Making Extra Money Online: How To Start A Blog
This post contains affiliate links. Making extra money online can seem like a daunting task but it can be done. There are a TON of different ways that you can make extra money, one way is by having your own blog. The great part about having a blog is that you can be yourself and make your own schedule.I definitely recommend that you do not start a blog today is you are just going in to it for the money. That is definitely the wrong reason to have a blog. Whenever I started my blog it was just a hobby. I had a one year old and a 6 month old baby and wanted to have a place where I could share how we were saving money.I honestly had no idea what I was doing, nor did I even know that you could make money blogging. It took me about 2 years before I became serious about blogging. Once I made the commitment to myself to see where it could take me it was life-changing.I am extremely passionate about blogging. Although I started out clueless I made it my goal to learn everything I possibly could about it. The majority of it was learned through my own successes and failures. Now, I have been blogging for more than 4 years and have 2 successful blogs. I am able to earn a six-figure income from home, crazy right?Blogging is not easy. You do need to put in the time and the work. It is not a get-rich quick scheme or something you can expect to have instant success in. BUT, it can be done. If you are interested in learning more about blogging you can hop over to my other blog, Simply Blogging Along, where I share a TON of different blogging and business articles.The process of starting a blog is actually very easy to do. I can honestly say that I do love what I do. I know it sounds cheesy but I wake up excited to start my work for the day.If you want to get started with a blog today then you can follow my easy tutorial below. You can be up and running in minutes for less than $4 a month.Personally, I recommend setting up a self-hosted blog. It offers many more options with design and monetization and I currently have it for both of my blogs. By using my affiliate link to sign-up with Bluehost you are getting a lower rate.
Bluehost will be hosting your blog for you. This is the company I used when I first started my blog and I currently am using them to host my other blog Simply Blogging Along. You can start your own blog for as little as $3.95 a month plus you will get your domain for free if you purchase a year hosting plan or longer. You will see which plan I recommend in this guide.
So, if you purchase the 12 month plan it is only about $60 a year plus you get the free domain name.
You will be billed upfront for the entire amount, but Bluehost has a money back guarantee so you can cancel at anytime and get a prorated refund.
Honestly, all you have to do is use a few minutes to follow this step-by-step guide and you will be up and running in no time at all.
Start a Blog Today:
Making Extra Money Online: Start A Blog
1. Pick A Domain NameYour domain name can be anything you want it to be {as long as it is not yet taken by someone else}. Think about what you want to blog about. Will it be something niche specific or have a broad scope to include lifestyle topics? Take some time to think this through so that you do not end up with a name that has nothing to do with what you write about.Once you have an idea of what you want your domain name to be you can purchase it from bluehost. Whenever I started blogging this is what I did to get my domain name frugalfanatic.com. You can go to their site and buy your domain name. 2. Get Started NowGo to bluehost and click sign-up now to get started.
You can then choose ‘new domain.’
Once you have it selected you will need to put in all of your information to get started.
3. Hosting PackageThis is when you will need to pick which blogging package is best for you. Select the hosting package that works for you along with any other specials they are offering.
Next, fill out your billing information, and uncheck all of the unnecessary options. So, if you purchase the 12 month plan it is only about $60 a year plus you get the free domain name. You will be billed upfront for the entire amount, but Bluehost has a money back guarantee so you can cancel at anytime and get a prorated refund. 4. Setup WordpressNow that you own your domain name you are ready to activate it on wordpress. Wordpress is the platform that you will use to do your daily blogging. It allows you to easily navigate having a blog and setting up your website. Below you will see what the bluehost dashboard looks like with all of the different options. You can then select wordpress to start the installation.
5. Start BloggingYour blog is now up and you can view it online. Once you are ready to start designing your blog and posting you will need to login through wordpress here: http://www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin and use the login and password that you created.
You are now on your way to making extra money online by using a blog. Once you are up and running come back and read our articles on blogging and the various ways you can make money blogging.
Find out more about growing your platform and blogging your way to a full-time income in my book, Breakthrough. This book will guide you through proven strategies and step-by-step procedures for what it takes to create a successful blog and viable business.
