Last Updated on February 22, 2024 by Natalie

If you’re reading this, you’re likely considering starting a blog.

Why Start a Blog?

There are multiple reasons people start a blog including:

• Creating a space where you can write out or document your experiences
• Using a platform where you can connect with other people who relate to you
• A way to make passive income

Let’s discuss that last point a bit.

Undoubtedly, people looking for ways to make passive income or money with minimal work hours (like new moms wanting to enjoy every waking moment with their baby ?‍♀️) will hear about blogging and be intrigued.

For me, it was the natural next step.

I was unemployed, have a background in writing, was in the thick of the newborn phase so I was often nap trapped with my phone in hand and had a lot to say about my experiences in this world I was consumed by, even at just 3 months in.

I was eager to talk to people who I related to about my favorite subjects: breastfeeding, pregnancy, PPD, bed sharing, ways I could make money or work from home, etc.

I figured I could write about what I know and what I’ve gone through.

If I could earn money from doing that, that would be perfection.

So, being the researcher I am, I began reading about the earning potential and how it’s done.

Let me reiterate and clarify something everyone in blogging will tell you: blogging is by no means an easy, get rich quick option.

What does that mean, exactly?

What People Mean When They Say Monetizing Your Blog Takes Hard Work

This isn’t a “if you build it, they will come” situation.

You may be an expert on your niche, but that alone, won’t help people find you.

You might have tons of great content, but that alone, won’t monetize your site.

You might be an amazing writer, but that alone, won’t bring your site a ton of traffic.

You need a strategy.

Treat it like a job. By that, I mean make sure your writing is good (no typos or poor grammar), make sure your site looks attractive and clean, provide quality content, use SEO, invest time in bringing in traffic by engaging on social media and then…have an actual monetizing plan.

As in…everything I listed before that is not the plan. That’s just the supplement to help your plan work.

It Takes Time

I’m coming upon my 2 year launch anniversary and I have yet to make any money. Plenty of bloggers do start making money immediately–I mean even a month after they start, but they went in with their strategy.

Even for those who start making money immediately, blogging is a very front-heavy effort.

The hardest, most time-consuming part is setting yourself up and introducing yourself to the world.

What do I know if I haven’t really made money yet? Well, I’ve worked in marketing for the past 14 years (digital marketing for the past 10), I’ve taken classes that give you the steps to monetizing your blog and I’ve done a ton of reading on it. I know what I’m doing wrong and I know what I’m NOT doing that I should be. I hope to share a bit about that in other posts when I start putting a plan into practice.

Choose a platform

I recommend WordPress.

Here’s a confusing fun fact: There are two different platforms called WordPress (WordPress.com and WordPress.org) and they are two very different things.

WordPress.com provides your hosting for you.

WordPress.org is what is referred to as self-hosted.

You may be tempted to go with .com because it’s easier and entirely free but the truth is you are more limited and using a hosting company can still be very cheap.

And very importantly, it’s much more challenging to monetize your blog if it’s built on a free wordpress.com.

Why you shouldn’t use WordPress.com:

• You don’t really control or own it and if it happens to shut down, say goodbye to “your” blog.
• You can’t customize your website with plugins unless you purchase a business plan.
• There are restrictions on how you can monetize your website.
• You can’t remove wordpress.com’s branding from your website

If you want to monetize your blog, go with wordpress.org.

WordPress.org websites are self-hosted.

Benefits of Using WordPress.org:

• WordPress is easy to use. Of course, you’ll have a bit of a learning curve but it’s user-friendly enough for beginners to figure out.
• You own it and have the freedom to use it as you please.
• You can control and customize it to your hearts content.
• No restrictions on monetizing your blog.

Ok, enough chit chat. Let’s get started on the steps.

1. Purchase a domain name

I suggest not doing any purposeful misspellings, including any numbers or going with anything other than a .com, if possible.

I say that from experience.

As you may have noticed, I don’t have a .com because it wasn’t available.

This may make it harder for people to remember your domain and return to your site.

If .com isn’t available for the domain you really want, it doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t use it. Just try to choose something that makes sense.

To easily check for domain availability, use Instant Domain Search.

Once you’re ready to purchase your domain, I recommend using NameCheap if you’re looking for a great price.

For some, Bluehost may be a good idea (if you’re going to get your hosting there).

Why Bluehost for a domain?

• Bluehost offers domains in addition to hosting (which I’ll cover in the next section). Getting both from Bluehost makes it easy to manage everything in one place.
• Free for the first year

2. Purchase website hosting

This powers your blog.

A website needs hosting in order to run.

As you already know, I recommend Bluehost.

When I started my blog, it seemed like everyone was recommending Bluehost so I didn’t even bother researching. It was mentioned in all the blogs and courses I was learning about.

Now, for the purpose of this post, I’ve done my research.

Why Bluehost for hosting?

• Plans starting at an introductory rate of $3.95 per month (renews at $7.99)
• Secure: Free SSL certificate
• 24/7 chat support
• Fast load time of 405ms (0.4 seconds)
• Easy to use for beginners

How to purchase a domain and hosting on Bluehost:

• Click my link to go to Bluehost
• Click “Get Started”
• Choose desired plan
• Enter your desired domain name and the extension (i.e. .com)
• Fill in your contact information
• Select an account plan (the 12 month package is the lowest total cost while the 36 month package has the lowest monthly cost).
• Select any desired add-ons (you can start off with none and add them later if you want.
• Enter payment information

With Bluehost, once you have your domain and hosting, you can download WordPress.org to manage your site.

Wrap Up

Creating a blog has so many different parts.

I will be creating separate posts to cover these different topics including ways to practice SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the blogging course that I took and that I recommend, affiliate marketing and more.

Please reach out and let me know if you have any questions!