Should I Start A Blog In 2020? Is Blogging dead?

Should I Start A Blog In 2020? Is Blogging dead?

 

BLOGGING ISN’T DEAD. STARTING A BLOG IN 2020

 

 

Blogging isn’t dead, find out how you can start a blog the right way in 2020. 

Blogging isn’t dead in 2020. It has just changed. The other day I thought about this and I thought I would write a blog post. Nowadays, it seems as if blogging is dead with the rise of YouTube. YouTube has taken over as the number one platform, and it has increasingly turned people into entrepreneurs and millionaires. Ever since the 2000’s, blogging is the number one medium to put yourself out there and since then they have been 600 million blogs.

Let that sink in for a minute. There are 600 million blogs. How is it possible that blogging isn’t dead? How is possible that anyone can make money from blogging? These are significant questions, but blogging isn’t how it was in the 2000’s. Over the last few years, it has developed. Dramatically.

 

 

Blogs still make money

 

It seems impossible that they are blogs that still make money. After all, with the increase in popularity with podcasts, YouTube, and Social media. It seems as if the era for money making blogs has passed us. This isn’t true. It is just that blogging has transformed in the last couple of years. Niches have either become broad or narrow. Video blogs have also become popular. But blogs still make a lot of money. The successful blogs listed below are examples of why blogging isn’t dead. All it takes are a few examples for inspiration to understand you have what it takes to have a successful blog. 

 Here are a few examples

1.  Kate Kordsmeier

Kate’s first blog was so successful, that she decided she wanted to start another blog on how to start making money blogging. Her first blog was a wellness blog called Root + Revel. Her second blog, Kate Kordsmeier brought in a whooping $117, 497 in January 2020. 

2. The Gentleman Racer

This is a popular blog in the automotive blogging niche. Michael Satterfield doesn’t show what his monthly income is. However, this blog is also a magazine that covers topics such as automotive, men’s apparel and travel. The blog’s popularity has allowed Michael to write for several publications and co-found different apparel companies. The Gentleman Racer has shaped the automotive blogging niche and has proven what is possible with blogging.

3. Simple Programmer

The best ideas come from people trying to solve problems. Simple Programmer started like that. John Sonmez noticed that people were offering complicated programming courses and wanted to change that. As a programmer, he was frustrated that other programmers were making the topics too complicated. He makes $400k per year. The overhead cost is relatively small. It took him 4 years for him to become a full-time blogger and he quit his job. He spent that time building the business up. 

4. Practical Wanderlust

Despite the travel niche’s reputation for being saturated, Lia and Jeremy Garcia managed to make money in one year and a half of blogging. They make between $250k and half a million per year. Lia and Jeremy had been traveling for sometime, they had saved money. When they moved back to the pricey Bay Area, they were ready to get back to their old life. Jeremy went back to being a high school teacher, but Lia was dragging her feet. She didn’t want to go back to her corporate job. Lia decided to change her job, she interviewed for an incredible company. They flew her out for the interview, but when they ghosted her, she saw it as a sign. It was then that she decided to go into blogging full-time. That it was when Practical Wanderlust was born.

5. French Together

Benjamin Houy started this blog after he was a teacher in Korea for seven months. It wasn’t his passion, but he saw it is as the logical next step and thus began the journey. Benjamin has always been passionate about languages. He has always loved the idea of language connecting people. He has learned several languages including German, Portuguese, Korean and Spanish. In 2019, he earned six figures from his blog. French Together is one of the most popular French learning blogs out there.

Blogging isn’t dead, it just is evolving

 

Blogging has been around since the 90s. It became popular in 2003 when WordPress was released. Mathew Charles Mullenweg wanted to create a way people could share their thoughts and thus, an idea was born. In the last few years, it has drastically changed. When it first started, it was words on a screen and that was enough. There were no videos or photos, just words. Over the years it changed. 

It isn’t enough for a blog to just have words. It has to be engaging. People need to be interested in reading more when they open a blog. A blog has to be more than a blog. A blog is now a small part of a business. When you look at some of the most successful blogs, they have YouTube Channels or podcasts.

Here’s a look at some things successful blogs do.

 

Produce multimedia content

 

Blogging isn’t dead, it has developed. One way it has done this is through multimedia content. Nowadays, it isn’t enough to have a blog and not have different multimedia content. This is one way new blogs can differentiate themselves by showing different aspects of their brand. 

Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income is an outstanding example, He has a Blog, Podcast, and YouTube channel. Each of these covers similar content, but the approach is different. In his blogs, he goes into more detail, on his Podcast he’s more direct, and on his YouTube channel, he shows his skills and gives people tutorials. Therefore, Pat Flynn has become a millionaire with his business.

The more variety of content there’s on your blog, the more people will stick around. 

 

 Also Related: Should you start a YouTube channel?

 

Build a email list

 

This is a crucial part of your business. The earlier you start, the better. Building an email list will help you remain connected with your audience, and that is important. Your audience needs to trust you, and the best way to do this is through an email list. This is how they will like, know, and trust you. To make money from blogging your audience needs to like who you are, know who you are, and trust you. Just like you wouldn’t buy a car from a sleazy salesman, the concept is the same here.

Often, we forget that. We don’t want to be the sleazy car salesman or the annoying door-to-door salesman. If we don’t like those kinds of people, our audience feels the same way. That’s why it’s important to build an email list because if someone is comfortable enough giving you their email address then they will open your emails. Not all the time, but this direct approach can help you in the long run. They will get an in-depth look at who you are as a person and why what you say matters.

 

 

Related: How to Build an email list on your blog?

 

Create and Sell products

 

There are a lot of ways bloggers earn money from sponsorship to commission from affiliate marketing. However, they earn most of their money from selling their products. You need to create products and sell them. You can create Ebooks, courses, templates, coaching programs, or sell services. However, the key to making more money without spending too much time is courses. 

That is how gurus like Lewis Howes, Marie Forleo, and Pat Flynn make their money. By creating and selling your products, you turn your blog into an online store. Remember, blogging isn’t dead and this a demonstration of how it isn’t. Bloggers create their products and sell them to make their blog profitable. 

 

Start your blog the right way

 

Blogging doesn’t cost a lot of money nowadays. You can start using a free platform, but unfortunately, it will be difficult to make money from it. You don’t need lots of money. Blogging is one of the most affordable ways to start a business. That is why blogging isn’t dead. Over the years, it has become more affordable to start a blog. You need to use WordPress.org and Bluehost so you start a blog the right way.

One way to make sure you stand out is by making your blog look different from your competitors. You need to figure out what your brand story will become. For example, Smart Passive Income is all about making smart decisions when making money online. Lewis Howes’s blog is all about success strategies that work. Marie Forleo is about approach-ability. Melyssa Griffin is youthful and fun. The colors you choose, your logo, your blog design, and your voice will show your customers who you are.

 

Driving traffic

 

The reason many people believe blogging is dead is that they discontinue blogs in the first year. Many people give up in the second year. Blogging like anything takes time, and it requires traffic. YouTube is a search engine, so it’s easier for your content to be found as long as you take the necessary steps to ensure it does. But what about blogs? The same applies, but you have to do two things to make sure they find your blog. 

Some strategies still work, others don’t work. As a first time blogger, guest blogging might be tricky because a lot of those blogs are particular. The best strategies that work are Facebook groups, SEO, Pinterest, and giveaways. Giveaways are one of the quickest and easiest ways to grow your blog. They are also fun to do if you know what you are doing. The best giveaway plugin is RafflePress. They also offer a free plugin if you don’t have money.

 

Related: How to run a blog giveaway?

 

Monetizing blog

 

The purpose of doing a blog is for you to make extra income on the side. Therefore, you need to monetize the blog. Another reason people believe blogging is dead is that they aren’t making money from it. The old ways of making money from blogging don’t make sense anymore. Years ago, Ad-sense was how people made money. This doesn’t even work for YouTube, and people assume it does. You would have to have lots of subscribers. Even then it doesn’t bring in a significant amount of money. I still want to prove to you that blogging isn’t dead and here are a few ways you can make money from your blog.

 

Affiliate Marketing

 

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to make money on a blog. It is when you promote another person’s product and when someone purchases the product using your link; you get a commission. This is an extremely beginner-friendly technique as you don’t have to create a product to sell. There are a lot of affiliate marketing sites you can join. ShareASale, Amazon Associates, and Commission Junkie. Another thing you could do is check if the people you follow have affiliate programs. Often, they will have an affiliate program you can join. 

 

Sell digital products

 

Every successful blogger makes money from creating and selling digital products. This is another reason blogging isn’t dead. It takes more work and time than the method listed above. But it isn’t as hard as it may seem. You can use a free tool like Canva to create workbooks, journals, planners, and Ebooks. After you create the product you save it as a PDF. You have two options to use Easy Digital Downloads or Cartflows. Both are free. You can use them to sell your product. But if you want to make more money, than creating courses is your next move. The significant thing about courses is you create them once and you keep selling them until you decide to shelf the product.

If you don’t want to sell individual products, you can use membership plugins such as MemberPress or Membermouse. A membership site is where users pay a monthly fee to access the content. Think subscription sites such as Netflix. The same thing applies here. I would recommend starting small because membership sites require a steep learning curve if you are an absolute beginner. 

As you can see blogging is far from being dead. These are the ways you start a profitable blog in 2020. If you start a blog the right way and you keep pushing yourself, you can make a considerable amount of money from your efforts and change people’s lives.

 

Want to start a side-hustle: How to start a side-hustle at home?

 

What is your main takeaway? Let me known in the comments section. 

 

                                                                     KEEP  PUSHING

                                                 VANESSA

 

Beginner’s Guide To Starting A Side Hustles In 2021

Beginner’s Guide To Starting A Side Hustles In 2021

 

Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Side Hustle in 2021

How do you crush 2021, these strategies will show you how you can do that.

The economy isn’t the same as it used to be and with all that has happened in 2020 side hustles will grow in popularity. If you want to make an extra $1000 to $5000, a side hustle is the best to do it. This is a beginner’s guide to starting side hustles in 2020. The reason why many people are skeptical about side hustles is because they often are attached to stories that seem fake. You know the story of the man who made $50,000 from playing Twitch in the basement of his parent’s house. That screams scam a mile away.

Side hustles aren’t scams. The internet is full of stories about people overcoming debt, but you will also find stories that make you want to run away. Unless you are the type to look something straight in the eye. What most people don’t realize is that we all have to start from somewhere and successful people first started with a side-hustle. Why? Because they don’t require as much effort and capital.

 

 

 

The benefits of a side hustle

 

 

There are a lot of benefits of a starting side hustles. The main one is that it protects you financially just in case the economy crashes, you lose your job or your health is compromised. Side hustle enable you not to be stranded and the more money you can make, the more you can do.

If you want to travel then you have extra money to help you do that. If you want to buy a house, you can save enough money to do that. You can also invest money because you will be making extra income. One of the reasons why people start a side hustle is to help them save enough money.

In the beginner’s guide to starting side hustles, I want to make sure you understand that they are more pros than cons to starting a side hustle. That is why it is so important that you do. If you want to take care of your family more than a side hustle is the best way to do it. In the next coming years, a side hustle will be one of the best ways to starting a business.

Another benefit is that less risk is involved in starting side hustles. All you have to do is put in one to two hours per day on your side hustle. This will put you ahead of the pack and give you a consistency edge that will help you out in the long run.

 

Also Related: The Power of intentions: How to Keep Your Resolution for Good?

 

Best types of side hustles

 

There are over 101 ways to make money online. As unbelievable as that seems, side hustles have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, some aren’t worth your time. There’s a lot of information about side hustles, often at times, though the information is misleading. For example, people who tell you that you can become rich from surveys. Hmm, unless you spend years taking surveys then maybe, but even then the people who get rich from that is rare. This guide to starting side hustles wouldn’t be complete without looking at types of side hustles.

There are two types of side hustles you should be aware of;

 

Type one: This is the type that you can spend months or years doing and it will never replace your 9-5 job. You are likely to earn a few dollars from this, but that is about it.  (Examples are mystery shopper, food delivery, surveys, small tasks etc)

Type two: This can easily change your life. The barrier of entry is also not as wide as people believe. In time this can easily surpass your income from your job as long as you are consistent with it. The sky is literally the limit. 

In this blog post, we will discuss the second type.

 

What works for you?

 

I want to make this easy for you. Since this is a beginner’s guide to side hustles, we need to go to the start. Not every side hustle is equal and therefore you must find something that works for you. This is guide to starting side hustles will help you understand which direction you should go in.

For example, for many people, the idea of starting blogging seems too taxing. Therefore, if you are one of the people who have the same belief a blog isn’t right for you. What you need to consider is how much time do you have? You should also consider what you enjoy doing. If you love talking more than a podcast would be better for you or maybe you love being in front of the camera then YouTube would work for you.

Here are the two businesses you can make from a side hustle:

Service Business: You offer a service to someone. This means turning your skill set or someone else’s skills into service. For example, if you trained as a lawyer you can provide legal services. This can be anything from web design services to coaching. I would say this might be the easier one to get into for beginners. As part of the beginner’s guide to side hustles, I want to give you the best option to start. Most people start with this one.

Knowledge Business: Many influencers get into this one. This one is more advanced because you need to know how to use software and have money to invest in platforms to help you sell your product. It still isn’t as hard as you might think it might be. You take your expertise and package it as a course, template, software or coaching program.

 

Also Related: Start a Service Business

 

What’s next?

 

To create the best side hustle, you need to find out what works for you and use your skills as a way to package the side hustle.  Once you realize, what works you can figure out how to go about this the right way. A side hustle shouldn’t exhaust you. It is there to take away the stress of not having enough money. Once you start making money from your side hustle then you can replace it as a job. 

Method one: Selling services

 

What skills do you have? When I first started, I knew a little about web design and so I started a service where I built people’s websites for them. I made a bit of money from that. I didn’t charge a lot of money because I wanted the reviews and also to build my skills. If you think you don’t have any skills you could start a business from think again. Many of us underestimate our ability to push forward. In the beginner’s guide to side hustles blog post, you have to understand how possible it is to change your life. 

Look at the books you read, the websites you visit and your general interests. You would be shocked at all the things that you like and the skills you have. Here’s an overview;

  • Legal services
  • Accounting services
  • SEO
  • Website design
  • Graphic design
  • Social media
  • PR
  • Tax
  • Copywriting
  • Event planning/promotion
  • Video editing
  • Digital advertising
  • Project Management
  • Travel planning
  • Pet services
  • SAT prep/ school prep
  • Music lessons
  • Wedding planning
  • Private chefThe list above is by no means exhaustive, but I do hope you get it. When I started this blog post, I needed to make sure that as a beginner’s guide to side hustles you understood how you can make money from anything. If you thought you couldn’t I hope the list above helps you realize how possible it is.

    Method two: selling knowledge

    Things take a different turn here. This is where you take something you have a skill in, for example, cooking and package it. It can take different forms depending on the level you are at. Beginners should take it slow. Don’t rush the process. It can take time to get to the point where you charge $500 for your program. Most people start at less than $100 and move up.

    What most people forget is that when you are selling your knowledge you need to have somewhere to reach your audience. You need to also have a website where you can house your programs or at least showcases it. Below I will list the best knowledge-based products you can sell. This is, after all, a beginner’s guide to starting side hustles, so nothing too complicated.

  • Create and sell an eBook
  • Launch an online course
  • Webinars/workshops
  • Coaching or consulting

Hope you have a few ideas buzzing around. As I keep saying I wanted to write a beginner’s guide to starting side hustles to help you know that creating a side hustle is easier than you think. When I was starting I was clueless about the direction I should take and I struggled finding my footing. What is the side hustle that stood out to you the most? 

 

Also Related: Quick Side-Hustle Ideas To Start At Home

 

What is the main takeaway from this and what do you like most about side hustles? Let me known in the comments section. 

 

                                                           KEEP  P USHING

                                                               VANESSA

 

 

 

7 Blogging Myths That Need to be Debunked

7 Blogging Myths That Need to be Debunked

 

7 blogging myths that need to be debunked

There are a lot of blogging myths out there, but these are the seven most common ones.

When I first started blogging, I read every article I could on blogging. I came across a lot of blogging myths. To say, I was obsessed doesn’t tell the whole story, but it is fine for now.

I wanted to cover all my areas so that I was prepared. Have you ever gone to a race without practicing? Of course not, the same was for me. It was going

to be a marathon. I knew that, but I wanted to know what kind of marathon it would be.

 

Boy, the articles didn’t give me much time and resources to prepare me. Blogging is something else. Over the years, it has evolved as a new medium. Not only changing with time but presenting it as a way for people to make money. Over the past ten years, blogging has made average people into millionaires.

 

Changed people who were struggling into financial gurus and yes, it has been ten years since popular became popular. It all started becoming the new normal in 2010 and now with a few days left into 2020, I just want to debunk a couple of blogging myths.

 

As you go through this list I want you to know this isn’t to discourage you or tell you that you shouldn’t do blogging. Blogging is great for many reasons. One of the reasons is it will give you a taste of freedom. Nowadays, YouTube is on the rise and so is Instagram, but sometimes all you need to do is start small and blogging can help you with that.

 

 

 

Myth #1 – It is easy to make money from blogging

 

 

 

 

I started making money from blogging in my fourth month into it and it was only $45. Sure, that $45 gave me a sense of hope that I could make money from

blogging. However, for most people they only make money from blogging after one to two to even three years. So, it all depends on a lot of factors. For example, it depends on your brand and the services you provide to clients.

 

I won’t say it is the easiest way to make money, but if I were to compare it to YouTube, I’d say that the learning curve is easier. With YouTube, there’s a learning curve. You need to know not only about SEO, traffic and lead magnets, but how to edit videos and take good videos. At least with blogging, there’s not a lot of things you need to learn in the beginning.

 

Another thing with blogging is you need to learn about marketing and funnels. In case, you have no idea what funnels are, you are not the only one. When I first started, I had to read whatever I could about funnels and even now it gives me anxiety thinking about it. Not as much as it used to. A funnel is a path that you need to take people down from your lead magnet to your paid offers.

Every business has a funnel from iTunes to McDonald’s to even Netflix. It depends on how big or small the business is. If all this is giving you a migraine, I understand. Blogging isn’t easy, but it definitely is worth it. 

 

 

Myth #2 – You need to post every day

 

 

If you know more about blogging than you have heard the myth that you need to post every day. Unless you are doing a publication then yes, you need to

post every day. A run of the mill blog doesn’t need 30 posts per month to make it a blog. Not only is that difficult to do, but you will also run out of steam on day ten.

Publications are different because they tend to have dozens or more guest bloggers who want to put their name out there. They don’t mind doing that. Publications these days can look like blogs because in many ways they are. The difference is they are run differently and all have a different goal. Normal blogs are created to share usually one person’s perspective in the hope that will stir interest or discussion. Publications are created to share multiple perspectives about a specific topic. 

 

 

Here are a few examples of publications that are also like blogs; Foundr, Addicted 2 Success, and Success Magazine. This blogging myth needs to be debunked because this prevents bloggers from becoming successful and giving up too quickly.  

 

Myth #3 – You should know everything

 

 

 

 

This myth isn’t just a blogging one. Most people who are venturing out on their own have this belief that you need to know everything and can’t make mistakes.

The problem is that you are making it harder for you. Every successful person when they were first started out made a lot of mistakes despite what they thought they knew.

The first year is usually the hardest because you are trying to attract people to your website. It is easy to pay for products you don’t need only to realize you spent money on it and haven’t received anything back. This is the learning process. I am now into my second year of blogging and I can tell you that I made so many mistakes along the way.

I gave up too easily, I wasn’t consistent enough and made products no one wanted. Regardless of the pain, I wouldn’t go back because I learned more from making mistakes than I would have if I hadn’t made any.

If you want to be successful then you need to be alright with making mistakes. People who make mistakes are far more relatable than those who are perfect. So be okay with making a few mistakes along the way. You will be better for it. This blogging myth needs to be debunked so that people can realize that mistakes are what make us human. 

 

 

 

Also Related: 12 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

 

 

Myth #4 – You need to a lot of traffic to make money

 

 

I thought this as well, but then I had made money without even having any subscribers so this depends on a lot of factors. It isn’t luck. There’s no such thing as luck when it comes to business. We all enter into starting our own business for a reason. I did it because I wanted to define my own path, I wanted to be my own boss and that was the pull I need to go for it.

Some people choose to do it for other reasons. Financial freedom or wanting to spread a message. Whatever it is, that reason can help you attract the right clients.

Sometimes, all you need to do is look for clients within your group. I am not talking about offering a product and not delivering it. Your blog is real estate and you can use that to attract clients on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

When you have a blog you will be seen as a guru, even if you don’t feel like you are one, this gives you the ability to show people what you have to offer. You don’t need any traffic to do that. All you need is an idea of what you want to present and you go for it. Most believe this blogging myth, but my hope is that you realize that if I can do it then you can as well.

 

Also related: How to Start a Blog With Bluehost in 10 Minutes

 

 

Myth #5 – Blogging is a competition

 

 

 

 

Blogging isn’t a competition. Successful people in any industry don’t see things the way everyone else does. To them it is all about a community, helping each other out rather than undermining each other. This is so important that you understand because often we can forget how important it is to have a community to support you.

This blogging myth has been around the block for some time. Not sure how it came about, because we all know that successful people don’t puff their chests out and try competing with other people who are successful. In fact, often, they promote each other. Here’s the thing with success, when you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and realize that you aren’t on an island, you’d be shocked at how genuine most bloggers are. 

I interviewed a few bloggers who helped me understand what it takes to be a successful blogger. I learned a lot along the way, but it gave me a deeper understanding about blogging and how it can change your life when you allow it to.

 

Myth #6 – Blogging is expensive

 

 

 

Don’t know who you have been talking to, but that is so untrue. In fact, blogging is cheaper to start than most side-hustles. Unless you want to be an Instagram influencer, but even still unless you have great editing skills or good at taking photos you need to spend money.

 

 

Here’s a breakdown; 

 

Instagram – camera, photo editing app, photographer (can spend anything from $100 to $250)

YouTube – camera, camera apps, tripod, microphone, videographer, web camera, video editor (it depends on what you want to spend on it, but can be anything from

$100 to $500)

Blogging  – $10 per month to less than $100 a year (depends on the hosting company)

 

When I first started, I paid $10 for the month. That was it. Some companies can be $12 for the year when you are first starting out and then go up. All you need with blogging is a domain name, hosting and a theme. Most times, you can find a great free theme and most hosting companies give you a domain name for free. That is why blogging is so great, you don’t need a lot to start and you can learn so much about business when you do a blog.

 

 

Myth #7 – You need to be on all social media accounts

 

 

 

Many people when they first start out blogging, believe this myth because it is easy to believe it. After all, most established businesses are on all social media

platforms. What we don’t realize is that they are established so it makes sense for them to be on everything. After all, why would they stab themselves in the

foot by only being on one platform?

However, when you are first starting out, you will need to know a lot of things such as email marketing, networking, SEO and marketing tactics. You will be stabbing yourself in the foot by trying to be on everything all at once. Sometimes, we need to pace ourselves when first starting out. Rushing isn’t getting there and sure, it would be great having millions of fans, but if you are starting from scratch then you are wearing yourself thin.

This blogging myth needs to be nipped in the bud. Take your time. If you are more of a Facebook person then do that. If you prefer Instagram do that or if you love Pinterest then you can figure out how to use the darn thing. But just take your time to learn. The first and second year is all about figuring things out, you also need to be okay with doing that. 

 

 

What blogging myths have you heard about? And is that what is preventing you from starting a blog? Comment below.

 

 

Keep Pushing

                                                          Vanessa

 

Make Money Blogging For Beginners (Free 2019 Guide)

Make Money Blogging For Beginners (Free 2019 Guide)

 

Make Money Blogging For Beginners in 2o19 (Free Guide)  

 

This free guide will show you all the ways you can make money from blogging online.  

Is it possible to make money from blogging in 2019?

Hasn’t YouTube replaced it as the new medium for making money?

Do people even read blogs anymore?

These questions circulate the web every so often while people are searching for ways to make money. Blogging is one of the oldest ways to make money online. When it started, it was a way for people to communicate. Remember one of Hilary Duff’s movie, “The Perfect Man,” when that movie was released blogging became incredibly popular among the teen angst crowd. It became a new thing before then it was mostly used by marketers and then blogging grew in popularity.

In the early 2010’s, that is when more and more people were hopping onto the fandom and making money from blogging. If you were to take a look at 

a lot of popular blogs many of them started in 2010 and 2011. Not all, but there are a lot who started then and there’s this perception that blogging is dead and you can’t make money from it or that you can’t do that as a beginner blogger.

Blogging isn’t dead, in fact, it is still one of the best ways to make money online. It easier to setup then a YouTube channel especially if you are camera shy and a lot of bloggers eventually start YouTube channels.

Just because you start with one medium doesn’t mean you can’t venture out and try new things. If you are on the fence about blogging, keep reading about the earning potential. I will list a few reasons why you should start a blog. So, here we go. Here’s an article about overcoming the fear of blogging

 

 Why start a blog in 2019

 When it comes to the online space, there are a lot of people who are dubious. The internet in the past couple of years has gotten a bad rep. There are far

too many scams that whenever someone reads something about making money online, an eye roll usually follows and they log off. If Instagram influencers are making money online then why would it be impossible for people to make money online? 

Another thing a lot of people believe is that blogging is too hard and you need to be a genius when it comes to writing. Any skill can be learned and mastered, even writing. I was an awful writer growing up and I would never have imagined years later, I would be a blogger. When you practice on a consistent basis you will master any skill.

Now, on to the interesting bit, why should you start a blog in 2019. I want to list down a few of the benefits of blogging, keep reading and I will get on to the best and easiest ways to make money from your blog. 

 1. Financial Freedom 

2. Passive income (make money while you sleep)

3. Time freedom (have more time to spare with your family)

4. Awesome opportunities (you can start a YouTube channel, become a motivational speaker, start a clothing line, etc)

5. Write a book

6. Create an impact

7. Change the world

8. Support a cause 

 

How to start a profitable blog in 2019

  

If you want to make money from blogging then there are a few things you need in order for you to do that. You can’t set up any ole site and think that it will make you a million dollars. Blogging is like any other business, it requires dedication and effort so I want to let you know the few things you need in order to make money from your blog. Don’t worry it isn’t a long list, but it is crucial for you to setup your blog the right way.

 

Needs to be self-hosted

 

A self-hosted blog is a blog that you setup using a hosting service. When it comes to blogging most of us are familiar with setting up blogging with WordPress. This is the free version and it won’t make you any money. It is also extremely hard to customize. So when you are setting up your blog, you need to set it up with a provider.

recommend using Bluehost. 

The link to the how to start a blog is below, this is a step by step guide on how to set up your blog the right way.

 

 

Good Design

 

 

Another thing that you need is your website needs to have good design. When you are starting out, you can use a free theme, but I do recommend going

for something with a bit of a kick. I use Divi which is one of the best themes and the great thing is you can customize it the way you want, you reduce

a lot of the costs because it comes packed with a lot of features so you won’t need a developer.

If you choose to go with something else then get a theme that works well for you, that will help you with your brand. You need to know this if you plan on making money blogging in 2019. Don’t skip this step. You can check Divi theme.

 

Target audience

 

If you want to make money blogging you need to know your target audience well, it helps if you are part of the demographic or if you understand the target

audience well. When I started my blog, I knew my target audience would primarily be people from the ages of 25 to 38 because I wanted to focus on millennials and since I am a millennial it made the most sense.

I understood that most millennials want to do their own thing, but are scared of doing it. That they want financial freedom and to have enough money to travel the world. I listed all the things that millennials would be interested in, that way I could target them and help them achieve their goals.  So, when you are identifying a target audience, you create an avatar.

Why is this important? So, you know what topics you should write about and what products you should promote. 

Business plan

 

 

Many of us thought we would never have to do a business plan once we left school, the thing is a business plan is important. It can actually be a lot of fun.

It doesn’t have to be too long or technical. 

List down all the important things that you need to focus on, such as target audience, demographic, geographic location, marketing plan and etc. This way you have an idea of what to do next after you set-up your blog. I have come to realize when it comes to business that marketing and strategy is key. What is the main driving force you will use for traffic. 

An example is there are a lot of blogs out there that use guest posts as a way to drive traffic to their blogs, I use interviews. This is one of the ways I get traffic to my site. Another way is Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. That is part of my business plan and I wouldn’t have known what would work with my blog if I didn’t write a business plan. This will make it super easy for you to make money blogging in 2019.  

 

Make Money Blogging in 2019

 

We are finally here, this is the part where I show you all the ways you can make money blogging. If you want to get access to more ways, keep reading, I have 

included an awesome infographic for you to show you how to make money blogging. There are so many ways you can money blogging, it is unbelievable, but it does take time for you to understand what works and what doesn’t.

Even though you can make money blogging, it still requires patience and effort to get everything going. A car with a well-oiled machine runs better than one without, so it is important you build your blog the right way so that you can make money blogging.

Here are the top ten ways you can make money blogging, keep reading to get the extra twenty and those are definitely game-changers. Okay, so here we go.

 

 

1. Affiliate Marketing

 

 Affiliate marketing is by far one of the easiest ways to make money because it doesn’t require that you have a huge list or a lot of traffic. Most affiliate

programs just require that you have a blog with a great design and that’s literally it. Not much to it, you can start with a lot of awesome programs out there.

The great thing is affiliate marketing is free to start, I wanted to just put that out there. Remember when it comes to making money online you won’t have to pay for any program to make money. You sign up and if you get accepted, boom, you make money.

Why do I love affiliate marketing because you sell it once and make passive income from it? You promote something and then you make money even while snoozing on the couch and that’s why there are a lot of people who love affiliate marketing

If you do it the right way, you can make a lot of money from affiliate marketing. An unbelievable amount of money. Here’s a great article on how much money you can make.

 

What are some awesome affiliate programs?

When I was first starting out, I had no idea where to look for when it came to affiliate programs so I have taken out the work for you. Here are some ideas of 

affiliate programs. Look at your niche and use that as a guide to find what affiliate programs you should be a part of. It makes life a whole lot easier if you look through the list of affiliate programs. 

73+ HIGH PAYING AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FOR BUSINESS BLOGGERS

100 BEST AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FOR FASHION AND BEAUTY BLOGGERS

LIST OF TRAVEL AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FOR TRAVEL BLOGGERS

59+ ART AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FOR CRAFTY AND CREATIVE BLOGGERS

67+ FOOD AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FOR BLOGGERS AND CONTENT CREATORS

Bonus: When choosing the right product, go with something that you use or that you have done research on. Don’t just promote a product you know nothing about, that can cause a lot of headache for you and your client down the road. 

 

2. Coaching

 

When I first started out this is the first thing I tried out because it is easier to start with. You don’t need to be great at marketing or have an awesome product. All you need is yourself and your expertise. You can make a lot of money from coaching. There are a lot of people who use coaching as a way to make a name for themselves so you are hitting two birds with one rock.

You can also be seen as a mentor or a guide, it is pretty much the same thing except for a few things. When it comes to mentorship it is usually more personal and informal, it is also long-term. You get a mentor if you want to make six-figures a year. Most people start with coaches and make their way up to mentors. Mentorship tends to be more costly than coaching that is done on a short-term basis.

So, here’s an article about how you can start a six-figure coaching business.

 

3. Freelancing

This one is awesome pretty easy to step up and that is what most people do when they are figuring out what they should sell or offer when it comes to making money with blogging.

This is one the best ways you can make money blogging in 2019 and there’s a lot of potential for growth. You start off small and as you grow, you can add many services or products to your list. 

Freelancing though is not for everyone, it requires a lot of work and you will be getting more active income than passive. Basically, if you don’t work then you don’t make money. In the beginning, you will be your own boss and you will have to do your own work. There are a lot of people who start this way and then they hire people as they grow, but who knows how long that can take.

If this interests you slightly, here’s an article on how to make money from freelancing.

 

4. Services

 

This is another easy way for you to make money blogging and you don’t require technical skills. When I first started out, I used this as a way to make money blogging, the great thing about this is you can scale it in time. 

All you do is offer a service, for example, I offer a Done-For-You Blog service where people purchase hosting through my link and I set up a blog for them for free. I incorporate affiliate marketing with this and that’s also how I make money. If you don’t want to do that, you can still charge your clients and maybe you give them a discounted price if they purchase through your link.

Blog done for you services is incredibly popular because not a lot of people to do it. If you are wondering what services you can offer to clients, I will list them down.

A lot of people offer services as a way of making money and the great thing is you can grow as much as you want. There are companies that are worth millions of dollars and when they started all they did was offer a service that people loved.

 

Designing logos like on 99 Designs or Dribble

Editing podcasts using your audio engineering skills

Offering social media marketing services

Offering to create FB Ads

Designing Book Covers

 Writing blog copy or content for brands

Building websites

Any skill you have can be used to offer it as a service

 

Where to find clients?

 

I listed below some of the places you could start with to find awesome clients so that you don’t have to scourge the internet to find it. 

 

60 Places You Can (Quickly) Get Great Remote Jobs

72 Best Freelance Jobs Websites to Get Great Clients (Fast)

 

 

 

5. Sponsored Posts

The last five are the most difficult because it requires you to have an email list or be a little experienced when it comes to blogging, but it is still a lot easier than the others you can pick up. If you want to make money blogging, you should consider this one as it does have a lot of earning potential as long as you have a couple of email subscribers and thousands of followers on your social media accounts.

If you are in the beauty and fashion niche, sponsored posts are a great way to create an income stream that works for you. This is one of the most popular ways to make money from blogging for beginners for beauty and fashion bloggers. Though, you can still make a considerable amount of money from this even if you aren’t in that niche. 

 

What is sponsored content?

 

This is content that has been paid for by a big brand think of Apple sponsoring a tech company to promote their latest product or Gucci sponsoring content to talk about their latest product line. You agree on the price and it can be anything from a couple of hundred to even a thousand. Depending on how much money you are already making and how much traffic comes to your site.

That is the problem, if you don’t have a lot of visitors it will be hard for any brand to take you seriously. My suggestion is to keep this in the back burner and plan this is as a way to make extra content further down the line.

 

6. Display Ads

I have a hate and love relationship with display ads. Far too many bloggers promote it, but what they never tell you is you need an influx of traffic so in the thousands and not hundreds. Another thing is if you aren’t careful it does make your website look like it came from the 2000s because of all the ads appearing on your website. 

Do people make money from it?

Of course, they do, but those are established bloggers who have been in the game for a while and who have a lot of people on their mailing list. So, I would be careful if you choose to go with display ads.

Another thing is you don’t have enough control of how much money you make or where you put the ads on your site. My recommendation is to go with Sponsored posts. The earning potential is more and you have more control. If you still want to know more about display ads, you can find it here.

             

 

7. Sell An EBook

I am a little biased, but this is one of the best ways to make money blogging. Once you build an email list, you can sell them your eBook. You decide though where you want it to be either on Amazon or on your website. Both do perfectly and each has its advantages and disadvantages. All you have to do is choose wisely.

The great thing about selling an eBook is it instantly makes you an authority on a subject and that makes you more credible than someone who doesn’t have a blog. I would put this down as something you can do later on. EBooks are also one of the best ways to earn passive income. It is a great way to make money blogging in 2019 and more people are using this as an income stream. 

There are a lot of ways an eBook can change your life and you can even use it to build your business. Here are a couple of ways you can use an eBook to grow and scale your business.

 

A publisher can approach you and decide they want to publish your book to a wider audience

It can be turned into an audiobook

You can use a book as a way to start a podcast

You can start a YouTube channel using your book

Become a public speaker

Become a consultant

It can be turned into a TV or reality show

As you can see there’s a lot of earning potential when it comes to selling an eBook, if you want to make money from your eBook then you need to be decent at marketing.

Bonus: If you want to make money blogging, selling an eBook is a great way to do that. However, you can earn more money from it if you have products in the back-end. This is how you do it, people who buy your book sign up to your mailing list and then you can sell products to them and make more money from it. 

 

 

8. Sell digitals products

Depending on your goals you can sell different types of digital products and use this as a way to make passive income. That’s what makes selling digital products awesome, you can make a lot of money through it.

There are a lot of websites who sell several types of digital products, so focus on the ones that you prefer to sell. Courses and eBooks usually fall under the bracket of digital products, but I decided to separate them because the earning potential is larger than most digital products. It is also a lot easier to set it up than an eBook or a course. They are also easier to create, so here is a list of all the digital products you can create. There are a few I didn’t include because those are going into my infographic.

Templates

Journal

Customizable graphics

PSD Files (this a file type Photoshop creates)

Swipe Files (used to recreate something specific such as email swipe files)

Media kit

 Audiobook

Music Clips

Photos that can be used commercially

Workbooks

Marketing material

Video stock

 

You can create numerous digital products and because they are usually cheap to produce and affordable, you can make a considerable amount of money from it. 

Bonus: Make sure that your digital products have the same branding as everything else you sell. Same colors, fonts and etc so that there’s consistency for everything.

This is how you stand out compared to everyone else, if your branding and messaging align. 

                                              

9. Sell online courses

This one will turn you into a millionaire. No kidding, making courses is incredibly profitable, but you need to have at least 1000 subscribers to make money from it.

Without that, it will be hard pitching your idea to people and one thing you don’t want to do is go to groups and start screaming about your products. That will get you banned and you will get a bad reputation.

Reputation is everything when it comes to business. It is the foundation you really need to be successful and here’s the thing most people don’t know how to do courses and that is why they struggle when it comes to selling them. There’s a lot of factors that come into creating a successful course. I want to emphasize that this is one of the best ways to make money blogging in 2019.

Once you have the systems in place then you can make a lot of money. It is also one of the top income generators when it comes to make money blogging. There are a lot of people who don’t like the idea of being teachers. Same. What I have come to understand is educating is not only rewarding, it helps you create an impact.

Education is in high-demand, look at the videos online. Social Triggers wrote an awesome article on how you can create a course. If you still aren’t convinced with how much money you can make from selling courses, here’s one article on how much money you can make.

 

10. Sell physical products

In the last few years, dropshipping has become incredibly popular. If you always wondered how people were shipping physical products from an online store

the answer is dropshipping. This basically is when a seller uses a middleman to produce and ship the product and all they are doing is facilitate the sale.

When it comes to dropshipping you need to have marketing expertise and understand Facebook Ads because it is more complicated than the others. This is however, a profitable way to make money blogging in 2019. And there are a lot of successful people who are also dropshippers. That golden pen that you once saw probably is dropshipped.

The reason why people do dropshipping instead of shipping the products themselves is it becomes too costly to do that. Fulfillment is incredibly expensive and it is time consuming and most successful people want to afford having to take care of all the stress that comes with it. Enter dropshipping, one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of selling physical products. 

If you want to learn more about dropshipping, this article will show you all the ins and outs of the dropshipping business.

 

What is your main takeaway from this and what make money blogging method are you interested in learning about? Comment below and I will reply as soon as

possible. 

                                              

                                                         

                                                              Keep Pushing                                           

 

                                                             Vanessa

Quick Side-Hustle Ideas To Start at Home

Quick Side-Hustle Ideas To Start at Home

 

quick ideas of side-hustles you can start at home in 2019. 

These side-hustles will get you going and you can start your business as start as today. 

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I am recommending these tools because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.

So what exactly is a side-hustle and why is it everyone keeps going on about it? Well, the short version of that answer is that a side-hustle is a cool name for a

part-time job. One that you can do at your own leisure and at home. That is why over the last few years it has taken off. Side-hustles have been around for years, the problem is most people have no idea how to profit from a side-hustle. In this blog post, you will learn side-hustles that you can start doing at home.

It is a beginner-friendly way of starting a business without diving in completely. Okay, so this post with give you quick ideas of side-hustles that you can start at home. If you read through this whole post, you will realize that it isn’t as hard as it is. 

Side-hustles can range from easy to difficult, but there is so much earning potential when it comes to a side-hustle it is unbelievable. If you were to write down the most successful people that you know about, they all started with a side-hustle and most of them don’t cost a lot of money to do.

Yeah, you could do a side-hustle and starting earning money within less than the month. I am not trying to selling you a ridiculous idea only so I can crush your bubble, starting a side hustle is pretty easy. All you need is a laptop, WI-FI and an hour or two a day.

The reason why most people don’t start a business is that they believe, they don’t have time to do so, but if you are given an hour a day to do it, then time isn’t an issue. Another answer arises when you speak to people about starting a side-hustle, often they say they don’t have money to do it.

You don’t need a lot of money to start a side-hustle. In fact, all you need is a few dollars and that’s it. There are also a lot of side-hustles that don’t require any

capital at all. It is mostly about willpower and pushing yourself past the barriers that hold you back. That’s it. Okay, I will show you the earning potential and a few ideas you can start with when you are working on your side-hustle so let’s go. 

 

Tutoring

 

 Times have changed, I remember dreading having tutors because when they’d come to my house, it always felt like a chore. Now, there are online tutors and you can make a considerable amount of money teaching people online.

I had a friend who was doing this so she could pay her bills and she was making a bit of money from it. What’s great about this is you set your own schedule and you get paid on time. What’s there not to love. I know teachers used to have to endure the abuse from their students.

It might come off as impersonal, but it isn’t. Normally you tutor a student at a time and get to know the student. You also get a few skills along the way. When it comes to becoming an entrepreneur, one of the skill-sets you must develop is knowing how to communicate and educate your students. This is great training. 

How to start

 VIPKid

 Gogokid

 

Range: Easy

Investment: Free

Earning potential: 22/hr, $400 per month

 Schedule: 4/10

Growth: 4/10

 

Online Freelancing

 

 

The first side-hustle that I ever did was freelancing and I still do it, but not as much as I did before. There’s so much earning potential that it is unbelievable. You can do a lot of awesome stuff when it comes to freelancing. If I am being honest, the sky is the limit.

When I started I was doing writing, but I know not a lot of people like writing so you can choose literally anything. If you are great at graphic design you can do that as well. Maybe, you prefer something else like designing book covers, that can earn you a lot of money. There are a couple of sites that pay $60 to $300 for one book cover.

 The great thing about freelancing is you can literally do anything. Let’s say you don’t have any skills that you know of so you can become a virtual assistant. There are virtual assistants that earn anything from $3000 to $10,000 per month.

If this is the first time hearing about a virtual assistant, this is a swanky name for someone who is an assistant, but online. Normally what they do are small tasks; replying to emails, answering calls, data services and following up with clients.

VA’s have become so popular in recent years that you do need to learn a bit, grow your client base before your name gets out there, but still, it is a great side

hustle if you are pressed for time. 

Another great freelance gig you can do is transcribing. This one is easier to start with than the others. All you really need to do is listen to audios and transcribe the words. Considering how many podcasts require this, the earning potential is massive. 

Starting off can be tricky if you have no idea where to begin, so I have listed awesome courses, sites, and free training to help speed up the process. Most people struggle with freelancing is because they don’t know where to begin so don’t make the same mistakes. 

 

How to start

 

Proof Read Anywhere

Transcribe Anywhere

People Per Hour

Fiverr

Freelancer

Free Freelancer Course

 

Range: Medium (need portfolio to get going depending on what you choose)

Investment: Free to $10 per month (for website or portfolio site)

Earning potential: $1000 to $5000 per month

Schedule: 8/10

Growth: 7/10

 

List your house

 

 

This one is downright easy, I don’t understand why most people don’t do it. I get it, it’s scary listing your house or apartment, but that’s why you need to go to

legitimate sites. If you post it, you can earn a bit of money. The great thing about that is that most sites now do a thorough check and you don’t need a lot of

money.

You make sure that your house looks great and take awesome photos, put it up on the site and watch the money roll in. This is however, not for everyone. I

understand that, so I do get it. Absolutely, but if you are little intrigued check this one out and see if you are comfortable doing this.

Starting this as I explained above is easy and it won’t take much time to do that as well. There are also a lot of options for you to start. The problem with this is you can’t make a full-time income and the growth potential is limited. If you think that you could take this and it will replace your day job, it won’t do that, but it will give you extra capital. And you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to do it so it is a win-win situation.

This is an easy side hustle you can start in a day and make money quickly. 

 

How to start

Airbnb

Booking.com

 

Range: Easy

Investment: Free

Earning potential: $1000 per month 

Growth potential: 4/10

 

Buy and Sell things

 

The earning potential for this is ridiculous, but you must be willing to spend money. Compared to the other ones I listed above, you need capital, but there’s a way around it where you don’t have to spend so much money. The great thing about this is you can do it in so many ways.

For example, you could buy domains (a domain name is an address for a site, for example, amazon.com) and sell them for a higher price. This one has become popular in recent years. For example, buy a $10 domain and then sell it $100. It’s that simple. This side-hustle is a great way to start earning money on the side as long as you know what to do.

You can also do this with websites and sell them for a higher price. Another way to do this is to buy things on eBay and sell them on Amazon for more money.

This is beginner-friendly so you can do it without having to crack your skull and it won’t require much time to do it.

How to start

Amazon 

eBay

Filippa

 

Range: easy

Investment: at least $100 to $2000 (to start off with)

Earning potential: $1000 per month

Schedule: 7/10

Growth: 6/10

 

Create stuff to sell

 

If you are talented or have some skill-set this is a great option. There are a lot of people making money from doing this. In fact, you could use this as a way of

starting a business, but this alone won’t make you a six-figure earner. However, if you are strapped for cash then why not use your God-given talents and use that to make money from it. This side is pretty awesome and you can do it at home.

What you can create varies on what you are good at, so it depends. Maybe, you have a knack for writing then you could write a book. If you are artsy then that you can create paintings, handmade goods and anything you can imagine. There are lots of people out there who are using this as a way of making money so why not try it out. This is easier to start than most of the ones I listed above.

How to start

Etsy Sellers

Amazon Handmade

 Amazon KDP

Range: Easy

Investment: less than $500

Earning potential: $600 to $2000

Schedule: 7/10

Growth: 7/10

 

Print On demand

 

Print on demand is a swanky term for creating designs for mostly t-shirts and selling them on platforms. Then you market them and the platform not only sells them and delivers them to your customers. You can sit back and get paid for your efforts, this one is tricky because of the increase in competition so you need to know how to do it well. It also depends on the platform you start with, some are easy and others require far more effort. 

You also need to be willing to spend time researching so that you can market them well. It also requires a little bit of investment to start with because you need to market it to your audience and that in itself can take time for you do.

If you start now, it might take a few months for you to make money from it. That’s why it is important that you have an idea of how to do it the right way. There are a lot of people offering courses that will help you speed up the process so you just need to be willing to take the time to do it.  This is an awesome side hustle and there are a lot of people out there who have said print on demand has changed their lives.

How to start

Amazon Merch

Teespring

 

Range: experienced

Investment: less than $1000 (to start with. You will use this money to market to your audience and for designs if you aren’t great at graphic design)

Earning potential: $1000 to $5000

Schedule: 7/10

Growth: 8/10

 

Start a blog

 

This has to be my absolute favorite side-hustling and it is by the far one of the easiest ways to start. When it comes to starting a blog the reason why most people fail is that they do it the wrong way. That’s the problem and that is why they quit within a few months. When I first started that is what happened. In the beginning, I was excited, paid for everything and then there were crickets. I had no idea what to do next.

I had no clue what a CPanel was or even how to use it and I had to figure it all this out by myself. I wracked my head trying to understand what I should do next. It took me months to figure things out no matter how many books or articles I read I still had no freaking clue about blogging.

I hope I didn’t scare you off. You are not me. You are smarter than I was and because you are smarter. 

How to start

Go here to learn how to start a blog

Range: medium

Investment: about $3 per month

Earning potential: $1000 to $5000 per month within 12 months (but you can scale this to $10,000 and more.)

Schedule: 10/10

Growth: 10/10

Which of the above side-hustles are you interested in? Comment below.

                                                                                   

                                                                                     Keep Pushing

                                                          Vanessa

 

How To Start A Blog With BlueHost in 10 minutes

How To Start A Blog With BlueHost in 10 minutes

 

HOW TO START A BLOG WITH BLUEHOST IN 10 MINUTES

Learn how to start a blog in just 10 minutes with Bluehost.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will

earn a commission. I am recommending these tools because they are helpful and useful, not because

of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on

these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals. 

 

I want to help you start a blog in the simplest way possible. Starting a blog isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be

complicated. First, a little back story. I first started a blog in 2016, I had no idea how to do it. For me, all the

information out there got lost and I was so confused about what steps to take. Doing anything the first time is

hard, it requires dedication and effort on your part.

 

When I was talking to one of my client’s the other day, she mentioned how complicated it was because the truth is

not all of us are techno. I certainly wasn’t and when you do something for the first time it is so much harder. If you

are wondering how to start a profitable blog for WordPress in just 10 minutes, this post will help you out. This post

is beginner friendly so I will explain every step in detail so you won’t get lost along the way. 

 

That is why I am writing this post to make it easier for you. So that you can achieve success. You probably are

wondering why you should start a blog. There are numerous reasons why you should start a blog. Here’s an

awesome article from Lifehack on why you should start a blog.

 

Not convinced, okay here’s another reason why you should start a blog. With blogging, there’s the potential to do

so much more, besides that it is the entry point to starting a blog. A lot of gurus start with doing a blog then they

do podcasts and eventually a YouTube channel. Pat Flynn started with a podcast on his blog and now he has a

Youtube channel. Lewis Howes did the same thing and so did Peter Voogd. You need to start from somewhere and

move up from there.

 

Now into the meat of the article, here’s a lowdown of all the reasons you should start a blog with Bluehost and how

to do it like a pro. Don’t worry I won’t let you get confused with all the techno rumble you have to wade through.

So, let’s get going.

 

 

Why Bluehost 

If you have been thinking about doing blogging for a while then you know literally all the blogging names out there.

bit of exaggeration, you might know most of them, but you might have noticed that Bluehost is mentioned a lot.

So, why.

 

1. Free Domain Name

A domain name is basically an address for your site i.e https://vanessagowora.com. That is a domain, there are a

lot of hosting companies, but the majority of them you have to buy your own domain name. So Hostgator, your

domain name isn’t free and A2Hosting is the same. I love the latter, but most of these hosting companies you have

to pay a steep $12 or $14 just for a name. 

 

You could complicate your life by going to get a cheap domain name, but trust me it gets really complicated if you

do that. Using one site to buy a domain name and the other to pay for your hosting will give you a massive

headache. Wouldn’t recommend it.

 

 

2. Great Customer Services

Have you ever spend hours on the phone trying to get in contact with your service provider and with a frustrated

grunt you cut the call. No one has time for that and’s what is great about Bluehost. They care about their clients,

that is why people love to promote them because they get out of their way to make everyone happy. So, who

wouldn’t be happy with that? So, yeah, they are the best. Literally. 

 

 

3. Affordability

 

A lot of hosting companies aren’t affordable, but what makes Bluehost awesome is that they are. They are possibly

the cheapest hosting company around and I am talking about features here. A lot of companies will charge you for

extra features just so you can create a blog. Not Bluehost. You are scratching your head right now, thinking what

am I even talking about. Stay with, just a little. We will get there just now. 

 

 

  

 

How to start a blog

Step One – Pay For Hosting

 

I am making it easy to follow. I am using the images from Bluehost so that you can follow through. To get here go

and click on the button above so you can come here. 

The next step you need to take is click on the get started button so that you can be on your way to creating a blog.

 

  

 

Bluehost webhosting 

 

On the next page, you must choose which hosting package you would want. The benefits are listed on the page

 

itself.

 

 

how to start a blog 

 

 

After this, you will need to setup a new domain name on the next page.

 

 

how to start a blog

 

And the following page, you can now enter your payment details. Here’s where most people get lost, they have no

idea whether they want to pay for hosting for 12, 24 or 36 months. It all depends on what you want. I would

suggest starting with 12 months because the truth is you consistently blog for twelve months then chances are

you will carry on with it.

 

However, most people don’t pass the 12-month mark so remember baby steps. You can also choose to add on

extras such as privacy or site backup. I would suggest adding site backup. Take it from me there’s nothing more

annoying than realizing your site is down. With site back, it ensures that even if your site isn’t working properly

then you have a copy of it. Yeah, it’s an extra few dollars, but it is so worth it in the long run.

 

 

 

how to start a blog

 

 

 

 

how to start a blog

 

 

 Step Two: Setup Your WordPress with Oneclick Installer

 

 

You are almost done, THIS must have taken you at least about two minutes to do. Now, this step is really simple.

You look for your Cpanel (this is your control panel for your Webhosting.) This is a nifty word for where all your 

cool tools are housed under one roof.

 

As you log into your Cpanel, you will get a message saying that Bluehost will install it for you, but there’s a price

attached to it. Don’t worry it isn’t as complicated as it appears.

 

 Here’s how you do it

 

 

  • First thing is to find the blue WordPress button in your Cpanel. This is the one-click installer.
  • On the next page fill out a few options there. Be sure to set both a complicated Admin username and Password. This is to ensure you protect yourself from any attacks. Do not use admin as your username or password. A lot of newbies Do this, I did this in the beginning and as a result I was hacked. Not a great feeling. Make sure you write it down so you never forget,
  • Then click the install button and this will set-up your site.
  • Then you will be given your details, including your username and password. Log in and start building your site from there.

 

 

 

how to start a blog

 

 

 

Now, what’s next. Let’s go through the important steps you need to take to get your website up and running.

 

 

 Get Bluehost here

 

 

Seven important steps to take your blog to the next stage

 

 

 

Your website is just a skeleton, you need to do the next steps to make sure that you can start talking about it. And

make money from it, so the next question is how should that be done. That is a good question. When I was first

started, all of this was far too complicated. It felt as if I was running a marathon I couldn’t win, but with time I

realized that it is all about taking baby steps and reading a how-to-guide.

 

I am making it stupid simple for you to do this. I am using what I learned to help you go over the obstacles that are

in your way so if you want to do this the right way then you need to keep reading on. It gets a little tricky the

further we are to finishing everything so here we go.

 

 

 

1. Choose your theme

 

 

 

 I use Divi theme, if you are interested, but if you are just starting out then use a free theme. There are hundreds of

free themes out there and most of them suck like leftover meatloaf. I have tried a couple and I hated most of them.

They either were too basic, slow to load or just plain annoying. Bluehost also offers free themes, but if you want to

stand out I wouldn’t go for them.

 

 

 

how to start a blog

 

 

 

Every day there are people who setup their sites and they use the free themes Bluehost provides. So, the next

question is if that’s the case then where should you go to find an awesome free theme.

 

Here’s a ridiculously long list of the best free themes out there.

 

 

Choose the one that stands out to you. Your theme must look good, let me emphasize, don’t cut corners. There are

so many blogs out there, that you can easily drown in all the noise. People need to fall in love with your site before

they get to know you. Have you ever gone to an ugly site and left right away, that’s because it didn’t catch your

eye. 

We are visual creatures and we love things that are pretty.

If you want to have a profitable, you must focus on your theme. This is how you start a blog the right way. If you

are serious about standing out and building a business then Divi is awesome, can be customized and one of the

best themes out there.

 

  

2. Install plugins to make your site pop

 

 

 

Most gurus expect everyone to know what a plugin is, but when you are starting out you don’t know. A plugin is

simply a tool with a particular use. For example, you can have a social media plugin and that is there to help you

promote your site to social media sites.

 

Or you can have a plugin to help with increasing how fast your site loads. There are millions of free plugins out

there, so be careful not to get carried away, Installing too many plugins will mess up with your site. Choose the

right plugins so that you start your blog the right way. If you want your blog to be profitable you can’t skip this step.

  

Here are the ones you should have on your site 

 

  • Akismet Anti-spam – this filters out spam from the comments on your site so that you don’t have to manually go out of your way to do it.
  • Yoast SEO – It isn’t as complicatad as it sounds, but SEO is what the online marketers call search engine optimization. If you know anything about the internet then you understand how important it is to have keywords. The more relevant keywords you have, the more you stand out on Google.
  • W3 Total Cache – This helps load your site a lot faster and doesn’t put pressure your Webhosting. A lot of people today use mobiles to search online and that is where this nifty tool helps. If your page loads too slowly then they will go to another website. Let’s say your content goes viral if your site crashes then you have lost potential customers. This tool helps to make sure you don’t go through that.

 

 

3. Experiment, experiment

 

 

  • Do you want a colorful website, maybe you want one that is simple? Do you want a sidebar or no sidebar? My website doesn’t have sidebars except for a few pages. I realized that I wanted to stand out so opting out of using a sidebar seemed like the best choice.
  • Get design inspiration. Don’t steal, just look at sites in your niche and then you can craft your site in a similar way. If you don’t know anything about designing a website, it will be confusing. That is why it is to check what works and what doesn’t.
  • Add a logo to your site, you can use Fiverr to do this or use GIMP.

 

 

4. Create Your Menu

 

 

So, when you are starting out you need to realize that there are a few pages that you need to have. On your

 dashboard, scroll down to where it says pages then click on add page. This is the easier way for you to create

pages that way when you are doing your menu they come up automatically. Wish I did this in the beginning. Most

people tend to not pay attention to this step and that is why they struggle to get their blog off the ground. This is

how you start a blog the right way.

 

 Here are a few pages you need to add

 

 

  • Start Here
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Disclosure

 

 

 5. Writing Your First Blog Post 

 

If you are confused where you should go so you can write your first blog post. Look below. When you are on your

 dashboard, look for something called posts. Click on that and click on add new. It will take you to this page and

 then you can write your first blog post.

 Rule of thumb: Google loves long posts so anything from 1000 words to 3000 will show up more often than blog

 posts that are less than 1000 words.

 

 

 

Blog Post

 

 

Now on to publishing your post. 

Since you are using Bluehost, you will see something that says “Coming Soon” even after writing your first post.

When you are ready to make your blog public, just click on Bluehost at the top right hand corner. Click on the

Launch button to remove the Coming Soon page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.  Promote site 

 

 

 

On to the fun part, well depending on how much you like marketing. Creating an awesome site and great content is

only part of the puzzle. The other is promoting your content. Blogging isn’t easy and promoting your blog isn’t easy

as well. There are so many factors you need to consider, for example, how do you get traction and how do you get

sales.

The list goes on and on. I could go on and on, but if I am being honest it would take me forever to do that. 

To begin with, you need to have at least five posts then the easier way to promote your site is via Pinterest. This is

great start at the beginning, you could also post on Facebook groups to get more traction. In the beginning, you

need to start small and move your way up from there.

 

  

7. Monetize it

 

 

 

 This is the part where everyone looks forward to. Because the question at the top of everyone’s mind is can I make

money from blogging. Yes, you. A lot actually. There are a lot of blogs where people are earning $100,000 a month.

Can you imagine that? Imagine how different your life be? The freedom at your disposal, not having to listen to

your boss lecture you for a good 30 minutes straight.

Not having to worry about bills. This is, however, not a get-rich-scheme. You don’t do the work, you don’t get paid.

Your life doesn’t change. It is that simple, but there are so many ways you can earn money via your blog.

 

 

  •  Provide services – you can use your blog to provide services, for example, consulting services
  • Affiliate marketing – sell other people’s products and earn a commission from it
  • Create your own product – you can create your own products; t-shirts, ebooks, printables, templates and the list goes on.
  • Coaching – coach people and make money from that. You could charge $100 per hour
  • Facebook groups – have an idea to do a paid Facebook group

 

 You can literally do anything with a blog. The sky is the limit. It comes down to what your limit is. Those are the

seven steps to creating a blog. Of course, there’s more to it than this, but that post would literally take me the

whole day to create. And it would be far too long that you might want not want to read it anyway.

 

 

 

What is your one takeaway from this post? Comment below.

 

 

 

                                                                            KEEP  PUSHING                                                                                   

                                                                               VANESSA

 

 

 

 

 

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