Tag: create a blog

How To Make Money With A Blog For Beginners
You create a blog for a reason — to make money online.

Here’s a tiny little problem. You either have no idea how to create your blog, or you have absolutely zero idea what went wrong. You read dozens of blogs talking about “how to make money with a blog” and you practised the steps to the “T” but you are still not making any decent sales.

Down but not out, you are still searching for the ultimate guide on “How to make money with a blog for beginners” or “Earning money from blogging” and you stumbled upon this article.

Here are four important things that you will learn today.
- checkHow to use affiliate marketing and make money from it
- checkStart earning more money with Google Adsense
- checkWhen should you sell ad space on your WordPress site?
- checkWhen should you launch an online course?
This will be another long article and therefore, I recommend you to bookmark this. If you don’t have 20 minutes to spare reading this post, see the video below instead!

Insert Video

1. How To Make Money Through Affiliate Marketing?

I love affiliate marketing and I even created a course for it (check it out here). I know there are probably thousands of articles out there claiming that those are the greatest affiliate marketing guide. So, allow me to share some shots of my affiliate marketing income.

Take a look at the images above. On 7th February 2018, I was able to make $237.50 a day simply by promoting affiliate products!

How much money can you make blogging?

The answer is “it depends.” Your blogging strategies will determine the level of success (more on this later).

And no, I’m not trying to boost to you but if you ever have doubts with affiliate marketing, I’m your living proof to tell you that you are wrong. You can make money with affiliate marketing when you have the right strategy.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to help you make money with a blog because it is extremely easily to implement.

In order for you to start making money with affiliate marketing, there are several key points you need to understand.
- Understanding the psychology behind closing a sale is extremely important
- Research on the topic, programs and products must be done
- Creating content that generate sales is important to make money through affiliate marketing
The psychology behind closing a sale

The psychology behind closing a sale is 20% logic and 80% emotions. Focusing and leveraging on the emotion often yields better conversion results.

Click to Tweet

The 20-80 rule is always important when it comes to closing a sale. I use this rule in every affiliate marketing product I promote.

I wanted to express the importance of this rule and my research had lead me to an awesome infographic from SalesForce entitled, “The Pscyhology of Sales Marketing and the Human Mind.”

Logic is only 20%

Do you know that logic plays such a small role when it comes to decision making?

Logic can interpreted such as:
- Brand recognition or brand attributes
- Features of the products
- Financial capabilities
- plusWorthiness of the product
- plusVisual impact of the product
In easier context, a sample scenario would be when you want to buy a meal for your love ones.

You might want to have fine dining but because you are not in the best financial status for the month, you decided to go for alternative (and cheaper) option.

When it comes to affiliate marketing, always remember that logic plays a small part in it only. Keep that in mind!

Emotion is 80%

This is where the juice of affiliate marketing comes into play. You need to be a master of emotion — words that you choose to use will impact the chance of you closing the sale.

There isn’t really a guideline for how to choose the right words to impact your potential customers. However, there are several things you can consider adding into your site to encourage your site visitor to make a purchase.
- The FOMO effect (Fear Of Missing Out)
- Colour scheme (red represents urgent, green represent safe, black represents quality, etc.)
- Limited time offer
- arrow-rightOne-time upgrade offer
- arrow-rightEarly bird promotion
- arrow-rightLast minute promotion
- arrow-rightFlash deals
Here are some real life examples for you to resonate with.

Billions of dollars are spend on Cyber Monday and Black Friday.

Billions are spend on Single’s Day (China).

You are more tempted to buy a product you don’t need during promotion season.

You think it is okay to use your credit card to buy a product in advance (and do the repayment later).

Become a better affiliate marketer by mastering psychology

By now, you will have quite an idea why you are not making money from affiliate marketing. Chances are you are doing what everyone else is doing and not focusing on the real deal.

This is the real deal and it is entirely up to you if you want to practise this.

I dare to guarantee you that if you uses at least one of the tips above to control the emotion of your site visitors, you are going to make way a lot money than you are doing now. Period.

2. How To Make Money From Your Blog Using Google Adsense?

You should have a Google Adsense account by now. If not, you can sign up for a free account here.

When it comes to Google Adsense, you can either make thousands a month or none at all and here’s why: Not all niches are profitable using Google Adsense.

If you are a blogger who want to monetize your blog using Google Adsense, then here’s what you need to do: Only use Google Adsense for profitable niche.

For example, if you are writing about blogging, the earnings you will get from Google Adsense is pretty bad — approximately $0.01 per click. However, if you are on a business or financial niche, you can easily earn up to $10 per click.

Wait! How do you find blog niches that make money? Which blog topics that make the most money?

Glad you asked. Continue reading the below to discover the exact steps to find valuable keywords and niches.

How to find the right niche to make money with Google Adsense?

I recommend you to take a look at Google Keyword Planner. Here’s how you can use it.

Step 1: Head over to Google Keyword Planner

Step 2: Click on the ‘Spanner’ and select ‘Keyword Planner’

Step 3: Search for general phrase or keywords

Step 4: Key in the keyword of your choice (I recommend general and short keywords for some ideas)

Step 5: Determine the expected value of the keywords using the suggested bid column

The values shown in the column give you an estimated earning if you are able to get a single click out of it.

On average, the keywords of your choice need to be around $3 to $5 if you want to make money from blogging.

Note: I’m living in Malaysia, thus the value is automatically shown in Ringgit Malaysia which is the country’s default currency.

The best placement for ads banner

Making money using Google Adsense is all about the clicks and impressions. Therefore, you should place the banners at the right locations.

The best locations (through my experience) are as below:
- Top position on the sidebar
- Sidebar on the left performs better than on the right
- Banner right before starting of the content / article
3. Selling Ad Space On Your WordPress Site

Selling ad spaces is one of the most lucrative ways to make money from a blog as a beginner.

Instead of just using Google Adsense, you should focus on ading in affiliate banners and even sell the ad space to make money.

Bonus: You want also want to use tools such as OIO Publisher to rotate the banners if you are trying to promote more than one banner at one time.

How to sell ad space?

The first requirement is that you need to have a lot of content published and having decent traffic. Once that is done, check on your Google Analytics and determine the top 5 performing posts.

The next step is to find a common company or product that is associated to the posts and reach out to the companies directly. If this is your first time doing such, I would recommend you to start at a very low cost (say $10 per month for a single slot).

When you hit the 10,000 visitors in a month mark, you can increase the value of the ad space.

Why does selling ad space works?

Logically, it costs more than $10 for the company to run advertisement on social media or Google.

You have your stats to back your content up (say, under 100 visitors a day for that specific post) and this means that these are highly targeted audience.

Instead of using paid advertising that can costs thousands of dollars, they will be happy to reduce the cost while being able to get more sales as well.

An absolute win-win situation for both parties.

Bonus: You can also use services such as OIO Publisher and AdClerks.com to promote and look for potential advertisers.

4. Launch Online Courses To Make Money From Your Blog

How to make money from a blog for beginners?

Online courses, of course!

Online course is a bomb for 2017 and it will be even bigger in 2018. It is easy to create one and doesn’t take a lot of work, to be honest. However, launching a success online course isn’t a walk in the park because it takes some effort and planning.

Here are some things you need to know:
- Your blog will be the medium to drive sales
- Start with a free online course (and try to upsell)
- Get ideas through your most popular content on the site
- checkGo to Quora and Medium to search for common questions people are asking (you are a solution provider)
What are the tools needed to start an online course?

First off, a lead generation plugin that convert your customers to email subscribers and leads. For this, I recommend only Thrive Leads as it is powerful and easy to use.

Second off, you need an online course plugin. You can go for third party platforms (where you get lesser money) or hosting it yourself (and making more money). I recommend Thrive Apprentice.

Now, before we proceed with the third tool, you can easily get Thrive Leads and Thrive Apprentice at $19 per month. Check out Thrive Membership here.

The third tool is an email marketing service that offers two important services; building an email list and upsell your customers through automation. For this matter, I recommend only these three — AWeber, ConvertKit or Drip.

Question: How do you launch an online course and make money? More importantly, how much money can you make blogging and online courses?

How much to charge for online courses?

As beginners, you should start with free online courses. Use the online course to build reputation and more importantly, fan base. Once that is done, you can create a more advanced online courses with price tags such as $29, $47 or $197.

Note: Online courses aren’t a get-rich-quick-scheme. It takes time and effort to grow it from a free course to a massive, high-ticket online course.

Recap: How do you make money from a blog as a beginner?

I hope you find this article useful and I’m curious of what you have in mind. Leave a comment below and tell me what you think on earning money from blogging!

What is your favorite way to make money from a blog as a beginner?
April 19, 2024
Drag And Drop Website Builder 2018: Comparing The Top 5 WordPress Editors
Do you want to find the best drag and drop website builder for 2018? A drag and drop website builder has many features which includes building landing pages, creating interactive content on your blog and absolutely zero requirement especially with coding skills.

Let me guess, would you?

You are searching for the best drag and drop website builder because you might want to find:
- The best small business website builder
- The best web design software for beginners
- WordPress theme builder software
Regardless whatever the reason is, I can guarantee you that you are going to find the top drag and drop builder 2018 in this article.

More importantly, I created this comparison so that you will find the best drag and drop website builder WordPress (some call it drag and drop HTML builder) that is best in performance and doesn’t cost you a bomb.

Below, you will find the best drag and drop website builders for 2018 and scrolling all the way down to the bottom will bring you to the frequent asked questions (FAQ). I recommend you to go through the FAQ as you will find some real information there.

As this article is over 3,000 words. Here is the quick summary of the best website builder for 2018 at no specific order/

Note: Clicking on the links will bring you automatically to the content in this post.
- Thrive Architect
- X Theme
- Divi 3.0
- Avada
- Beaver Builder
Bonus video: Why MUST every blogger use a website builder?

What do you think? Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get daily video updates and many more WordPress tutorials!

1. Thrive Architect

Thrive Architect is not your average drag and drop website builder — it is one of the best drag and drop WordPress plugin you can find the in the market today.

Previously known as Thrive Content Builder or TCB, Thrive Architect had been revamped to make a difference in the life of many bloggers (including mine).

What are the Thrive Architect features?
- World-class WordPress editor for business builders
- Instant drag and drop editing
- No design or coding skills needed
- check-circle-oOver 224 beautifully designed landing page templates to choose from
- check-circle-oAutomatic and pre-built conversion elements to help you grow your email list
- check-circle-oEasily create high converting homepages in minutes
- check-circle-oProfessional sale pages templates that includes copywriting features
- check-circle-oClick-to-tweet feature
- check-circle-oAbility to upload and manage high-definition images
- check-circle-oUltra-flexible column layouts
- check-circle-oAttention grabbing headline combinations (yes!)
- check-circle-oTotal control over typography with over 700 custom fonts
- check-circle-oFull-width layout using drag and pull
- check-circle-oPowerful hover effects to impact clicks
- check-circle-oMobile ready and mobile responsive
- check-circle-oToggle any element with instant preview pages with difference screen sizes
- check-circle-oTweak your page even with mobile responsive editing
- check-circle-oDynamic animation and actions to make content more interactive
- check-circle-oUnlimited creation of webinar pages, product launch pages and many more
- check-circle-o24/7/365 support via email and forum (super helpful forum members by the way!)
Is Thrive Architect the best page builder for WordPress?

I love Thrive Architect because it is extremely flexible. Yes, this might make me slightly bias in some parts. However, there is no denying that this WordPress plugin is one of the most intuitive drag and drop website builder I have used in my entire blogging life!

This is what traditional drag and drop website builder looks like. This is exactly what I experience back in those days!

The old technology is slow and certainly isn’t fun. Does this reminds you of the good old days?

Take a look at Thrive Architect backend.

Do you see the differences in both the drag and drop website builder in terms of features?

Imagine you are using the old drag and drop technology. Would you immediately get Thrive Architect simply because it is so darn good? I bet!

The speed factor makes Thrive Architect F-A-S-T!

I don’t know about you but I’m certainly obssessed with speed. I even moved to VPS which reduces my website loading speed from over 3.6 seconds to a mere 800+ ms.

Why I do I use Thrive Architect?

Thrive Architect allows you to build a WordPress page fast — without coding skills. And, each of these WordPress page doesn’t take forever to load too!

Time is the essence.

Why?

Time is money and every second you waste is going to cost you serious money!

You should focus on building your blogging business and like me, I rather spend my time doing blog posts that trying to create a website using codes.

Bonus #1: Thrive Architect comes with building blocks to help skyrocket your conversion rates

Bonus #2: Elements to help you build your blog faster (and making it more interactive)

How much does Thrive Architect costs?

It starts at $67 for a single website and a full year of support. Here’s the table pricing for Thrive Architect.

If you are serious in getting Thrive Architect, I recommend you to get Thrive Membership instead for better discount. Instead of paying $67 per year, you can opt for the lowest plan that starts at $19 per month and includes all the Thrive plugins and themes (read Thrive Membership review). This is a way better Thrive Architect discount than getting the standalone plugin.

Is Thrive Architect worth it?

No doubt in my mind. Personally, I would rate Thrive Architect as the best drag and drop website builder for me and I don’t see myself changing to any other content builder in the near future.

For the price of $19 (Thrive Membership) or $67 (standalone drag and drop website builder plugin), you will find much more value in it that any other plugins in the market.

But hey, that’s my personal opinion on it. What do you think?

Click here to see Thrive Architect demo Join 15,968 Thrive Members and save 24% each year!

2. X Theme

Three years ago, X Theme is probably the first drag and drop website builder that extremely fun to use. It was first of its kind to offer stacks (more on this shortly) and unlimited web design customization.

My meaning of fun is that it took the traditional WordPress visual editor to shame and came up with super fast loading WYSIWYG editor. As most drag and drop website builders those days were heavy and resources eating virtual monsters, X Theme offers fast loading speed through clean coding which made it the best theme in 2015 and 2017.

What does the X Theme offers?
- Integrated with Cornerstone which allows advanced controls
- Brand new customization experience that no other WordPress editors are offering
- Beautifully designed demos which are ready to be imported in just a few clicks
- check-circle-oComes with standard and expanded demos. Standard very stock-like, one-page structure while expanded demos are niche-specific (for restaurants, homestay, church etc.)
- check-circle-oFour different ‘stacks’ to work with (stacks are fully designed theme within the X Theme)
- check-circle-oIntegrated with 29 free and paid WordPress plugins at no additional cost (worth over $1,000)
- check-circle-oSee and work on your site in real time, 100% front end
- check-circle-oCornerstone is simple to use and doesn’t overwhelm you with choices
- check-circle-oAbility to live code editing (if you are geeky enough)
- check-circle-o24/7/365 support via email and forum
- check-circle-oUnlimited lifetime update (theme and plugins) based on number of licenses you own
- check-circle-oResponsive and mobile focus themes
- check-circle-oUses shortcodes to build pages
- check-circle-oeCommerce ready
- check-circle-oClean codes and SEO optimized themes
What makes X Themes the best theme for 2015 and 2017?

X Theme came into the industry when there was a desperate need of great drag and drop website builders and I mean back in those days.

Their biggest attraction point was the integration of plugins which save us thousands of dollars a year.

Of course, the ease of usage and low learning curve allows beginners to build WordPress sites without coding skills — this is extremely attractive to say the very least.

Powerful extended demos

Extended demos by X Theme is insanely powerful. I mean, they are freaking beautiful!

Take a look at some the demos below.

WordPress Theme For Food Truck Business

WordPress Theme For Gym Owners

WordPress Theme for Restaurant owners

How much does X Theme costs?

The pricing structure for X Theme is very straightforward. You can get a copy of the X Theme on Theme Forest at $45 for a single website.

The license will not expire and you can will get unlimited updates for life. However, support for the theme is only applicable for 12 months. Extended support is priced at $13 per year.

Is X Theme worth it?

The answer is “yes” and even with the current website development industry, the X Theme had proved to many that it is still one of the best drag and drop website builders money can buy.

If you are looking for a good drag and drop website builder that doesn’t cost you a bomb, you should consider using X Theme.

Click here to see more demos from X Theme

3. Divi 3.0

I want to be honest with you. Divi 3.0 may be a brand new name for you when you are searching for drag and drop website builder but make no mistake.

Divi 3.0 is definitely the top drag and drop editor I have seen and used.

For the record, I love recommending Divi 3.0 because I consider it as the best website builder for small business too!

What are the features of Divi 3.0?
- Real time design
- check-circle-oJust click and type/amend
- Full responsive editing
- Everything is customizable
- check-circle-oAvailability of global elements (time saver)
- check-circle-oOver 46 content elements
- check-circle-oImport and export easily
- check-circle-oDivi builder is fast (really, really fast)
- check-circle-oWide range of premade layouts and demos
- check-circle-oDraggable widths
- check-circle-oCustomizable UI
- check-circle-oConstant updates
- check-circle-oDedicated support
Fluid WordPress builder

Divi 3.0 is very fluid. When it comes to website development, this is one important feature not to be missed!

Take a look at the GIFs below on how easy it is using Divi 3.0 to build a website.

With Divi 3.0, anyone can become a web designer without coding knowledge.

Divi 3.0 split testing feature

Divi 3.0 is the first drag and drop website builder that interagted split testing feature into its editor. Yes, there are plugins that allow you to taste page vs page, you can take split testing further by testing the different elements on the page with Divi 3.0.

This means that you can test:
- Different elements on a specific page
- Page design A vs page design B
- Automatic selection of winner
Divi 3.0 Smart Split Testing allows you to automatically track relevant user engagement stats depending on the unique goal you define.

Using this WordPress builder plugin, you can change your content, design and positioning to figure out which combinations are most effective.

How much does Divi 3.0 costs?

Divi 3.0 is not sold separately, unlike most of the drag and drop website builders in the market.

There are only two options which are yearly or lifetime access. For yearly access, it is $89 where you will access to all the themes and plugins created by the Elegant Themes team. Alternatively, you can opt for the lifetime access which is a one-time fee of $249.

Is Divi 3.0 worth it?

If you are a full-time web developer (or just starting to be a freelance web developer), Divi 3.0 is definitely a worth while investment. The one time fee of $249 is too good to let go while the affordable yearly access is good for those who are just starting an online business.

Overall, Divi 3.0 has proven to be one of the top contenders and this is definitely an awesome choice if you are looking for best web design software for beginners.

Click here to get the best Divi 3.0 discount here!

4. Avada

In my previous post on the top drag and drop WordPress builder, I have voted Avada as the top 5 best drag and drop WordPress builder money can buy.

One of the longest serving premium WordPress builder on Theme Forest, Avada has received recognition from both customers and top management of Envato.

AM I surprised that Avada is one of the best drag and drop WordPress builder? Of course not and here’s why!

What are the features of Avada?
- Reliable customer support 24/7/365
- Free lifetime updates
- 38 pre-made and ready-to-install website demos
- check-circle-oOver 240 pre-made web page designs
- check-circle-oOver 1,000 options for customization
- check-circle-o6 premium plugins included (worth over $200)
- check-circle-oOne of the most advanced and easy to use option system for customization
- check-circle-oConstant updates
- check-circle-oAbility to import full or partial demos, import content from different demos and uninstall any demo content with just a few clicks
- check-circle-oNo coding required
- check-circle-oAvada provides you with power and flexibility to build your website without having to modify any codes
- check-circle-oUnlimited theme options helps you to customize WordPress sites easily and fast
State-of-the-art Fusion Builder

When it comes to drag and drop WordPress builder, Avada’s Fusion Builder is one of the best in market. It comes with over 55 elements to help you build your website from scratch and ultimately, creating the page design of your choice.

So, what is Avada’s Fusion Builder?

The Fusion Builder that is intuitive, performance enhanced, user friendly and packed with useful features that save you precious time and are a joy to use. The Fusion Builder plays a major role in site creation and is a vital part of the Avada ecosystem since it allows for quick and easy site creation and customizations. The new Fusion Builder will eventually be available for any theme on the market and brings even more to the table that will change your outlook on what a page builder can do.

How much does Avada costs?

Avada is super affordable and it only costs $60 for a regular license that comes with 6 months support.

Is Avada worth it?

Let’s get some facts on Avada to help you decide if Avada is the right choice for you.
- #1 selling theme of all time on Theme Forest
- Onver 380,000 active subscribers
- 19,780 rated an average of 4.77 stars out of 5 for Avada
Now, do you think Avada is worth it? Absolutely!

The two biggest advantages offer by Avada are the pricing and customization.

Get Avada Now!

5. Beaver Builder

If you want to create a blog(click here for the infographic), you need to have great tools at your disposal and one of the tools I recommend is the Beaver Builder.

Beaver Builder is a WordPress website builder that helps you build professional websites in a matter of minutes, not days.

The Beaver Builder is also recognized by big brands such as WP Engine, GoDaddy and Chris Lema. Let’s take a ride and see what the Beaver Builder can offer to us, bloggers.

What does the Beaver Builder offers?
- Dozens of gorgeous page templates
- Position images and text with precision
- Build column based layouts in minutes
- check-circle-oAvailability of the Beaver Builder Theme
- check-circle-oSeparate the page builder plugin from the theme and get complete control of all your content
- check-circle-oLive front end editing
- check-circle-oShortcode and widget support
- check-circle-oMobile friendly and pages are all responsive
- check-circle-oWooCommerce ready
- check-circle-oTuned and optimized for SEO
- check-circle-oMultisite capable
- check-circle-oSave and reuse rows and columns
- check-circle-oDeveloper friendly
The community is M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S

Seriously, this is the single and most important reason why I would recommend the Beaver Builder to any bloggers in the world. The blogging industry is all about the community and the Beaver community is amazingly supportive.

This means that if you have a problem, not only the support team are available to help, other users are also happy to chip in to get you moving in the right direction.

Beave Builder content page templates

I have used quite a few number WordPress theme builder software and the Beaver Builder certainly takes things to new heights. Take a look at the content page templates.

The Beaver Builder also includes other useful content templates such as for contact pages, newsletter sign ups, about pages, pricing tables, and many more. All of these can easily be imported into your WordPress site with just a few clicks of the mouse.

The premade demos and designs are way different from the crowd and if you are looking for a way to impress your first time website visitors — this is it!

Responsive landing page templates

This is pretty clear cut but it is still very important to highlight this feature.

First impression is always important regardless you are in whichever industry. Using the Beaver Builder, you can now put your best foot forward by showcasing responsive landing pages to your potential customers and start converting sales.

Here are some landing page designs you can build with the Beaver Builder.

When it comes to building WordPress websites, the Beaver Builder is definitely one of the top choices for professional web developers.

Note: The plugin is made from ground up and it is extremely easy to use, even for beginners.

How much does the Beaver Builder costs?

As you can see, it starts at $99 per year with comes with the basics page builder plugin and premium modules (demos). The Standard package is best for bloggers who is just starting out.

If you are a freelance web developer, you should consider using the Pro Package which starts at $199 per year.

Is the Beaver Builder worth it?

Good question!

If you are looking for a good WordPress editor software that doesn’t have a high learning curve, this WordPress editor is definitely your best choice.

Not only it is highly affordable, it is extremely reputable and it is one of the best WordPress web page builder for 2018.

See Beaver Builder in action (click for demo)

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ)

I know you have questions about these drag and drop website builder. Most of the basic questions and answers can be found below. If you have more questions, feel free to use the comment form below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Question: What is a drag and drop website builder?

Answer: A drag and drop website builder is one of the most important tools that can help website owners. This is interactive and interesting web tool often offers many benefits such as building landing pages and creating a website without a single line of code. As the process of building a website or a landing page isn’t an easy task when coding is require, a drag and drop website builder certainly helps in the process.

Question: Why are bloggers use drag and drop WordPress builders?

Answer: Most bloggers do have a day job or are students — they do not have the time to go into the messy codings and getting their hands dirty. Building a WordPress site from scratch can take days or weeks. When you use drag and drop website builders, you can build a website in just minutes.

Instead of spending time learning HTML and CSS, you can now skip the entire process and build the website of your choice faster.

Question: Are all drag and drop WordPress plugin similar?

Answer: No, they are not the same. There are standalone website builder you can find on the Internet but most drag and drop website builders are plugin based as they allow you to integrate with any themes easier.

Question: Which is the best drag and drop website builder for 2018?

Answer: This is a tough question. There are many drag and drop website builder software that you can choose nowadays.

For me, I recommend Thrive Architect as it is my first choice. It is fast, super intuitive and ready made templates are definitely key factors leading to my decision.

If you don’t have the time to work on your website and want something that is ready out-of-the-box, Thrive Architect is the best choice for you.

Alternatively, Divi 3.0 and Beaver Builder are great option if you are a web designer. With minimal time and effort, you can use Divi 3.0 and Beaver Builder to power your freelance web designing gig.
April 4, 2024
How To Start A Blog In Just 5 Steps [Infographic]
You heard that you can make money with a blog and you are inching to start a blog. There are way too many guides out there on ‘how to start a blog‘ but you want just the facts.

Yes, you want a complete blogging tutorial that teaches you how to create a blog from scratch. You have no time to waste and certainly, you don’t want to waste money buying web hosting and domain names just to become another failed blogger.

You want to start a blog and start making money from blogging. I feel you –and that’s why I created this post for you; How To Start A Blog In Just 5 Simple Steps.

If you are the type that read, bookmark this post for future reference and if you’re a graphic-type of person, there’s an infographic right at the bottom of this post. And if you find this post useful, I would appreciate it if you can share this around or use the infographic in your blog post!

Step 1: Start a blog by choosing a domain name

A domain name is like your brand and it matters even more especially when your blog get traction and more visibility. Most bloggers find it really challenging to find a blog name and allow me to hep you out on this.

There are several rules of thumb when it comes to choosing a domain name:
- Always go for dot com (.com) followed by dot net (.net) and dot co (.co) – Avoid others forms of Top Level Domains (TLD’s) regardless how interesting they sound like
- Domain name should be short and in most cases, under 20 characters
- Choose a domain name the represents your brand and make sense for reading (higher readability = easier remembrance)
- Avoid hypes and numbers whenever possible
- Have the keyword embedded in the domain for some search engine advantage in the future
Domain usually costs anywhere from $0.99 to under $10 per year. There are many domain registrars out there such as GoDaddy and NameCheap which sells at super low prices.

Want to save money in domain name and get a free one? Continue reading Step 2!

To be included in you reading list: ProBlogger Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

Step 2: Choosing a reliable web hosting company

Web hosting is like the power company that lights up your home (in this case, home is your domain). One of the biggest mistakes done by bloggers is choosing really, really cheap web hosting companies due to the obvious reason; dirt cheap cost.

The results? Tons of downtime and even possibility of hacking which leads to angry visitors and lost of revenue for you. If you think about it, this isn’t the reason of you starting a blog. You want to make money or passive income from blogging!

So, here are some guidelines you need to know when choosing a web hosting company:
- Reliable uptime for web hosting performance
- Proven track record in this industry
- Support consists of live chat, phone, email and forum
- Money back guarantee
Since you are starting out in blogging, you should be getting shared web hosting as this is the most affordable one. While there are higher end ones like WP Engine, you’re still in good hands especially when your blog is hosted with a professional web hosting company with affordable prices.

Why? Because it doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket.

If you need recommendations, I recommend using BlueHost (read my review on Bluehost) because it costs only $3.95 per month and all the goodies such as free domain name, free site builder, professional support and money back guarantee under one roof. Of course, you only get this deal when you use this link (original price is $5.99 per month).

Step 3: Installing a blogging platform

In the 3rd step on how to start a blog, you need to install a blogging platform. Here, I would recommend you to install WordPress as it is one of the most flexible blogging platforms for both beginners and businesses.

Big brands such as Tech Crunch, The New Yorker and Sony Music use WordPress for their websites.

By default, most shared hosting service providers would have cPanel system which you can use to install WordPress. If you slightly geeky, here’s the real definition of cPanel credits to Wikipedia:

cPanel is a Linux based web hosting control panel that provides a graphical interface and automation tools designed to simplify the process of hosting a web site.

If you are wondering if you could create a blog without WordPress, yes you could — but would you? Millions of blogs out there are powered by WordPress because it is flexible and super scalable. As a matter of fact, WordPress allows you to change every expect of your blog (with some coding knowledge).

Right now, you may be thinking, “Hey Reginald, this is just too much for me. I am working/studying and I have absolutely no time to spare. I demand to know how to start a blog fast!”

Yes sir! Pardon me for all the jargons I said in the past few paragraph. You want an easy way out? Signup for BlueHost web hosting and they will give you a free domain. Then the magic happens. BlueHost has 1-click install for WordPress. All you need to do is to click and wait.

Now you are all set … under 5 minutes. Yes, sign up for BlueHost here (If you cancel within 30 days, you receive a full refund on your hosting service and if you cancel after 30 days, you receive a prorated refund for the remainder of your hosting term).

Step 4: Setting up your blog

Yes, you just started a blog. Pretty simple right?

No, it’s no over yet! There’re two more steps and the next step (really simple one, I promise) is setting the blog up.

On your dashboard (accessible through http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin), head over the left panel and click on Settings > General as seen on the image below:

Once the page is refreshed, you will see a new page and this is the main switch box for your blog. See the options in the image below? Fill the details according to the details of your blog.

Once everything is done, click on the Save button.

Important note: Tagline should be no longer than 160 characters.

Bonus offer: See why over 164,000 website owners trust StudioPress Themes!

Step 5: Installing plugins to your blog

What are WordPress plugins?

WordPress plugins are bits of software that can be uploaded to to extend and expand the functionality of your WordPress site.

In short, plugins help you to do wonders with your blog (even when you have no knowledge about) and it increases productivity.

Plugins can be installed directly from your blog’s dashboard. Click on the left panel and select Plugins.

A new page will be visible and you can search dozens of plugins directly from the WordPress repository. As of this point of writing, there are over 37,900 plugins available for download to your blog.

Here are some important plugins you need to have when you first start a blog:
- JetPack (utility plugin)
- Akismet (plugin to manage spam comments)
- Contact Form 7 (plugin to create contact forms)
- W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache (helps to reduce blog loading speed and improve web performance)
- WordPress SEO by Yoast (improves your blog SEO markups)
Alternative plugins for advanced bloggers:
- Thrive Leads (plugin to build email list)
- Easy Social Sharing Buttons (create custom social sharing buttons)
- Scribe Content (advanced SEO and analytics tool for bloggers)
WordPress comes with some beautifully made themes which you can use for free. But if you would want a more custom look and feel, there are tools such as Thrive Theme Builder that allows you to create custom custom blog templates without a single line of code. Besides that, you have StudioPress who offers dozens of professional made blog templates ready for download at very reasonable prices.

So, what’s next after starting a blog?

Did you know that you have finish all the 5 steps in ‘how to start a blog‘?

Yes, give yourself a pat on the back and maybe some beer. You have successfully create a blog from scratch (and without pulling a single strain of hair). Well, that’s awesome right?

Of course, starting a blog is just the first step in your blogging journey. What’s coming up next is how to make money with a blog (subscribe here to be kept updated)!

Bonus: How To Start A Blog [Infographic]
February 19, 2024