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Start Your Blog and Make Money From It.
This is a great way to earn money! The earning potential of a blogger is unlimited – depending on the amount of time and effort you are willing to invest. Time spent not only researching and writing your content but also constantly learning how to grow, improve, monetize and promote your blog.
Does it happen overnight? Absolutely…NO! Is it Easy? NO, again! Is it worth it? YES, if you're willing to invest the time, effort, creativity and develop a strategic plan to succeed.
You have to be patient and not give up – no matter what. Believe me, there will be times when you ask yourself, “What are you thinking?!?!?!” But that will pass. And it feels really good when you finally figure out something that has had you stumped for a while.
You'll also know when it's time to delegate tasks to people who have the experience, so you’ll be free to focus on other areas of your blog.
A Few Reasons for Starting A Blog:
- Generate extra income
- Create a Business
- To have fun
- Teach and inspire others
- Drive traffic to your products
- Affiliate Marketing
- Promote your business or organization
- It can lead to other business opportunities…
Although it can take a bit of time to get your blog launched and established, it will be well worth the effort. Income generated from your blog can be “passive,” meaning it can be automated and is not directly correlated to the amount of time you put into it.
ARE YOU READY?
“It will work. Now that we've made that decision, let's start figuring out how.”
~Steve Jobs
Let's get started.
***After you have your blog set up, check out my post on Affiliate Marketing.
If you're planning to monetize your blog, (let's be honest, everyone deserves to get paid for their time and talents), you will need to set up your blog on WordPress.org. which you'll set up with BlueHost. To do this you'll need to do the following:
1. Choose your domain name.
Keep the following in mind when deciding on a name:
- Keep it short. My other business name, Back To Classic Designs, is too long and makes it difficult when telling someone about it, and it leads to the next
- Make it easy to type and…
- Easy to remember
- Try to use keywords and make it relevant to your blog
- Use the best best domain extensions such as .com, .org, .net…
- Research it! Make sure it's not trademarked by anyone.
- Make sure it's available on social media
- Make a list of other ideas just in case that domain isn't available
Spend some brainstorming about both these topics and revisit your answers later in the day or tomorrow morning to make sure you still feel good about your decision and that it make sense now and will to continue to as you move forward with your blog.
2. Register Your Domain Name
There are a number of domain registrars available to register your domain, but I recommend going with BlueHost when you sign up for hosting. It’s free for the first year and it’s a little easier when setting up your WordPress site. The choice is completely up to you.
3. Set up Hosting
Web hosting service provider is a business that provides the services needed for your site to be viewed in the internet.
I have BlueHost as my host provider.
I am an Affiliate for BlueHost. Feel free to choose another hosting provider.
If you have chosen another host provider, skip this section and move to Section 3 – Choose A Theme.
How to Purchase and Setup BlueHost
- Go to BlueHost
- Click “Get Started” Now.
Getting your domain registered with BlueHost will make the process easier. Then follow the steps below.
The “basic” plan is probably best when getting started.
Choose a domain name and click “next”
Fill in all the account details and choose your preferred plan. You get the most discount if you purchase the 36 month plan, but the choice is up to you.
These are additional add-ons. They are OPTIONAL. Only choose what you think you might need.
You're almost done! Just review your order, enter your credit card information, hit “SUBMIT” and… YOU DID IT! Now, look for an email from BlueHost on how to log into your Bluehost account.
Make Sure Your Site Is Legal. I recommend using legal templates. This is a relatively easy process to ensure you are compliant. You can read about that Here.
***NEXT…
