How To Start A Profitable Blog That Makes Money [8 Easy Steps]

Having a blog around your craft is a very great way to make your voice heard, sell your business or services, get honest fans and attract a lot of opportunities online.

Want an actionable guide to starting a profitable blog of your own? Here you found it.

My goal is to help you start a profitable blog from scratch using the step-by-step guide in this article including screenshots where necessary.

Also Read: How to Convert ClickFunnels to WordPress Website

Before we move on to the steps.

Why Start A Blog First?

There are numerous reasons to start a blog but the obvious ones are;

To earn money doing what you enjoy – Either as a full-time or as a side income – It's pretty good living the laptop lifestyle working from home and making some decent income off it.

To get your voice heard on a topic – Having a blog is a great way to reach out to people of the same interest on a topic. With your blog, you can share ideas, and educate others.

Business Exposure (or Visibility) – As a brand, your blog can help you bring more customers to your business through relevant information targeted at potential customers online.

Documentation – Some created their blog as a way to archive some important information for personal uses or to a certain group of persons of the same interest.

Wanna-be Bloggers – People who just want to be part of the blogging community, we call them the “I wanna-be bloggers”. Some get serious along the way though while many quits.

So why do you want to start your own blog?

I will love to know what got your interest in having a blog. You can drop your answer in the comment box below. Possibly your interest might be different.

STEP 1. Find Your Niche

And it's important to understand that it's impossible to write effectively about all topics.

Let's take the beauty industry for instance.

Beauty is a broad topic with hundreds of categories but if we break it further, we begin to discover topics like Skin, Facial, Makeup, Products, and so on.

Let's dig further, take for instance if you know a lot about beauty products, then you can start reviewing and recommending quality skincare products via your blog.

In order to build a profitable blog with good, honest readers, you must be ready to establish yourself as an Authority over time by becoming the go-to resource through your blog.

Choosing Your Niche Rightly

To be a successful blogger. Choose a niche you like the most where you can find success, happiness and recognition with overtime.

By choosing a niche that interests you and has your own opinion, you can separate your blog from the competition.

If you are finding it difficult or don't even know where to start. I have some suggestions for you which should help you kickstart your blogging journey.

What are you passionate about?

Or very much interested in?

Below questions should help you further.

What are your hobbies, talent or skills?
What problems or challenges will you like to solve?
What do you spend all your free time on?
What do you really enjoy reading and learning about?
What do people come to you for solutions for?
What topic are you always interested in all the time?
Without being paid at all, what would you still do for others?
What do you know more than others?

You can start with this. This is an area you have a very ‘strong‘ connection with.

Ending note: The ultimate goal of your blog is to add value, provide solutions and share information that is going to help your readers.

STEP 2. Pick The Right Blogging Platform

There are several platforms out there to start your blog with but I'll categorize them for easy understanding into:

#1: The Free Platform – e.g Wix, Wordpress.com(the free one), Blogger, Weebly and so on. They help to host your blog for free but they have total(100%) control over your website. You are limited and can be wiped off anytime.

#2: The Paid Platform – e.g Wordpress.org (also known as the Self-Hosted blog), Joomla, Drupal and others. Here, you have full control and no restrictions over your blog.

Though I categorized them under the paid platform here, the truth here is that you are not really paying to use them – It is free but you need a domain and web hosting to make them work. These are the two things you are paying for with a Self-Hosted Blog.

So Which Blogging Platform Is The Best To Use?

The biggest mistake you can make on your way to starting your profitable blog is to choose the wrong platform – “the free platforms”, don't even try it, it might be tempting for real, we all love free things right? but never fall for it.

Free things hurt, there is no true value in them in the long run, you can be wiped off the internet at any time without any prior notice.

Using them means you agreed to be limited and later be frustrated to quit in the process. I was there before, so I know. Please don't make this deadly mistake!

When choosing the best platform for your blogging activities, the best platform to use is WordPress.org. It is the best open-source software you can use to create a beautiful website, blog, or app because it gives you the total freedom to build anything you want on it.

Over 73 million users use Wordpress.org and they can't be wrong (highly recommended)! This is by far the most content management system on the internet which gives you full control over your website without any restrictions, easy to use with unlimited customization, beautiful designs, plugin installation and no coding required.

It is truly the best choice I must tell you if you want the best results…

I want to believe I have made justice to the best blogging platform to choose from, now let's move ahead to the next step which is finding a good domain for your blog.

STEP 3. Research A Good Domain

A domain name is the website address you type into your browser, for example, expertbeacon.com, facebook.com or google.com (the popular search engine). These are the perfect example of what a domain name really looks like.

And to get one, you need to register through a domain registrar usually costs around $14.99/year or more to buy (but don't worry yourself much on this for now as am going to show you how to get a free domain name alongside your website hosting purchase).

There are numerous wonderful domain registrars out there that you can buy from like Godaddy.com, Namecheap.com, 1and1.com and much more.

How to find a good domain name?

You don't have to sweat on it, just use these simple guide towards picking a rich domain name for your new blog or business:

Mustn't be too long (20 characters or less is the best).
Must be easy to remember, pronounce and share.
Pick the .com option if still available (most preferred in my own case).
At the point when not so sure on the name to use for your blog, use your name (this is far better).
Never be tempted to include hyphens or numbers before, between or after your domain name(they just don't help).
Just keep it simple…Okay!

Now, let's move on to the next step which is…

STEP 4. Host Your Blog With Bluehost

Note: Under this step, am going to cover the step-by-step procedures to get your domain name and the best place to purchase your web hosting. Please note that any purchase you make through our referral link will earn us a little commission at no extra cost to you.

I'll be totally transparent with you. If you want the best hosting program that won't leave a hole in your pocket, Bluehost web hosting company is the perfect choice for you.

All my websites are hosted with this company too, so there is no reason why I would be recommending what I don't use or believe in.

Bluehost is one of the largest brands it comes to WordPress hosting helping millions of online host their websites and Blogs has been the top leading website hosting provider with great reputation over the years.

With their 61.2% discount solution, you can host your website/blog for as low as $3.95/month or even less. In fact, Bluehost will help you save money by giving you a free domain at no extra cost to you.

They also provide your website with a free SSL Certificate. In case you don't know its importance. Well, you'd have probably come across websites with a green padlock sign with the word “Secure | https://“ before their website address. (check our website link above).

SSL certificate provides standard security for your customers or website visitors' information and this leads to more trust and makes them stay longer on your website and this improve your website search ranking online.

Aside from that, their site speed, including their customer support system, is incomparable. This is why most top Bloggers out there use them and also recommend them everywhere.

No catch, and no tricks, they are truly the best hosting company on the internet. Go for Bluehost.

Now, let’s get started with your blog creation…

#1: Having your own website address on the internet.

The very first thing you need to do is to check for the availability of your preferred domain name(remember those tips you learned in step 3 above).

Type in your domain in the search box below to check if such a domain name is available.

Click on the green button “check availability”.

Once you've confirmed the availability of your domain

Don't register yet – just close the tab and move on to the next step below.

#2: Here, You'll be purchasing the web hosting

Open up Bluehost in a new tab and follow the steps accordingly.

Click the green “get started now” button.

You'll be taken to the next page where you are to select a plan of your choice (Basic, Plus, Prime).

Of all three plans, select either the Basic or Plus plan.

If you are just starting out as an individual, select the “Basic” while as an aspiring brand/company, select the “Plus” plan but don't think too much about this anyway, you can easily upgrade with a single mouse click to any plan of your choice anytime as your business grows.

#3: Domain Registration

Enter your website address(the available domain) in the white box and click next.

If you've already purchased a domain somewhere, simply type it in the second box on the right side.

#4: Account Creation

After getting your free domain, the next thing is to create an account with them.

Fill in with your correct information accordingly and make sure your email is correct as you'll need it for verification and payment purpose.

#5: Package Plan Selection

Here, you need to complete the package information to finalize the registration and move on to the payment stage. I recommend you go for the 36-month plan because it is going to save you money with up to a 61.2% discount.

There are several options attached to the 3-year plan but just leave them for now, you can add them later when they might be of use to you.

For security reasons, checkbox the “domain privacy protection” option to hide your personal details such as name, phone no, address, etc from the public.

#6: Making Payment

There is nothing much here, this is what you are familiar with already 🙂

Simply enter your card details or use the Paypal payment option, agree to their terms and then click Submit.

Upon successful payment, what next?

Now, log in to check your email for a welcoming message and for your Cpanel login information from Bluehost (Please keep this info save or move them to your important folder as you might need them someday).

Now let's go ahead with step 5.

Also Read: How To Create A WordPress Website/Blog With Bluehost [3 Easy Steps]

STEP 5. Install Wordpress on Your Blog

You are not done yet, you need to install WordPress and to do this, you need to login into your Cpanel, this is where you manage everything through your website backend.

Use the link contained in your welcoming email to log in to your Cpanel Dashboard or alternatively, log in through the Bluehost website using your Cpanel login details sent to your email address.

Upon successful login attempt, scroll down until you see the section labelled “website” then click on the WordPress icon – Install Wordpress (as seen in the image below).

On the next screen is the Bluehost Marketplace Quick Install. Click on the Get Started button.

#1: Domain Installation Selection

On this page, you are going to select the domain (which is your website address) where you want WordPress to be installed. If your domain is not automatically showing up, click the drop-down arrow to select your domain.

Also, leave the directory empty. It is of no use for now if you are just starting out unless you have the intention of adding a subfolder to the main root folder of your website and this is the path which WordPress will be installed on. Click Next.

#2: Create Your WordPress Admin Login Details

Enter your:

Site Name (e.g eMaxify: Online Shopping…),
Admin Username, Email, and Password (these are your WordPress login info)

And also remember to check all the 3 boxes before you click Next.

Upon successful installation of WordPress, click on “here” on the next screen.

And take note of the information on the screen which are the same login details needed to log into your Wordpress Admin Dashboard. This information will also be sent to you via email (please save them).

#3: To log into your WordPress dashboard

From the WordPress welcoming email, you receive this time around, there is a login URL link, click on it and you should be taken to the WordPress login page which looks like the below screenshot.

This is where you make use of your WordPress username & password which you have created to log into your WordPress admin dashboard where you can design your blog, write posts, add pictures, moderate comments, perform some settings to your own taste, etc…

An alternative way(a shortcut) you can use to login into your WP admin dashboard is to add /wp-admin at the back of your website URL

e.g http://www.emaxify.com/wp-admin

This will take you directly to the admin login section(a page like a screenshot above).

A Wordpress Admin Dashboard looks like this:

STEP 6. Design Your Blog & Customizations

If you have followed the steps to tee, by now you should be a proud owner of your own blog. Creating a blog online shouldn't be a nightmare any longer for you, especially with WordPress.

Now, It is time to design your blog/website

I want you to know something here, to design your blog or website, you need a Wordpress theme. With a good theme and some nice plugins, you can give your website the best professional look.

With WordPress everything is easy, you don't have to be that Guru to get this done.

There are thousands of Wordpress themes you can pick from depending on your taste or what your website is created around like a skill, talent or profession.

All you have to do is to find a theme that goes hand in hand with what want on your blog or website.

A good place to find high-quality themes is MyThemeShop.com or Templatemonster.com.

By default, a pre-made theme comes with your WordPress installation but I'll advise you not to use it simply because it is not the best, it looks crappy.

Instead of using that pre-made theme, use the best free WordPress theme for Bloggers. I have personally handpicked for you and picked anyone that suits you.

#1: Find a theme to install

First login to your WordPress Dashboard.
Go to Appearance » Themes » Add New

From thousands of themes available there, select the one you want to install on your blog.

Preview them first to see how it is going to look on your blog and you can as well sort themes out based on recent and popularity which might help pick a better choice.

Once you have installed your preferred theme, you can customize it by clicking on Customize under the Appearance section of your dashboard.

If you want a more professional look for your blog, then I suggest going for high-quality premium themes (SEO Optimized, Elegant and Mobile friendly themes) that can take your site to the next level. Buy premium WordPress themes from MyThemeShop.com. They are so amazing.

#2: Essential Plugins to Install on Your Wordpress Site

Plugins are essential tools needed to expand the functionality and smooth running of your WordPress site.

I will be recommending the essential ones to start with.

Yoast SEO: It helps create better SEO contents to improve your ranking on search results.
W3 Total Cache: It’s a top and the best caching plugin mostly used which makes it possible for you to integrate CDN services to make your page load faster by 70% giving your website a better chance to rank faster on search engines.
Akismet: WP anti-spam security plugin which blocks and filters out all spammy comments made on your posts. It is truly a lifesaver.
Social Media Warfare: Top WordPress plugins for social media sharing. It makes your content to be easily shared by readers which increases your blog exposure.
Jetpack: It contains an SEO tool, security and backup services which provide in-depth stats on how much traffic your post/article is getting, where such traffic is coming from, what keyword is getting more traffic and also driving traffic to your blog.

Don't be limited to these few plugins I mentioned and also don't bombard your blog with a lot of plugins as they will slow down your website speed. The main point is to find out some essential plugins for your blog.

STEP 7. Content Creation

Now, it is about time to write your first blog post on your blog but before that, you need some important pages to start with on your blog which are the “About me”, “Contact me”, “Privacy Policy”, “Website Disclaimer”, “TOS” and some other relevant pages you can think of.

All these pages are very essential, these are the blog sections visitors check to know more about you, and what your website is all about including the services you render through your blog.

Don't freak out on this, there are free resources online that can help you with that, just take it so simple and write it in your own way but make sure the main idea is gotten. You can also update them as time goes by…Okay!

How To Create A Page For Your Blog

From your dashboard:

Go to Pages » Add new.
Write your Page title and its content.
When done, hit the Publish button to make it go live.

After you have created those pages, you need to add them to the Menu section of your website so that visitors can easily navigate and read about them.

To add your blog pages to the Menu section of your Site

Go to Appearance » Menus

Writing Your First Blog Post

From a wonderful quote by Lao Tzu – “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”.

This great quote also applies to you here. The process of you creating a profitable blog online that will fetch you money online on a long-term basis begins with your first blog post.

Creating a blog post is almost the same as creating blog pages which I have explained above though I'll still repeat it again.

From your dashboard

Go to Post » Add new.
Write your Post title and blog content.
Review and proofread your content.
When done, hit the Publish button to make it live.

Follow the same procedure every time you want to write a new article on your blog.

Let this guide you when writing a blog post

Please stick to these tips below – it will help you write well and not get frustrated

Always be yourself when writing (this is your selling point).
You don't have to be a PRO writer to write great content (write in your own words but let the message be passed across in the best possible way).
At a point you get tired, just take a break or sleep over it (the strength will come back – it actually works).
Your ultimate goal with your blog is to provide helpful contents which provides real value and helps solve problems in one way or the other (let this be your watchword).
You need to stay focused on your blog topic/interest (don't be biased, the money is coming).

One more thing here, understand how to write well-optimized SEO content for your blog. It all starts with doing good keyword research. This is very essential. In one of my articles – b est SEO software for small businesses. I share some good SEO software that can help you with that.

Now, let's move on to the last step “creating a profitable blog“.

STEP 8. Monetize Your Blog

I know you'll love this aspect 🙂 How to make money on your blog?

This is one of the top questions mostly asked on the internet today and I will be glad to answer you in the best possible way I can.

Now, pay close attention…

There are several ways to make money from a blog but to be honest with you, blogging really takes a while (might take up to 3-12 months at times depending on your effort and smartness) before it keeps fetching you a decent income online.

This is the reason why I keep hammering on the word “Create your blog around your passion and interest”.

Don't fall for people or schemes that promise to make you millions overnight with a single click of a button. They are total scams – purely fake.

Nevertheless, there is a smarter and faster way to make money from your new blog which I learned through a wealthy affiliate system.

This method is proven to make you a decent income from your blog in no time, possibly if done well, you can make $5,000 or more per month from your blog.

Let me show you how the system works

It should be of help to you especially if you are just starting your own empire online and want to make money off your blog in no time.

You don't really have to wait till thy kingdom comes before you earn through your blog…

Check it out…

Product Reviews

Almost every digital product online or company these days has a way to promote them and you get some commissions on every valid sale you generate for them.

So you need to find a product related to what your blog talks about and review such a product on your blog as an affiliate. Even if you are just starting out yesterday, this method works (the product can be in form of an eBook, Software, Training, Membership, Programs, etc…)

For instance, if your blog focuses on dog training or related, simply find a product which resonates with your blog audience and review a such product on your blog. So simple as that.

The same process goes with people in technology, making money online, lifestyle, cooking, weight loss, and photography. Any Niche.

How to get a product to review:

Option 1: Go to Google and search using this term exactly but replace the word “Keyword” with a word that describes your niche.

Keyword: “product review”
Keyword: “company review”
Keyword: “training review”

Another way to get the latest product to review is to set up a Google Alert to keep track of product related to your area of interest or blog.

Option 2: If you are in the internet marketing niche, you might consider checking muncheye.com, JVzoo.com or warriorplus.com to find an awesome product which you can promote through your blog.

To make more money $$$ while reviewing Products:

Here are my suggestions…

1. Pick a product that you are more likely to use yourself.

2. For best results, buy the product yourself (readers trust your recommendation better than random reviews).

3. Always review the product before the launch period (3-4 weeks before the product launch will make your post rank on search engines and buyers get to know your blog and they might eventually buy through your link).

4. Lastly, centre your blog around product reviews only (it works).

Other Common Ways of Monetizing Your Blog

1. Advertisement – This is so common, probably you would have seen those sidebar adverts on blogs you visit, even if they are on my blog too.

You make money by placing banner ads on your blog from ad networks, like Mediavine, Google AdSense, Media.net (when there is a view or click) and from affiliate networks (when there is a valid sale or lead).

2. Selling Digital Products – Selling your own products is another great way your blog can be used as a medium to reach out and let people know about your products or services which might lead to sales.

3. Sponsored/Paid Posts – Someone pays you to get their content published on your blog.

4. Affiliate Marketing – Getting paid while promoting other people’s products or services. As long as a sale is made through your link, you get paid a certain commission from 10-100% depending on what you are promoting and the company.

Also Read: 6 Best Profitable Online Business Ideas

Affiliate Programs To Monetize Your Blog?

Then I recommend you read about these High Paying Affiliate Programs which you can easily sign up with and promote to earn a 5-figure income on monthly basis.

Let Me Congratulate You!

If you have actually read the post up and followed the steps to this very line, let me congratulate you once again. It shows you are the serious type who truly wants to start living the Laptop Lifestyle working and making a living online from home.

Always remember that there is no shortcut to success.

As long as you are ready to learn, willing to put what you have learned into practice, put in the hard work and effort required, deliver pure value and content that matters through your blog and are ready to invest in yourself and your blog, you'll make it.

Learn and learn.

Right away you might not really have the skills like the PRO Bloggers but I want you to know that they all started like you some years back. All it takes is to learn and implement what you have learnt. Google and YouTube are the best free resources so far where you can learn almost anything. Use them wisely.

So by now, you are expected to have created and hosted your blog, nothing should stop you from doing so.

Having a blog is the best way to create yourself an online presence and full of great opportunities which you'll discover as your blog grows.

I hope this article has helped you on the journey to start a profitable blog of yours online.

Are you stuck somewhere or need help on your new blog, maybe you want me to touch on some aspects. Please use the comment section below to ask your questions.