your hosting dashboard, so you can get started right away with customizing your theme.

There are many WordPress themes with attractive designs and beautiful colors. And I made the mistake of choosing one of them.

I paid $29 for a premium theme and soon realized that it had a terrible site speed that affected my users’ experience and in turn, SEO.

Fortunately, I later found a light theme with great speed and allows many options for customizations. Best of all, it is FREE!

Here is how you can install it:

1. Click on the “Appearance” option from the left sidebar menu.
2. Select the “Themes” option from the “Appearance” section.
3. Click “Add New”
4. Find “Kadence” and click the “Install” button
5. Once the theme is installed, click “Activate”.

After you have installed the Kadence theme, it will look quite basic. However, you can go into the “Plugins” section and install the “Kadence Starter Themes”. It will give you many pre-built templates to choose from depending on your niche and industry. You can then tweak the colors and fonts to have the looks that you desire!

Step 4: Create Content for Your Blog!

Before writing your first blog posts, you should set up the core pages for your website. These pages are typically in your blog’s top menu navigation so that readers can quickly understand your blog and find important information. To add new pages, you can click “Add New” under “All Pages” on the left side navigation in your WordPress Dashboard.

If you have writer’s block, consider using the help of AI copywriting tools. The free trial offers you 10,000 words and I think that is plenty to start with!

1. Home Page

The homepage is the main URL of your website. The theme default would show the list of your most recent posts. Naturally, if you haven’t had any posts, your homepage would look blank! Even if you have many posts already, it is still important to customize your homepage to show your unique value proposition.

Your home page should contain:

• A featured image with a headline and subheadline. 
• An about section to tell readers what your blog is about
• A call-to-action button taking readers to an important page, post, or email list opt-in form.
• Internal links pointing to your important content so readers can easily navigate around your blog

2. About Page.

The About Page of your blog should be about you and your story – who you are, what you stand for, and what you want to bring to your audience. This section will help you connect with your readers and build your authority.

Your about page should show:

1. Who you are
2. What your expertise, background, and experiences are
3. Why you decide to start your blog
4. How you overcome the same struggles as your audience
5. Your success story
6. A call-to-action

3. Privacy Policy

Although most of your readers will likely not read your privacy policy, it is one of the most important pages you should have on your website. There are a number of elements you’re obliged to disclose in a detailed privacy policy document including how the website collects and handles personal information.

Feel free to check out my Privacy Policy and tweak it to fit your site.

4. Blog Post

Here comes the fun part! Click on the navigation on the left side of your WordPress Dashboard under “All Posts” and then “Add New”. Your post should have at least 1,700 words of quality content. It should be informative and engaging, preferably helping your readers solve their pain points.

These are a few things you should keep in mind when you write your blog post:

• Your post should be easy to read: use big enough font in black with a white background
• It should have proper line spacing: break long paragraph into shorter ones
• Your title should include your focus keyword
• The focus keyword should appear in the first paragraph of your post.

When you have had your core pages and first post set up, click the “BlueHost” menu at the top left of your WordPress dashboard then click the blue “Launch your site” button to remove the placeholder page and launch your blog.

Step 5: Promote your blog

Now that your blog is published, you should start promoting it to attract visitors to your blog. One of the easiest ways to get your blog noticed is to alert your social circle. This includes family, friends, and colleagues within your field. I personally didn’t use this. I waited till I started making money with my blog to share it in my circle, but it is totally up to you. If you are comfortable sharing it on your social media, there is no problem with that!

Below are some strategies I use to get 10,000 views in the first month of launching:

Use Facebook Group

I joined several Facebook groups that were relevant to my travel niche and started answering questions using my expertise and sharing my relevant blog posts. A very important key here is to not overdo it. The group admins may block you if they consider you spamming when you share too many links.

Comment on Other Blogs

Find other blogs in your niche and engage with them using the comment section. Don’t leave generic comments because they are often disapproved by most bloggers.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is one of the best ways to promote your blog, build authority in your niche, meet other bloggers, and get backlinks. This includes cold email outreach and relationship building. If you can’t find the email of the person you want to contact, you can use the “Contact Me” or “Contact Us” section of their blogs to submit a message.

Here is a template that you can use.

Subject Line: Content and Link Building Opportunities – Your name/blog’s name

Hey (First Name),

My name’s [your name] and I am the writer/owner of [your website].

I’m reaching out because I enjoyed reading your blog and the (Target Article) really resonated with me.

I was curious if you would allow guest posts in your blog.

I’d love to contribute to your content and can pitch some topic ideas that I think your audience will enjoy. Here are some recent samples from me:
(Your Relevent Blog Post Sample 1 URL)
(Your Relevent Blog Post Sample 2 URL)
(Your Relevent Blog Post Sample 3 URL)

Please let me know if you’re interested and I look forward to hearing back from you soon!

Thanks,

When pitching your ideas, you should make sure that your guest post idea hasn’t existed on their site yet. You can go to Google and search “site:blog.com topic” to check if it already exists.

Step 6: Make money from your blog

Once you have created great blog content and started seeing some traffic from promoting your blog, it’s time to look into the money-making part.

Blogs have the potential to be extremely lucrative with multiple income streams such as selling advertising space, affiliate products, products, memberships, and services.

For beginners, you should start with affiliate marketing. After signing up as an affiliate, you will share details of other company’s products and services on your blog. You will receive a commission if your readers click on the links or make a purchase.

You can start applying to an affiliate program as soon as you see traffic to your site. I was approved by multiple affiliate programs within the first week of launching, so I don’t think there is a fixed period of time you have to wait. Nevertheless, you want to make sure you have a few high-quality posts on your site and some traffic.

I strongly recommend Shareasale Affiliate Network for starters. They have a wide network of profitable affiliate programs and they are very good with their payments. After losing a lot of sales with other affiliate networks like Travelpayouts (they have many redirects that are blocked by the readers’ browsers so the sales failed to track back to me), I have completely switched to Shareasale Affiliate Network.

Another affiliate program that you can easily sign up for as a beginner is Rakuten – a cash back program. You can start with signing up for Rakuten and referring your friends and families. They get a $30 bonus upon signing up and you get paid a flat fee of $30. When you have made 10 referrals, you will be qualified to become a Rakuten influencer/affiliate.

Starting a Blog: Summary

Starting a blog isn’t hard, but you want to do it right from the start in order to avoid unnecessary costs later. If you want to start a blog that makes money, the most important thing is to buy your own domain and have a hosting service. If you have trouble with writers’ block for your first posts, consider using the help of AI copywriting tools (the link will give you a free trial of 10,000 words). Once you have launched your blog and started receiving traffic, you can sign up for affiliate programs such as Shareasale Affiliate Network and Rakuten.

To recap, the 6 steps to start a blog are:

• Brainstorming your blog’s name and niche. 
• Get your blog online: Register your blog and get hosting.
• Customize your blog: Choose a free blog design template and tweak it.
• Create Content for Your Blog: Publish the pages and posts!
• Promote your blog: Get more people to read your blog.
• Make money blogging: Apply for affiliate programs.

I also encourage you to watch the Free Mastermind Training to learn more about link building and affiliate marketing. It takes about an hour and does contain a lot of good information for starters!