How to Start a Blog and “Make Money Fast” in [2022]?: (900% Faster & Most Profitable Way)

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Obaro Alidou K.

Blogging has been around for a long time. As the game keeps changing everytime, you can’t just start a blog like people used to decades ago. If you do, then you are sure to fail. If you are wondering how to start a blog and really have success, here is your chance.

Ok; 75% of all the internet content is ignored.

Why?

Because most people start off on the wrong foot.

In this free and complete step by step beginner’s guide, I will show you exactly how to start a successful blog from scratch. No coding skill required. A complete DIY guide with pictures to help you.

I cover each and every single aspect most people don’t. Everything you need to know about starting a blog, and have success:

• Choosing a profitable niche
• Getting a professional domain name
• Making your blog go live
• Optimizing your blog for SEO to get more traffic
• writing the perfect blog posts
• Setting up your content strategy
• Building trust
• Building a community around your blog
• Monetizing your blog the right way with real math to help you make real money from your hard work.
• And more…

Everything you need to know is here. The secrets people don’t tell you about blogging are all here.

Starting a blog can sound too techy and it is easy to fail unless you read this full step-by-step guide.

Ready to learn How to Start a Blog that Really Makes Profit Right Now? Let’s go!

I made a lot of mistakes when I first started learning how to start a blog. That was in 2010. From my experience, I can save you a lot of time and most importantly, money.

Before starting, I think there are a bunch of things that need to be clearly understood.

Important Things You Need to Know About How to Start a Blog

1. What is a blog?

A blog is a website enlivened with content also called blog posts or articles. The first goal of a blog is sharing information or knowledge about a passionate subject with the world.

The most interesting part of a blog is its interactivity. Indeed, thanks to the comments system, readers cannot only interact with themselves but also with the author. This comments section allows a blog’s owner to build a solid relationship with his/her readers.

2. Is Blogging Dead?

You’ll hear people saying « blogging is dead » but, that is not true.

Statistics Tell A Different Story

In effect, a study held by WordPress.com has shown that 21 billion blog pages are viewed by over 400 million people per month… what ! Yes, and that is not all. The best news is « almost 90 million new post and 50 million new comments are released each month… for a single month! That is crazy.

As you can see, blogging may be everything, but not dead.

The Truth

In 2015, the internet had already nearly 4 billion users and it continues to grow. The internet is an “inexhaustible” huge cake. Each day, there are thousands of new users which means new potential readers and/or clients.

When people say “blogging is dead”, I think they are just trying to discourage you from blogging in order to keep all the pie for themselves only. Don’t listen to those dream killers.

3. Why Would You Need a Blog?

There are a ton of reasons why someone could start a blog.  I even think everyone should own at least one blog in 2019. Here are 3 main reasons why I think so:

• You Have Something To Say or Share

No matter who you are, there is something you really love and would like to share with the whole world. A blog will give you that opportunity. Through your blog, you can talk about everything you love.

The fun part is there will be tons of people reading and encouraging you.

• You Can Develop a Business With a Blog

If you already own a business or if you have services to sell, you can use a blog to reach out to more people, and get them to hire you. Blogs are the success tool of the world’s biggest companies.

4. Do Bloggers get paid?

This is a crucial question. Can you make money from a blog?

I say yes. Starting a blog is, in my opinion, the most lucrative online business. If you have a blog with a bunch of visitors, you can monetize it and make real money. There are many ways to make money blogging. I will show you how in this guide.

5. How Much Money Can You Make From a Blog?

There is no limit to the amount of money you can make from a blog. It depends on your topic, how you work, and the way you monetize your traffic. You will learn in this guide the best ways to make a huge amount of money from a blog. There are many bloggers out there who are making $100,000+/month!

This blog you are reading is one of my favorite income sources. It makes me $800 to $3800 per month from a single monetization path, and it is my smallest source.

Neil Patel even makes $300,000+ per month from a single blog.

6. Understanding The Difference Between Blog Sites & Blogging Software

Blog sites are simple sites like Blogger, WordPress.com, Medium, Tumblr etc. where you can start your blog.

Keep in mind that they act exactly like Facebook. Each blog you create is like your Facebook account and each post you publish is like updating your Facebook profile or posting a new Tweet. It is that simple. Also, with blog sites, you have no power and no control over your blog (more on that later).

Blogging software, as its name tells, is “software” you need to install to run your blog. It works like any software you install on your computer. So, you have all the power and full control over your blog.

But, as both “blog sites” and “blogging software” play the same role (making blogs), they are all called “blogging platforms” or CMS (Content Management System). The question now is…

7. What Are The Best Blogging Platforms (CMS)?

There are countless blogging platforms out there. So much so that when you are starting a blog the first time, it is easy to start off the wrong way. The most popular blogging platforms are:

• WordPress.com
• Blogger
• WordPress.org
• Medium
• Wix
• Tumblr
• Squarespace
• Joomla
• Ghost
• Weebly

They are all great to start a blog; but, each has its own specificity.

Please, let me save you a lot of time and money. Make sure you…

Start Off On The Right Foot

As a beginner, you need a blogging platform that’s easy to set up, easy to use and doesn’t call for any coding skills.

I also recommend that you consider the future.

Which kind of blog do you want?

A professional looking one, or a blog that looks like you were just joking (millions of others on the Internet)? Because as your readers’ base grows, you’ll absolutely need to change the look of your site to make it more appealing as it will represent your brand.

You might also want more professional features to help your growing audience stick around. On top of all, you’ll certainly want to make money from your blog. And even if you don’t, I think it is wise to make sure it won’t be a problem in case you change your mind in the future.

That means not only should your blogging platform be easy to use and set up, it must also be flexible.

More importantly, your blogging platform must also provide you with a business look and full control over your content to grant you the power required to build trust and make money from your blog (in case you decide it).

The Right Blogging Platform for Starting A Money Making Blog

Considering all the above factors, only one blogging platform could play the game perfectly, cost-effectively, and with no headache. And it is WordPress. The question now is…

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System).

You know, most people don’t know how to code and that includes you and myself. This is why CMSs have been created.

So, a CMS is just “a software” that allows you to build any kind of blog or website without any coding skills. You just have to enter your blog details, pick a design, and then click on “a simple button” as when you create an email box.

Don’t overthink because it is very simple and I will walk you through the whole process.

Make no mistake: There are two completely different versions of WordPress which are WordPress.com and WordPress.org. I’m talking about self-hosted WordPress.org.

Here is the difference between them:

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

WordPress.com basically acts like a website (blog site) and not software. It provides a basic blog hosting service with tons of limitations. Actually, it doesn’t give you the freedom to build a real blog; you just follow the pre-made lines with some basic templates only. You have no flexibility, no real customization, and no professional look.

WordPress.org instead, is blogging software. It is open source software that grants you the power to build any kind of website or blog. It provides a professional look to your bog with unlimited customization capabilities. You host your blog on your own and therefore have full control over your content. That is why it is called self-hosted WordPress.

If you want a real blog where you can do everything you want with no limitation, self-hosted WordPres.org is the best choice. Just look at the Pros and Cons below:

If you want to avoid headaches and make profit from your blog, you better start off with a self-hosted WordPress.org Blog (which we’ll deal with in this guide).

8. Is WordPress Free?

Absolutely yes. Both versions of WordPress are free. But keep in mind that the .com version will cost you an entire arm to get more features.

For the self-hosted version (.org) you’ll need “web hosting” to install it to run your blog. Don’t worry it is really simple (I’ll show you how in this guide).

A web host costs for 1 year less than your coffee plus I will show you how to get a custom professional domain name!

9. What Do You Need to Start A WordPress Bog?

• A domain name: your blog address (something like yourblog.com). I will show you how to get one for free forever.
• A Web host: to store your blog’s files (texts, pictures, videos…) and make them available on the web.
• WordPress: You need a blogging platform to run your blog. WordPress is the best. I will tell you why and how to install it in one click.

10. Why not Just Start a Free Blog on Blogger, WordPress.com…?

I used blogger (BlogSpot) and also WordPress.com before starting my self-hosted WordPress.org blogs. Blogger is fantastic. You can start a blog for free. But there are too many drawbacks you should take into account before jumping:

• You don’t own your Blog

With Blogger, Google hosts your blog and you don’t have any control over it. Google may decide one day to shout down your blog telling you that you have broken a rule. As a result, you lost your time. Don’t believe me? People suffer from it.

• Limited to no Customization

With free sites like blogger or WordPress.com, you can’t customize your blog to meet your desires. You just have a few templates to choose from. Your blog could look like 1,000,000 others (not professional).

• You Will Waste lot of Time and Money when Switching

Believe me; you will be obliged to switch to self-hosted Wordprees.org one day. And that will cost you a lot of time and money (up to $99). You could spend 10x more than what you would have if you started off a self-hosted WordPress blog from the beginning.

• Your Business is not Reliable

It’s trustworthy to have your own professional domain name like yourblogname.com. Right? Yes. Mine, for example, is obaroweb.com.

But if you start a free blog on WordPress.com, Blogger or any other free blogging platform, you will never have that pleasure. Instead, you will get a sub-domain.

Something dull like yourblogname.blogspot.com, yourblogname.wordpress.com, yourblogname.tumblr.com etc.

The worst thing is Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing..) will ignore your blog because they consider this type of domain names like for jokers.

As a result, your blog is going to be hard to find on the web; plus, companies won’t trust you. No one will do business with you.

• You Work for Someone Else

Here is what I hate the most.

With free blogs, you could wake up one day and see ads all over your content. You will be promoting products you don’t even know for free. You won’t earn a penny from these ads as you have no control over them.

You’ll be working hard and the platform owners will be making money from your efforts. So, you should avoid free blogs at any cost if you mean business.

You think you are saving money by starting a free blog. Doesn’t it? Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. In the future, you’ll waste up to 10x more than the small fees you are escaping from right now.

Please hosting is cheap these days. If you want to avoid headaches and save lots of time and money on the long term side, you had better start off the right way with self-hosted WordPress.org blog now. Just follow this guide to do so.

11. Some Successful Blog examples

You may be wondering if there are blogs which are really successful.

The answer: There are hundreds of thousands of successful blogs on the internet. I’ll just give you a list of some examples:

• Backlinco.com
• NeilPatel.com
• MikeFromMain.com
• SmarPassiveIncome.com
• Entrepreneur.com
• Cnet.com
• CopyBlogger.com

12. Most Popular Blogs

Here are just a few popular blogs per niche to give you an idea of what blogs look like per niche (for just a few niches).

Web hosting , blogging, SEO & WordPress

giantblogger.com

Tech Blogs

Cnet.com, Techradar.com, GSMArena, TechCrunch

Magazines

TheHuffingtonPost, Forbes, TheVerge

Fashion Blogs

FashionMagazine, TheFashionSpot

Beauty Blogs

MariaClaire

Digital Marketing Blogs

QuickSprout

SEO Blogs

Backlinko, Moz blog, SEOBlog.com

Travel Blogs

SmarterTravel

Cooking Blogs

FoodNetwork, PlayFuCooking

Adult Content Blogs

PornHub

Ok! I think you are now well introduced to the blogging questions. So, it’s time to fall on the actual process of starting a blog that really makes money.

How to Start a Blog and “Make Money”: [900% Faster, Most Effective & Most Profitable Way]

1. Let Your Passion Shine (Choose a Profitable Niche)
2. Pick a Good Domain Name and Cheap Web Hosting
3. Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Install WordPress to Run your Blog)
4. Design your Blog (Pick a Responsive & SEO Friendly Theme)
5. Write & Publish The Perfect Blog Posts (Best Content Tactics)
6. Optimize your Blog for Traffic (SEO & Social Media)
7. Build Trust & your Blog’s Community
8. Monetize your Blog The Best Way (Make Real Money)

Please don’t be afraid. I will keep things simple. The process will not last more than 30 minutes.

Free yourself from any distraction, have 1-2 apples at hand, pour yourself some drink, and take a comfortable seat to enjoy the voyage…

Step #1: Let your Passion Shine!

What do you want to blog about? What is your blog subject (Niche)?

Your blog topic is the first and most important part of the process.

If you choose the wrong topic, there are high chances you will fail. I started blogging back in 2010. I started 6 blogs and they all failed because I was targeting the wrong topics.

To avoid the same mistake, here are two basic things you should take a closer look at to find the right niche.

#. Your Passion (things you really love and enjoy learning about)

Here is why I titled this first step “Let your Passion Shine”.

To find the right topic or blog idea, you have to choose a topic you love and care about. It must be something you are passionate about.

Something you can’t help thinking about day and night. A topic you really enjoy learning about (if not an expert).

It might come from your experiences or any domain in life: Cooking, Sport, Painting, Traveling, Technology, News, Yoga, Teaching, Science, Philosophy, Mathematics, Fashion, Art, Online marketing, insurance, Economics, LifeHacks, Comedy, Football, Entertainment, Cinema, Relationship Advice, Dating, Adult content…….

You can blog about everything imaginable. Just make sure that you love your topic and are really passionate about it.

Why is Passion so important?

If you choose a topic (niche) you are not passionate about, you are going to lose interest very soon and your blog will die a certain death.

Why?

The answer is through this question: Would you keep writing about a subject you don’t like or care about? No, of course!

Now, if you don’t care about your blog, why would someone else?

Passion is the magical fuel to blogging. Keep that in mind.

If you still stuck choosing the right topic, here is a quick exercise to help you.

Find Your Universe Of Domination

Take a sheet of paper and follow these lines:

• Write down everything you are passionate about (one per line)
• Underline each of them
• Analyze your list very carefully and identify the topics you love the most and enjoy learning about. When found, underline them once again
• Now, take a look at your list. The topics you have underlined two times represent what I call your “Universe Of Domination”.

They are the right ideas, topics or subjects to blog about.

The thing is– if you pick a topic you don’t really love and enjoy learning about, you won’t stick with it. You’ll just waste your time, and will never be successful. The two conditions are necessary (love, enjoy learning).

Now if you still have some problems with your niche, let me know in the comment below.

#. Your Marketplace (Do people love the same topic?)

If you are the only one who loves your chosen topic, then there is no interest to start a blog about it. You should think of another blog idea.

Why?

Because nobody is going to read your articles.

So, you have to make sure there are others who care about the same things. Don’t be terrified though.

To know if there are people who love your topic, just do a quick Google search.

Let’s say you want to start a blog about “cooking”. Just search for your topic on Google and see what happens.

In the screenshot, you can see that there are 996,000,000 results for the topic “cooking recipes” (Fantastic!). It means there are more than enough results aiming people like you.

There are countless people who care about your topic. Then you can go! Start your blog.

What are you waiting for? Google your topic now to see if it is worth putting your time into it.

Another way is to go to Google Trends and type in your topic to understand what is going on around the Internet.

Here is what comes out when I type in the keyword “cooking”

when the graph is climbing, then your topic is good.

Step #2: Pick a Good Domain Name and a Cheap Web Hosting

Pick a Good Domain Name

Your domain name is your brand.

This is what people type in their web browser to find your blog. It’s also your blog address.

The name of the blog you are reading right now is giantblogger. When you add .com you get giantblogger.com which is my domain name, my blog address, and my brand.

You don’t need to go fancy or kill yourself thinking. Just be simple and original.

Your domain name should be descriptive and as short as possible. It should also be easy to remember. People must think directly about your topic when hearing it.

For example, if your blog is about fashion, then your domain name may be something like fashionhouse.com, usfashion.com, bestfashion.com, learnfashion.com…..

Another example: If your blog topic is cooking, your blog name should include words like food, meal, cooking…. To let people know that your website is about cooking.

Expert trick

Choose the .com extension. It is the best because it’s much easier to remember. Plus it’s what people think of first when looking for a website.

But, .net and .org are also great.

You get the point. So, let’s move on to web hosting.

Get Cheap Web Hosting

To get your blog online, you need two inseparable things:

A Domain name which we just discussed above and web hosting.

A domain name can cost up to $20/year. But, don’t worry because I will help you get one without any hassle.

A web hosting provider is a company that gives you a space on a big computer (a server) to install your blog, store all your blog’s files so that they are accessible on the internet. Files are your blog posts, images, videos, databases…

Without hosting, your blog can’t go live on the internet. Without a Domain name, you don’t even have a blog address. The two are intimately linked.

There are hundreds of hosting companies in the world, and it’s very easy to choose the wrong one.

Selecting the right web host can be time-consuming, so, let me save you some precious time once again.

I’m a passionate Webmaster and a hosting snooper (geek). Just for my passion, I have been jumping from one hosting company to another for 10+ years now.

Why?

Because I love it. It is the main reason why a picked “web hosting” has this blog’s main topic.

I may be new in web development but, I’m not new to hosting facts. Understanding how web hosting companies work is my passion. I have been forced to test 98 web hosts to satisfy my curiosity and demanding clients.

So, I know what I’m talking about.

Let me tell you the truth.

If someone tells you that a single web host could satisfy any kind of needs, he lies to you.

Choosing a web host depends on who you are (a beginner, an expert…), your needs, and most importantly your budget. Again, there is no such thing as the “best” web host. The “best” is the right fit for your project based on your goals, budget, experience & expertise.

Here are some web hosts I recommend regarding different types of needs: FastComet (for beginners) and A2 Hosting (if you want to go geeky, fancy or need developer features).

Why FastComet?

• Solid server uptime (your blog will hardly go down)
• Great server speed  (your site will load under 1s)
• They are reliable
• Great support (24/7/365 Free Support)
• One-click WordPress installation (to install your blog securely)
• Excellent reputation
• Only ($2.95/month).
• Free Daily Backups
• Flat renewal price
• 45 money back guarantee (you can cancel and get refunded)
• 10 data centers to choose from (you can reach your readers wherever they are in the world)

Here is my complete FastComet Review to give you more ideas.

On top of all, the support is available 24h/7 through live chat and phone to assist you with everything you’ll need. They will even install your blog for you free of charge if you ask them. Plus you have a price lock guarantee.

Since you are just starting, I highly recommend FastComet. They have replaced my last favorite for beginners (BlueHost who has become bad).

FastComet has some of the best server technologies and provides free Security features (what most hosts charge for).

It’s the one I will use during the process to make things short and easy.

Signing Up For A Web Host

Here is the exact simple process to get one of the best cheap hostings for your blog. I make it really easy to follow.

1. Go to FastComet

To host your blog, follow this special link to visit FastComet and get a 60% Discount. On the landing page, click the “START NOW” yellow button.

2. Choose a Hosting plan

As you are just starting a fresh new blog, you don’t need extra power. So, save some money by just choosing the FastCloud plan. It can handle up to 25,000 unique visits/month. You can upgrade later as your blog grows.

3. Enter your Domain Name

Now, enter the domain name you would like for your blog and click on “Use This Domain” green button.

“If the domain you want is unavailable, don’t be frustrated. You’ll have some suggestions to choose from. If none of them please you, then you can change the extension (.net or .org).

You can also add an “s” or small words (e.g. if freejob.com is unavailable, you can try freejobs.com, myfreejob.com or freejob.net, freejob.org…”

4. Fill in your Personal Details

On the following page, you’ll be asked to enter your personal details (names, email, phone, country…). You are almost done!

5. Choose Your Billing Cycle

Scroll down to choose your billing cycle (12 months is good to save money. But I think 36 month for only $106! is the best value. However, you are free to choose your plan)

6. Protect Your Domain Name

For the following section, only add the “Domain privacy” to secure your personal details from spam. The others are not necessary, don’t add them.

7. Create Your Hosting Account

Now, choose a data center location if you want. After that, fill in your Billing information. Then, check the TOS, click on the green “Create Account” button, and you are done!

“For the data center location, the closest to your location is selected by default. So, if you are not sure, let the default one.”

Congratulations! You now have a web hosting account to host your blog with a professional domain name!

Note: You will receive an email from FastComet with all your login details (cPanel Credentials). Please Hold onto this email because you will need it to install your blog. If you don’t see the email, check your spam folder.

Start a Blog–Step 3: Choose The Best Blogging Platform (Install WordPress to Run your Blog)

It now time to install and run your blog. For that, we will use self-hosted WordPress as I have already told you. It’s the best blogging platform and the one I use for all my blogs.

Why Is WordPress The Best?

You are a beginner with no coding skills. So, self-hosted WordPress is the best platform for you to start a blog…

Because:

• You own your blog (you have control over your blog)
• WordPress is the easiest to use
• It’s Beginner friendly (Everyone can use it with no coding skill)
• WordPress allows you to customize your blog as you feel it, with no limitation.
• It grants you the power to have your own professional domain name with “.com”
• Search Engine Friendliness
• It makes you look pro and trustworthy
• You have all the tools required to make real money from your blog.

On top of all, self-hosted WordPress.org runs more than 90% of all blogs on the internet, including 62% of the top 100 company blogs.

Please, it is simple, and only takes a click to install WordPress. I will show you below.

All these having been said, let’s get back to our blog Installation.

How to Install Your Blog with WordPress? (The fastest way)

After you get your Domain name and hosting account, you can log in to your cPanel account.

Do you remember the mail I talked about above? It’s time to open it. It contains your cPanel credentials and link. Just follow the link to access your cPanel account.

Your cPanel URL is simply yourdomainname.com:2083 or yourdomainname.com/cpanel.

So, just type yourdomainname.com/cpanel in your browser. You will land on the cPanel access page.

Enter your username and password contained in the Welcome mail you received from FastComet. You’ll then gain access to your cPanel account. Here is how your cPanel account looks like.

Once in cPanel, scroll down to find “WordPress icon” under “SOFTACULOUS APP INSTALLER” section, and then click on it.

“There is a softaculous icon, don’t use it as you’ll have an additional process. Just follow the process as on the screenshots.”

On the next page, click on “Install Now”

On the next screen, fill in your blog information and click on “Install” to complete the process.

After you click the install button, you’ll see the processing screen.

The installation process takes about 5s. Once completed, you’ll see a “Congratulation!” message.

The link yourdomainname.com/wp-admin is your WordPress Dashboard link. It’s the link you’ll use to access your Blog Admin Panel to publish articles, customize your blog (everything related to your blog).

If your domain is not a .com, so replace it with your domain extension.

CONGRATULATION! YOUR BLOG IS NOW UP AND RUNNING!

>>>Get Pro Domain Name and 60% Discount on Hosting To Start Now!<<<

Start a Blog–Step 4: Design Your Blog

Pick a Responsive and SEO Friendly Design

The cool thing I love about WordPress blogs is the customization capabilities. There are almost no limits to what you could do with your blog design.

Your design in WordPress is known as Themes. There are thousands of free themes to choose from.

But please, don’t go fancy because you don’t need it, and you could also slow down your blog performances.

I recommend you to choose a responsive theme. Responsive means simple, clean, and fast theme.

That is a mistake many new bloggers make–including myself.

I remember my first blog back in 2010. Oh God! I used only flashy colors themes on all my blogs. As a result, they were slow and looked more scary than beautiful.

Also, slowness affects your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Google doesn’t like slow websites. So, keep your design simple to avoid hurting your SEO score.

The thing is, when starting a blog the first time, it is easy to screw up in design because there are too many flashy options.

Don’t do the same mistake! Be simple and original.

After you install WordPress, your blog looks like this.

Not cool hein… So, let’s change it.

1. Choosing Your Blog Theme

To customize your blog design, just log in to your WordPress Dashboard.

To do so, just use your WordPress Dashboard link. Add /wp-admin to your domain name.

Just type yourdomainname.com/wp-admin in your browser. Then enter your blog username, and password (those you entered during the WordPress installation process), and click on the “Log In” button.

After you entered your credentials and clicked on “Log In”, you’ll gain access to your WordPress Dashboard.

The dashboard may seem intimidating but, don’t be afraid, you’ll soon Get rid of it (in less than 2 weeks). Your Dashboard looks like this:

To choose your blog design, hover the mouse over “Appearance” and click on “Themes” in the left Menu.

You’ll see WordPress preinstalled themes like Twenty nineteen, Seventeen….

To add a new theme, click on “Add New”.

You can then browse to find the theme you like, and which fits your blog topic design.

If none of the themes meets your taste, and you need a specific design, then click on the…

Feature Filter Option

Select the filters you want from “subject”, “features”, and “layout”. When you are done, click on “Apply Filters”.

As you can see from the screenshot, I chose blog (for the subject), Theme Options (for features), and Grid Layout (for Layout).

After you click on “Apply Filters” you’ll then see a lot of quality themes. Browse to find the one you like.

Once you find the theme that fits your design needs, hover the mouse over it, and click “Install”.

You need to activate the theme before it works. So, after installing it, click the “Activate” button and you are all set.

Now, your design is up and running on your blog.

Keep this in mind: “Simplicity is the best Originality”

2. Customize your Blog Theme

Here is another fun part of WordPress.

After changing your blog design, you need to customize it a few. Things like the header image, background colors & image, sidebar widgets, your blog title & description…..

To customize your Design, go to Appearance >> Customize.

You’ll be taken to your blog customization page. Once there, you’ll have your blog Customization Options on the left, and the live preview on the right side.

In the Menu, there is a bunch of options depending on your themes. These options include Site Identity, Header Image, Background Image, Menus, Widgets…

Let’s explain each of them.

#Site Identity

Here is where you name your blog. It allows you to change your blog title and description that appear at the top of your blog. You can also remove these entirely by unchecking the “Display Header Text” box.

#Colors

As its name suggest, here you can change the text, header and background color (depending on your theme). Some themes even allow you to choose a special color for your links, widgets, and articles’ titles.

In some cases, your theme will give you a dedicated section for the Background color.

#Header Image

This section allows you to add an image to your header. The size depends on your theme though.

#Background Image

Most of WordPress Themes come with a solid color in the background. For me it is ok, but, you may need to use an image as your background instead. In this section, you can upload an image and use it as your blog’s background.

I recommend you to go easy with background images as they can drop your website speed (bad for SEO).

#Menus

Here you decide the location you want for your blog navigation menus. Depending on your theme, you can have a “Primary” and “Secondary” Menu Location. Some themes even give you a “social media” and also a “Footer” Menu location.

This section also allows you to create a Menu if you didn’t have any.

#Widgets

Widgets are various items you can use to display things like “Recent Posts”, a “search bar”, an “image”, your blog categories, an “HTML code” (to display banners), on your blog sidebar. This section allows you to add and remove widgets from your sidebar.

#Homepage Settings

By default, WordPress displays your “latest blog posts” on your homepage. Here you decide if you want to display a “static page” instead. But keep in mind that you should have already created a “custom homepage” before.

Unless you want your homepage to display something specific, just let the default setting.

#Front Page Options and Theme Options

The reason why you see these options is the fact I have selected “Theme Options” in the “filters” above (when choosing a design).

WordPress basic themes will not give you these two sections. They both grant you the power to go in-depth with your theme customization.

Just play with each functionality until you are satisfied.

#Additional CSS

You can use CSS to give a more personal touch to your blog design. If you have some coding skills, here you can take advantage and make your theme look more like you want.

There is nothing to worry about here. You don’t necessarily need to use this section. Most bloggers don’t even use it including me.

Start a Blog–Step 5: Write & Publish The Perfect Blog Posts

When I started my first blog in 2010, I didn’t understand the word “publishing”. With time, I even noticed that most bloggers didn’t either.

You may be thinking that Publishing is “write a blog post and publish it”. Right? YOU ARE ALL WRONG! And that is what many beginning bloggers think “publishing” is.

Here is one of the things most “blog starting guides” don’t cover and what I want you to understand. The better you understand it, the quickest you’ll have success with your blog.

You can’t just write articles for the sake of writing. Instead, you need to follow a “Content Tactic”…

And I’m going to teach you the “Best Content Tactics”.

The thing is, “Publishing” is a whole process including:

• Finding good topics
• Searching for Long Tail Keywords to target
• Writing like a professional

And finally hitting the “Publish” button to make your article go live on the internet.

I will walk you through each step to make things clear.

Let’s Go!

#. Finding Good Topics

This is the first step to “publishing”.

When you start a blog, you are full of blog post ideas. You write, write, and write again and again! Because you are fresh, and enthusiast. You write and share things you love in your niche.

I know It is vital for your blog to keep writing…

But, what tells you that your potential readers are interested in the specific stuff you are producing?

Have you thought about your readers’ needs, and pains before writing?

If you read my FastComet Review or A2Hosting Review, you will notice that, in the Pros and Cons section, I mentioned things that do not matter to me; but to you.

Why?

Because I know we do not necessarily have the same needs.

The thing is, everything is not about me; but about you (my readers). My main goal is to help you through my articles.

Now, how could I help you if I don’t know where you stuck?

Think of it like this:

When you have a blog post idea, what tells you that people in your niche, care about that specific subject?

Does your blog post really answer to a question from your readers?

Is your article going to solve a problem or pain?

Are people searching for what you are writing?

You should normally answer these questions before putting your time in writing a blog post. The question now is…..

How Do I Know If My Blog Post Idea Is Good?

There are many free options to brainstorm good blog post ideas. To see if your idea is shiny or to simply find a good blog post ideas, you can go to AnswerThePublic.com and type in your keyword.

Let me show you.

Here is the result for the keyword “cooking”

As you can see on the screenshot, there are 200 questions about “cooking”. You now know questions people have in your niche.

The cool thing here is the fact questions are categorized according to “What”, “When”, “How” etc. so that you choose the most suitable to you.

Another best way is to go on Buzzsumo and type in your blog post idea or keyword. I like BuzzSumo because it shows you the most popular articles in your niche sorted by social media shares.

When you know what is popular, it is easy to write something people are going to read and share.

Here is what comes out when I type in the keyword Email Marketing.

So, if I had to write a blog post on Email Marketing, I would simply take the most popular articles, then go and write better version of them. And BAMMMM! I will get tons of readers.

Make No Mistake

Blogging is not mathematics and Publishing blog posts is not a toc-toc matter.

Sometimes you’ll have valuable post ideas which though do not answer to any of the questions above. This can happen in 3 cases:

1. You see people suffering about something related to your niche. Then, you notice that nobody is talking about it and you have a solution.
2. You had an experience you want to share to add value to your readers
3. Your blog post idea unveil curiosity

In these cases, your article is going to hit your readers’ heart positively. So, go ahead and write!

#. Searching For Long Tail Keywords To Target

A keyword is the main idea behind a given blog post. It is also a word or expression you want an article to rank for in Search Engines Results Pages (SERPs). Each of your blog posts should target a given keyword.

Long Tail Keywords are related keywords to integrate into your blog post to make it more valuable to your readers and improve your Google ranking.

It sounds techy?

Don’t be scared. Here is how it works:

Have you ever done a Google search and then scrolled the result page down?

Let’s assume that you want to write an article about “healthy meal”. That is your focus keyword. The one you want your article to rank for in Google Search Results.

What you have to do first is to Google the term “healthy meal”.

Then, on the results page, scroll down to the bottom. The list of related search terms you see are “Long Tail Keywords”.

To write a compelling article you should include those keywords into it. By doing so, you’ll write a thorough content.

If you didn’t know it, then let me tell you that Google loves thorough contents. So, your article is going to rank higher in Search Results.

Another great way to find keywords is to go to UberSuggest and type in your focus keyword. Then you’ll see which keywords are related, the search volume, and the competition (if you could rank easily or not) for that keyword.

When I type in the keyword “cooking recipe”, here is what comes out.

As you can see, the tool tells how easy a keyword is to rank for and the search volume. This is my favorite free tool for finding keyword ranking difficulty.

#. Writing Like A Professional

You have a good blog post idea, a keyword, and even Long Tail Keywords to include in your article.

How do you write it to retain people attention, and to rank high on Google?

1. Use “you” an “I”

Your articles should be conversational. By using “you” and “I” you catch your readers’ attention.

If your blog posts are not conversational, people will not feel concerned and will just bounce off.

2. Use Short Paragraphs

Have you noticed that most of my paragraphs are less than 4 lines long? Some have 2 lines, and I even have one single line paragraphs.

The thing is, when your paragraphs are more than 5 lines, your readers get lost. Give them a breath to enjoy your content. Avoid paragraphs with more than 5 lines. It becomes overwhelming.

3. Use Sub-headings

“Sub-headings break down your content into different sections. They make your content easier to scan.

Through sub-headings, your readers can jump on the section they are interested in, read it and keep scrolling”. Neil Patel

4. Use Keywords Strategically

Keywords are cool as they help tell Google what your content is about. But you can’t just put them everywhere in a nonsense way. Here is how to do:

• Always use your focused keyword in your Title and your post link.
• Use your focused keyword in the first paragraph. It helps readers and Search engines understand from the beginning what your article is about.
• Use your focus keyword and Long Tail Keywords in sub-headings when it makes sense. If not, don’t use.
• Use your keywords (focused and long tail) as many times as you can in your content body. Again, only where it makes sense.

I will repeat it 1,000,000,000 times: Use your keywords only where it makes sense!

The Bottom Line: If your article is full of keywords in a non-sense way, people will just bounce off, and never come back to your website. Use them strategically!

5. Use Media

A media can be a picture, video, podcast or Infographic.

If you think people will just come and read block of texts, you better make up your mind.

A picture says a thousand words. With pictures, you engage your readers much more than full-text articles.

One of the reasons my first blogs failed was that I never used an image in a blog post.

Don’t do the same!

You can find free images on sites like Unsplash.

6. Do Research Before Writing

You don’t know everything, I don’t know everything.

Always do researches on your topic before writing. Read what others are writing on the same subject. You’ll get more information and even be much more inspired.

7. Make A Conclusion

Some readers will first scroll down to your conclusion to see a sum up of your content, and then go back to read the rest.

Thus, make sure to always add a conclusion to your blog posts. It can be something like “Final thought” or “Conclusion” simply.

With all these having been said, let’s come back to our guide.

How To Add a New Blog Post?

To write a new article, just click on “Posts” and then “Add New” from your dashboard.

Add the title, write, add media (if any), preview it to see if everything is fine, and then click “Publish” to make your blog post go live on the internet.

Advice: You never know when WordPress would crash. So, always write in Microsoft Word, Google Docs or any other text processing software. Then copy and paste it in WordPress.

It happened to me one day and I lost 3,000 words after WordPress crashed. Since then, I always write in Microsoft Word.

The worst part is that I have never recovered this 3,000 words article because I lost the inspiration.

Don’t do the same!

As you know now how to write great articles, I think the next point must obviously be about “getting people “ visit your blog and read those articles…

Start a Blog–Step 6: Optimize Your Blog For Traffic

After starting a blog, getting traffic is one of the hardest things every blogger faces. There are countless ways to get people to visit your blog. Some of them are paid and some are free.

As you are just starting, I suppose you don’t want to invest a lot in something you don’t even know if it will work.

Therefore, I will show you three (03) cool and simple optimizations to get free traffic to your blog.

1. Make Your Blog Shareable

This is the first thing to do after starting a blog. Readers who enjoy your articles are likely to share them with their friends on social media. So, make it easy for them.

You have to make sure your readers can share your content everywhere and every time. Thankfully, there are tons of free plugins to add social share buttons to your blog.

The one I use the most is Social Warfare. But feel free to use any other.

To install it, just go to Plugins >> Add New.

Search for “social warfare” and click “install”.

After you install the plugin, you need to activate it before it works. So, click “Activate”.

Upon activation, go to the plugin settings. Then drag and drop the buttons you want to use, click” Save changes” and you are all set.

You also have options for floating buttons, share counts…..

Play with the settings until you are satisfied. Don’t just forget to always save your changes.

There are also paid options like Monarch from Elegant Theme if you want to go fancy.

2. Create Your Blog’s Social Pages

Blogging is also about being everywhere at the same time. What happens when you see an author everywhere you go on the internet? You begin to give him some credit.

The same thing goes with your blog. Go and create a page for your blog on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+…..

Use the exact same profile pictures to let people identify you easily throughout the platforms. This will help you build your brand, gain more exposure and get some extra traffic.

I would recommend you to start with Facebook and Google+. But, as Google+ is being closed, then replace it with Reddit.

Facebook has one of the largest communities and Reddit can make your audience claim like a bush fire.

But, if you already have a twitter or an Instagram account with tons of followers, then feel free to share your content on them too.

Expert Tip: As you are just starting a new fresh blog, Social Medias are not worth consuming your time.

With my first blogs, I believed that promotion was everything until they failed. I could spend hours and hours promoting a single blog post. People got bored with my unique articles.

I used to spend much more time promoting my blogs than writing. As a matter of fact, I failed because I didn’t put time into the most important: “Writing valuable content” to retain my readers.

The thing is, you should not waste your time on social Media until you have enough content on your blog.

Why?

Think of it like this: if you don’t have amazing content, then what are your visitors going to read once they’ll land on your blog? Nothing.

As a result, they’ll bounce off and never come back.

Focus on content. Don’t be scared because you can’t be perfect as you are just starting. You don’t even need to be perfect. You just need to be helpful.

Follow the writing steps above and produce valuable content. Be thorough and as helpful as possible. Your readers will thank you for the good transformations you bring into their lives.

Make No Mistake!

I’m not telling you that you should not share your articles on your social profiles. Instead, what I’m telling you is…..

Right now, just spend a few minutes, two or three times per day sharing your new articles on Social Medias. Use the major part of your time to produce amazing content.

When you’ll have a bunch of content, only then, you can put your time into promoting your blog.

Remember this: Promotion is useless until you have good content.
(Alidou K.).

I learned it the hard way.

3. Optimize Your Blog For SEO

Social Medias are fantastic. When you share your content with the right audience, you can get tons of readers. The problem though is if you stop sharing, your traffic decreases hugely.

Finding a solution to that problem is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes into the Game.

If you really want more traffic on the long term side, you should take care of your SEO.

Fortunately, as you are using WordPress, there are some cool tricks and free tools to help you get the maximal optimizations for your content.

First……

Set Up SEO Friendly Permalinks

Permalinks are just what your blog posts’ links look like. By default, your permalinks are something like yourdomainname.com/1452.

It doesn’t describe what an article is about.

For example, my WordPress Hosting Guide’s  link is: obaroweb.com/wordpress-hosting-secrets/

Nice! You automatically know what the article is about when you see the link. Right? Yes!. And Google loves that.

So, let do the same for your blog.

Go to “Settings”, and then “Permalinks”.

You have a bunch of setting there. Just choose “Post Name”, then click on “ Save Changes” and you are all set.

Secondly…

Install Yoast SEO Plugin

WordPress has a free plugin called Yoast SEO. The cool thing about Yoast SEO is that it shows you exactly how your articles appear in Google search.

Again, as for the social share buttons Plugin, hover your mouse over “Plugins” and then click on “Add New” from your WordPress dashboard,

Search for “Yoast Seo” and install it.

After installing the plugin, click “Activate” to make it work.

Upon activation, you will have a new line called “SEO” in your Dashboard.

Now, every time you write a blog post, scroll down to the bottom to find your SEO recommendations. The plugin tells you what you should do to optimize your text and your keyword for a better ranking.

Let me be clear: you don’t need to be perfect here. Please, don’t be obsessed with Yoast SEO green lights. Remember that you are writing for humans first and not for Google robots. So, don’t be affected if you don’t get all the green lights.

Anyway, from now, each time you write an article, try to…

Optimize your Title Tag and your Meta Description

When you do a Google search, you notice that each result has a “Title” and a “small text” below.

The title is called “Title Tag” and the text is “Meta Description”

You should make them appealing.

The more appealing they are the more clicks you’ll get. The more clicks you get, the more visitors you have. And the more visitors you have, the better Google will rank your website/Blog.

Hée!, Calm down… I’m not telling you to waste your time optimizing your Title tag and Meta Description right now.

Just be original. Also, experience has proven that curiosity word like “now”, “fast”, “quick”, “easy”, “best”, “complete”, “step-by-step” make people want to click. So, find the right way to use them in your title tags.

After you write an article, just scroll down under the editing area to optimize your title tag and meta description.

Here is what it looks like.

In my example on the screenshot, you can see that my Title tag is: How to cook a Healthy Meal (The Quickest Way)?

Compare it to “How to cook a Healthy Meal?”

Which one are people going to click on the most?

The number 1 obviously.

Why?

Because it contains the term “(The Quickest Way)” in the Title.

That is the secret to get people to click on your articles.

Enjoy!

Now let’s continue our learning journey.

The Yoast plugin has received a lot of updates. The default settings now are ok for a first-time blogger. Your XML Site Map is enabled by default. But, If you want more settings details, my mentor Neil Patel has a complete step-by-step guide to Yoast SEO plugin.

Start a Blog–Step 7: Build Trust & Your Blog’s Community

When you start a blog with the purpose of making money from it, it’s more than important to build trust.

Trust is the key to selling. You are more than obliged to make your readers trust you if you really want to succeed in your blogging journey.

Sure, you’ll have some clicks but, it is going to be hard to make a sale. Why? Because people don’t trust you.

Are you going to buy something from someone you don’t trust?

Are you going to follow someone’s recommendations if you don’t trust him?

There are high chances you answer “No”.

So, the same goes for your readers. They’ll hesitate in following your recommendations until you gain their trust.

When your readers trust you, they’ll buy from you or follow each and every single of your recommendations. They’ll use your affiliate links to purchase product and service just to thank and support you.

Now comes the real question……

How Do You Build Trust And A Community Around Your Blog?

The two are connected. If you gain people trust, they’ll become members of your community. A community you can rely on. A hard dying fan base.

In my opinion, the first step to gaining trust is writing very helpful content (if not the best).

People say “Content is King”. But, I think…

Content is not King until it is helpful.

Or simply…

The best content is king

So, assuming that you care about writing helpful articles that solve your readers’ pains, here are the two basic things to help you build trust.

1. Blog Consistently

One of the killing mistakes I did when I first started blogging is to blog only when I “feel like”. I can even say this was my fatal mistake. The one that directly led me to failure.

I forgot that new fans always need more content to be caught, and I failed to deliver.

You are not the only blogger in your niche. You should consistently deliver new attractive content to keep your fans visiting your blog. If you fail, they’ll look elsewhere, and forget about you.

It means you must have an….

Editorial calendar

I know that blogging is not the only thing in your life. You have your family to take care of. Your day job is also there and takes your time.

You naturally also have your leisure, and friends to go out with to enjoy life.

But, despite all those things, you should have a blogging calendar.

Decide, in accordance with your life, how many times you could blog.

It may be 1, 2, 3 times per week or even per month. It depends on how busy you are. The thing is you must have a specific calendar and follow it at any cost. That is where blogging becomes a bit hard.

But don’t be afraid. You can miss it sometimes; that is not a big deal. The most important is to have a plan to follow for your blog post’s delivery and make everything you can to respect it.

Use Trello or simply open up a new Excel spreadsheet.

Start with four columns

• Post Title
• Category
• Focused Keyword
• Publishing Date.

It is simple, let me show you.

I recommend you to publish 1 to 3 articles per week if you can, and don’t go over because you could very soon come out of blog post ideas.

The bottom line:

Consistently doesn’t necessarily mean every day. It means you should have an editorial calendar, and follow it. You should be predictable. Your readers must know when to expect something from you.

2. Collect Your Blog Visitors’ Email Address

Many bloggers, after 6 months of hard work, end up saying “I wish I would have started building my mail list from the first day”.

An email list, as its name suggests, is the list of your blog visitors’ email addresses. This list allows you to connect with them deeper.

When someone visits your blog, what guarantee that he/she will come back again? Nothing.

That is why an email list is important. It is more import than any other traffic source.

Why?

Sure, you can have traffic from Social Media, and Google search (SEO). But, none of them guarantee you trust from your visitors.

When you have a reader’s mail address, and you send him regular emails each time you publish a new blog post, not only he will continue visiting your blog, but, he will also begin to trust you.

When he trusts you, he is more likely to buy from you, or follow your product recommendations than someone who found your blog by a Google search, and has never received an email from you.

I will always repeat it: Email is the top #1 way to connect with your readers, gain their trust, and build a community around your blog.

Don’t you know the famous say “The Money is in the mail”?!!!

Email is the first step to real monetization. We’ll talk about it in the last step below.

There are countless tools to help you build an email list. You can use the Hello Bar or Boxzila but Feel free to try any other pop-up maker you find interesting until you get what fits your needs and design.

Once you have your readers’ mail addresses,…

Send Newsletters To Build Trust

You know what? People won’t come back to your blog unless you ask them. And emails are the best way to keep readers coming back to your blog every time.

Send newsletters to your readers each time you publish a new blog post or have something interesting to share. More important, listen to them and answer to their pains in your articles.

I recommend you to use MailChimp to send emails to your blog’s subscribers. MailChimp is free until you get 2,000 subscribers. You can also send up to 12,000 emails per month for free.

After creating your free account, you can also install the free MailChimp Plugin to directly connect your blog to your free MailChimp account.

You can also use SendInBlue instead if you want. It is really beautiful and sending emails is a great pleasure.

I personally use MailChimp for this blog. I’m also using SendInblue and ConvertKit for my other blogs.

But, just start with either MailChimp or SendInBlue, they both have a free version and are really easy to use.

After you have traffic and gained your readers’ trust, you can then focus on how to make money from your blog.

Start a Blog–Step 8: Monetize Your Blog The Best Way

Here is the best part of starting a blog.

If you really want to make money from your blog, here are the steps:

• Start a blog the profitable way (follow this guide)
• Write helpful and thorough content (if not the best) to get traffic and build an audience
• Build your email list
• Send newsletters to build trust and a community around your blog (fan base)
• Recommend products (through affiliate links) or sell them your own products/services if you have any (Online courses, coaching, eBooks, apps, physical products, or a particular service).

These steps combined is in my opinion, is the “Must follow monetization process”. It is the best way to make money blogging.

Now, typically speaking, there are 6 great ways to monetize your blog. But, the first two ways are the most suitable for new bloggers as they are the easiest.

How To Make Money Blogging?

Make Money Blogging through Advertisements

This is the easiest way to make money blogging. You can sign up for Google Adsense and then display ads on your blog. Each time a visitor clicks on an ad, you get a commission. It is that simple.

Make Money Blogging with Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is the best way to make money when you start a blog. It is easy and free to get started.

Affiliate marketing is a system where you recommend a product, and each time you make a sale, you get a commission.

You don’t need to create a product yourself. All you have to do is to find the best products for your audience and recommend them.

The biggest affiliate platform is

Amazon Associate Program

Amazon sells almost any type of product. You’ll easily find products related to your niche to recommend to your readers.

In my opinion, Affiliate Marketing is the best way to make money when you are just starting a blog. Sign up it is free to get accepted.

You also have ClickBank (for digital products), Commission Junction, ShareASale, JVzoo, Apple to name just a few. You can sign up to each of them to see which works best for you, it is free. Each platform has everything you need to get started.

Apart from Affiliate Marketing, there are three other ways to make money blogging but, they require much work I think you might not be ready for right now. Don’t be frustrated though.

As you become an expert through time, you’ll be able to master your skills and make more money with them.

Here they are:

Sell Digital Products (eBooks, music, Applications, software…..)

Online Courses

Sell Membership

The last one I have is…

Selling Physical Products

If you have physical items related to your niche, you can sell them on your blog using the WooCommerce plugin. It is one of the best ways to make money from a blog. The problem though is you need to create the product first and then think about how to store it.

However, there is a way to sell physical products without having to create any product, and it is called Dropshipping. Just do some research on Google to find out how it works.

Anyways, since you are just starting a new blog, I think Affiliate Marketing is the best way to monetize your blog.

However, depending on your niche and your expertise, Online courses, Digital products, or Membership selling might be better.

My Ultimate Advice About Making Money From A Blog

Please, I beg you. The best thing you could do is to avoid ads, and that includes all Ad Networks like Google AdSense, AdMedia, Infolinks, Taboola etc.

Unless you have a massive audience, you won’t make any money from Advertisement.

Google Adsense has the highest CPC (Cost Per Click). In some particular niches, the CPC can go up to $20. But it is hard to get.

In most cases, the CPC varies from $0.01 to $0.1/click ($0.05 is the regular CPC). It sounds good. Right? Yes, but it is not that simple.

Are you clicking on every Ad you see on the Internet?

No, obviously, and that is the same thing for your readers.

Most of your visitors will not click on ads. According to a Google Study, the average CTR (Click Through Rate) is 10%. It means only 10 people out of 100 are likely to click on ads on your blog.

Let’s do the Math.

Let’s say you are getting 100 visitors each day as your blog is new. That is 3,000 visits/month.

How Much Would You Make From AdSense?

With a 10% CTR, you’ll get 300 clicks.

300 x 0.05 = 15

So, you’ll earn around $15 for 3,000 visits per month—pitiful.

Let’s now think bigger. Let’s say you are getting 100K visits/month.

100,000 x 10% = 10,000

10,000 x 0.05 = 500

So, you need 100,000 visits per month to make $500 (not impressive).

You get the point. You need a massive audience to actually make money from ads and for a new fresh blog, 100K visits/month is not obvious.

What About Affiliate Marketing?

Making $500 a month with Affiliate income is way easier than with Adsense.

The biggest problem with Adsense

Google could one day decide to close your Adsense account without any reason.

Last year, for example, I was running ads on two of my blogs, and then my Adsense account has been closed after I reached the first $75 for no reason. They didn’t receive any notification or mail.

I just waked up one morning and noticed my account was revoked. Even until now I don’t still know the reason (it is frustrating).

Another thing you should know about ads is they can drop your blog speed which is bad for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Once again, avoid ads as you are just starting. When you’ll have a large audience, then you could think of it but, right now I recommend you to stay far from ads. They won’t make you any real money.

Affiliate Marketing is 100x more profitable than advertisements. I recommend you to start with affiliate marketing as you might not have any product (ebook, online course…) to sell right now.

It has been really simple for me to make my first $500 with Amazon Associate Program from my Tech Blog.

How Does Amazon Affiliate Program Work?

Let’s say you recommend a product you love that cost $200. Your readers click on the product link from your blog that redirects them to Amazon’s Website. If they buy you earn a commission.

Amazon pays up to 10% in commissions. So, for a $200 product, you could earn up to $20 in commission per sale depending on the product category. For 10 sales only you could get up to $200 in commission.

The cooler thing about Amazon is the cookies’ system. Someone who goes to Amazon might decide to buy other things than the product you recommend and you’ll still get a commission.

Let’s say you recommend a “dress” on your fashion blog or a “phone” from your tech blog. A reader clicks on your link and goes to Amazon. Then, he decides to buy another item different from the dress or phone you recommend.

It may be a TV or a luxury watch that cost $800. Amazon will still pay you a commission for that sale because you are the one who directed the client to the store.

You’ll continue making money for each and every single sale made within 30 days following the first click.

The Best Thing About Affiliate Marketing

It is free to sign up and you don’t need a massive audience to make money. Your affiliate links can also be on your blog for years and continue making you money while you sleep.

Again, no matter what you are blogging about, there are products related to your niche on Amazon (Fashion, Food, Garden, Housing, Tech, etc.).

You get the point so choose wisely my friends.

How to Start a Blog? Conclusion

Blogging is a path to financial freedom. I’ll even say that it is one of the most interesting things when it comes to online business.

It seems to be the cheapest, not the easiest business out there. Like in any other job, it will take time and effort. The cool thing is you are the boss. So, never give up in front of difficulties.

Share your passion and don’t be afraid.

You’ll make mistakes, and that is ok! Everyone makes mistakes. You could fail once, twice, and even 10 times. Never give up, start over with new strategies, or ideas again, again, and again until you succeed.

That is what all successful bloggers did.

The only thing I always keep in mind is this: The rewards far outweigh the risks.

I have put everything you need to know in this guide to help you start a blog and have success.

What are you going to do now! With all you have learned from this guide today?

Will you stick with your boring and non-profitable day job?

Will you stay there saying “I can’t” “it won’t work” because of fear?

Or will you seize your destiny, follow your passion to start your own business today, work to make real money, and gain your financial freedom?

It is up to you.

Never forget: The rewards far outweigh the risks.

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What is your main pain? What still draws you back? Do you still have any question? Let me know in the comment below.

Share, Tweet, and Pin this guide to help others too.

Cheers!

Obaro