Are you tired of the daily grind and looking for a way to make money while doing something you love?
Do you feel lost with so much information on how to start a blog and don't know where to start? You're not alone, and it's not too late.
Even in 2024, blogging is still one of the best ways to turn your interests into high-income skills.
With years of experience in SEO and blogging, I've figured out the ins and outs of making a blog profitable.
No, seriously, I've taken over 1,000+ coaching calls answering new bloggers' questions for a course called Blog Growth Engine.
I even made a video version of this article for you to watch below.
This course was created by a big mentor of mine, Adam Enfroy, and I had the chance to take someone's new blog and turn it into a money machine online.
Now, I'm here to show you a clear, step-by-step plan to start your own successful blog, just as I've shown +1,000 students for the top blogging course.
What's On The Menu? Here's What You'll Learn:
- Find a topic you're passionate about that can also make you money.
- Choosing the right blog domain name and best blogging platforms (You need a content management system)
- My favorite blog hosting providers and how to install your CMS Platform
- Get the skills to promote your blog on different platforms and learn how to make consistent money.
- Designing the perfect website and showing my own blog post examples
- Learn how to use data-driven keywords to make content that ranks well in search engines and connects with your audience.
- How to save your blog post ideas so you never get overwhelmed
- Writing blog posts that your users and search engines love
- Promoting your latest blog posts on other platforms, such as YouTube
- Updating your articles so your blogging efforts don't go to waste
- How to have a profitable blog from the very beginning
- Tracking your content to know what's working
Yes, that's a lot, but I promise it will be worth reading through this guide.
The Simplest Steps To Starting A Blog
How do you start blogging? You need a solid foundation.
I'm here to help you navigate through the necessary steps, including:
- Selecting a niche
- Creating captivating content
- Building an audience
- Monetizing your blog
By following these steps, you can create a business that will be around for a long time.
1. Find A Profitable Niche
The first step to jumpstarting your blog is identifying a potentially lucrative blog niche.
A well-defined niche allows you to target your audience effectively and become an authority in a specific area, making it easier to rank in search engines.
List topics you're passionate about to uncover a niche that aligns with your interests and expertise.
You can start to use keyword research tools like:
- Google Trends to validate your ideas and ensure there’s market demand. Google Trends shows how often a term is searched over time.
- Glimpse and Exploding Topics to provide consumer insights and emerging trends.
- Motion Invest will explore existing blogs for sale, including their profitability.
After pinpointing a niche, refine it to target your audience better and improve your search engine ranking.
For instance, if your initial idea is personal finance, focusing on a sub-niche in finance would be a great start. This could be anything in the credit, debt, money, or investing.
Try using this ChatGPT prompt to help you develop your niche ideas and go down a rabbit hole of topics.
That's just one use case with ChatGPT, but I will give you a lot more throughout this beginner guide to blogging.
Action List:
- Choose a niche where you can build a brand.
- Use Motion Invest to find successful blog topics.
- Review what other bloggers are doing that is working.
- Ask yourself: "Can I see myself doing this for 12-24 months?" If yes, then it's probably a good idea.
2. Get Your Memorable Domain Name
Having narrowed down your niche, the next step is to craft a memorable domain name for your blog.
A good domain name should be easy to remember and something you can build a brand from.
Use tools like ChatGPT and AI name generators to brainstorm ideas and check the availability of your chosen name across web domains and social media platforms.
Once you’ve settled on a unique and catchy domain name, use platforms like GoDaddy to purchase it.
Most web hosting companies, like WPX, allow you to buy your domain name on their platform, which I prefer since it comes with free WHOIS privacy.
Remember, your domain name is more than just a URL; it’s your brand’s first impression. Make it count by choosing a name that reflects your blog’s niche and resonates with your target audience.
Action List:
- Think of domain names that you can build a brand off of.
- You can make it personal or corporate
- Buy your domain name on Godaddy or with your web hosting plan
3. Pick Your Website Hosting And Theme
With your domain name in place, the next step is to choose a hosting platform that is easy to use and has a visually appealing theme.
WordPress.org is often recommended due to its extensive customization options and user-friendly interface.
You do not want to start on a free blogging platform like Medium or Linkedin for many reasons, such as never actually owning the content.
You can choose other blogging platforms like Ghost.org, but again, I am using WordPress for my sites.
As for web hosting, WPX is my top hosting company recommendation for starting a self-hosted WordPress blog on the WordPress blogging platform.
WPX is the perfect choice for those who need high-quality hosting that can accommodate up to 5 websites. It comes with a caching plugin, insane support, and in-house CDN, making it easier to create WordPress websites!
When choosing a WordPress theme for your blog, make sure it aligns with your niche and is visually appealing.
Thrive Suite and Kadence WP are recommended for website themes.
These themes offer pre-designed templates that can save you time and effort, allowing you to focus on creating engaging content for your audience.
Thrive Thrives Membership (Thrive Suite) is the all-in-one theme builder I use to run this blog. Create specific pages for specific categories easily.
While Kadence offers free WordPress themes and faster loading times, it does have a learning curve.
Either way, you can look at free themes from other places and choose the one you like the most.
Action List:
- Launch a WordPress blog and use and choose WPX as your web hosting company
- Install WordPress
- Choose your theme
- Get ready to learn about your WordPress dashboard and settings
4. Configure Your Website Settings And Plugins
Following the setup of your hosting platform and theme, you should now optimize your website settings to enhance functionality and security.
When starting a new WordPress blog, seeing all the settings and features can feel overwhelming, but I honestly believe if you take one full day to mess with it, you'll have no problems later on.
Here are the main settings you'll want to understand for now:
- Pages: This is where your static pages are (Home, About, Contact, etc)
- Posts: This is where your articles are published
- Appearance: Where you can customize your menus, widgets, and theme
- Settings: Where you can change your URL structure, time, dates, and more
- Plugins: This is where you can install third-party tools
- User Settings: Where you can update your author image, bio, and more
So, once you've spent time seeing every tab, you can start configuring your settings.
Update WordPress settings to include your blog name, social signals, SSL for website security, and a Gravatar image for author recognition.
Pay special attention to your permalink structure, as it affects your SEO.
WordPress Plugins are essential tools that provide extra functionality to your website.
You can choose plugins that offer essential features without bloating your theme. Recommended plugins include:
- Lasso for affiliate marketing (My favorite WordPress plugin for affiliates)
- Thrive Leads for lead generation
- Imagify for image optimization
- Surfer SEO WP for on-page SEO
- Google Site Kit for analytics
Optimizing your website settings and installing necessary plugins will provide visitors with a smooth and secure experience while enhancing your site’s search engine rankings.
Action List:
- Get familiar with your new WordPress blog
- Get all of your WP settings dialed in
5. Design Your High-Converting Website
A high-converting website focuses on user experience and functionality. To achieve this, build four core blog pages:
- Home
- Blog Archive
- About
- Blog Post Layout
These pages should be optimized for both user experience and SEO.
Don’t forget to include essential legal pages like Disclaimer, Editorial Guidelines, and Privacy Policy in your website’s footer.
Using a blog theme like Thrive Suite and Kadence WP can speed up the process of setting up pre-designed templates for these pages.
Designing a high-converting website results in a visually appealing, user-friendly platform that invites visitors to engage with your content, boosting interaction and conversions.
You can also model other successful bloggers sites but don't copy it exactly.
You'll want to add your own personal touch to your design.
Action List:
- Design your new blog the way you want to, with conversions in mind
- You'll want your site ready for search engine optimization
- Don't overthink your design
- Create or purchase content blocks/design templates for your articles so you have a system in place when publishing articles.
6. Choose Your First Data-Driven Keywords
Selecting your initial data-driven keywords is quite honestly one of the most important parts of your content research.
Keyword research is essential for developing a content strategy that targets your audience and improves your blog’s search engine ranking.
But you need to know what keywords you should write, which all boils down to search intent.
Understanding search intent is pivotal as it refers to the underlying purpose behind a user's search query.
Google's algorithms must deliver the most relevant results, directly influencing the volume of traffic your content receives.
The main types of intent in SEO are:
- Informational: How-To Guides, Case Studies, & Long-list style content
- Transactional: 5 Best XYZ (Product Round-Ups)
- Commercial: Product Reviews, Comparisons, * Alternatives
There are many ways to find keywords, including using different tools.
Please remember this: When you start your blog, you want to focus on becoming an authority on a specific topic and ALWAYS answer the intent behind someone's search.
Leverage AI SEO tools like Ahrefs, Surfer SEO, and Keysearch to find relevant keywords for your niche.
After gathering a list of keywords, cluster them into categories to build topical authority. You can use a keyword clustering tool like Keyword Insights to do this for you.
Keyword Insights is an AI-Driven Content Marketing Platform for SEOs.
Understanding the search intent behind each keyword is crucial, as it helps you create content that caters to various user intents.
Just a quick hack, you can also use ChatGPT for SEO and finding your keywords for you if you are completely stuck on this part.
Action List:
- Brainstorm blog topics that have search intent in mind
- Create content around informational and transactional posts
- Use keyword research tools like Ahrefs, Keysearch, or Google Keyword Planner
7. Create Your Blogging Content Plan
Now that you have taken the time to find keywords, you need a well-structured content plan.
This is important to maintaining a regular blogging schedule and keeping your audience engaged while staying consistent.
To achieve this, balance your content strategy with a mix of pillar, transactional, and informational posts.
You can start with a pillar post as the cornerstone content for your blog, then follow it with a cycle of transactional and informational posts.
Here's an example of what that would look like in real time:
- Pillar Post: Credit Repair Tips
- Transactional Post: Best Credit Repair Software
- Informational Posts: How To Send Out Dispute Letters
- Product Reviews: Credit Repair Cloud Review
- Product Alternatives: Credit Repair Cloud Alternatives
This approach gives you a balanced content strategy that focuses on user intents and keeps your blog readers engaged.
Action List:
- Create a topical map of your content plan
- Think of new blog post ideas monthly
- Start with a pillar post and then move on to the money pages
8. Write and Publish Blog Posts
Creating and publishing SEO-friendly blog posts is huge in evergreen content that ranks higher on Google.
Every article you write needs to be HIGH-QUALITY and offer information gain (Unique and new information that isn't found elsewhere)
Whether writing your first blog post or 100th, you must continually increase your writing skills and use SOPs.
Use tools like Surfer SEO for on-page optimization and leverage AI writing tools like ChatGPT for content writing.
These blogging tools help with the writing process, making sure that your content is high-quality and optimized for search engines.
With a well-crafted blog post, you’ll captivate your audience and provide value that keeps them returning for more. Remember to:
- Optimize your blog post title
- Use headers to break up your content and make it easier to read
- Include internal links to other relevant posts on your blog
- Consider incorporating blog post ideas that resonate with your target audience
By following these tips, you can maximize the SEO benefits of your blog post.
Once your blog post is published, don’t stop there!
Continuously update and optimize your content to keep it relevant and maintain your search engine rankings.
My Blog Writing Tools:
- Surfer SEO: For content optimization and planning, ensuring your blog posts are primed for search engine success.
- Detailed SEO Chrome Extension: A handy tool for quick SEO insights and checks directly in your browser.
- ChatGPT/Gemini: AI-powered writing assistants that can help generate ideas and refine your content.
- Perplexity AI: Excellent for sourcing material and gaining a deeper understanding of your topics.
These tools can enhance your writing process and create content that truly resonates with your audience and performs well in search engines.
I've also written a post on how to write blog posts using AI, so you can read that afterward.
Action List:
- Create blog post templates and SOPs
- Understand copywriting and how you can get articles to rank higher in the search engine results pages
- Have a set publishing schedule
9. Promote Your Blog Content After It's Published
Once your blog post is live, it's time to shout it from the rooftops and get people to notice it.
Here's how you can make some noise on other platforms without being a social media influencer:
- Share your blog post on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Add a catchy headline and a cool image to grab attention.
- Pin it on Pinterest. Create a visually appealing pin that links back to your post.
- Dive into the world of YouTube. You can turn your blog content into a video or a summary using YouTube SEO tactics. This means using the right keywords in your video title, description, and tags to help your video appear when people search.
- Don't forget Instagram and TikTok. Post a teaser of your blog content and direct your followers to the link in your bio.
By spreading the word across these platforms, you'll take up more space on the internet (that's digital real estate for you!), bring way more eyes to your blog, and ramp up that traffic without getting tangled in complex strategies.
Action List:
- Once you have published your posts, push it out on different platforms like YouTube.
- Choose a traffic source and go all in so you can grow your audience other than just having your blog
- Think about your niche and where your audience might be hanging out
10. Update Blog Posts regularly
Continual updates to your blog posts are needed to maintain relevance and boost your SEO rankings.
To ensure your updates are effective, run an SEO audit using content optimization tools like Surfer SEO.
This tool analyzes your content against top-performing competitors and provides actionable insights to improve your on-page SEO.
Before updating your post, you should follow an SEO checklist to make sure you're covering all bases.
Your SEO checklist should include:
- Checking keyword density and ensuring it aligns with current best practices
- Ensuring meta tags, such as title tags and meta descriptions, are optimized with your target keywords
- Verifying that all images have alt text that reflects the content topic
- Reviewing and updating internal and external links for relevance and authority
- Confirming that your content structure uses proper header tags for better readability and SEO
- Testing page load speed and making necessary adjustments for optimal performance
- Checking for mobile-friendliness to cater to users on all devices
After implementing significant updates across multiple blog posts using an SEO audit tool, consider using an indexing service like Tagparrot to expedite the re-indexing process by search engines.
This can be particularly useful if you've made extensive changes that substantially alter the content's relevance and quality.
By keeping your content fresh and updated with a thorough SEO strategy, you’ll stay ahead of the competition and continue to provide valuable information to your audience, ensuring your blog’s long-term success.
Action List:
- Create reminders for your blog post updates
- Use Surfer SEO or any content optimization tool to help you with your updates
11. Start Monetizing Your Blog Content
With your new blogging site now set up, you can monetize your content.
Here's a simple guide to help you understand the different ways to generate income from your blog:
- Easy: Start with Ads like Google AdSense or Ezoic Ads. It's as simple as signing up and letting the ads do the work for you.
- Semi-Easy: Take it up a notch with Mediavine or Raptive ads. They require a bit more traffic but can mean more money.
- Medium: Affiliate Marketing is where you promote products and earn a commission. It's about finding the right products your audience will love.
- Semi-Medium: Sponsorships can be a game-changer. Partner with brands that resonate with your content and get paid for it.
- Hard: Create Courses, Digital Products, or offer Coaching. This takes more effort but can lead to significant earnings.
- VERY HARD BUT WORTH IT: Building a Community or creating Software (AKA: Monthly Recurring Revenue). This is challenging but can create a steady income stream.
Each method varies in difficulty, but they all share a common goal: to help you make money through your blog.
Start with what feels manageable and expand as you grow. I would like to remind you, tracking the performance and ROI of your monetization strategies to tweak and improve them over time is a must.
By reviewing these monetization strategies, you're providing value to your audience and setting the stage for your blog to become your biggest income source.
Action List:
- Think about your goals and how you want to make money from your blog
- Start with levels and keep going up one as you make more money online
12. Track Your Blog's Performance
Monitoring your blog’s performance is important to assess its success and make improvements based on data.
Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to gain valuable insights on website traffic and user behavior.
By consistently monitoring your blog’s performance, you’ll be able to identify areas for improvement and make strategic decisions that will enhance your blog’s success and profitability.
You can also use a Google Analytics alternative like Fathom or Plausible to track your website visitors.
Action List:
- Think about your goals and how you want to make money from your blog
- Start with levels and keep going up one as you make more money online
13. Link Building
Link building may appear intimidating, but it's a key aspect of SEO that can help with your online presence and credibility.
While I'm not a specialist in link acquisition, I've adopted certain proven effective methods.
My approach includes securing links from media outlets through services like Connectively, Featured.com, and Qwoted.
These platforms have been instrumental in amplifying my brand by facilitating connections with journalists and featuring my content in various media channels.
If you're thinking about purchasing links, please be sure to proceed with caution.
There are reputable sources such as Rhinorank, FatJoe, and LinksThatRank where you can acquire links, but improper practices can attract search engine penalties.
Always verify the integrity of the vendors and the quality of the links you're obtaining.
Firsthand recommendations are invaluable. If you're acquainted with someone who has had positive experiences with a link-building service, inquire about their outcomes.
This can provide you with realistic expectations and assist you in making a well-informed choice.
Link building is about establishing a respected and reliable brand online, not just about the quantity of links.
Action List:
- Get high quality link placements from Featured.com or Qwoted
- Do this on a weekly basis
Why Blogging Is The First Step To Building An Online Business
Starting a blog allowed me to make money and turn this into a real business. Also, by leveraging AI, I was able to scale my blog faster than ever before.
Writing your first blog post allows you to share your passion and expertise, and it continues to snowball every time you hit publish.
It allows you to generate income through various monetization strategies, such as affiliate marketing, online courses, and sponsored content.
Creating a blog online allows you to reach a wider audience and maximize your earning potential.
As a successful blogger myself, blogging changed my life for the better, and I've been able to partner with amazing companies.
My own blog has become my baby, generating six-figure earnings.
Blogging provides a unique and scalable business model, allowing you to expand your income streams and achieve financial success through money blogging.
With dedication, strategic planning, and consistent effort, you can turn your passion into a profitable business using the right blogging platform for your personal blog.
Related Article: Make Money With AI
Is It Too Late To Start A Blog
If you think it might be too late to start a blog in 2024, don't worry, it's definitely not! Starting a blog now is easier than ever, and there's always something new to talk about.
With new products and ideas always showing up, there are endless opportunities for fresh content.
Using simple trend-spotting tools like Exploding Topics or Glimpse, you can quickly find exciting topics people are interested in.
The chance to create a blog that both you and your readers will love and that could also make money online is still big. So don't wait any longer. Jump in and begin your blogging path today!
Remember This Before You Start Blogging
Starting a blog in 2024 is a great opportunity to share what you love, connect with people who enjoy the same interests, and make money when done right.
Just remember, don’t expect your blog to be a gold mine right off the bat.
Making money through blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.
SEO takes time, but if you keep at it day by day, you'll start to see your pages climb up the search results and really begin to build something solid.
By following the straightforward steps in this guide, you’re setting yourself up for a fun adventure in the online world.
Faq.
Yes! Many successful bloggers started with zero knowledge. There are tons of resources and beginner-friendly platforms to guide you.
Promote your blog on social media, engage with other bloggers, and optimize your content for search engines. Don't be afraid to experiment and analyze what resonates with your audience.
You can start a blog for free by signing up on platforms like Medium or Substack, but I don't recommend it as a long-term business model. You'll want to own your asset and host on a content management system.
Yes, blogs can still make money! With the right strategies and dedication, you can earn a full-time income from blogging alone.
Focus on something you're passionate and knowledgeable about. Think hobbies, interests, or even personal experiences! Narrow it down to a specific audience you can cater to.
Consider your blog writing as a content assembly line. Start with thorough research to gather facts and ideas.
Use tools like Grammarly to help with grammar and clarity. Break down your writing process into stages: planning, drafting, revising, and editing.
To enrich your content, include visuals, infographics, or videos. Hiring a freelance writer or editor can elevate your content quality if your budget allows.
